***
Sophie quickly arrived in one of the larger and nicer homes in the town. She stepped inside and was greeted by the sight of two young women that were lounging at the couches.
Several maids and servants were cleaning all around them, serving them refreshments and snacks, but none of them looked in Sophie's way. Most of them were too afraid to greet Sophie in the presence of her cousins.
"Where were you, Sophie?" Valerie asked.
"We heard that you got into another brawl." Lucia frowned at her. "And you skipped classes as well. Do you know how much my father is paying for your studies and yet you waste it?"
"That's not good." Valerie shook her head. "It's really disappointing."
"Well. What can you expect from someone whose father married a poor woman out of love?" Lucia shrugged. "Obviously she cannot understand the importance of learning. She'll probably end up being a freeloader for the rest of her life if we would let her."
Sophie stared at them silently and kept her cool. When Sophie was a lot younger, she kept trying to defend her father and mother and got into fights because of it.
However, nobody really took her side inside of this house and Sophie learned that it was only their grandfather who was interested in Sophie at all.
"If that's all that you're going to say, I'm going back to my room." Sophie turned away from them.
Lucia gritted her teeth and looked at the glass of juice that one of their maids served her. She picked it up and tossed it in Sophie's direction. "Don't turn away from me when I'm talking to you!"
The sound of the glass shattering echoed inside of the living room. Sophie felt the sensation of something dripping down her leg while the maids and servants gasped in horror.
"You should really clean up that uniform," Valerie said. "How will you attend classes tomorrow looking like that?"
Sophie ignored the taunts that came from her cousins and continued walking away from them. When Sophie arrived in her bedroom, she quickly locked the door and sat down on her chair in front of her desk.
Sophie looked down at the back of her leg where a shard of the glass stuck to her leg. With a small wince, she pulled it out and then disposed of it.
"Hah, I need to disinfect this." Sophie pulled her drawer open and looked for something she could use to wipe or bandage her wound. Once she found something to wrap her wounds, she cleaned it with some water and then wrapped it around tightly.
***
"My daughters look so beautiful, don't you agree, Katherine?" Aunt Helga looked proudly at her two daughters during dinner time.
Lucia and Valerie showed off their outfits to the governess.
"Ah, I forget how close the annual ball in Cawden Academy will be. Your daughters do look very lovely, my lady." Katherine nodded. "I'm so excited for your daughters to learn and engage in this upcoming ball."
But the simple compliment was not enough for them.
"Availing Madam Belle's Boutique's services to fashion our gowns was a very long procedure that not anyone is capable of affording and applying for," Lucia said with a pleased tone during dinner time.
"And it's quite necessary especially since the mayor's son, Richard Lancaster, will be taking me to the ball," Valerie added.
"He only agreed to take you because I already said yes to Edmond, sister." Lucia retorted.
"If that's what you want to hear, dear sister," Valerie replied, giving Lucia an eye-roll.
The private tutor only smiled politely at the banter of the two cousins.
Both Valerie and Lucia continued having Katherine as their after-school tutor in order to keep up with the advanced lessons of Cawden Academy and not fall behind their peers.
It meant that during the evenings, Aunt Helga was still very civil and pretended to be a proper relative. Right now, Sophie was silently eating her dinner and not saying a word.
Sophie forgot that she didn't actually have anything to wear during the ball…Shit. What should she do? She really wanted Nicholas's help to secure the loan from the bank.
Not everyone could afford to spend a lot of money to buy a gown to be used for one occasion, but the people in Cow Dung were wealthy people so it didn't matter to them. Perhaps Sophie made a mistake in accepting Nicholas's offer to go to the ball?
After dinner time, Sophie was asked to escort Lady Katherine out of the mansion. Normally, a maid or servant would have been tasked with this role, but Sophie didn't mind it.
This was just one of the few moments where Sophie and Katherine could talk in peace.
"Ah, your cousins are very lively weren't they?" Katherine said it subtly but then she directly asked. "Sophie, are you also attending the annual ball?"
"Actually, I am." Sophie sighed. "But I think I made the wrong decision."
"How come?" Katherine raised a brow. "I think it's a wonderful occasion."
Sophie did not want to trouble the governess who already helped her out more than once. Even the problem of bullying in the academy was something Sophie didn't like to share, but for now, Sophie admitted it.
"I do not have a dress to wear…"
***
The day of the ball arrived and it was around six in the evening when Lucia and Valerie were picked up by their dates. Lucia made sure that Sophie was around when that happened and even asked her to see them off.
"I suppose it's only right that you stay here at home and not sully the grand occasion with your presence, cousin." Lucia waved at her dismissively before she left the house.
Valerie nodded along and smiled smugly. "Don't worry, we will tell you how wonderful it is."
"Come on, say something." Lucia narrowed her gaze at Sophie.
"I don't think she can say anything right now." Valerie shrugged. "She must be green with envy."
Sophie was only dressed in her shabby house clothes at this time and didn't say anything else to make them satisfied. It was already enough taunting for them and it was time for them to leave.
"Ugh, whatever. Let's go, Valerie."
A soft sigh escaped Sophie's lips once the two young women were gone and she was left all by herself. Sophie rubbed her face and waited for the two of them to leave via carriage before she sprang into action.
"Finally, they're gone!" Sophie groaned in relief and headed to her room without missing a beat. "The two of them took their time in strutting around here like chickens."
Once in the bedroom, Sophie opened her closet and pulled out the beautiful dress that Katherine lent her as she lay it down on the bed. The ball was already starting but it was better to be late than not to attend.
"Okay, I told Nicholas that I will come to that place and see him in an hour. I should really get going," she muttered to herself.
Sophie prepared for the ball quickly. She changed her clothes, fixed her hair into an elegant braid, and then carefully wore the necklace she kept in her drawer. She stared at her reflection and managed a small smile.
It was an accessory that made her outfit shine and sparkle.
But more than that… It held a lot of precious memories for Sophie as a young child. Days when she was actually happy despite having lost her parents. It was as if this necklace witnessed everything before she was found by her relatives.
After a few minutes, Sophie left her room and made sure to walk discreetly out of the mansion. She planned to walk to the academy by taking the back alleys to avoid people's attention.
Uff…
She was late. She hoped Nicholas was patient and would still be waiting for her on that spot, else she had made all these efforts for nothing,
"Hey!"
Sophie's steps halted before she could reach her house gate. She heard Nicholas's voice calling from outside and when she looked up, she found the sight of a beautiful carriage and two steeds stopped in front of the mansion.
A footman opened the door to the carriage as Nicholas stepped outside and then stopped at the sight of Sophie. He was at loss for words for a moment at seeing her, not only was Sophie breathtakingly beautiful right now but he saw the ring she hang around her neck. The only jewelry she had with her.
At the same time, Sophie was given the shock of her life. She raised her hand and pointed at the handsome man.
"Y-you…? How did you know my home???" Her voice faltered. "I thought you're gonna wait for me in that place…"
Nicholas shrugged and smiled nonchalantly, "Oh well… I became impatient. So, I decided to go straight here."
Sophie was at a loss for words.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶