16 — Going Home (For Good?)

A carriage was called around to the front of the house and I got into it, feeling very much like I was being sent home and divorce was imminent. My feet felt like they were made of lead.

“This is your first time going home since you arrived, so there’s no need for you to rush back, but we do indeed want you to come back, Madam,” Rohtas and Dahlia said, putting extra emphasis on ‘come back’ as they saw me off with smiling faces. I still didn’t have it in me to return the smile, though.

“I know it wasn’t for very long, but thank you for looking after me while I was here...” I replied, as if I was giving a final farewell, only to be interrupted by Rohtas, continuing on, “So, as I have been saying, Madam, we will be expecting you back here tonight, alright?”

“Mimosa, do make sure she’s brought home on time,” he reminded Mimosa, who was going with me, rolling his eyes and looking up at the sky as if hoping for divine intervention.

“Yes, sir! By any means necessary!” Mimosa shouted from behind the pile of my essentials I thought I’d need (now that I had been given the boot) that she was carrying for me.

“You’re only going to be away for a little while before you’re picked up...” Rohtas murmured under his breath, clearing his throat to hide it.

“That’s for certain,” Mimosa nodded back.

Who’s going to pick Mimosa up, I wonder. It’s a shame that the last place I’ll see her is at my parents’ house.

I mean, I would’ve been fine if they sent me alone, but they wouldn’t let me take my overnight bag. Oh, that must be why. They’re going to send all my personal belongings later. I don’t really have that much, even, so they could probably fit it all in one box. I mean, all the clothes and accessories I have right now were provided by the Fisalis family, so that doesn’t leave much else.

I was in a dark place that day. My brain was tuned in to a negative-thoughts-only channel and there was no changing it.

—

This was my first time going home since I’d married into the Fisalis family. I should have been excited, but given the circumstances, my mind was in a weird place.

My old house slowly came into view. Peering out the little window in the carriage door, I was glad to see that my childhood home hadn’t cha— Wait, what’s that?

“What’s the matter, Madam?” Mimosa asked, noticing when I suddenly cocked my head and rubbed my eyes in confusion.

I looked over my shoulder at her and said, “Am I still asleep, Mimosa? Is this really my old house?”

“Er, yes? Did you already forget what it looked like?” she giggled, covering her lips like a proper lady.

“No, it’s just, um, really different from how I remember it.” I kept rubbing my eyes, but the sight before me didn’t change. I decided to try pinching my cheeks next, but...

“Ow, ow, owww...!” Why did I do that? I was most definitely not asleep.

“Oh, goodness, Madam, your cheeks are bright red! What were you doing just now?” Mimosa frantically grabbed my hands and pulled them away from my face.

Acting like a weirdo, that’s what.

“It’s just... our old, rundown house looks completely transformed!” I exclaimed, clenching my fist.

The house I remembered—or rather, the one I last saw—was, to put it nicely, well-loved and substantially proportioned. To put it a little more frankly, it hadn’t been very well maintained and was falling apart. It had been in dire need of repair: moss still clung to its stone walls (not enough servants!), and bits of crumbling masonry had never been filled in (not enough money!). And to top it all off, the whole house had been smothered in ivy. As for the garden, I’d always diligently plucked all the weeds, but it had basically been a bed of grass and wildflowers. A veritable garden of Eden for anonymous, unremarkable flowers.

Now, though...

The moss and ivy had been cleared away, revealing the light gray walls. The eroded areas were no longer visible, having been patched with the same kind of stone. The garden was barely recognizable, now obviously cared for regularly and blanketed with a rich carpet of lush green lawn. It still had wildflowers, to be sure, but now there were a lot more flowers with actual names, too.

Even the window frames, formerly rather shabby-looking with their peeling paint, had been beautifully re-finished. You could tell, even with just a cursory glance, that the whole place had been repaired!

“Wooow... I wonder when they had the time and money to put in all this work,” I inadvertently said out loud. I was so surprised by the changes that I was in a kind of shock.

“Why don’t you ask your family yourself? See, they’ve all come out to meet you! Oh, it looks like your father is away on the grounds,” Mimosa said, snickering at me as I pressed my face flush against the glass of the carriage window. Sure enough, Mother and my siblings were standing in the doorway.

I had been completely out of contact with my family since I got married, so I had no idea what state the house was in. I could go for a nice, long chat with them, just like Mimosa said. I pulled myself away from the window and got ready to get out of the carriage.

“Welcome home, Viola. What a surprise to see you so soon! What did you do this time?” Mother said with a smile before quickly turning severe. She wasn’t wrong, though; she rarely was. Ah, yes, the loving voice of one’s mother welcoming them home.

“Grrr, that’s the first thing you say when you see me after so long?” I protested, scowling.

“That’s the only thing I could come up with, so, yes,” Mother nonchalantly replied.

“No surprise, there,” I groaned but, lacking a good comeback, I had no choice but to admit defeat.

“So, what happened?”

“...I broke something expensive.”

“You didn’t!” she exclaimed, putting her hands to her face in a flawless imitation of The Scream.

“I know, Mother, I know. Sheesh.”

“You’re usually so prudent, Vi, but every so often... you really mess up, don’t you?” she sighed.

Thanks for the reminder.

“I was half-asleep! I lost my balance and my hand unintentionally landed on a vase, and I knocked it over! So that’s why I’m here, okay? As punishment!” I bawled. “It was really, really expensive though, so can I maybe borrow some money?”

“You want to what, Vi!? We don’t have that kind of money! You’ll have to get a job yourself. Use your wages to pay them back.”

Our huddled conversation had just turned to repayment and work when Mimosa interrupted us in a flurry.

“Hold on a moment, you two! There is no punishment or repayment happening! Madam has come home in order to relax and collect herself!”

“Is that true?” Mother replied with record speed, her head snapping up when Mimosa spoke.

“Yes, ma’am! Nothing less, nothing more!” Mimosa insisted. I looked away from her.

“Did you hear that, Vi?”

“She keeps saying that, but they sent me away from the Fisalis estate...”

“It seems like you have nothing to worry about, then. Right?” Mother said, her attitude a complete one-eighty compared to how she had been blowing up at me just moments before.

“...I don’t think I can calm down.”

“Which is why you’ve come here to take a break,” Mimosa reiterated.

“...I guess I could try to relax, since you’ve gone to the trouble of bringing me all the way here.” Now it was my turn for a complete mood change. Letting my family fawn over me sure seemed preferable to being miserable.

“Come on! Come inside, Vivi!” called my little brother and sister, Thistle and Freesia, breaking their silence to pull me into the house.

They’re so cute, I can’t even! I’m feeling a little better already!

Normally I’d be kept busy with the cleaning and the laundry, but I spent the whole day just resting and relaxing. Mother kept an eye on me as she made lunch in the kitchen with Mimosa while I played with my siblings, read, napped, and generally made the most of my vacation day. The nap was kind of unplanned: I went out to feel the new grass lawn, and it was so soft and fragrant that I fell asleep in the front yard. I must have been really worn out after the chaos from that morning and missing that after-breakfast nap Dahlia had suggested. It was well into the late afternoon when I finally woke up.

“I’m about to start making dinner. Will you help me?” Mother asked on her way to the living room.

Oh yeah, I used to make dinner sometimes, too, before I got married! I was happy to know my mom still made dinner every night.

“Yeah, we can make it together!” I replied enthusiastically. We both headed to the kitchen.

A mother’s cooking has a soothing quality to it. The simple, familiar flavors calmed my nerves even more. We had homemade bread and vegetable soup, along with our main course.

This is a no-struggle meal! This is just how we like to eat in my family!

To that end, I had just tried out some seasoning from the Wahl region earlier that day, back at the manor.

“The house sure has been cleaned up, by the way. When did you find the time?” I asked Mother as we ate, the question on my mind ever since I arrived.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know! Some time after your wedding, aid from the duke started coming in.”

“Aid? You mean like money?”

“Not just money, people. Some came and repaired the house, others cleaned up the garden, all of them, on behalf of the duke. It was all his doing, I understand. A butler called Rohtas oversaw everything.”

I owe Rohtas a... No, wait, it’s Mr. Fisalis I should thank for this!

“That sounds about right. I was blown away when I saw how beautiful they made everything. I’ll have to show Mr. Fisalis my gratitude when I get home.”

“Make sure to tell him that we say thank you, too,” Mother added with a wink.

“You’re even prettier than you were before!” Thistle said, all of a sudden, a grin spreading across his face.

Haha, where did that come from, you silly.

“Yeah! Your dress is really pretty, too!” said Freesia, with breadcrumbs around her mouth.

“Huh?” The compliment was so sudden, I could only stare blankly.

“They’re right. You don’t look anything like you did when you lived here. You were so... so plain, and unsophisticated back then!” Mother added, continuing the train of thought my siblings had started. Gee, thanks, Mother! Unfortunately, she wasn’t far off the mark.

“I can thank Mimosa here for keeping me looking good every day. I feel like she makes me sparkle!” As per Euphorbia family tradition, Mimosa was sitting with us as we ate dinner together.

“Is that all there is to it?” replied Mother between bites of food, apparently unsatisfied with my answer.

“Well, I guess my posture has improved thanks to Rohtas’ dance lessons. Even though sometimes they make me wish for death. And maybe I’ve gotten better at smiling, even when I don’t really feel happy.”

“Aaand?” she pressed on.

“I suppose Dahlia’s etiquette lessons have made me more ladylike, too. Maybe?”

“Oh ho ho ho ho,” Mother tittered knowingly.

Is there something you’d like to add, Mother? Nothing else came to mind, on my part, though, so I just sort of nodded.

Just then, our family butler, Orchis, came into the room.

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt dinner, Madam, Lady Viola, but Duke Fisalis has just arrived.”

“Mr. Fisalis!?”

“Viola! I came as fast as I could when they told me you were here!” Mr. Fisalis appeared from behind Orchis the moment I rose from my chair in surprise. Shocked again, I sat back down. It wasn’t my belongings in a box that they sent, but Mr. Fisalis himself.

What could he possibly be here for?