There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

＜ How the Sun Rises (4) ＞

“Trisha. Have you made any progress with the Ravenclaw family or the Duplain family?”

“Trisha, if there is any part where you need your mother’s help, be sure to tell me.”

“Trisha. I heard that a new training center is being opened in the Duplain estate. It would be good if you could get involved in it.”

“It would be good to check the conditions of the training center from time to time, Trisha.”

Lady Trisha was sweating profusely.

Every time she returned home, Countess Rodeia looked at her with expectant eyes, hoping that her only daughter had somehow made contact with the Ravenclaw family.

Countess Rodeia was already desperate to bring Derek under her command.

With the head of the Renwell Count family looking at her with such expectant eyes, Trisha, who lived under her protection, could not help but feel pressured.

After enjoying the splendid and luxurious banquet at the Renwell Count’s mansion, Lady Trisha returned to her private room and immediately held her breath and tore at her hair.

‘What am I supposed to do…! This is too much to ask…!’

Even now, she thought about honestly telling her mother that she and the young lady of the Duplain family were almost like cats and dogs, so she shouldn’t expect anything… But considering the tiger-like personality of Countess Rodeia, that would be suicide.

She recalled the time when she poured tea on Aisellin’s head, mocking the Duplain family, thinking they would soon collapse.

Trisha wanted to go back to her past self and beg her not to do that.

‘Calm down… Calm down…’

Trisha sat down and wiped her face several times.

‘What Mother ultimately wants is to bring Baron Ravenclaw under her command. So, even if it seems a bit unreasonable, it might be better to visit Baron Ravenclaw directly.’

Although she had been rejected once before, that time she went to make a request, and this time she was simply going for social interaction.

The Baron also seemed to have quite a favorable view of the Count of Renouel, so from Trisha’s perspective, it wasn’t entirely hopeless.

Despite everything… Trisha looked quite pretty when she kept her mouth shut!

No one knew better than herself that her appearance was passable.

‘…’

However, no matter how sky-high Trisha’s self-esteem was, she knew well that what wasn’t meant to be, wasn’t meant to be.

How could a man who regularly saw women like Aiseline, Ellente, and Denise be swayed by Trisha?

Still… she had to do it…

No matter how much she thought about it, it was impossible to win over Diella. The next time they met, she seemed ready to bite her arm off.

To satisfy Countess Rodeia… she had to do something, anything.

“I’m going to visit Baron Ravenclaw directly, give him some gifts, and have a pleasant conversation!”

“Oh, Trisha. What a pleasant thing to hear from you.”

“So, I made a list of various gifts through the servants. And I think it would be nice to make some handmade items myself!”

“Although I am a woman, I understand men’s hearts better. The more impenetrable a person is, the more they are moved by handmade items rather than worldly or material gifts.”

Rodeia smiled with satisfaction.

Seeing Rodeia’s expression, Trisha also smiled awkwardly, feeling that things were okay for the moment.

After a brief moment of a warm atmosphere between mother and daughter, Trisha spoke with an awkward smile.

“Well, anyway, I need to visit Baron Ravenclaw’s territory as soon as possible.”

“Yes. But… as I mentioned before, Baron Ravenclaw is not staying in his territory right now. Did you forget?”

“…Yes, I, I definitely did. Now that I think about it, where did you say you were?”

“I told you. It’s the Duplain Duke’s mansion.”

Trisha smacked her forehead.

Looking at her pale complexion, it was like watching livestock in front of a slaughterhouse.

*

– Creak

“We’ve arrived, Miss Trisha.”

“…”

Is this place truly hell?

The Duplain Duke’s mansion, which had finished its restoration work, appeared to be a neat Western-style house on the outside, but to Trisha’s eyes, it looked like a gloomy den exuding a sinister aura.

Who mainly resides here?

It is Aiseline Eleanor Duplain. The one whom Trisha had directly poured tea over her head.

Next to her is Diela Catherine Duplain. The one who had given Trisha a hearty slap on the cheek.

But since she had spoken, she couldn’t back out now. If she returned to Countess Rodeia without any results, she might get scolded for what she had been doing.

Trisha held her breath.

‘Yes. Living as a noble lady, there are places you don’t want to step into but must, things you don’t want to do but have to, and times when you have to bow your head.’

With tears in her eyes, Trisha walked briskly and was guided by the maids of the Duplain family.

As she crossed the Duplain mansion with the servants, the inside already felt somewhat chaotic.

“I would like to apologize. Due to the ongoing business plan inside Duplain, there are many external personnel frequently moving around, making it quite chaotic.”

“It’s, it’s okay. I heard Duplain has been going through a tough time, but seeing that they are starting new projects, it seems they have recovered a lot.”

“Yes. The training camp project conducted by the Baron of Ravenclaw is going better than expected, bringing great vitality to the Duplain family as well.”

That damned Ravenclaw again.

Originally, Duplain, which should have collapsed and been trampled under Trisha’s feet, was revived by receiving a transfusion from that damned Ravenclaw.

The efforts of Aiselin, who rolled up her sleeves and ran around everywhere as a fallen noblewoman, were bearing fruit.

They say that even if the night is long, the sun will rise.

It feels like a bit of sunlight is shining on the future of Duplain, which seemed to be wandering in eternal darkness.

In fact, the faces of the servants are also full of color. They are drawing a hopeful future where the family will rise again.

Not long ago, the family had lost its head and eldest son, and had been stripped of all its rights due to being involved in necromancy, bearing a stigma.

But now, it was hard to imagine that these lively servants belonged to such a gloomy family.

‘R-really… Duplain is rising again…’

At the forefront of this was Aiselin.

Although Raig sits in the head of the family seat, the real power is Aiselin, no matter what anyone says.

The very Aiselin that Trisha had poured tea on…

‘Oh, God…’

It was time to settle the karma of the past.

The wrong choices she made, mocking, insulting, and humiliating her, would now come back as a boomerang.

The positions had completely reversed.

To somehow make a connection with the Baron of Ravenclaw, it was impossible to ignore the young ladies of the Duplain family, who were practically his closest aides.

This was because the Baron of Ravenclaw trusted their words completely and considered them to be in a special relationship.

As Trisha crossed the hallway with a gloomy expression, she saw a familiar face in the distance.

‘Eek…!’

It was Aisellin Eleanor Duplain. They say even a tiger appears when spoken of.

In the Rosea Salon, she wore a dress that looked noble and sacred just by looking at it, but at home, she wore something more comfortable.

The cotton dress looked simple. She rolled up her sleeves confidently, but it didn’t look vulgar at all.

Aisellin exuded elegance just by existing, so no matter how much one adorned themselves, they would pale in comparison when standing next to her. This was because her beauty came not from ornaments and cosmetics, but from the graceful dignity that flowed from the person herself.

“…!”

Aisellin, who was moving as if she were busy, made eye contact with Trisha.

Just by making eye contact for a moment, she would grasp the whole situation. She was a quick-witted person.

The arrogant Trisha had come all the way to the Duplain mansion to meet Baron Derek, who was staying here.

Why? Because it was obvious that he would soon become a big name in the social circles.

What would she think of such an obvious action?

The girl, who had glared at Trisha with spirited eyes while having hot tea poured over her head… How would she declare her victory now?

As Trisha was about to bite her lower lip to cope with the flood of emotions that were about to come—humiliation, defeat, misery…

“Oh my, Lady Trisha!”

“…?”

Contrary to her expectations, Aisellin called out to Trisha in a bright tone.

“I heard you were visiting the Duplain mansion, but I was so busy that I couldn’t come out to greet you! For the young lady of Count Rodeia to come personally, such discourtesy… I don’t know where to put myself out of shame.”

“…”

Aisellin offered a graceful apology with a bright smile.

Her smiling face was so refreshing that it was almost exhilarating. Only then did Trisha, with a grim face, understand the situation.

‘Ah, is it like this…’

There are many ways to mock a defeated person whose position has been overturned. Trisha knows this better than anyone because she has done it the most.

In fact, blatantly mocking someone is too one-dimensional and primitive.

A more insidious and sly way is… to smile brightly and show sympathy like this.

Oh my, how could this happen. You should have been more careful. Poor thing….

Smiling like that, lowering your gaze behind the fan of peacock feathers, is what drives people crazy.

Now it’s her turn to suffer – that thought crossed her mind as she gritted her teeth.

– Thud

“Uh, huh?”

“I heard that the Count of Renouel’s family provided a lot of help in this matter. From our position, which has a close relationship with the Ravenclaw family, we should also be grateful.”

Aiselyn, who had approached, tightly grasped Trisha’s hands and showed a refreshingly bright smile.

It was not a hypocritical smile made to mock and show sympathy. Aiselyn was… genuinely thanking Trisha.

“Y-yes, yes?”

“I heard that Lady Trisha also put in a lot of effort under Lord Rodeia’s orders. You must have had a hard time. Our Duplain family also benefited, so please accept my gratitude.”

“N-no… I didn’t do much…”

Trisha took a step back, overwhelmed by the pure laughter that had no malice. The smile was so pure and beautiful that it seemed flowers were blooming around it.

Aiselyn tilted her head at Trisha’s awkward reaction.

“…?”

“N-no… it’s presumptuous of me to say this, but…”

“Yes?”

“I… the other day… at the tea house… spilled tea… and behaved somewhat inappropriately… remember?”

“…?”

Aisellin tilted her head once more, then clapped her hands as if she had just remembered.

“Oh, now that you mention it! At that time… Lady Trisha was quite mischievous too.”

– ‘Don’t cross the line, Lady Trisha.’

The image of Aisellin, with cold eyes, speaking while drenched in tea, came to mind.

The gap was so immense that it was hard to believe they were the same person. Usually warm and kind, Aisellin’s cold demeanor made people flinch even more.

However, now she seemed to not care at all.

Why?

The humiliation Trisha had given Aisellin that day was not something that could be easily overlooked.

But Aisellin laughed nonchalantly and gently spoke.

“It’s all in the past.”

“Huh…”

At that moment, it felt like a halo was emanating from behind Aisellin.

“Everyone makes mistakes. Lady Trisha might have acted out of a moment of excitement. If I keep holding onto such things and pointing them out, I won’t be able to ask for forgiveness when I make mistakes. For my own sake, it’s better not to hold onto them for too long, don’t you think?”

When she first entered the Ebelstein social circle, she endured the bullying and harassment of many young ladies, and eventually was recognized as a lily of the Rosea Salon.

How would Trisha have acted if she were in Aisellin’s position?

She would have shown all kinds of cynicism and looked down on her pitifully. After all, the person who had been so arrogant and wild was now tucking her tail and bowing her head in defeat.

But Aisellin did not do that.

She was in the process of raising her family with her own strength. She might have wanted to shout at the world that had ignored and belittled her. But she maintained her dignity as a noble lady until the end.

Flap, a hallucination of wings sprouting behind Aiselin’s back appears.

The choir music flows. The halo shines even brighter, almost blinding. Feathers flutter, and holy sunlight pours down from the sky.

What more can be explained? One can’t help but wonder if this girl is an angel descended to earth.

‘Th-this can’t be…’

Trisha felt the difference in class.

So this is what it means to be a dignified noble lady…

A lady who leads countless followers, controlling them with just a smile…

A mindset that sternly points out mistakes but embraces them with a heart as vast as the sea. Even if the other party has insulted her, she never forgets to show respect with her graceful demeanor.

Once you realize her benevolence and wisdom… you fall into a feeling of not knowing what to say.

As an unbearable light suddenly shone down on her dark heart, filled only with sinister desires for recognition… Trisha could only stammer and step back several times.

The light was so strong it felt like she would go blind.

“Th-that… th-that is…”

“L-lady Trisha?”

Aiselin, is she a god?

Even the proud and arrogant Trisha… once she realized the difference in their vessels, she had no choice but to follow her.

*

“I wondered what brought you to the Duplain mansion…”

“To repent for my past mistakes and to seek forgiveness from the noble Lady Aiselin… I came to repent…”

“….”

When Derek heard the news and came to the reception room, Trisha, who had already finished her confession, was speaking with tears in her eyes.

What on earth had happened to cause this mess, Derek wondered, but he decided not to pry.

Aisellin was sweating profusely and smiling awkwardly, while Trisha, sitting on the sofa next to her, was clasping her hands and confessing tearfully.

“I am nothing but a wretched creature compared to Lady Aisellin…”

Had she used some high-level confusion magic… or was she under hypnosis…

Derek alternated his gaze between the two with a bewildered expression.

“In comparison to Lady Aisellin’s ocean-like generosity, a petty person like me is nothing but a pathetic beggar…”

“…”

Derek, who had intended to discuss the specific agenda of the Duplain revival plan, had no choice but to put down the documents he had brought.

It seemed better to start after Trisha regained her senses.

After all, she was the final piece in the southwestern noble structure that Derek was designing.

Derek was planning to turn the Duplain family’s homeland into a massive academy.

Whether he liked it or not, the help of the Count of Renouel was also necessary to undertake such a large-scale project.