Even though she wore a hat and fanned herself without stopping, it wasnât enough to beat the heat of the summer. Fortunately, there was a soft breeze passing through her sweaty nape from time to time.
Dixieâs face was filled with interest as it was her first time seeing her brotherâs estate. Deatrice looked at this sister-in-lawâs side profile, who, in spite of the heat, held her arm and kept herself from falling so far.
Originally though, Deatrice had to walk the streets with Lucius, Dixie, and Miss Spurt. But this morning, Dixie apologized, and this was what happened.
Miss Spurt was still asleep when Lucius went out for early morning training.
Descending the stairs, Dixie saw Deatrice reading the newspaper, seemingly finished with some light breakfast. She didnât seem too surprised to see her alone in the parlor, then said as she clasped her hands in front of her.
âItâs good that youâre here!â she exclaimed. âCould you spare some time to have a little chat with me?â
âOf course.â Deatrice folded the newspaper down and Dixie sat across from her.
Dixie was silent for a moment, as if she was preparing something to say, then pulled up her lips and she spoke with a formal smile.
âAs you may know, we are already family. I think itâs time to forget the past and start our relationship anewâlet bygones be bygones. Perhaps we can start by calling each otherâs first names and spending time with each other? What do you think?â
Her words were similar to what Lucius had told her back then, that he wanted a fresh start. Truly siblings in every sense of the word.
But Deatrice wasnât naive enough to believe the words that came out of his mouth before, and now, she isnât stupid enough to believe Dixie. She brought another lady with her who was linked to her husband through rumors, thereâs definitely a motive behind it.
Despite finding her words hard to believe, Deatrice smiled and nodded her head. âThat would be wonderful.â
It wasnât because she wanted to figure out her intentions, but because she genuinely wanted to give Dixie a small chance. In any case, she still had some guilt towards the woman and wanted to make it up to her somehow.
Once all of them were ready and waiting outside, instead of Miss Spurtâs, Dixie held onto Deatriceâs arm.
Deatrice looked at her with an unreadable expression while Dixie gave a sunny smile as she addressed the two other people with them.
âToday, we would like to strengthen our familial bonds.â Directing her gaze to the younger woman, she said, âSadly, that means youâll have to go with my brother, Miss Spurt. You wonât feel sad if I wonât be able to accompany you, right?â
After listening to her, Lucius frowned, but Deatrice just let her be. He looked at his wife, but she nodded her head, indicating him to follow his sisterâs arrangements.
Berry Spurt seemed a little bashful about this new development, but she couldnât hide the glee from her face.
With a hint of excitement, Miss Spurtâs voice could be heard whispering softly from behind. âItâs been a long time since I last enjoyed looking at beautiful summer sceneries and it makes me feel so energized. I think itâs because nature can really help refresh peopleâs minds.â
âOh, really?â Lucius politely responded.
âYes, donât you feel so too?â she answered, delighted. âIâve heard that youâre always focused on training and inspecting your territory. So, how do you feel about going for an outing in nature today?â
He put on a pondering expression, then he answered in a sweet voice. âHm. Itâs definitely been a while since I went out to have some fun.â
Deatrice unconsciously compared his voice from yesterday.
ââŠand even if something really happened between us, what is it to you?â
They were nothing, and that should be nothing to her as well.
Engrossed in her thoughts, Deatrice barely heard when Dixie spoke about her child.
ââŠthey say a child is the most troublesome when heâs three. Thatâs why Philip is such a handful these days. He could hardly remain still, has a short attention span, and throws some wild tantrums. He doesnât even feel like my own child because he clings to the nanny and doesnât want to be separated from her, especially when heâs sleepy.â
At first, Dixie seemed to have brought up the topic because she had nothing else to say and just wanted to make idle conversation. But as she spoke, she became absorbed by her own words and continued endlessly.
âRoy says that being too close or obsessed with children isnât very aristocratic at all, but heâs still a child that I carried and gave birth toâŠâ
Deatrice was still thinking of why she was doing this, therefore Dixieâs words about her nephew went from one ear and out of the other.
It was as clear as day that the reason Dixie said she wanted to repair their relationship was for Miss Spurt and Lucius to have alone time together.
Why the effort, though?
Her purpose was to hurt Deatrice, nothing more and nothing less.
âShe may just want to annoy you.â
She remembered Luciusâ unsure and light-hearted tone when he said those. Maybe he was really right, but she felt strange to take it so nonchalantly.
Throughout the day, Dixieâs persistence in getting Lucius to spend time with Miss Spurt never ceased, like the time when they had lunch together under the canopy and cloth was spread on the grass.
Lucius and Deatrice were seated at one end, opposite of each other with Dixie and Miss Spurt seated in the middle.
âTimes like these, itâs like Iâm suddenly taken back to my maiden days.â Dixie spoke and sighed wistfully. âI havenât had this kind of leisure since I married and had Philip.â
âIs Roy behaving badly?â After Lucius spoke, Dixie rolled her eyes at him.
âItâs not that heâs behaving badly, but because my schedule is fuIl. Wives have stuff to do too, you know? Whether itâs Roy or PhillipâŠâ she sighed once more. âYou donât know how busy I am. Some unmarried girls are like this too, am I correct, Miss Spurt?â
She hummed in agreement. âYes, but others just refer to it as a pastime. However, regardless of that, I think there is always something to do no matter where you are.â
Lucius took a brief glance at Deatrice, who was currently biting into a plum fruit. Outwardly, she didnât look distracted, but she also didnât look particularly excited when they went out.
She appeared fine with the fact that her husband was escorting other maidens. She wasnât like that six years ago, because Deatrice had even gone so far as to say:
âIf you let the same thing happen twice, you will never see me again.â
And this was only when a girl simply set her foot on the sofa he was sitting on.