Chapter 25
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Chapter 25
"I'm working."
"What? Working?"
Charlotte's eyes widened in shock as she cried out. Helena rolled her eyes and gestured for her to lower her voice. Only then did Charlotte lean forward and whisper.
"Working, Helena? Surely you don't mean that sort of 'work'—earning wages?"
Helena's voice turned clipped and matter-of-fact.
"Yes, Charlotte. Work. I've been accompanying opera singers on piano during their weekly rehearsals."
"Good heavens, do Mother and Father know? How could a lady of society possibly engage in such labor...."
Maria, our governess, had always insisted that ladies of society must never sully themselves with labor or accept compensation for it. Most shamefully, to profit from one's own refined accomplishments and talents was deemed as contemptible as selling the family's honor itself.
"Of course they don't know."
Helena's exasperation burst forth at Charlotte's question.
"You truly... understand nothing, do you? Charlotte, have you ever wondered why Father has been absent from home so frequently of late?"
Helena's voice turned sharp, as though warning Charlotte not to dare judge her.
"Why Bianca, who only recently made her debut in society, had to alter Jane's worn dresses to wear them? Why Jane's wedding has been postponed, and why she's been receiving her bridal education at our uncle's house rather than with a governess in London?"
Helena exhaled deeply, her voice tinged with sorrow.
"It's because the Augusta Family's fortunes are declining. Our current income is woefully insufficient to feed us all and provide proper marriages for each of us."
Charlotte's mind conjured images of Father's worn buttons and Mother alongside the maid Collin fashioning ornaments from scraps of old dress fabric. Yet she could not bring herself to accept this truth, and muttered instead.
"But we still have servants, and...."
"Then who would marry the daughter of a household without servants? Our parents keep maids like Sydney and Collin solely to maintain our family's dignity."
"...."
Helena's biting retort struck Charlotte silent. While I had been prattling on about love without a care in the world, our family's circumstances had deteriorated so drastically. Charlotte found herself wondering if Father George, who had grown noticeably gaunt lately, was secretly taking on work to support us.
Helena regarded the dejected Charlotte with sorrowful eyes, then spoke in a gently admonishing tone.
"Charlotte, I'm glad you've been associating with such distinguished gentlemen lately, but I hope you don't believe yourself to be in their circumstances. The Earl of Oslo's balls, the Baron's recitals—our family simply cannot afford to purchase new dresses and commission carriages to match their standing."
Helena seemed to realize her words had been somewhat harsh, and she continued in a considerably softer voice after releasing a small sigh.
"The best we can do now is find a suitable husband who will marry us with a modest dowry, Charlotte."
"I'm sorry, Helena.... I had no idea...."
Charlotte murmured in a voice thick with emotion as understanding finally dawned. Helena gazed at her with pity, then leaned her back against the door frame as she spoke.
"No, Charlotte. Truth be told, I'm hardly in a position to criticize you. Working as a lady doesn't exactly enhance my value as a bride...."
Helena continued speaking, wondering if her own choice to earn money through piano performances rather than actively seek suitors was equally selfish.
"...But what I want right now is to ease our parents' burden in preparing for the upcoming Earl of Oslo's ball. And I'd like to provide Bianca, who has only just entered society, with at least one new dress."
Charlotte had always thought Helena was simply sharp-tongued. But now that she understood Helena carried heavy worries and secrets for the sake of their family, Charlotte finally began to comprehend the reasoning behind her sister's actions.
***
That afternoon, Charlotte set out to find her Aunt Elicia in the Back Garden. Her elderly aunt often fell asleep while reading in the Garden Gazebo, and it was one of the Augusta sisters' daily duties to wake her before the sun set and the weather grew cold.
As Charlotte walked alone toward the Garden Gazebo, her thoughts grew heavy.
'I never imagined our family's circumstances had become so dire. And here I was, breaking statues at Count Oslo's Mansion and chasing after unsuitable suitors....'
Charlotte recalled the books and jewelry that Helena had distributed to her younger sisters, claiming to have obtained them cheaply from somewhere. She spoke her thoughts aloud.
"Helena risks her reputation by taking on 'work'.... And all I can do is...."
As Charlotte lifted her gaze, the forest stretched out beyond the Garden Gazebo came into view—the same forest she had walked through almost every night with Leopold. Charlotte sighed once more. What I could do was clear.
"To marry a good suitor—not a phantom—as soon as possible. That's all there is to it."
Charlotte stepped into the gazebo as she spoke. Sure enough, Aunt Elicia lay sleeping with a book spread open across a small blanket.
Charlotte bent her knees slightly and whispered.
"Aunt, it's evening now."
Elicia's wrinkled eyes fluttered open gently. It seemed as though she hadn't been asleep at all, but rather lost in deep contemplation.
"Oh, it's you, Charlotte."
Elicia spoke in a drowsy voice.
"I seem to have dozed off without realizing it. I felt rather tired today, for some reason...."
Elicia fell asleep in the garden almost every day, yet she always spoke of it as though it were the first time. Charlotte offered a gentle smile in response.
"You went for a walk with Bianca and Katie today, didn't you? No wonder you're tired. Katie has the stamina of a little lady who could walk for hours on end."
"That's true. It's different from when I walk with you, Charlotte. You always consider my energy and don't venture too far."
Elicia spoke with a serene smile. Now that she mentioned it, Elicia did appear somewhat more exhausted than usual. Charlotte settled beside her aunt and spoke.
"Then tomorrow, let's take a walk together again, Aunt. I do enjoy walking with you. You know the most beautiful hidden corners of the forest that others don't...."
"No, Charlotte. With so many gentlemen lined up to spend time with you, I cannot impose as an old woman."
Elicia gently waved off Charlotte's affectionate proposal. Instead, her clear blue eyes—bright with curiosity beyond her years—sparkled as she asked.
"Tell me, Charlotte. It seems you've met a good suitor.... I've noticed you've been more radiant and beautiful lately. Is that the reason?"
"Ah, a good suitor, you say...."
At Elicia's sudden question, Charlotte's thoughts turned to Philip Oslo. He was more than a good suitor—he was almost too fine a match for her station. As the son of an earl, he possessed both refined features and a gentlemanly demeanor. Like the rest of her family, Charlotte considered it nearly miraculous that such a perfect suitor would show her favor.
"...."
Yet Charlotte found herself unable to continue. Whenever she tried to recall Philip's shy, innocent smile, Leopold's face would somehow materialize in her mind instead. His enigmatic, cunning smile; his grayish-green eyes that held the light of moonlight; and that deep, sweet fragrance of his....
Charlotte's heart grew heavy, and she felt a melancholy settling over her. Then, Elicia's weathered hand came to rest upon her own.
"Forming a bond with someone involves far more invisible forces than one might imagine."
Elicia's warm voice resonated in Charlotte's ears. She lifted her gaze to meet her aunt's eyes. Elicia gazed toward the sunset slowly descending beyond the forest as she continued speaking.
"Fate, love... it must feel as though incomprehensible things are happening only to you, Charlotte."
Charlotte found herself remembering the previous night, when she had lain in Leopold's arms and studied his face with careful attention. The memory sent an unbidden warmth flooding through her cheeks. The unfamiliar intensity in his gaze and the warmth that had radiated from his entire being came vividly to mind.
Charlotte turned her attention to the sunset alongside Elicia. As she beheld the golden light, ripe as a perfectly ripened pear, Leopold's sweet voice echoed softly in her ears.
'It must have been fate, Charlotte. You and I.'
The sunlight beyond the forest painted the trees between them in gold before slowly fading away. Along the narrow path leading into the forest, a few yellow fallen leaves lay scattered, as though they were fragments of light left behind by the sun.
Elicia, who had fallen silent, slowly began to speak again.
"Charlotte, as you said, I know well the beautiful hidden places scattered throughout this forest. People believe there are only two walking paths in this small forest, but I know there are far more than that..."
Charlotte nodded at Elicia, recalling how her aunt had once pointed toward the direction of the Small Ballroom in the Forest that Leopold had shown her. Elicia had said that place seemed like a path walked by ghosts.
Elicia's blue eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked.
"Charlotte, do you know how I discover these hidden beautiful places?"
"No, Aunt."
Charlotte answered, her heart quickening with anticipation. Elicia smiled with an expression of childlike innocence. It was the same mischievous look she had worn when teaching her how to capture gentlemen's attention at Count Oslo's Gallery.
"It is simply by following the direction the wind blows."
Elicia spoke slowly, closing her eyes as she did. Her wrinkled face seemed to grow decades younger in that moment. She continued.
"Not along the worn path visible beneath your feet, but with eyes closed, walking toward the places where beautiful fragrances drift upon the breeze."
Following Elicia's words, Charlotte gently closed her own eyes. In that moment, a fragrant wind carrying a pleasant scent emerged from deep within the forest. It was the familiar aroma of sandalwood.
"Charlotte... rather than trusting in what your eyes can see..."
Elicia continued, gazing at Charlotte, whose eyes were tightly shut.
"...Follow what the wind desires, what my heart desires, what fate desires, and one day you will discover a meadow blooming with beautiful flowers."
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org