Mari and Mira, standing by, narrowed their eyes sharply. If this is a proposal, shouldn’t it be more romantic? their gazes seemed to say. But Julius was far more concerned with Sophia’s response.
“Yes… I’d love to go,” she said, smiling brightly. Her answer, spoken in her usual straightforward manner, brought an undeniable sense of joy to Julius’s heart.
* * *
Together with Julius, Sophia headed to the capital, where they stopped by the largest city in the domain to visit one of his family’s mansions. There, she was introduced to Julius’s parents.
They warmly welcomed Sophia, and Julius’s mother even brought out her old collection of jewelry. Though the designs were outdated, the gemstones were rare and of exceptional quality. She suggested Sophia have a jeweler in the capital redesign them into something more fashionable.
Sophia was delighted with the jewelry she received and decided to use it as it was.
“I think it’s come full circle to being retro and adorable,” she remarked, occasionally lifting the necklace around her neck to admire it.
Seeing Sophia like this, Julius couldn’t help but smile gently. She truly seemed like a wonderful person, but a worry nagged at him: What if she eventually grows tired of this remote land and decides to leave?
* * *
While in the capital, Julius attended to his work, leaving Sophia to stay at the Manscott family’s townhouse.
The Margrave of Appelci’s townhouse in the capital had been rented out due to its lack of use, so Julius, who often stayed with friends or at inns, arranged for Sophia to have a familiar and stable place to stay.
Returning to the Manscott family’s townhouse for the first time in a while, Sophia was surprised by how gloomy the house felt. Though the family had always been poor, and decorations had been sparse, even the few expensive items were now gone.
When she went to her room to drop off her luggage, she noticed that her personal belongings had also been cleared out.
Even the head maid who welcomed me looked a bit worn out. What happened here?
Curious, she headed to the kitchen, where she saw wooden crates filled with apples, left untouched.
“Oh no! If they’re left here like this, they’ll spoil,” Sophia exclaimed.
Hurriedly, she pulled out a large pot and began making apple jam. She peeled the apples, added ingredients to the pot, and set it over the fire.
As she stirred, the head maid appeared, and Sophia took the opportunity to ask her what had happened.
“After you left, Miss Sophia, Ella had to find work elsewhere. The cook has been replaced with someone who comes only as needed. I am now the only one serving the Manscott family exclusively,” the maid explained with a heavy sigh.
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