TDWO Chapter 35
by xxsienna
“Is this a painting?”
Inside the box was a small frame with a portrait painted on it.
It was the perfect size to place on a vanity—not too big, not too small.
Anri took out the lovely white frame and looked deeply at the figures in the painting.
There were three people in total.
The girl with pink hair, smiling brightly, was probably Anri.
The man in a brown coat, wearing a hat and smiling kindly, was likely her father, Morris.
And lastly, the woman with wavy silver hair…
‘Mother?’
Anri looked at Eunice with a mix of surprise and confusion.
Eunice, unable to meet Anri’s gaze, had lowered her head.
“…Where did this painting come from?”
Anri had never seen a portrait of the Wentworth family like this before.
It was clear that someone had painted it recently.
Moreover, the skill wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was quite good.
The eyes of the smiling family were so bright and warm that they brought tears to her eyes.
“I-I painted it…”
“You? I didn’t know you could paint!”
“……”
Eunice had many things she wanted to say.
She knew that Anri liked painting, and she went to the Royal Academy’s art exhibition every year.
Eunice was born with an innate talent for painting and could draw portraits with ease, without much effort.
For Eunice, the fact that Anri liked painting felt very special.
She wanted to show Anri a painting she had created at least once.
It seemed like it would be the only way for them to communicate.
When Anri asked if Eunice could paint, she nodded belatedly.
Anri was so surprised that she nearly dropped the frame.
“Wow, you’re amazing, sister!”
Even after living together for three years, Anri had no idea Eunice had such a talent.
But Eunice shook her head dismissively.
“Oh, no. It felt really awkward since I haven’t painted in a long time. Mixing the paints was also difficult…”
Eunice lowered her head, unable to finish her sentence.
However, Anri seemed to be fixated on the portrait, not fully hearing Eunice’s words.
‘Mom. My mom.’
The portrait showed a woman with long, curly silver hair and a pale, heart-shaped face.
The woman in the painting looked just like Anri’s mother in her memories.
Eunice must have learned about her mother’s appearance from Eva.
Portraits were too expensive; commissioning a painter to create one cost a lot of money, so until now, she hadn’t had even a single painting of her mother, let alone a family portrait.
If she had known her mother would pass away so early, she would have pushed to have a painting made when they had more money.
“……”
Tears quickly welled up in Anri’s eyes.
It had been a long time since she had seen her mother’s face.
She was so happy and moved to see a face she had missed so much. It felt like she would have smiled just like this if she had heard the news of Anri’s wedding.
“Sister, thank you so much.”
Overcome with emotion, Anri set the frame down and had to wipe away her tears.
Eunice was greatly flustered and didn’t know what to do…
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‘Will? Did he say Will?’
Anri and Eunice put on shawls over their pajamas and went to find Mrs. Chester.
They couldn’t call her because she might be asleep.
Anri needed the list of people invited to her wedding.
She assumed Mrs. Chester would have it.
After receiving Eunice’s painting gift and having a good cry, Anri was finally able to hear about the man Eunice met at the ball.
Eunice mentioned that the man who sent her a letter had revealed his nickname as ‘Will’ and suggested they meet again at the wedding of her sister and the Duke of Briston.
Does that mean he was invited?
‘Is it a trend for men these days to hide their identities?’
Edwin was the same way; why couldn’t he just say who he was?
So, Anri decided to scan the guest list to uncover Will’s identity.
It wasn’t polite to visit the servants at such a late hour, but there was no choice.
Anri had never been particularly interested in who would be attending her wedding, so she hadn’t bothered to check.
After all, there probably wouldn’t be many people she knew anyway. There would be countless names that she wouldn’t recognize.
It was likely that all the high-ranking nobles except for the royal family would be there.
Although the Grand Duchess was of royal blood, she was such a distant relative that she was almost like a stranger, so there would be no reason to invite the royal family.
They wouldn’t come even if invited.
“Miss?”
Fortunately, Mrs. Chester was still awake and willingly handed over the guest list to Anri.
Anri and Eunice returned to Anri’s room.
They huddled together to check the long list.
The list included names, brief titles, and residences.
However, there were many men with names starting with “Will.”
Willows, Willoughby, William…
“I can’t tell who’s who with all these names.”
There were quite a few people with the same name.
As Anri scanned down the list, her eyes caught a familiar name.
She was relieved to find another William, but the surname was Branaire, and below that was…
“Erze Branaire?”
Anri jumped up, exclaiming as if the Mayfair House was about to collapse.
Eunice dropped the bread she was eating in surprise.
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“Miss, good morning!”
The servants entered Anri’s room, cheerfully announcing the dawn of the wedding day.
However, they were taken aback by Anri’s expression and couldn’t help but take a step back.
Anri had already woken up and was sitting on the bed.
She had been in a daze since checking the guest list the night before.
She was finally going to face Erze.
‘It seems that the connection between Erze and Edwin is incredibly persistent.’
It’s said that if two people are meant to meet, they will eventually meet. After avoiding each other at the ball, they are now likely to cross paths again at the wedding.
At Anri and Edwin’s wedding, while the king and queen were not attending, the children of the royal couple, including the crown prince and princess, were invited.
But it was probably just a formal invitation, and they wouldn’t actually come.
Anri hadn’t been able to sleep the night before.
She was nervous about what it would be like if Erze did come, as well as uncertain about Edwin’s reaction to seeing her.
The next day, after confirming the guest list, Anri directly asked Edwin if he knew Erze.
She directly asked if the crown prince and princess were really coming to the wedding.
In response, Edwin had said, “I don’t care whether they come or not,” showing no particular reaction.
‘But surely, you must be acquainted with someone like His Highness the Crown Prince?’
When Anri asked again, Edwin replied:
‘I’ve only seen them from a distance, and since I was young, I don’t even remember it well. Why would they come to my wedding?’
He responded without interest.
If Edwin’s words were true, they were less likely to come, but it was still uncertain.
Shaking her head, Anri got off the bed.
However, Anais and Bonita also looked extremely tired.
Unbeknownst to Anri, the ladies’ maids hadn’t slept a wink for two whole days making new dresses.
Was it really okay for everyone to be in such disarray for the wedding?
Moreover, weddings in this world typically took place in the morning.
In the late 19th century, they extended it to 3 PM, but for now, it was legally required to have weddings in the morning.
After finishing her bath, Anri sat in front of her vanity. After washing up, her mind felt much clearer.
Finally, she was really getting married today.
After finishing her hair and makeup, it was finally time to put on the dress.
Perhaps because it was her first wedding dress, her heart was pounding, and she felt an oddly exciting thrill.
“Huh?”
However, the dress brought by the ladies’ maids was completely different from the one she had tried on just two days ago.
It was unfamiliar and innovative, unlike any dress from this era…
Yet, it was the most beautiful dress she’d ever seen in the world, and she loved it!
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“It’s a lovely day, isn’t it? It’s like weve come out to play.”
“Yes, indeed! We get to attend the wedding and take a stroll in the garden, ho ho ho.”
The gathered ladies covered their mouths with their gloved hands and laughed softly.
The wedding of the Duke of Briston and Lady Wentworth was scheduled to take place in the duchy’s garden.
However, since it was not yet the season for roses to bloom, the garden was filled only with lush greenery.
No additional flowers were required because this was the bride’s space to shine.
Soft and sweet music played gently in the background, barely audible unless one paid close attention.
Nobles had already gathered—more than two hundred of them.
They strolled through the garden, chatting as they went.
They meandered through the rose tunnel without flowers and past the fountain.
…truly, the era of Bloom and Romance.
The classic and opulent styles of the noble ladies floated around the garden like small hot air balloons.
They flaunted their round shoulders and puffed sleeves beneath their elegantly styled hair.
Additionally, there were decorations of frills, ribbons, flowers, and lace, all abundant and lush.
The waist was hourglass-shaped and tightly cinched.
“Wow…”
Anri peeked over the curtain to view the rose garden.
The garden, full of women in colorful and extravagant dresses, didn’t seem like there were no flowers at all.
Glancing down at her own dress, Anri’s heart raced as if on the brink of an adventure.
Her heartbeat had not stopped racing since she first tried on the dress.
Anri looked at her servants.
Anais and Bonita clasped their hands together as if making a vow, and nodded at Anri.
The sudden change of the dress by the servants was a surprising turn of events.
Anri could have worn the originally designed dress if she wanted.
However, the current dress suited her far better.
‘Are these servants geniuses or something?’
Anri could not imagine how they had come up with such a concept in just two days.
‘Did they perhaps hear Edwin’s comments about balloons and pumpkins?’
