About Your Pride and My Prejudice

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

“It’s going to be difficult.”

Alan expressed a polite and roundabout rejection.

“It’s embarrassing, but because the business hasn’t settled yet, even ten bodies aren’t enough.”

Riemann didn’t mind at all. Rather, the fact that his daughter, who missed her marriage with this beautiful young man, is reborn as a lover only makes his lips busier as if it was his last breath.

“What are you talking about? It’s surprising how fast it’s stabilizing! The Rail investment is already in the final stages, and the brokerage trade—”

“No, we still have a long way to go. I still rarely go home.”

The Brigadier lowered his eyebrows as if it was pathetic about the story of a young businessman who rarely enters the house.

Of course this was what Alan intended. Feel free to sympathize with him, since he hoped that the eccentric Brigadier would no longer call him for trifle matters.

“Mr. Leopold, let me be blunt.”

Riemann smoothed his gray moustache and said in a solemn voice.

“Your fiery passion and ability is great. To the extent that all the young people of the Principality want to follow your suit but you shouldn’t overwork yourself like that. If you don’t have enough rest, you’ll end up with ashes in the raging flames.”

Alan had an innocent face as if he was listening to Riemann, but inside he only wanted him to go away.

After all, such a lengthy speech would be nothing more than a blatant call to answer calls more often. Alan felt less resentful towards his mountain load of work than mingling with weary humans.

But Riemann’s story that followed was truly absurd.

“So you should meet a woman. Women are the best rest.”

“…….”

Perhaps the brigadier general’s purpose was to have his daughter meet him.

Such a disgusting old man

Alan’s expression hardened and the dwarfed old man—It is clear that he must have been short even when he was young, considering his body was dwarfed by aging—didn’t notice his expression even a bit but of course he wasn’t such a gentleman to begin with, that he would stop just because he noticed it.

“Then things will work out better! An existence called a woman is a blessing and a miracle! Hmm, not like that.”

“Thank you for your words,”

“Why don’t you meet my daughter? You know, she’s impeccably good.”

Why was the three-story building so annoyingly long? Unable to ignore the old man’s stride and run down, Alan stepped without answering.

Lady Riemann was a low-class woman who came to the men’s social gatherings and kept bumping into him. He couldn’t even remember her name, let alone the face, except for the terrible scent and the appearance of hanging loose jewelry.

He had enough of everyone in the kingdom’s social circles, but she was by far the worst of all. She’s unworthy of even having a decent meeting. 

Looking down at the old gentleman, who is one head smaller than him, the young businessman recited in a cool low voice enough to hold the heart of every woman in the Principality.

“I don’t know her yet.”

His words are truly unreliable. Riemann thought that it was obviously annoying to talk to an old man, so he was just hanging around.

But the Brigadier, on the other hand, was wondering all along that there was no scandal about the great handsome man from Sourne.

Marcella, his daughter who gleamed her eyes to please Alan, found out that there was one case of a rumor about him in the kingdom, but that it was a rumor made up by a frivolous braggart, and no matter how much she digs, nothing comes out.

It’s beyond comprehension. Riemann felt like he was hitting a wall because of the beautiful appearance that was admired by not only the woman but also her men, and the youth that was more radiant than the sun.

‘I’m sure he’s not shy temperament……hmm.’

The Brigadier general’s eyes, breathing out his nose and slowly smoothing his dried beard, suddenly opened up. He asked, moving his gray eyebrows.

“Do you have a lady you like?”

“…….”

Alan turned his head back to the front at those words and fell into thought with a tired face.

It would be less cumbersome to leave it that way.

“Yes.”

“From which family is she from? Yes?”

“It’s something I haven’t told anyone yet, so I’m being careful.”

The Brigadier general was surprised, and immediately smiled with a contented satisfaction. You told me this amazing news first. It was the most pleasant thing.

Riemann asked in a low voice.

“Is she the princess of the Principality?”

“A woman from Sourne.”

“Huh, I don’t think the duchy’s woman is not to your taste. How many artistic ladies are there? Like my daughter Marcella!”

……was that her name?

Well, that wasn’t the point at all. Before he realised it, the stairs were over, and the two were now heading for the door. Perhaps this chatty old man was really trying to follow him to the front of the carriage.

Alan replied in a neat tone.

“She’s also an artist, Brigadier general.”

“Oh, really? Are you going to get married? I’ll tell you, it’s better to get married early no matter what!”

“Is that so?”

“Because of the youthful energy, you may have to remarry soon if you have any chance. When you’re as energetic as you can…… Oops, slip of the tongue! It doesn’t mean Leopold will.”

“I’ve never thought about marriage, but…….”

Alan was, of course, in the middle of a proper horse as a business partner. It would have been better if this didn’t bother me any more.

But he didn’t realize he was smiling.

“She’s the woman I’ve been dreaming of.”

“…….”

He didn’t know this icy man would smile like this. The Brigadier stopped talking only to stare at the beautiful profile.

* * *

‘What I can’t tell you is not about Mr. Maurice. It’s about the one he loves.’

I shouldn’t be doing this in front of people, but I was recalling the conversation I had with Sandra with a blank expression on my face.

‘He had been called.’

Mr. Maurice was a tutor employed by the Leopold family long ago. The child he would teach would of course have been Alan, the only descendant of the family but Sandra says that Mr. Maurice was employed in the Principality of Lunoa.  First of all, he’s a Lunoan.

At first, I thought there was a family villa in the Principality, but I had never heard of a tutor hired only when the owner’s family came on vacation. If it’s a long vacation, of course, it’s normal to bring a home tutor along with you.

In the end I came to the conclusion that the child Mr. Morris taught was not Alan. As expected, Alan wasn’t the only heir to Leopold. His father had three weddings, so no one would be surprised if he had an illegitimate child. Above all…

‘Mr. Maurice was teaching the student and he fell in love with the student.’ [1]

……the person must not have been Alan. He said his muse was definitely a woman.

In any case, Mr. Maurice fell in love with his student, and it seems that he could not hide it, but soon after, it reached to the point where there were no servants who didn’t know about it.

It would have been a natural step to be criticized for the difference in status. Because he dared to have a heart for the girl he served.

In the end, Mr. Maurice was on the verge of being thrown out of the mansion, but the student reportedly came forward and defended him. I thought they’d return to such a normal employer-employee relationship, but years later Mr. Maurice left the mansion on his own.

Now Alan called him back. To teach me.

Sandra doesn’t know what kind of life Mr. Maurice led while he was away from the mansion, but aside from that, I was very curious about what happened to the two of them and where she is now. However, when I asked about her, Sandra shook her head firmly, and there was no way I could get the answer

However, it is certain that Maurice’s love did not come true. His eyes are never the eyes of a lover — like when Viola looks at Jacob, or when Mrs Kerney recalls her husband.  It wasn’t that he had eyes that contempt love.

He looks rather sad. Like a man tired of love.

Especially today, he looks especially pale. Did something happen?

While I was thinking about it, I suddenly realized. That I had been lost in thoughts for too long, while leaving the guest. What a rude thing to do.

However, the pledge to bring up anything soon withered. It was partly because Mr. Maurice looked so dark, and I didn’t know what to say.

When we last met, it bothered me that we only had emotional conversations, and in fact, there was usually nothing to speak apart from that also I can’t tell him what happened the night I met Alan…….

“Miss.”

It was then that Mr. Maurice, who had been silent for as long as I had been, opened his mouth.

“As promised, I should have come yesterday, but I apologize for coming today after a day.”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to apologize.….”

“As someone hired to teach you, I’m really ashamed of myself.”

Mr. Maurice sighed, dropping his weary gaze. I was a little embarrassed because I didn’t expect to receive such a sincere apology from him, who was hired by Alan, even though he hadn’t even started to teach me yet.

I was not used to receiving such a heavy apology from a stranger, so I couldn’t move on without being calm. So I returned a polite answer.

“Did something happen yesterday? You don’t look well, but if you’re not feeling well, don’t come and rest for a while…….”

I meant what I said. I still didn’t intend to learn literature from him, and I didn’t feel comfortable facing him.

“I met her yesterday. The first time we met again.… It’s been a long time.”

But it was never my intention to make him bring up a difficult story.  Moreover, I had no idea he would shed tears like this…….

“Mr. Maurice….”

“My love is also self-destructive. I said I could die for her, but…….”

Thick drops of tears fell from his eyes, with his head down.

“She wouldn’t want anything from me in the first place. This love will only destroy me, slowly gnaw at me…….”

“…….”

Self-destructive love. I was close to it too.

Even if it is not a love that is immortal, there were countless nights where I’d shed tears of sorrow that melted my heart. The moment I hated my humble self and couldn’t stand, it easily came and strangled me.

“Mr. Maurice, I…….”

So I whispered in a slightly trembling, nonetheless determined voice.

“I’ll write it, the .”

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•