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TEATIME awaited Emma after her bath. Her father returned in the meantime and joined in the afternoon repast. It was the first occasion in months they had a happy family get-together.
She looked at the scrumptious fruit tart on the table. The fruits possessed a glossy sheen from their syrupy goodness, and the mountain of fresh whipped cream made her mouth water. Despite lacking a strong aroma, the black tea provided a refined, glorious accompaniment to the pastry. Jamie has a superb sense for food.
But Emma couldn’t let herself be distracted by teatime. She had a goal to accomplish. Though she was loath to put a damper on the lively conversation surrounding her mother’s freshly baked tart, she knew she had to assert herself. She cleared her throat and addressed her father.
“Father, I’d like to discuss something with you.”
Her father, smiling in delight at seeing his daughter again for the first time in months, was startled. He had been about to ask her how life at school fared.
“What’s the matter, daughter? There’s no need to be so stiff with your old man. Ack, don’t tell me it’s what I think it is.”
Correctly guessing what Emma was about to say, her father grimaced and returned his teacup to its saucer.
“You are correct, sir. As I mentioned in my letters, I request the dissolution of my engagement with Count Sagden’s son, Lord Bernard. One of the reasons for this betrothal was to reward me for my time affinity, yes? Well, I politely decline it as I do not require such a prize.”
Sighing heavily, her father kept silent and closed his eyes, arms folded. She had written to him several times over the past few months about this matter, but he had doggedly refused to allude to it in any of his replies.
“You’re talking nonsense, Emma. Marrying into the Sagden family means securing lifelong stability for yourself. I know you carry a heavy burden right now, but once your work is done, you can live comfortably as a countess. What about this do you find so distasteful and unsatisfying?” One of her older brothers interjected, his tone incredulous at her temerity.
If you’re so bloody enamored by being joined to a count’s bloodline, why don’t you marry that faithless scoundrel instead? Emma knew she couldn’t say that out loud. Tamping down the temptation to lash out at him, she made an imperious declaration.
“Because I want to be a lady’s maid!”
“Oh, Emma… Please don’t tell me you’re still stuck on that silly dream?”
Her mother’s eyes widened in dismay. Emma’s true motivation for calling off the engagement was that she didn’t want to marry a worthless man like Bernard, but her family would be devastated if she revealed the particulars to them. Eventually, everyone would discover the truth about Bernard and Annette’s relationship. There was nothing she could do about that. Yet Emma thought it prudent to use her dream as a pretext instead of hinting at such an unsavory situation.
“Yes, Mother, I am, in fact, ‘stuck’ on my ‘silly’ dream. I gave up on it once after my time magic awakened, but the longer I studied at the Magic Academy, the stronger my desire to be a maid grew. I couldn’t let go of it.”
She gazed unflinchingly at her father, the head of their house. Her parents had always spoiled her. Emma took up her facade of a good girl because she’d been afraid that if she had honestly told them about all her selfish whims, Viscount and Viscountess Seagrove would have done everything in their power to satisfy their only daughter.
She realized this at nine when her time affinity revealed itself. If she had wished to hide her ability, her father would have acceded without a thought. But it would have meant defying the will of the monarchy, and she couldn’t bear to see him punished for her selfishness. So she pretended to accept the situation, quickly giving up on her dream without a fuss.
“So that’s how you’ve felt all this time, eh? Might I also presume that you’re not interested in being a maid for a few years before marrying?”
Her father’s question was reasonable since he described the normal route for ladies from lower-ranked aristocratic families. Strictly speaking, she wasn’t opposed to such a commonly traveled path. But Emma knew herself well enough to realize that she would inevitably chafe at the time restrictions involved. More importantly, the issue was specifically with Bernard as her fiancé.
I won’t deny either that there’s a small part of me hoping for a love marriage instead, one devoid of talk regarding familial alliances and such hogwash. The minute this thought popped into her head, an image of a young man with silver hair and pale purple eyes flashed through her mind. Panicked by her confused musings, Emma hurriedly shook her head to focus on the matter at hand.
“You’re correct, Father. I… I want to work at the royal palace! Um… More precisely…I’ve always wanted to serve the young princesses.”
To secure employment at the royal palace, a maid had to remain unmarried for a myriad of reasons. She blurted it out without thinking, but upon closer reflection, she realized perhaps her subconscious had found a way to speak her truth. This reason matched her situation the best right now.
“The royal palace, hm…? I see… Truth be told, Emma, my girl, ever since your first letter mentioning your request, I’ve been obliquely determining if Count Sagden would be amenable to it. Unfortunately…the man is quite chuffed at having gained the rank of Count because of the engagement. So calling it off might lead to a bit of strife.”
“I’m aware of the possibility, sir. Even so, I beseech you to try. I… Please forgive me for being so selfish, Father.”
As she bowed her head deeply in remorse, her father spoke again thoughtfully.
“Raise your head, my girl. There’s no need to apologize. I only agreed to the engagement in the first place because I thought it would make you happy. I’ll do what I can. I only ask that you give me some time. I need to lay the groundwork first.”
“Of course, Father. Truly, thank you a million times over. You’ll never know how much this means to me!”
Now my whole family knows about my intent to accomplish my dream. I hope they can come to terms with it. Once I find definitive proof of Bernard’s infidelity, I can use it to easily call off the engagement. That will be my last resort if Count Sagden digs in his heels.
Once her mother and older brothers tacitly acquiesced to Emma’s request and her father’s promise, the family’s conversation turned to her beloved idol and Jamie’s distant relative, Sunny. They reminisced fondly about her for some time. Oh, I just remembered that Sunny and I ate this very fruit tart the day she left to return home.
Nostalgic, Emma dug her fork into her portion and scooped up a huge morsel. Without hesitation, she lifted it to her mouth and swallowed. The sweet, slightly sour taste represented happiness to her. She vaguely recalled eating the same thing on her first day of summer break in her first life. Savoring the blissful moment, Emma felt not an iota of anxiety as her second life sailed on smoothly.