No. Tristan already asked me if he should join us, or if I should go to him. He wouldn’t just arbitrarily decide and inform us without consulting.
The problem is that his entire life is about doing things his own way.
But to my surprise, the person my father mentioned was someone unexpected.
“Prince Percival.”
“Excuse me? Why would... he be involved?”
I almost said, ‘Why him?’ out loud.
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My parents didn’t know about the conflict I almost had with that guy at the charity concert.
They seemed to misunderstand my confusion as something else.
“Are you feeling burdened about traveling with Prince Tristan’s family before marriage? Well, you don’t need to worry. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to join. You like reading alone, right?”
“You’re saying I can skip it? On what could be our last family vacation?”
Ah, I don’t really feel any great sense of family attachment to you two! Honestly, I’d be happiest just rolling around in this big house reading books!
But is that something you should say to your daughter, who’s asking for a final family trip?
My mother gave my father a pointed look and took over the conversation.
“This isn’t a trip for you, it’s for Natalie.”
“My sister? Why would she... go with Prince Percival?”
“Well, it’s not something you really need to know.”
My mother smiled ambiguously.
“As soon as the prince decides on the destination, we’ll be going. We’ll be staying somewhere nearby, so please make sure you don’t make things awkward.”
“...”
“Of course, I know you’ll manage, but I was a bit surprised by how well you played the ‘bad lady’ role at the last performance. Heh, your dress was really lovely—”
“Could you just tell me what’s going on?”
Stop beating around the bush.
While my mother seemed slightly flustered, my father stepped in.
“I’ll explain after the vacation. I’m telling you now because I don’t want Natalie’s pride to get hurt.”
“Hurt? What do you mean... you’re not planning anything bad, are you?”
“Of course not!”
My father shook his head vigorously.
“Dori, we love you both. Even though our ways might seem old-fashioned to you, look at Grace, look at you—both of you have found great matches!”
“...”
“Right now, just think about your happiness. We, and your sister, are adults. We’ll all work together to make a wise choice.”
“I... understand.”
I didn’t ask any more questions and left the room. Though my parents seemed firmer than expected, I had found a slight clue in my father’s words.
‘Old-fashioned ways. The matter of a match.’
Could it be that they are already looking for a family to marry Natalie off to, sometime in August?
And it might even be related to the royal family...
In the worst case scenario—
‘No. That can’t be!’
They said they’d keep the details from Natalie, so she wouldn’t be hurt by the truth. But despite this, my steps led me to her door, where I turned around 180 degrees and headed straight to Natalie’s room.
Mother, father. I don’t owe you any great loyalty to go on this last trip with you.
But I don’t want to see my sister suffer on what could be our final family vacation, and I don’t even want to imagine it.
“Natalie, are you here?”
“Dori, what’s going on? Come in... Wait, there are no cookies in my room.”
“It’s fine. I’m coming in.”
I entered her room and sat down. Compared to mine, her room was decorated with tapestries, fitted clothes, and dried flowers, making it a bit chaotic but beautiful.
Natalie cleared some clutter off the table and spoke.
“Dori, what’s up? Do you need something?”
“Well...”
I wanted to ask her what was going on.
But the words got stuck in my throat.
After all, my parents had just said it might hurt her pride to know the whole situation.
‘How do I even approach this?’
“Um, sis. The weather’s been so hot lately.”
“Yeah, it has.”
“I went to the lake park with the prince recently, and it was really nice. The breeze kept it from being too hot.”
“Wow, it must be a well-designed park, considering it’s so rare to find a place like that on an open plain.”
“Yes. We even rowed a boat there...”
“I need to get married.”
Her sudden words struck my head like a bell.
Startled, Natalie calmly took a sip of juice as she explained.
“You’ve come in looking like you wanted to dig for something, huh? Well, I guess you didn’t come here just to chat.”
“Well... yes, actually. What do you mean, ‘married’?”
“I can explain, but just promise me one thing: Don’t meddle in my situation unnecessarily.”
“Yes, I promise.”
“Even if it’s necessary, you can’t meddle.”
“...Okay.”
“Gosh, you really make it hard for me to relax. Anyway, you know this is basically my last social season, right?”
Natalie started explaining slowly.
Natalie Redfield. Beautiful beyond measure and the second daughter of the Redfield family, she had enjoyed explosive popularity in social circles from the very start of her debut.
But there was an unwritten rule in the social world. If a woman didn’t get married within three years of debuting, she lost her value.
Although Natalie still had some influence in the social world because of her striking personality and looks...
That would come to an end this year.
For our parents, Natalie had to get married by the end of this year.
“At first, our parents were aiming for Arthur, but he ended up sticking with Maria, and now they’re basically out of options. The season’s almost over.”
The social season begins in March and ends around October. However, most relationships are formed in the spring and solidified during the summer. The time after summer is essentially when already-formed relationships are finalized.
By this point, those who haven’t found a partner have no choice but to look for another ‘leftover’ from the season.
“I was thinking of picking someone who was just following me around, admiring my face. But then, Prince Percival Winter Albion reached out through my parents.”
I almost swore out loud.
Damn it, I really hoped that wasn’t the case! Why is he involved?
He’s not just any average ‘leftover,’ he’s someone who practically walked to the edge of the cliff in his life and then took a dive, shouting, ‘It’s all your fault for not listening to me!’
I suppressed my thoughts as best as I could and spoke.
“I really don’t want that.”
“Haha! I feel the same way. But after the charity concert, I couldn’t just ignore the letter personally sent by the royal family.”
“The royal family?”
“Yes. From the royal family’s perspective, Percival is a problem. He even proved how useless he is in several ways during this performance, right?”
Out of the three sons of the royal family, Tristan had been the one to take the most flak for his reckless behavior.
He didn’t have any outstanding skills compared to his brothers, liked beautiful women and parties, and would eventually get land without lifting a finger... His striking appearance only made him even more insufferable.
But he was far from incompetent. The royal family, especially his younger brother, had been trying to suppress any chances for him to show his strengths.
And now, Tristan had proven his worth through his military prowess and focused solely on one woman—though it wasn’t exactly the best side of him!
Meanwhile, Percival’s incompetence had become clear to the royal family.
‘Trying to use public events for personal gain, pushing his lover onto the stage, and then being betrayed by her because he couldn’t even do that right.’
“The royal family thought it would be best to find a woman who could be married off to him before he causes more trouble. And that’s where I came in.”
“Wait, you...”
“Yes. I’m a woman who has the right background to marry into the royal family, but I’m not in a position to reject Percival outright. That’s exactly who I am.”
“...”
“So, this August, they suggested we stay near Percival’s vacation spot, and that we meet our children naturally. A nice, casual encounter.”
“Will you accept?”