TL: Zimming
I went out as soon as the meal was over and stroked the elsa tree gently. I can feel the rough bark in my palm, and the bitter citrus smell went into my nose.
Just in time, the chairman came towards me when he saw the elsa tree piled up in the castle.
âWhatâs all of this?â
âItâs mine.
âJust how many are hereâ¦â
âIf I start selling it, I will be richer.â
âWhat are you going to do when you get richer?â
âOf course I have to pay my taxes.â
When I laughed, the chairman also laughed.
Does the chairman know that Seriaâs and my heart always breaks every time the tax season comes in?
But the chairman only shrugged.
âIâll leave some of the leaves.â
âYes. Leave some of them. So that people donât think itâs strange.â
âYes. Ah, I need to depart for work.â
Originally, the work was already arranged for weeks. But it was only delayed because Mireille appeared.
âI think weâre leaving in few days.â
âDonât forget your communication device.â
âDonât worry, I always bring it with me.â
âOkay.â
I nodded as I touched the corner of Etwal.
***
We went to the capital city three days later.
Previously, there was only me, Henry, Isaac, and dad in the castle. But now there was Javelin and Johann.
Johann decided to stay with us until the end of his vacation.
When we arrived at the mansion, the employees greeted us.
When we were done organizing our luggage, we drank tea and discussed what was going to happen.
Aunt said to dad,
âNow that Leblaine is about to have her social debut, weâll have to pick her godmother.â
Godmother are adults who educate the soon-to-debut ladies.
It is very important who our godmother is. This is because people are divided by factions.
Of course, there are people who donât like factions, but if they donât belong anywhere, it is difficult to survive.
My family discussed my godmother.
âI heard that Mrs. George is wise. All the ladies said sheâs calm and smart.â
Henry who knew many people said,
âMrs. George is wise, but her husband is not. He is greedy. If he knows that his wife is in charge of Leblaine, it will be hard.â
âI heard their niece is also making her social debut this time. He cares so much about blood, he may mistreat Leblaine and prioritize his niece.â
âWhat about Mrs. Dimonte?â
âItâs a good idea.â
Many names were mentioned. Aunt and Henry gave many suggestions to dad.
âPick anyone who wonât force Blaine to wear heels.â
There have been people who have forced kids to wear high heels.
Hearing him, my aunt said, âOf course.â as she drank the tea.
Everyone voiced out their opinions together to pick my godmother, but I already had someone in mind.
My aunt will introduce me and take on the role of helping me adapt.
My aunt said,
âFirstâ¦letâs just start with shopping.â
âShopping?â
âThe smell of money can make hyenas of the social circle shut their mouth. Iâll ask Sharon for your clothes.â
Sharon?
As soon as I heard the name, I quickly asked my aunt.
âCan I go and see her in person?â
âHmmâ¦â
My aunt, who had been agonizing for a while, soon nodded.
âIt wouldnât be a bad idea to introduce yourself.â
I sang a joyous song into my heart. Because the person I want to have as a godmother has a good relationship with Sharon.
***
When I came out with my aunt to the store, I could feel the gazes coming our way.
âOh my godâ¦itâs Javelin.â
I could hear whispers ever since we arrived.
From the lady holding the book to the bachelor in the flower shop, all attention was on my aunt.
There was no end to the attention.
She was like a knight who came back from the war victorious.
Everytime she wears something, it becomes a trend.
Above everything else, she had this elegant and cool atmosphere that made her feel like the cool big sister.
I knew this because there were people who valued Javelinâs portraits even in the church. Mina was one of them.
âYou donât know her Leblaine? Oh my god! Javelin is a top star!â
Many people were influenced by Javelin including Mina.
I looked at my aunt and the woman running from far away.
âOh my, Javelin Ariage! My muse!â
Her hair is about 6 centimeters below her ears, and her name is Sharon. She is the best designer here.
She is popular for selling expensive dresses to nobles.
âWhatâs going on? Iâve asked you to come, but I didnât think you would actually come. I thought I had seen wrongly.â
Then Sharon smiled, as my aunt covered her face with her palm.
âI came to buy this childâs clothes.â
âI donât design childrenâs clothes. But who is this squirrel?â
âSheâs my niece.â
âNiece?!â
Sharon shouted in amazement.
âYouâre child of fate?â
ââ¦â¦yes.â
Sharonâs eyes widened, soon she burst into laughter.
âHaha! Hahahaha!â
âLittle miss, my name is Sharon Rouge.â
âMy name is Leblaine.â
âYou speak up now?â
âAs a courtesy to my auntâs friend.â
Then she opened a door without a sign.
My aunt and I followed her inside.
The interior was magnificent. She led us to the end of the hall, and when she opened the locked door, the staircase in the form of a whirlpool came to view.
âCome on, you two go upstairs while Iâm sketching.â
I held my auntâs hand tightly.
âThis is Sharonâs workshop.â
Above these stairs the nobles called the room Sharonâs workshop.
But just because itâs called that, it doesnât mean itâs a real workshop.
This was the so-called club where the people of status shared their personal connections.
Melvin couldnât reach Sharonâs reputation not because she was a better designer. Itâs because Sharon is the operator of a top-tier club.
I went up the stairs with my aunt.
There was about twenty people, gathering in groups of twos and threes to talk.
A nobleman saw my aunt and said,
âMs. Ariage!â
âNow itâs a real ball.â
âHahaha, when you get older, your memory gets so bad. So this is Ms. Ariage.â
People crowded around my aunt.
âWho is this child?â
âMy niece.â
âAh, thatâ¦â
âHello, Marquis Dilmore.â
âDo you know me?â
âOf course. I knew who helped the founding of the empire. I admired you after hearing that you made a lot of merit being one of the knights in your youth.â
Marquis Dilmore was dumbfounded.
He was surprised because I was still young yet I spoke eloquently.
âOh my god, youâre so young, yet you spoke so nicely.â
I greeted other nobles too.
âItâs nice to meet you. Countess Lecillia, Count Castor, Marchioness Whitley.â
The nobles really looked surprised.
âHow do you know me?â
âI heard a lot about you, people said that Countess Lecillia is famous for being sensible, and sheâs a beautiful lady with blond hair. So I just thought she might be you.â
âHow do you know that?â
âYou purposely stood on Marchioness Whitleyâs left side. Sheâs holding a cane on her right hand, so you stood on the left to avoid any inconvenience.â
Smiles rose on the faces of the nobles.
âYouâre clever.â
Countess Lecillia smiled and handed me an orange juice.
I grinned with a childish and innocent look on my face.
âOkay, I like Countess Lecillia, who had the best reputation in this club.â
I took the orange juice and went gently to the side of the sofa.
âCountess Lecillia is one of the most talented people. She have a close relationship with Empress Yvonne.â
Many people said that.
âBut sheâs not the one I want to make a godmother.â
Didnât that person come today?
It was when I looked around thinking so,
A woman with dark brown hair was coming up the stairs.