Chapter 23


    That was delicious. Thank you, Reverend.


    Amidst the silence, only Raymond spoke up.


    For the next lord of the territory to have been involved with the cooking, it was nothing to be proud of.


    All he needed to do was to assist the current fief lord in the administrative duties, or other than that, he was to be in charge of greeting or sending condolences to the territories residences as a priest. Topliment him in this was also a delicate matter.


    Oh my, you should have let us know earlier, Ise quipped.


    Ive wanted to hear about various perspectives. I dont have the same opinion, but Miss Ise thinks that fasting would be enough to provide sustenance for those below her station.


    Thats right.


    You dont seem to agree, Mister Verdic.


    Ises face turned bright red. She had criticized the Hare family so enthusiastically, but with Verdics avariciousness side-by-side, her stance didnt make sense.


    I enjoyed it a lot as well, Reverend. If Im not wrong, I believe these are medicinal herbs atop the dish. Is that right?


    Youre right. I d-dont always interfere with the cooking, but I sometimes do when its necessary.


    Because of this, I was able to taste something not only delicious, but also healthy. Thank you.


    Indeed, it was a shame to be the fief lords puppet. Verdic looked at Dun differentlyhe was merely an obstacle. If Dun and Carynne were to get married, no matter how much Verdic would get to monopolize the real power in this territory, the Hare family would persist to have the final say in anything.


    Fortunately, he didnt need to care about the priest that much. On top of being ipetent, he was a stutterer. However, seeing the skills he disyed here, with his involvement with cooking and health, Verdic licked the oil on his lips with his tongue.


    Carynne hadnt even taken a bite of the wild fowl yet. Verdic looked at her te furtively, wondering if she would refrain from eating and yield the serving to him.


    Their eyes met.


    Carynne smiled slightly.


    In his embarrassment, he tried to avert his eyes, but Carynne continued to look at him as she took a slice of the fowl and brought it to her lips. As she chewed, she dropped her gaze.


    Unpleasant.


    And it became even more unpleasant when Carynne saw that Raymond was staring at her. This damn knight. Just how much do you think I let it slide until now!


    Noticing the direction of Raymonds gaze, Ise immediately became prickly.


    Hmm, but is anyone here sick? It tastes good, but its not something that a priest should


    Verdic gently stepped on his daughters foot. <i>Stop it.</i>


    Im the one whos not feeling well.


    The fief lord replied with a forced smile.


    So if you can stop tormenting Dun, that would be great, Miss Evans.


    In that deste atmosphere, the chef quietly stepped out, saying that he would prepare some refreshments. Then, as the fief lord cleared his throat while he mentioned that they all must need to go about their own businesses now. And so it was the deration to the end of their gathering.


    Since the formal dinnersted more than three hours, the fief lord went to the smoking lounge. Verdic hurriedly trailed after him.


    * * *


    Ise wiped her tears and fixed her makeup.


    The woman in the mirror was a mess.


    Her words, her makeup, everything.


    Youre just a cheap viin at this rate


    That girl, why did <i>she</i> have to be so pretty?


    What Ise saw in front of her was a lifeless blond color. Her hair was not gold. Though the texture was soft, her roots were brown. Her hair looked like a broompared to Carynnes hair. Ise cursed her mother for not giving her more beautiful qualities when she gave birth to her, but she soon shook her head.


    She was confident enough when it came to money or business, seeing as she had nurtured a business acumen through the practice of distinguishing between documents and crunch numbers, thereby bing adept at finding legal loopholes for sess.


    But when she was faced with all the innate qualities that Carynne Hares family had bestowed upon her, Ise felt that all of her own strengths just faded away.


    <i>How many people do you think actually marry for love?</i>


    But Father. You have a mistress. When I was five years old, I saw you kissing my tutor. You always make a point to respect Mother, but you never treat her as the only woman for you. Of course, Mother also found out and changed the tutor. But the saddest thing for me was when I saw Mother being so affectionate with the butler. Whats wrong with dreaming of love? Whats wrong with that?


    <i>Thunk.</i>


    She hit the mirror. However, the mirror stayed intact. Only her hand was hurt.


    The cloudy reflection in the mirror got smudged by the handprint, bing even more blurred.


    Ha


    While analyzing business documents to no end, she always still admired the fairytales she had read which often featured princes and princesses who had the perfect love stories. Their love for each other never changed. The prince would always love the princess, would always protect her, and they lived happily ever after.


    Ise couldnt forget the day she first met Raymond. He was like a prince in a fairytale. He was every girls dream. He didnt fall in love with her at first sight, but thats alright. Even if their first meeting went over like that, there were also many other stories that had happy endings. Over time, he woulde to see her strengths, and


    Thats not going to happen


    Sheughed in vain.


    Her demeanor changed, so now shes pretending to be pitiful? <i>Ha,</i> Iseughed at her own weakness. Carynne must be feeling rxed. Howfortable it was to look both pretty and pathetic as she didnt have money. Would Ise try to imitate that aspect of her? For someone as rich as her, it would be repugnant to even make an attempt at mimicry.


    Rather than a womans appearance, it was her speech and ability that was the most important. A talented woman like her could make a lot of money through her capabilities, and this trait was pricelesspared to a beautiful womans smile.


    For merchants or for those who wanted a talented woman to be their daughter-inw, there was the detestably low preference for a lover. Ise had seen too many of such cases. She was so sick and tired of it already.


    But She thought that Raymond would be different Her father said so. At one point, Ise noticed that her fathers mistresses were always younger and more beautiful than her mother.


    She came to know the truth, yet it was already toote. Noeven if she knew, it was something that she wouldnt be able to prevent. Thats just an excuse.


    Rather, she would have been more miserable now if she hadnt studied so hard like that in the past. And not only did Ise pour a lot of money for her studies, but it was the same for her outward appearance. She applied various cosmetic products on her face and hair and, at the same time, draped stylish clothes over her body to make her look better.


    However, was there a way to change her proportions? Was there a way to change the natural shape of her face and body? Was there a way to change herplexion and the color of her hair?


    A human beings worth did not lie in their appearance, and so they cultivate their inner beauty in order for God to extend his grace yadda, yadda, yadda. Bullshit.


    If she happened to be like Carynnejust sitting there and looking around, not being able to say anything beyond a word or twoIse could see how miserable shed be. It was obvious that she would just wither and be like weeds, and no one would care about her any longer.


    Ise fixed her makeup. She gritted her teeth. Lord Raymond, youll still have to marry <i>me</i>. You were <i>sold</i> to my family. An Evans would never let go of any debt.


    Haha.


    Beyond the terrace, she could clearly hear Raymondsughter. She saw his shiny blonde hair at first nce. So he couldugh like that, too, as though it wasing from the bottom of his heart.


    Little by little, Ise could also hear Carynnes voice. She looked cheerful.


    Ise suppressed the urge to rush in and grab that girls hair.


    She listened intently. The faint volume of their voices formed a conversation.


    You don''t believe me?


    Wow Sir Knight, how awfully confident of you.


    As he smiled at Carynne, Raymond found Ise. Ise knew that he definitely saw her there. But he continued to talk to Carynne without even caring about her presence.


    Im a very popr groom candidate.


    Cruel, as though his engagement with Ise had nothing to do with him.


    I cant believe youre saying that about yourself, goodness Youre incredible.


    Am I not?


    How would I know? I met you for the first time that night.


    Raymond leaned in slightly and looked into Carynnes eyes.


    Youre lying, arent you?


    Pardon?


    You know me.


    Ise held her breath.