Chapter 51
That afternoon, Beatrice sent word to the Estern Duchy’s manor.
However, the reply stated that Freya would not be arriving in the Imperial Capital for another week.
Though she was anxious and pressed for time, there was nothing she could do.
With no other choice, Beatrice decided to simply wait for Freya’s arrival, and in the meantime, she reflected on everything she had done to try and understand Caesar’s heart.
“……”
Regina and Amelia’s advice had been excellent, but for some reason, her own actions felt as though they had not been particularly wise.
In the end, what she had wanted to know was why Caesar had said such things to Sir Schultz, but she still hadn’t found the answer.
‘I wonder what Freya would say if I told her everything…’
Whatever it was, it didn’t feel like it would be praise. Even knowing that, Beatrice was currently unable to decide for herself what was right.
Perhaps she was consciously avoiding the most fundamental issue. Because she was afraid to face the truth, or because she wanted to delay the consequences by any means possible.
And so, Beatrice used Freya’s absence as an excuse to once again push aside the unresolved problem.
Hiding behind the naive and complacent belief that once she saw Freya—the family’s problem-solver since childhood—everything would be resolved, she continued her precarious life with Caesar as if walking on thin ice.
Regardless of her situation, time continued to pass, and society didn’t stop functioning either.
Since she couldn’t completely abstain from external engagements, Beatrice still attended evening banquets and casual tea gatherings here and there, fulfilling her role as the lady of House Valentin.
Caesar, too, occasionally attended banquets with her, or otherwise frequently participated in gentlemen’s clubhouse gatherings.
Imperial meetings on border defense and political affairs also took place at regular intervals, and once again, opportunities for the two to cross paths during the day began to decrease.
As the subtly busy days passed, it was soon three days before the delegation led by Freya would arrive in the capital.
Today, Beatrice had a slightly special engagement.
Her second eldest sister, Camilla, had invited her to a salon she was hosting.
Camilla had shown great talent for painting from a very young age.
In Beatrice’s memory, Camilla had always been deep in thought in front of a large canvas, wearing an apron stained with paint.
One day, she suddenly declared that she had ‘married art’ and, since the age of twenty, moved out to live in her own house, leading various art circles in the capital.
Today’s salon was also one of those gatherings, an event to exhibit and introduce the work of up-and-coming artists.
The event wasn’t very large in scale. Compared to a crowded banquet, Beatrice felt relatively at ease as she viewed the paintings alongside familiar noblewomen and spent time drinking tea.
After the formal portion of the gathering—supporting new artists and purchasing favored artworks—concluded, Camilla invited Beatrice privately into her inner chamber.
“It’s been a while, Beatrice. Have you been well?”
At the ordinary greeting, Beatrice silently smiled and nodded. At least in front of Camilla, just like with Regina and Amelia, she didn’t want to show any sign of the worries in her heart.
“You look like someone with something on her mind.”
And so, the moment Camilla said that in her characteristic dreamy tone, Beatrice gave an unusually noticeable flinch of her shoulders.
“…Is it that obvious?”
Just what kind of expression am I making, for all three of my sisters to say the same thing? She felt deeply unsettled.
“What is it, dear? If it’s something I can help with, go ahead and tell me. Of course, if you’d rather not, you don’t have to. Beatrice, you’re someone more than capable of managing things on your own.”
Camilla, unlike Regina or Amelia, had a distinct personality and way of thinking.
As an artist always immersed in inspiration, perhaps she could offer an unexpected idea. That thought suddenly crossed Beatrice’s mind.
And her sister’s words—that she didn’t need to speak unless she wanted to—brought her a strange sense of comfort.
She had initially thought, Freya will be in the capital in three days anyway, is there any reason to tell Camilla all this?
But that hesitation slowly began to shift.
She had already confided in her other two sisters, and she planned to do the same with Freya anyway.
To leave out only Camilla somehow felt off, so Beatrice slowly began to speak. At this point, even this act of consulting about her concerns had grown somewhat familiar.
Camilla listened calmly, showing no particular reaction. Then, for a long time, she just stared out the window in silence.
Nearly thirty minutes passed, and just when Beatrice was starting to give up on receiving any kind of answer, Camilla finally spoke up with a rather unexpected suggestion.
“To be honest, I don’t have much advice to give on a matter like that. But here’s a thought. Two days from now, I’m hosting a rather special party. Would you be interested in coming?”
Beatrice was a little confused. Was she saying that the party might somehow help solve her problem?
As if reading her mind, Camilla responded.
“Sometimes, you need to break away from your mundane routine in a drastic way for new ideas to emerge. That’s what I do when I hit a wall with my art. The theme of this party is just that. It’ll be the perfect opportunity for a little… deviation.”
Camilla’s voice dropped almost to a whisper.
“I can’t offer you help in any other way, so I’m making this suggestion. But if you don’t want to come, that’s perfectly fine too. Still, I think at the very least, it’ll help clear your head.”
Though the message was somewhat vague, Beatrice was deeply grateful that Camilla—usually so detached from worldly affairs—had extended a hand to help her.
There was a considerable age gap between them, and Camilla had always lived in a world of her own, making her the most difficult sister to approach among the four.
But one thing had never changed—she loved Beatrice, and that was undeniable.
“Yes… If you’re suggesting it, then… I’d like to attend.”
Perhaps the problem had been that she accepted without giving it much thought simply because it was a ‘party’.
Imagining a typical social gathering, Beatrice had completely forgotten the word Camilla had used—’deviation’.
She also failed to consider something important.
While Camilla might have been the quietest and most reserved among the five daughters of House Estern…
She had also been the one to give their parents the most trouble.
Two days later, at midnight, Beatrice found herself standing blankly in the middle of a scene of chaos.
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