Chapter 46.1
The countess seemed to be expressing her curiosity on the outside, but she was truly ridiculing and exposing Emma for being a commoner. As a result, those of nobility shifted their gazes to Emma. The careful whispers turned into loud chitter-chatter. With all the heated attention on her, Emma was unexpectedly forced to reply.
“No. No,” she said. “I had a maid. My nanny took care of me.”
“Oh, my! A nanny!” Karina explained. “Well, what about your birth mother? I think you are a beauty, Miss Herman,” Countess Karina grinned conspicuously.
“…she passed away when I was young.”
“Oh, my! Still, you might not be good enough if you learned from your nanny, Miss Herman. Did you have a tutor?”
“Yes. I had a tutor, too,” Emma replied with a calm nod.
The countess looked surprised, but she naturally continued with her questions. “Until when did you study with your tutor?”
“We were together until the beginning of this year.”
“You had the same one the whole time?”
Emma quickly saw through Karina’s intention; today she was bent on trying to speak ill of Emma. It was obvious that Karina would scorn her educational background if Emma were to say that she’d never changed tutors throughout.
“No. I changed tutors three times. The first tutor taught me writing, algebra and how to play instruments. Later on, I learned ancient scripts,” Emma said.
“Normally, girls learn liberal arts and some instruments, but you learned algebra and ancient scripts?” Karina gazed at her thoughtfully, “That’s interesting,” then, she raised her hand, pointed to the pillar in the middle of the dinner hall.
“Then can you read the Van Werts’ family motto, Miss Herman?”
Emma lifted her eyes. The sentence engraved on the pillar was a short ancient script scribbled in clear handwriting. The look in her eyes turned grim as she read the sentence. Maybe it was because the Van Werts had a long, deep, ancient family history, but apart from the length, the implications were far too solemn. It truly said much about the family.
“…it means ‘Kill to survive’,” she said, hiding the grimace from her expression.
“That is splendid! You learned well. But I hope Irvan didn’t teach you in advance,” she laughed. “It’s important, so make sure you remember it.”
Countess Karina pretended to praise Emma, yet was still able to leave room for doubt. She must be expecting Emma to come forward in anger, but Emma’s reason for learning was not to brag about her knowledge. She’d learned algebra to be proficient in handling accounts at the pharmacy, ancient scripts for many practical reasons, such as to classify medicinal materials and read other related materials.
She didn’t mind if these strangers thought she was bluffing. Moreover, Emma did not want to fall for the countess’s shallow provocation, so she bowed her head without replying. She calmly took a sip of her drink, hoping the day would go by without any obstructions.
But she had unintentionally become the center of attention, so people inside the dinner hall more or less had their attention on her. Karina, who sat in the middle, seemed to have no intention of holding Emma back from scrutiny as well. She constantly fixed her eyes on Emma, continuing her relentless barrage of questions.
“Well, Miss Herman. Still not drinking alcohol yet? You didn’t drink that much last time,” she asked with a dry tone.
“I turned twenty-one this year,” Emma replied, licking her drying lips. “Last time I didn’t take a drink because I’m still not used to it.”
“I see. What a pity. You must have learned many… useful things that enriched your life as an adult, but you didn’t learn drinking etiquette during the three times you changed tutors?”
Emma sternly replied to Karina’s blatant sarcasm. “I did learn, but it’s still awkward to me.”
“I see. Well, your other characteristics must have gotten you healthy in the annex. You’ll learn drinking etiquette quite fine.”
When she mentioned ‘annex’ in mockingly, the people broke out in a burst of wicked laughter. Emma felt her cheeks flame.
Apparently satisfied with the response from her audience, Countess Karina continued, twisting her red lips. “It’s still good to become acquainted with alcohol now that you’re an adult. It is a life-long friend,” she said. “In many ways, it enriches life and doubles the joy.”
“Yes.”
Karin shook her head. “No, no, don’t reply so half-heartedly. I’m not just talking. Strong alcohol takes years to get used to, but wine is almost like a beverage. I have a small wish that this dinner will be the right turning point for you, Miss Herman. Is there anyone who can teach my innocent Miss Herman the right way to drink?”
When Karina glanced around, two feisty young knights sitting on Emma’s sides scrambled up.
“I will, My Lady!”
“Please give me that honor, Lady Karina.”
Both knights shouted enthusiastically. Karina’s eyes glinted craftily as the two knights came forward with vigor. Since the bulk of the Knight Order had followed Irvan on the monster crusade at noon today, those that remained were knights in charge of the security in the castle. By their appearance, they seemed to be the countess’s royal bodyguards. If so, then today’s seating arrangement was of the countess’s crafting.
‘It’s a trap.’
Emma secretly held back a heavy sigh. No wonder she’d pressed Emma to attend the dinner rather than directly allow her to go to Baron Berne’s mansion. She had hidden, dark intentions. Emma hurriedly measured all possible scenarios. It seemed that Karina was planning to use alcohol to drive this into crisis after noticing that it was Emma’s weakness at the previous dinners, and that she kept getting away with it.
“You’ve got plenty of supporters, Miss Herman,” Karina said mockingly, “perhaps because you are a perfect beauty. Alright, who is going to be the one?”
Chapter 46.1
The countess seemed to be expressing her curiosity on the outside, but she was truly ridiculing and exposing Emma for being a commoner. As a result, those of nobility shifted their gazes to Emma. The careful whispers turned into loud chitter-chatter. With all the heated attention on her, Emma was unexpectedly forced to reply.
“No. No,” she said. “I had a maid. My nanny took care of me.”
“Oh, my! A nanny!” Karina explained. “Well, what about your birth mother? I think you are a beauty, Miss Herman,” Countess Karina grinned conspicuously.
“…she passed away when I was young.”
“Oh, my! Still, you might not be good enough if you learned from your nanny, Miss Herman. Did you have a tutor?”
“Yes. I had a tutor, too,” Emma replied with a calm nod.
The countess looked surprised, but she naturally continued with her questions. “Until when did you study with your tutor?”
“We were together until the beginning of this year.”
“You had the same one the whole time?”
Emma quickly saw through Karina’s intention; today she was bent on trying to speak ill of Emma. It was obvious that Karina would scorn her educational background if Emma were to say that she’d never changed tutors throughout.
“No. I changed tutors three times. The first tutor taught me writing, algebra and how to play instruments. Later on, I learned ancient scripts,” Emma said.
“Normally, girls learn liberal arts and some instruments, but you learned algebra and ancient scripts?” Karina gazed at her thoughtfully, “That’s interesting,” then, she raised her hand, pointed to the pillar in the middle of the dinner hall.
“Then can you read the Van Werts’ family motto, Miss Herman?”
Emma lifted her eyes. The sentence engraved on the pillar was a short ancient script scribbled in clear handwriting. The look in her eyes turned grim as she read the sentence. Maybe it was because the Van Werts had a long, deep, ancient family history, but apart from the length, the implications were far too solemn. It truly said much about the family.
“…it means ‘Kill to survive’,” she said, hiding the grimace from her expression.
“That is splendid! You learned well. But I hope Irvan didn’t teach you in advance,” she laughed. “It’s important, so make sure you remember it.”
Countess Karina pretended to praise Emma, yet was still able to leave room for doubt. She must be expecting Emma to come forward in anger, but Emma’s reason for learning was not to brag about her knowledge. She’d learned algebra to be proficient in handling accounts at the pharmacy, ancient scripts for many practical reasons, such as to classify medicinal materials and read other related materials.
She didn’t mind if these strangers thought she was bluffing. Moreover, Emma did not want to fall for the countess’s shallow provocation, so she bowed her head without replying. She calmly took a sip of her drink, hoping the day would go by without any obstructions.
But she had unintentionally become the center of attention, so people inside the dinner hall more or less had their attention on her. Karina, who sat in the middle, seemed to have no intention of holding Emma back from scrutiny as well. She constantly fixed her eyes on Emma, continuing her relentless barrage of questions.
“Well, Miss Herman. Still not drinking alcohol yet? You didn’t drink that much last time,” she asked with a dry tone.
“I turned twenty-one this year,” Emma replied, licking her drying lips. “Last time I didn’t take a drink because I’m still not used to it.”
“I see. What a pity. You must have learned many… useful things that enriched your life as an adult, but you didn’t learn drinking etiquette during the three times you changed tutors?”
Emma sternly replied to Karina’s blatant sarcasm. “I did learn, but it’s still awkward to me.”
“I see. Well, your other characteristics must have gotten you healthy in the annex. You’ll learn drinking etiquette quite fine.”
When she mentioned ‘annex’ in mockingly, the people broke out in a burst of wicked laughter. Emma felt her cheeks flame.
Apparently satisfied with the response from her audience, Countess Karina continued, twisting her red lips. “It’s still good to become acquainted with alcohol now that you’re an adult. It is a life-long friend,” she said. “In many ways, it enriches life and doubles the joy.”
“Yes.”
Karin shook her head. “No, no, don’t reply so half-heartedly. I’m not just talking. Strong alcohol takes years to get used to, but wine is almost like a beverage. I have a small wish that this dinner will be the right turning point for you, Miss Herman. Is there anyone who can teach my innocent Miss Herman the right way to drink?”
When Karina glanced around, two feisty young knights sitting on Emma’s sides scrambled up.
“I will, My Lady!”
“Please give me that honor, Lady Karina.”
Both knights shouted enthusiastically. Karina’s eyes glinted craftily as the two knights came forward with vigor. Since the bulk of the Knight Order had followed Irvan on the monster crusade at noon today, those that remained were knights in charge of the security in the castle. By their appearance, they seemed to be the countess’s royal bodyguards. If so, then today’s seating arrangement was of the countess’s crafting.
‘It’s a trap.’
Emma secretly held back a heavy sigh. No wonder she’d pressed Emma to attend the dinner rather than directly allow her to go to Baron Berne’s mansion. She had hidden, dark intentions. Emma hurriedly measured all possible scenarios. It seemed that Karina was planning to use alcohol to drive this into crisis after noticing that it was Emma’s weakness at the previous dinners, and that she kept getting away with it.
“You’ve got plenty of supporters, Miss Herman,” Karina said mockingly, “perhaps because you are a perfect beauty. Alright, who is going to be the one?”
