The next day...
Cecily awoke in her old bedroom, got herself ready, then headed downstairs. Cecily’s room was located on the far side of the house, up on the second floor. It hadn’t changed in the whole year she had been away, and it seemed that Sewell had been cleaning it every now and then, for it contained no trace of dust and her sheets had a faint freshness to them, as if they had been aired outdoors.
Her beloved picture books, which she’d had to leave behind on her bookshelf, remained as they were. She must have been tired from the journey, for she had fallen asleep last night without realizing it while rereading them.
Cecily peeped into the dining room, from which an alluring smell wafted, whetting her appetite. She had thought to offer to help with the preparations, but it seemed that Sewell had woken up far earlier than her.
“Good morning, dad. I’m sorry—have you finished preparing breakfast already?”
“Oh! Morning, Cecily!”
Father and daughter had enjoyed dinner alone the night before, and Cecily could see that Sewell was in a far more clement mood now. He was pottering around the kitchen wearing an apron and a big smile.
“I’ve prepared some toasted sandwiches and potato soup. You’ll eat, won’t you?”
“Of course I will!”
Sewell was a househusband, and was good at cooking any and all dishes. While Cecily was growing up, he hadn’t only provided the family’s meals each day, but he’d also baked cakes and made sweets. The kids in their neighborhood often came to the house for Sewell’s delicious treats.
Of course, Cecily had spent the past year living alone, and although she wasn’t bad at cooking now, she was nowhere near as good as her father.
I kind of wish dad had taught me how to cook and how to embroider...
Cecily let out a sad sigh in between mouthfuls of her toasted sandwich, which was stuffed with filling. In her mind, these skills were part and parcel of becoming someone’s bride. She wanted to learn how to do various household chores before marrying Zeke. She knew that he would tell her she shouldn’t push herself, but in her own way, Cecily wanted to become someone Zeke could rely on.
If Sewell wasn’t going to or wouldn’t teach her, she could maybe ask Maria. Though Maria had her hands full with her own work, so maybe she could ask Baroness Stein...?
No! I can’t give up before I’ve even really begun.
A part of Cecily’s mind had already accepted that Sewell would never come around to the idea of her marrying Zeke. In all honesty, if Sewell was this against their marriage, she could simply leave already, having concluded that he would never change his mind. She was sure the Stein family would warmly accept her.
All the same, she was disappointed with herself for giving up so easily.
Cecily knew that she couldn’t truly be happy in a marriage that hadn’t received her father’s blessing. This may have been the common way of thinking, but on a personal level, too, Cecily wanted Sewell to accept her and Zeke’s relationship. She loved her father, so it was natural she wanted him to celebrate the marriage and to see her off with a smile.
Zeke hasn’t given up either!
Yesterday, before Zeke had left, he had slipped a handwritten note into her pocket. In it, he had told her that the group would be meeting today at just before noon, in front of Marjorika’s house.
Cecily took the last mouthful of her toasted sandwich.
“Thanks for cooking, dad. It was great!”
After cleaning up the dishes, Cecily made moves to head out of the dining room. Sewell pulled a concerned look, having anticipated an enjoyable midmorning coffee with his daughter.
“Where are you heading off to?”
“Lady Lottie and I had planned to go for a walk together with everyone.”
In truth, it was to discuss their next plan of action, but of course she couldn’t tell Sewell that.
Cecily had been taking great care since yesterday not to mention Zeke’s name. She loved Zeke, so of course this was a terribly difficult task, but it was necessary to keep Sewell calm.
“Is that right? I suppose Miss Lottie and the others are your precious friends, after all.”
However, Cecily had already dashed out of the house, and didn’t catch what Sewell had said.
“Over here, Cecily!”
Charlotte called out near Marjorika’s house, waving as Cecily came into view. Maria, who was with her, nodded, and Cecily greeted them both.
“Where’s Zeke and Sir Alphonse?”
“Some children were showing interest in those two pairs of loins, and took them away somewhere. Something about a flower field. Maria and I have decided to wait for them.”
Perhaps due to having been abandoned by her personal guard, Charlotte wasn’t in the best mood. She was playing with her hair awkwardly.
But the village really is peaceful...
Due to the village’s very entrance being hidden from sight, anyone with ill intent wouldn’t have been able to come into the village unless someone showed them the way. Cecily supposed that Alphonse had temporarily left Charlotte’s side because he had deemed the village to be safe.
“Yes, there’s a small flower field on the outskirts of the village. I used to play there a lot when I was small. It’s a completely natural flower field, and they’re rather beautiful...”
Cecily’s voice trailed off. There was no way that someone like Charlotte would be interested. She was a princess, and had grown up in the palace surrounded by flowers that had won distinguished awards before being used as decoration there.
However, Charlotte showed unexpected interest.
“Is that right? Well then, let us go have a look later!”
“Sure,” Cecily said, nodding with a smile.
Charlotte’s own previously troubled expression relaxed as well.
“Cecily, you look brighter than usual today.”
“I do?”
“Maybe ‘bright’ is not the right word—after all, the captain’s loins said that your father’s loins was against your marriage. But even so...I’m not sure exactly how to put this, but when you were with me in the palace, you were always slightly on edge, weren’t you?”
Cecily nodded. She was aware of that herself.
“This is the place you were born and raised, so I’m sure this is where you feel most relaxed.”
“You might be right about that.”
Charlotte had been watching her far more closely than she had realized, and had picked up on a change that Cecily herself hadn’t even been aware of.
It was true that Cecily was shy and an introvert, but the village was not only full of people that Cecily had known ever since she was a baby, but also people that Cecily had helped change the diapers of when they had been babies. This was the reason Cecily’s expression softened and her tone of voice became so expressive here in her hometown.
“I’m happy to see that you seem well too, Lady Charlotte.”
“Quite. Perhaps it’s because most of the people living in this village are women...? It makes me feel at ease, I think.”
“Not only that, the women here are all strong characters,” Maria added.
“You said it!” Cecily and Charlotte said, before exchanging glances and chuckling.
Cecily could feel her heart growing lighter as she spoke to her friend. It was true that a large task lay ahead of her, but she was finally back home and her friends seemed to be enjoying their time here.
In the next moment, Cecily felt something brush against her legs. She peered down to find a familiar black cat.
“Hello, Rolo. What’s up?”
Rolo looked like a regular old black cat, but in truth he was a magical beast who could use simple spells. Apparently he was capable of communicating with people, but unfortunately Cecily was still unable to hear him.