Chapter 44
Chapter 44 . The Secret Of The Hourglass, Part V
Translator: Khan
Editor: SootyOwl
But not now . She was different from the past, when she had lived in a constant struggle . She couldn’t do the same now that she was aware of her position and of herself and had realized what the consequences of her every move would be . No, she wouldn’t do the same . Besides, she couldn’t afford to devote her time to such a small birthday party .
‘If I use what I know to build wealth and power, I’ll have to have a big party someday, even if I don’t want to . ’
It was a future that would be achieved if she went forward like this .
Jessie’s expression darkened at Aria’s determined answer . She seemed to think that she should keep up her master’s public appearance because Aria was her master . The acts were not far away because she had already contacted the band and entertainers, so if she just called them on the day, they would come right away .
Jessie added at last, “If you change your mind, please let me know . We’ll get ready quickly . ”
It was just in case . Recently, Aria had been quiet and changed, but more than anything, she had always been fickle . It wouldn’t be strange if she were to shout out that she wanted Jessie to call the magician and the entertainers on her birthday .
Soon after Aria’s birthday, Mielle’s birthday would come . As always, Mielle had invited a number of reputable acquaintances and would have a decent and grand party, so if she prepared a simple party for Aria, a thunderbolt would fall on her later .
“It won’t happen, but well, thank you . You sent them the invitations, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I sent them to all of the people you mentioned and I received answers right away . ”
They were just the few young ladies who she had met through Sarah, but she invited them because she had to do something .
Fortunately, after receiving the birthday invitation from their new friend, they all happily sent a positive reply .
“Is this the end of what you wanted to say?”
“Yes, miss . ”
“OK, then leave . ”
The vanity and pretense that Aria had devoted herself to had been pushed out of her life because it hadn’t helped at all in saving her life .
Jessie left, and Aria focused on reading again .
* * *
A gift arrived for Aria when her birthday was just around the corner . Aria was puzzled by it and asked the sender about it because she was still young, so she hadn’t met anyone who could’ve sent her a gift .
The butler answered, maintaining his soft demeanor toward her, “The count sent it . ”
“My father sent it to me?!”
“Yes . Shall I get it?”
“Please!”
The count had to be busy preparing for his business in the North, so why would he send a gift?
Some time later, after the sound of a knock on the door, Aria gave them permission to enter, and a servant with a huge body came into her room with the butler . The servant was carrying the count’s gift, which the butler had referred to . It was a box large enough to reach her waist . Aria was surprised to see the box placed down in the middle of the room .
“… My father sent this?”
“Yes, that’s right . ”
Inside, there were some fur-lined coats, a few luxurious dresses, cute ornaments that girls of her age could use, and a plushy decorated with jewelry .
The teddy bear with a large jewel in its eyes, nose and ears was not a regular item even at a glance . The handwritten letter contained a message saying that he was sorry since he could not be with her, that he congratulated her for her birthday, and that he would be back soon .
‘I guess things have worked out a lot better than I thought . I can’t believe that he even wrote a letter himself and sent me a gift . ’
In the past, that had never been the case . He had just given her money for a birthday party . Therefore, she wasn’t expecting much, but his business seemed to be going well now .
Not many places produced fur . It was produced only in the North . It would be easy to monopolize once he got the right accounts through . It would be difficult to break a deal halfway against a noble, so now, the count would accumulate massive wealth from the monopolized fur .
‘You changed your mind this much with just one piece of information . Isn’t that too easy, Father?’
Well, that was why he had fallen for her beautiful mother . She wished she could take away Mielle’s seat as easily .
Aria, smiling from the tens of thousands of thoughts of harming Mielle, appeared to others to be just a little girl who was delighted to receive her father’s gift .
* * *
She had a class with Sarah in the afternoon . It was the last class before her birthday, which would be soon .
Aria was going to ask Sarah for a favor in that day’s class, which would bond the close connection between them .
While waiting for her, she absorbed herself in reading . Time passed, and she heard the sound of the carriage outside the window . It might be someone visiting, so when she looked out, she saw that the carriage had come to a stop near the mansion .
When Aria opened the window and stuck her head out, she could see Sarah was in a benevolent mood that day . Aria waved her hand and welcomed her loudly and enthusiastically . As it had always been, Sarah raised her head and turned to Aria’s room, and the two shared the joy of their reunion with smiles .
“Sarah!”
“Lady Aria . ”
At first, she had pretended to be an innocent girl with the idea of showing herself that way, but recently, she was attending class showing half of her true self .
Sarah was the only one who could certainly help her at this time, and she was somehow at ease with her .
In the past, she had been scolded thousands of times not to run in the mansion, but not after her return to the past . The only response she got now was, “How happy you are to act like that!”
That was because everyone knew she had changed . It was because they knew she acted gracefully like a butterfly every day . Although she was acting the same way as in the past, their reactions varied widely depending on her regular behavior . Furthermore, it was already clear that Aria was particularly fond of Sarah .
There was no one to help her, and Sarah was just a humble, etiquette teacher, but Aria followed her meticulously . That made her look like an innocent girl, one who did not ask anything, looking simply at people for who they were . However, none of them knew how calculating she was .
“Teacher!”
When she reached the first floor, Aria ran to her and hugged her waist .
“You should have stayed in your room since I’m going up anyway . ”
Though she answered coldly, her arms gently hugged Aria . Aria felt affection from the hands that swept across her back .
“I saw you, and without even realizing…”
“Well, what did I say about the greeting? I’ll have to train you from the start again . ”
As Sarah warned her with a face that did not look harsh at all, Aria released her hands from her waist, grabbed her own skirt and curtsied to greet her gracefully . Sarah also greeted Aria politely .
“You’re cold, aren’t you? Let’s not dally here and go up instead . ”
“Let’s do that . ”
The two went up to the third floor, hand in hand . They had a friendly chat with each other before they started the class, drinking warm rosemary tea to warm their chilled bodies . Aria’s upcoming birthday was the main topic of the conversation, and that was the topic Aria had hoped for .
“So, it’s Aria’s birthday soon . ”
“That’s right . ”
“Do you have anything special you want?”
Sarah would have already prepared a gift because the party was in a few days, but she looked ready to offer Aria anything she wanted .
‘How can I not respond to her when she came into the snare with her own feet?’
Contrary to what she had in mind, Aria mumbled and did not answer easily . When her reply was delayed, Sarah said either some jewelry or a dress would be good .
“No, I’ve already got dresses and ornaments . Those are enough . I’m more of a…”
Aria blushed and twisted her body . She looked ashamed to continue .
‘What the hell does she want?’
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