16 — The Visit

The week after my first conversation beyond empty chit-chat with Mr. Fisalis:

We ran around, scrambling to prepare... no, we didn’t scramble. In fact, aside from bringing a cot into my room and preparing the guest room for my in-laws, the day of the visit passed like any other.

And I certainly was not to be found screaming, “People are coming over! We need to cleeean!!” down the hall.

You know, because it was so fun to tidy up and decorate with everyone every day.

And then, finally, the day of my in-laws’ visit was upon us. They planned to arrive in the afternoon so that we could all eat lunch together, and as a result, I spent the morning changing out all the flowers in the manor. I had Bellis send them over; they were a large-blossomed variety, perfectly suited for entertaining.

I couldn’t afford to be caught in a maid’s uniform on a day like this, so I was wearing a subdued orange dress of Mimosa’s choosing.

She got mad at me when I instinctively went to roll up the sleeves.

They’re scheduled to arrive in the afternoon, so it makes sense that Mr. Fisalis isn’t here. I’m sure he’s at the cottage with his girlfriend, reluctant to leave her, even just for a short while.

Someone will go and get him once his parents arrive (and by ‘someone,’ I mean one of the personal maids) and since I’d rather not try to get in between the lovebirds, I’ll let them be.

“So is that everything for the preparations?” I asked myself out loud.

It’s noon now.

The manor was freshly be-flowered, with blossoms even decorating the dining room table, and once Cartham added his much-awaited food to that table, we’d be set! Since we were done preparing as far as that was concerned, I went over everything we’d done in my head and asked Mimosa if she agreed.

“Yep, we’re all done!” she confirmed, looking around.

Just as I thought to myself, alrighty, now all there is left to do is wait for them to arrive, the dining room door opened.

It was Rohtas. “Madam, Lord and Lady Fisalis have arrived.”

“Let’s go out to meet them, then. Hurry now.”

I was all fired up, ready to do my best.

My mission as the perfect wife starts now!

In my excitement, however, I had forgotten all about Mr. Fisalis.

“Rohtas, where is Mr. Fisalis?” I asked him as we hurried from the dining room to the entrance.

“I just sent for his personal maid now,” he answered coolly.

That was Rohtas for you—he never overlooked a thing.

“Excellent.” Mr. Fisalis can come up with his own excuse if he’s late.

I was a little nervous to greet Lord and Lady Fisalis, having not seen them since the wedding.

My in-laws...

According to Mimosa, around the same time that Mr. Fisalis succeeded his peerage at the age of twenty, his parents left the manor to live by themselves in the territory, very passionately in love.

According to Rohtas, since Mr. Fisalis made his living as a knight, and more importantly, was a member of the elite, he was often very busy, which was why the management of the territory lay squarely in his father’s hands.

The Fisalis duchy was located in an area not too far from the royal capital, and unlike my own family’s land, boasted fertile soil and abundant mineral resources. And since the duchy was so big, managing it was quite the challenge, so governing the land while also serving in court would be impossible, it seems.

On a related note, tourism brought in quite a lot of money, given how picturesque the landscape was.

Aside from the main territory, I understood that there were also enclaves scattered here and there, but I’ll spare you the boring details.

In terms of their mineral resources, they were particularly well-known for several varieties of gemstones. Among them, the pigeon’s blood ruby was considered the most precious.

(I put this information together based on what I had heard from the servants).

Their crops are plentiful, their mines rich in gems, and to top it all off, they earn money through tourism! Are they too blessed to be stressed, or what!? The Fisalis family must be inconceivably wealthy.

I pulled this info from the recesses of my mind and mulled it over on the way to the entrance hall.

Once I arrived there, Rohtas majestically opened the front door. What awaited me on the other side was...

“Well, if it isn’t Viola! It’s been such a long time! Have you been well?” my mother-in-law gushed with a smile as she ran up to me. She was in her late forties, and yet, she looked so young it seemed impossible she had a twenty-four-year-old son! I had noticed how beautiful she was on my wedding day, but she was so incredibly dressed up that I had figured she must have been fifty percent more dazzling than normal. I was totally wrong.

I learned then that all of her beauty and class was natural.

It was like she had a halo of light radiating from behind her as she flew through the open doors, lit from behind by the sun. Her gleaming blonde hair dazzled my eyes from where I stood in the shady doorway, and it even seemed to glitter somewhat in the light.

I suppose that even if I wasn’t standing in the shade, her hair would still appear to shine like that, though.

I guess Mr. Fisalis gets his elegant figure from this one. I don’t mind that you seem to be emitting a glittering aura of beauty, but it’s highlighting my own plainness, so please refrain from getting too close to me.

“We’ve heard so much about you from Rohtas. You seem to be doing well.”

My father-in-law came in slowly behind his wife. He was a tall, calm gentleman with dark brown eyes that narrowed when he smiled at me.

...and his height and coloring from this one.

His slightly unruly dark brown hair had been smoothed down, and he was smartly dressed in well-tailored clothes. All and all, he was definitely attractive enough to seduce a girl at the drop of a hat. He looked handsome with his arm around my mother-in-law’s shoulders, every bit the model gentleman.

I let slip that I struggled to understand how these two kind people managed to produce such a fiendish son.

But, moving on! I needed to formally greet them as well.

“Father, Mother—it is my utmost pleasure to see you. It’s been so long. Under ordinary circumstances, I should be the one visiting you, so thank you for coming all this way to see us.”

Pinching my skirt, I gave a curtsy.

Yes! I was able to get through my greeting without stuttering!! I stopped myself from pumping my fist into the air, but couldn’t hold back a satisfied smile.

“Why don’t we do away with all these formalities?” my father-in-law said with a strained laugh, in utter contrast to my grin.

I was sure he’d bite his tongue if he had to continue to speak that stiffly. And bloodshed was something I’d prefer to avoid.

“Yes, let’s,” I responded, accepting his offer to be more straightforward and casual.

“That’s much better! We are family, after all,” my mother-in-law agreed.

“Why don’t we continue our conversation over lunch? Cartham was in even higher spirits than usual, so I’m sure it will be extra delicious.” Having returned to my normal unreserved way of speaking, I exchanged a look with Rohtas, asking him to lead them to the dining room when...

“Terribly sorry I’m late. I was just taking a walk in the garden.” An eloquent voice echoed through the entrance hall.

We all turned around simultaneously at the sound. The massive front doors had opened again and Mr. Fisalis had just gallantly stepped through them.

...Oh, I forgot he would be here today. I mentally stuck out my tongue at him.

Mr. Fisalis’ whole existence had slipped my mind, out of habit.

That’s right, we sent for his personal maid, didn’t we? So that’s your excuse then, mister?

It was like I could hear every servant’s inner stand-up comedian voice saying, “Why you be lyin’!” But my in-laws just let the excuse fly.

“Oh, I see. It’s been some time since we’ve seen you, too.”

“Yes, it has.”

Mr. Fisalis’ eyes, the same color as his father’s, narrowed when he flashed a refreshing smile, also just like his father.

“I’m relieved that you seem to be doing well,” my mother-in-law told him with a grin.

Standing in the midst of these two beautiful people—so closely resembling each other, too—was a glorious sight to behold! Plain as I was, I was a tiny bit envious.

I almost needed solar eclipse glasses to withstand their radiance!

I’m exaggerating a little, of course.

Not that it would affect the taste, but isn’t Cartham’s food probably getting cold? Now that we were all present and had said our hellos, I thought that we ought to make our way to the dining room.

“I believe lunch is ready, everyone.” Rohtas stepped in with excellent timing, politely putting an end to the chit-chat.