Hakushaku to Yousei Vol 11 Chapter 1

The year’s social season had come once again.  

 Though it was a long time before the grand banquet would begin, those who had not visited the city in a while, for the sake of having “first meetings” with members of nobility, these people were also mixed in with the others for the purpose of attending drama recitals and concerts. 

 In the waiting room of the hotel, everywhere one could hear the cheerful, open laughters of young girls dressed in gorgeous dresses. 

 Until now, these girls had been carefully educated and isolated in preparation for this moment. Starting from now, they were to make appearances at social gatherings in hopes to seek their own marriage partners. 

 So in the end, recognition of a marriageable target had to be approved by the parent. 

 "Hey look, is that Earl Edgar Ashenbert? ”

 He was a young Earl who’d held the rare feudal title as the Blue Knight Earl. And after 300 years, the young earl finally returned to England to manage his family home, giving a very mysterious impression to others. 

 And in the moment one were to meet his eyes, he would return with a perfect smile, hence all the ladies could not help but involuntarily follow his figure.  

 And with those results, they then became clearly aware their dream was impossible. 

 "Oh, I heard that too. ” 

 “My aunt heard from an insider that the Earl was at a jewelry store on Bond Street. He was ordering that the words ‘Dearest' was to be embedded onto a necklace.” 

 The young girls sighed one after the other. No matter how much they yearned for the person, he had already chosen another. They couldn’t resent him either and therefore could only appear disappointed. 

 “But before, there were also rumors of it being that songstress. ” 

 “That woman has already decided to marry someone else. Moreover, if the engagement is true, then that person must be someone of nobility. ” 

 “I’ve heard that the necklace’s carved initials were L.C. Could that be her name?” 

 “Ah, but rather than to marry for beautiful appearances, family background is just as important. For the woman to be betrothed to the famously loose Earl Edgar, she must certainly be a daughter of quite an outstanding figure.  ” 

 “It is me. I am the one engaged to Earl Ashenbert. ” 

 “When did you and the Earl know of each other?” 

 “But how could this be, because you are ...” 

 She knew what the girls were going to say. Her mother was not of noble birth, it was not suitable for them to be together, seeing as Edgar was someone who had a profound history of origin.  

 Surrounded by her friends who were dumbfounded, she held a proud smile on her face. 

 “The engagement has yet to be announced to the public. I did not think the jewelry shop was to accidentally reveal it. Therefore, all of you, please remain silent for the time being. ” 

                                *

 Girls who dreamed of marriage, even if they had yet been decided of a partner, had already painted a picture in their hearts of their perfect love. 

 The Wedding banquet was to be held at a top-grade party Hall, to make the journey of the wedding all seem like a part of an ideal dream.       (I didn’t even add the nonsense with the “flower” lol and instead just continued on with the translation’s other part. hope that’s doable. It was really confusing otherwise.)    

 Looking at those young girls who intended to marry, even those who had only been presented in this year’s social gathering, the future plans for marriage was clearly envisioned in their minds. And at such a matter, this was not rare at their age.  

She decided to get married because of the matter three weeks ago. Because she believed that her feelings of just wanting to be with him was not false. However, in reality, she couldn’t quite the true feeling of “wanting to get married”. 

 Even if she was asked what sort of wedding ceremony she planned to hold, she couldn’t think anything of it. After all, the matter of getting married, until recently, was not something she could so simply and excitedly decide on.  

As she absentmindedly pondered over that, her fiancé had already been standing there, smiling warmly at her.   

 “Lydia, this sort of formal dress I feel is clearly very suitable for you ..” 

 At their feet was a velvet carpet which laid underneath the luxurious ceiling, with addition to the priceless, artful paintings which hung from the walls. Nearby the windows were blinds decorated with velvet curtains. There was no other who could create this contrasting decor but one person. Embellishing the room with elegant style and character was the Earl, Lydia’s fiancé. 

 Ever since their decided engagement, compared to Lydia who didn’t know where to begin, her father took her place instead to smoothly and steadily prepare everything. 

 With there being so much lace, in the end, exactly how much money must he have. 

 Pearl? 

 "If you give that for someone like me to wear, the feeling of a formal dress would be lost.”

 “There won’t be such a matter, isn’t that right, Professor Carlton? Lydia is very beautiful. She has enough beauty to capture anyone’s attention, and she should be more confident with herself, don’t you also agree?” 

 Looking at her father’s vague answer, Lydia began to worry in a sweat. 

 A couple days ago, Lydia and her father together visited the Duchess of Maysfield, consulting her of the essential preparation for marrying into an aristocratic family. Because Lydia’s mother died a long time ago, and with her grandmother having passed away a few years back as well, there was no other older women Lydia could discuss this matter with. 

The Duchess was quite close to Edgar and was very understanding. Even though she was pleased to consult them, from the beginning, she urged them that they need only to depend on the Earl. They need not to worry about other extensive matters. 

   As a result, Lydia who had yet to even dream of a wedding, began to recognize the reality of it. 

 Once hearing her father say such things, Edgar seemed to finally understood his concerns. 

 “Ah, that’s what the wife of the Duke Maysfield had also told us, but as the father...”                                                                              (Ahhh okay, I see what you mean by how it makes sense to say “rely on the real”. Some raw translations contradict so much!)

 Lydia’s father was a man who rigidly adhered to the rules. He was someone who had a scholar’s equally big heart. Rather than as a father's pride, his mind was on this matter: "If her mother was also still living, she will not ask others to help prepare her daughter's wedding.” 

 "I understand.  Then, I will use whatever I can from the time I had gotten married, in order to prepare well in advance for the wedding.  

 However, even if they were things that were thought of as first -class by civilians, to an Earl, such items became things that would never be given a second glance again. 

 As a result, the Carlton family, according to the Duchess’ proposal, need only to prepare personal luggage as wedding preparation, for their part.  

He removed his glasses and wiped them twice with his coat.  

 She began to stare at her father and couldn’t help but wonder if getting married at such an early time was alright.  

 Because she had decided to be by Edgar’s side, she had accepted his proposal, but at that time, Lydia didn’t consider she’d have to leave her father.  

 “I’m sorry, father.....” 

 “This is not something you should apologize for, but rather it’s something to be very joyful of. “ 

 “I am very happy, too. The Earl seems to care for you very much. ” 

 Having said that, the Carlton family was known to be rather wealthy in their hometown, as Professor Carlton had repeatedly emphasized on retaining a scholar’s demeanor.  He wasn’t one to hold too tight of his money, and he only casually put funds into his research. Therefore, Lydia had never experienced any hardships when it came to their financial status.  

 If I had married a suitable person of status, then father wouldn’t feel inferior to encounter such a matter. And he’d also be able to take care of the necessary preparation quite easily.  

 Lydia’s father put a hand on her shoulder while saying with a smile,  

 “Ah, is that what it was like for you too father? 

 Lydia smiled at her father’s story.  

 When it came to the social affairs within the upper class, the general citizenry of London also took much concern over it. Thus, the relationships Earl Ashenbert had with different females, had already aroused much small talk. Rumors of him to have become recently engaged spread quickly, soon firing up lots of speculation and reports regarding the matter.  

 However, she soon also realized that it wasn’t something that could be helped, as she was not the daughter of a noble, nor had she committed some striking affair to attract publicity.  

 And what had been strange about her eyes was not only the color, but what Lydia could also witness through them, what others could not see - the presence of fairies.  

 Fairies had existed everywhere, living alongside people as well. Sometimes it was friendly while sometimes it was troublesome.

 However, now in modern times, almost no one believed in fairies, and people were gradually forgetting the existence of fairy doctors, too.  

 But after she had met Edgar, she was hired as the exclusive fairy doctor of the Earl’s house.  

 That’s when Lydia stepped in to replace him, in order to solve the problems the fairies perpetrated within the land.  

  Not only was his philandering noticeable, it was also how he elicited an erotic feeling which attracted many young ladies around him. And because of discomforts such as that, she was not able to trust him when he said he harbored feelings only for her.  

 Since Edgar had yet to return from welcoming the guests, her father had already departed the manor to go back to work.  

 Suddenly, jumping in through the window, was a small, grey cat.  

 Grabbing the newspaper clippings in one hand while showing Lydia exactly what she wanted to avoid, was Nico, Lydia’s childhood fairy friend.   

 Looking at how the present situation turned out, Lydia only sighed and said:  

 “What are you saying? I only wanted to teach you how to resolve your doubts about your engagement partner, and how to deal with such problems before the marriage.  ” 

 "That's just pure speculation. ” 

 “But, why does the Earl let such ridiculous speculations fly around and doesn’t just publicly announce his marriage partner’s name already?” 

 “And why exactly is that? You’ve already begun the preparation for the clothing and dowry.  ” 

 “This is certainly very suspicious, Lydia. That guy...what if he is not willing to publicize the announcement because there is something he’s hiding that’d make the disclosure awkward? ” 

 “And that something would be...?” 

 Although, generally speaking, it seemed impossible. But if that person was Edgar, then that was another matter. 

 “Well.... Nico, there is no such thing like that. You don’t even know for sure. Besides, introducing me to the noble society is quite the troublesome matter, so Edgar is probably taking his time to prepare for these events.  ”

 Starting from tomorrow, she was going to start staying at the Duchess' mansion  in order to become adept at the sophisticated mannerisms and habits of the aristocrats.  

 “However, the gift of the large amount of cash is really already too much.. ” 

 A gift consisting of large cash amounts being speculated and written as an obvious title, this immediately caught Lydia’s attention, making her shoulders drop.  

 “Human marriage really can be troublesome. Why don’t you just elope like what your mother and father did? That way, you wouldn’t have to worry about preparing for all the cash gifts,  the bridal dowries and such.  ” 

 “Yes, that doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.  ” 

“You would still like to have the blessings of relatives, wouldn't you? Lydia. ” 

“And the Professor? Did he need to return?” 

“Yes, he was scheduled to start his lesson in the afternoon.  ” 

“........Just a little.  Marriage is something more difficult I had initially thought it’d be.  ” 

“You need not worry of all the troublesome matters.  You can leave everything to me. ” 

Marriage was something Lydia also committed together with him.  When she felt she was being protected by him as her partner, it made her feel very happy.  

“No, it’s not really that it’s troublesome.  It’s just a little hectic because the preparation has taken place so suddenly. So, I became slightly overwhelmed. ” 

“Well, the wedding gown and jewel  accessories, regardless of the number of pieces to choose from, I think are quite easy to arrange. However, although I am very happy for such preparation, I really am also oblivious to the popular trends and tastes of the upper class. ” 

Lydia nodded to his advice, and as soon as she lifted her eyes only slightly, a tender kiss fell on her cheek.  

Since when had Edgar revealed such a content expression before?  

She thought if she could make him happily smile like so, then nothing else would be more gratifying than that.  

In order to see him become happy like that, she had to well prepare for the wedding instead of getting so caught up in insecurities.  

“Ah...yes. Do you have a particular date in mind?” 

“Eh? In 3 months? That is too soon.” 

“W-wait a minute...I cannot possibly learn the poise of a countess that soon.  Knowledge of nobility and the general regulations, I’ve only just started to study them now. ” 

“But still, we should wait just a little longer....such as six months, or maybe even a year.” 

Edgar immediately refused with a firm tone.  

Force yourself from what? 

“The Duchess of Maysfield has taught me that, if I truly cherish my bride, I should tend to her with pure intentions before the marriage. Ah, but of course she had said so in a very tactful and gentle manner.  However she really can become quite a strict person! Actually, in regards to morals, this is indeed an important boundary.  When you say your vows in front of God, I wouldn’t want you to hold any kinds of shameful feelings. Because you are a pure and earnest girl, you probably wouldn’t like to commit to such a passionate affair and would feel happier to remain chaste before the marriage.  So, for your sake then, I will be a proper gentleman of a fiance.  However, 3 months is my limit.  ” 

However, because she sensed that Edgar was very adamant about what he’d just said, she only nodded.  

“That, Edgar, let’s not do this in front of people.....” 

He then scanned the room. 

Occupying the sofa, the cat had been endlessly devoted to reading the newspapers. After hearing the word “cat”,he flinched his ears in shock and turned his head.  

Recently, Edgar, regardless of the occasion, would try to kiss Lydia whenever he could.  So, Lydia had always been careful to avoid creating any such opportunities when they were in public.  

“Rest assured, Lydia. Kissing in front of people and in private, I know the difference between the two all too well. ” 

Edgar took advantage of Lydia’s state of confusion and swiftly stole a kiss from her.  

Lydia’s cheeks flushed right away. 

“I haven't done anything yet, wouldn’t you say I’ve already been unbelievably restrained with you until now? "

“No, there is no need for you to show me that.  ” 

“Well, in that case, if you also ever come to feel that you cannot control your passion until after the wedding, then I hope that you wouldn’t hesitate to come running to me if such circumstances were to take place.  ” 

“Is it difficult for you to say? Then, in order to not have such precious feelings slip away from you, would it be alright for me to come to your bedroom every night to entice you?” 

Feeling shy even moreso now, Lydia shifted away once again.  

"Give it a rest already", Nico murmured.  

“Eh, your hobby....” 

'Huh? In other words, I’ll have to endure this for the rest of my life? '

After saying that, Nico immediately disappeared while abandoning Lydia.  

Lydia said so in dismay as she felt his arms wind around her back.  

She couldn’t look away from his passionate gaze, but she also couldn’t avoid his kisses.  

When there were only two people, she wondered what kind of attitude lovers would show intimacy with? Every time she was embraced or kissed by him, before even attempting to elicit the response Edgar hoped of, Lydia’s whole body would turn stiff.  

“Ah yes, as for when the announcement of our engagement would take place, it will be carried out right after you’re introduced to the public.  ” 

“.....Public?” 

Not that sweet talk again.  

“Well, to pay tribute to her Majesty the Queen...debut in society, that sort of thing.  ” 

“There will always be a way, so it’ll be fine.  ” 

“No, I don’t want that, there is no need to resort to unreasonable means, besides, it’s not like the marriage cannot happen without such measures, right?” (?) 

“Your father is a graduate of Cambridge University and is also now a Professor at the University of London.  Though not an aristocrat, he can very well, for the time being, be seen as a peer of nobility in the professional range.  ” 

“Would it not be shameful for you if a person such as me, who has yet been recognized in the social class, was to become engaged to you?”  

“Because of that, wouldn’t it better if you married a noble’s daughter?” 

Although he had no appointment set to suddenly visit, his attitude of confronting Edgar had been the same as if sending out a punitive expedition, as he reprimanded the Butler while chanting Edgar’s name.  

Because Lord Constable had been someone who was indeed very powerful in the politics of the aristocrats, Edgar dismissed the idea of sending him back and decided to meet with him in the end.  

Lord Constable strongly remarked.  

“Earl Ashenbert, you lied to my daughter; I won’t have you saying that you have no memory of the issue!”

At the answer Edgar had given him, Lord Constable seemed to make a face of humiliation and exasperation as he turned bright red. 

The Lord Constable then pulled out a small book with a ribbon trim around it; it was styled something like a young girl’s diary. 

“To freely pry into her diary like this, do you not think it is the same as a betrayal to Lucinda? ” 

“Suit yourself then. In short, let me just clearly say that I did not write any letters to your daughter.” 

“If you’re enraged because of the fact that your daughter has lost her virginity, I think you’d best confirm the other party involved accurately. ” 

He’s only hyped over a mere kiss? Edgar hunched his shoulders in boredom.  

Compared to the half-jokingly way Edgar had said those few sentences, Lord Constable departed from the manor quite angrily.   

After watching the guest storm off, the young attendant quietly made the remark.  

“As far as I remember....” 

“Yes, I would never dream of it. ” 

Although the whole matter was quite a strange one, which caused Lord Constable to become humiliated and displeased with him, he’d decided that the disgraceful ones were him and his daughter, that it didn’t involve him.  It wasn’t his problem.  

Even if she wasn’t particularly depressed prior to the marriage, in regards to Lydia, he still did not want to add further factors to cause her unrest before the marriage.  

But compared to that, there was an even more pressing issue at the moment.  

Unfortunately, Lydia was stubborn and obstinate. 

She still seemed to have been accepting his love quite cautiously. As long as her mood remained relaxed and at ease, she should also soon be able to look forward to the marriage wholeheartedly.  

There’d always be a problem that would emerge.  

He felt that it would be too late for her to make her debut into society after marrying and becoming a countess, .  The views and perceptions of society would be different if she was someone who already had the qualifications of marrying into nobility compared to a woman who inadvertently stepped into the upper class as a result of marriage.  

“Lord Edgar, Miss Lydia has already returned home. ” 

Even though Raven held a straight face and hadn’t shown any emotion, Edgar very well knew that even he appeared to be a little nervous. 

Even if Raven did not move as much as a brow, from Edgar’s words, he had most likely become depressed after listening to such a thing.  

“That will not be likely. ” 

“Ah, is that so?” 

That’s quite true.  

“Lord Edgar, I implore you to not offend Miss Lydia.  ” 

That she would soon be wedded into the Earl’s house, Raven was perhaps also as joyful about it as Edgar.  Therefore, if such a matter were to take place as Lydia changing her mind, it was likely that Raven would perhaps become upset with Edgar. 

“But before anything unfortunate happens, as long as I am able to do it, I’d like to prepare well in advance.  I want to be able to give her everything that is in my power to give.”  

He had been unable to let go of Lydia as he needed her ability to fight against the evil organization that could manipulate fairy magic, but before he knew it, he had actually fallen deeply in love with her while being together.  Now Lydia’s existence to him meant more than just her ability as a fairy doctor. Compared to that, it was her gentleness and warmth, and the sense of security he felt when he was around her, that made it impossible for him to ever let go of her now, regardless of what might happen.  

Edgar started to suddenly regret inheriting the memories.  

Edgar wasn’t sure of the fact that the strength of Prince’s cursed memories would end up overtaking him or whether the memories would remain sealed up and he could continue being himself--there were a lot uncertainties he had.  

After the marriage, he would have liked to give everything he owned over to Lydia.  Therefore, he couldn’t be blamed for all the power he needed in order to urgently protect her.  

“Nothing will happen, From now on, you and Miss Lydia will always be able to live peacefully together.” 

“That’s right! Anyways....I first have to try and please Lydia.  ” 

Since Raven could not earnestly comprehend the delicate aspects of affections, he’d unknowingly stated such a thing so crudely.  

Lately, whenever he had tried to kiss or even touch Lydia, she’d lose her temper. He had wanted to very much believe they had made progress in their relationship since meeting one another, but whenever the two were alone together, he wondered why she would become even more cautious than before? 

Because it was when the Butler had walked in to inform him of a visitor, that he took notice of his surroundings. 

Tomkins calmly asked. 

Even though they were women that he had merely met during social gatherings, they might have shown attraction towards him, and since he wasn’t confident that he’d be able to resist flirting with them, Edgar decided to temporarily avoid any contact with them.  

"No, it's okay.  Just let it be.  ” 

“Tompkins, may I have her name?” 

Perhaps it wasn’t necessary to know, and although Edgar trusted his Butler, he had immediately taken notice of the greeting card in Tompkin’s hand and wanted to know of the situation.  

“It is the daughter of Earl Constable, Lucinda.  ” 

Ah so then, is she perhaps just visiting to explain her father’s obnoxious behavior earlier? Who exactly is this girl? 

“Show her to the guest parlor.  ”

She was a young woman who had a white complexion with her black hair neatly tied up.  There was a red-haired young maid, who had also been sitting there, waiting quietly.  

The young woman suddenly stood up.  

Edgar took a good look at her face, and at that moment he seemed to have vaguely recalled seeing her. It was because she certainly was a very beautiful young girl.  However, he reminded himself that at this moment, he was to limit their discussion to only one or two sentences.  

It seemed both Edgar and the young girl had in fact briefly met once, but at that time, neither of them had given each other’s names. So, he did not know that the young girl was the Lord Constable’s daughter.  

“I’m sorry, are you angry? Please forgive me for breaking the promise by coming to see you here. But the diary had carelessly come into my father’s possession, so I couldn’t help it.  .....I had written all about in there. ” 

“Yes, your father, Earl Constable had also paid me a visit because of the matter with your diary.  But, it really was a laughable situation.  Not only do I not know you, I also do not remember to have agreed on any engagement vows with you whatsoever.  Moreover, he also kept speaking about how I had written letters to you. It really was rather baffling.  ” 

“Proposed to you? I already have a fiancée.  ” 

The young girl covered her face with both her hands and started to cry out loud.  

He kept listening to her patiently, as he was glad to know that he’d at least clarified that the young girl was in fact in communication with a so called “Earl Ashenbert.” 

As long as the address of the bureau on the letter was the same as Edgar’s, then he thought that Lucinda was bound to be fully convinced that he was the sender. 

“To receive the letters the Earl sent in and to also transmit my replies, that was the responsibility of my maid.  She would then go to different designated locations, in order to deliver my replies.  That was because you wanted the exchanges to be conducted in secrecy for a while.  ” 

The maid that had been sitting on the side, slightly nodded to his gesture.  

The maid did not make a sound.  

Lucinda answered on her behalf.  

The bar was located in a town on the outskirts of London where the young girl had lived. And although she tried inquiring from the locals at the bar, the recipient of the letter seemed merely to be a servant.  Because it was the matter of engagement with the “Earl”, she couldn’t have just sent the letters directly to the manor either. Hence, her days were always filled with suffering and anticipation. 

“But did you not meet with the person you’ve been communicating with?”  

“That....we’ve only met once in the dark during a late night...” 

As a result, Lucinda wasn’t able to completely see his appearance because of the dark. Therefore, she came to believe, based on his claim, that the Earl Edgar Ashenbert was her lover.  

“Well I’m sorry, but that man was not me.  It seems that unfortunately, you were fooled by someone else.  ” 

“How can it be....I was.. kissed by a stranger....” 

“No, it’s not like that. When we’d met for the first time, there were a few girls at the party  who were secretly badmouthing my mother about her birth from a low status. I became so ashamed of it all and was about to take my leave when I had ran into you..... You gently comforted me, so I couldn’t help but to start developing affectionate feelings for you.  ” 

So, that must’ve meant the daughter of that private governess was in fact this young girl.  

However, for Edgar, be it at that time or presently, he held no compassionate feelings towards her, so he couldn’t answer. 

“The letters have already been disposed of.  In order to prevent anyone from learning of our relationship, I was advised to burn and throw away the letters each time.  It was only in my personal diary, that I had written of such content concerning our affair.  ” 

“Alright then, if you still cannot approve of my claim, then I suggest this issue be brought forth to the public so that an impartial judgment can be made.  No accurate result will come out if we go on like this.  ” 

If one was to understand this

Chapter end