Seren 39
Wishing for Happiness Today
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“INDEED, Lady Ladia?”
As soon as I woke up to the fresh morning light, I discovered I had an unexpected request for a visit from Lady Ladia. Speaking of which, Lord Viol would be hosting Prime Minister Borden today. I’d be left with nothing else to do, so it would be nice to chat with Lady Ladia.
We could enjoy a nice lunch together, as well.
I quickly sent a response that I would be delighted to receive her, and Lady Ladia arrived close to lunchtime.
“I’ve been waiting anxiously for your visit!”
“It’s been a month, I think, hasn’t it? I’ve been eager to see you, too, Lady Seren. I actually have some information to exchange with you today. And I’d like your advice on something as well.”
It was unusual for Lady Ladia to come to me for advice. Speaking of unusual, Lady Ladia was also dressed differently today. She looked more mature than she usually did. Her vibe was quite different.
Before she wore a lot of cute outfits, things with puff sleeves and so on, but today, she wore a ladylike dress with three-quarter length sleeves in a mermaid cut that hugged her curves. The pale blue-and-white dress was paired with a choker that offset Lady Ladia’s soft, pinkish-blondish hair.
“Lady Ladia, your outfit today is lovely. It gives off a more mature vibe than usual, but I adore it.”
“Oh, thanks! I’m trying to change up my image a bit.”
We enjoyed our meal while chatting about this and that. Perhaps because Jean had heard that our guest was a young woman, he had decorated each plate with flowers, and we enjoyed their bright hues as we chatted.
Lady Ladia, a member of the salon who was mainly in charge of shipping work, had come over to tell me all about what was going on with the trade voyages.
The first voyage using the stable wind-propulsion magical device Lord Viol and I developed went smoothly, and the ships were now sailing at speeds never seen before. As a result, the ships have started sailing to even farther-off destinations.
“Well then, it seems the magical devices installed on the ships are proving useful,” I said.
“More than useful! Your father has been beside himself with excitement over the prospect of visiting more distant lands and islands!” Lady Ladia smiled wryly. I could picture Father standing at the bow of a trading ship, happily sailing off to an unknown land.
“That sounds just like Father, yes.”
“We can now plan our voyages out much more precisely than before. No wonder he’s so excited. We’ve been planning out more and more trade voyages and making all kinds of arrangements on our end as well.”
“And you need to get approval from parliament and the royals.”
“Yes… but we can secure new trading partners, and there’s far less chance of shipwrecks occurring than before. And missions are shorter, so we can see the results much faster. Who could stand in opposition to any of that? It’s all great news for the country. Voyages are being approved smoothly, without issue.”
“It sounds like everyone’s in favor of it. But protracted sea journeys might make the crew start to complain a bit,” I pointed out.
“Oh, actually, they’re the most excited and motivated about it. Now, they can sail much more safely than ever before and visit all these unknown lands! Reports have it that morale among the sailors is at an all-time high.”
“…Hmm, yes, I can imagine that as well.”
When we went to rescue that trading ship in distress a while back, the crew seemed exhausted at first, but they were very kind to us, even though we had suddenly turned up out of the blue. We had great fun drinking with them in the evening, and they cheered us on with great enthusiasm when we floated the ship during the rescue.
It wasn’t hard for me to appreciate that sailors might be a positive bunch in general. Even with all the mental and physical stress of being stranded, they kept smiling and showed great fortitude. Yes…they seemed a very motivated and adventurous group.
“Once the ship gets back, I’m going to be extremely busy,” she lamented.
“Hehe, I wonder what kind of magical devices will come back with the ship. I’m looking forward to seeing them!”
“Oh, don’t… You sound just like your father.” Lady Ladia laughed. “Oh, right, I meant to tell you. Something interesting happened at the salon.”
“What’s that?”
“But keep it a secret, won’t you?” Lady Ladia came close and whispered to me. She feels the need to whisper it here? In the mansion? I thought. “To tell you the truth… I suspect Prince Helios and Lady Linde are getting along rather well.”
I couldn’t help staring wide-eyed at Lady Ladia. “Really?”
Marietta hadn’t said anything about that. But then again, she and I live in different households now, and don’t get to see each other every day. Maybe that was why.
“So this is just my hunch, but I think Prince Helios has been feeling secretly a bit down ever since you got married, Lady Seren. But recently, he’s started looking much more fresh-faced.”
Secretly down? Goodness, that makes me feel guilty… I knew it. The time between the engagement with Prince Helios being called off and my marriage to Lord Viol was so short it must have hurt his feelings…
Lady Ladia grinned mischievously, seeming not to notice me wincing with guilt. “Anyway, one day, I had to stop by the salon late to tend to some business, and I happened to spot the two of them chatting. Since then, Prince Helios has been much more smiley, and Lady Linde seems quite comfortable conversing with him now.”
“Goodness…”
“They still seem to be just friends. Friends that are quite chatty together. But I actually think the two of them would make a lot of sense as a couple.” Lady Ladia chuckled as if tickled by the thought. Then she suddenly peered at me. “I know about Lady Marietta’s feelings, of course, but… If it comes to it… I hope you won’t mind if I cheer Lady Linde on from the sidelines?”
I nodded slowly.
“…Unfortunately, this kind of situation can’t have a happy outcome for everyone. And it’s not something that can be forced… At least, that’s what I think…” I was trying hard to choose my words. “I’m not in a position to say this, but… Now that Prince Helios is free of the custom of arranged marriage, I’d like to see him spend his future with the person he loves. And I also want both Marietta and Lady Linde to be happy…”