Ella had been the personal maid for both Sophia and Tina. With fewer staff, the house had become difficult to maintain.
“Miss Tina doesn’t follow the master’s instructions and goes out all the time. I even wrote the thank-you letter for these apples on her behalf. The sender always looks forward to the jam you used to include—they’ve said it’s delicious and a highlight every year.”
“Then how about we deliver some of this jam to them now?”
“That would certainly delight them,” the maid replied.
As the head maid went to deliver the freshly made jam, Tina returned to the house.
“Sister! I didn’t realize you were staying starting today. Oh my, that necklace is incredible—the gemstones are huge!”
“It’s a gift from Julius’s mother. Don’t you think it’s retro and adorable?”
Sophia’s soft smile caught Tina off guard. Her sister had always been calm and expressionless, with an air of detachment, focused solely on work. Now, with high-quality jewelry that anyone could see was valuable, Tina immediately realized that Sophia had secured a very fortunate marriage.
“I made some apple jam. How much of it would this household use, do you think?” Sophia asked.
“No one’s going to eat it. I hate apples,” Tina replied dismissively.
“Is that so? Then I suppose I can take most of it with me,” Sophia said calmly.
Since she hadn’t seen apple trees in Julius’s territory, she thought the abundance here might be appreciated. She packed the cooled jars of jam into a basket and carried them to her room.
* * *
At the Duke of Citrona’s estate, Julius was finishing his work and meeting with his old friend Alexis, the duke.
“To think you’re still not married! You were so desperate before. How could you just stop after she arrived?” Alexis teased.
“I was worried she might feel differently after arriving and seeing the reality. I wanted to wait and see,” Julius admitted.
“And to think the old Viscount of Manscott sent the elder sister instead of the younger one! If you’d registered the marriage sooner, I might have stepped in, claiming the agreement was broken.”
“Please don’t. I’m truly happy Sophia came to me,” Julius said sincerely.
Though Alexis had no intention of interfering now that Julius was satisfied, he couldn’t help but be annoyed that the troublemaker Tina had stayed in the capital all this time.
“As long as they don’t cause any more trouble, I suppose it’s fine. It’s good to see my friend finally achieve a happy marriage,” Alexis said.
Julius and Alexis had been friends since their student days. After graduation, Alexis often visited Julius’s territory during the off-season to enjoy hunting.
Knowing that his long-time friend had found happiness in marriage, Alexis was genuinely pleased for him.
0 Comments