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Sophie chuckled and teased, “You little money-grubber.
Preparations for the banquet had already begun at Northwatch Estate. Since there weren’t enough servants in the household, Theodore called some of the younger members of the family to come and help. They brought along some of the family’s servants as well.
In noble families, when marrying off a daughter, it wasn’t customary to host the banquet on the same day as the wedding. Typically, a feast would be held the day before, Inviting members of the extended family. Afterward, a three-day-long banquet would be held, allowing the townspeople to partake in the joy and festivities.
However, since this was Sophie’s second marriage, she didn’t bother inviting a local fortune teller to style her hair. Instead, she decided that one of the ladies from Elegance Ateller would handle it on the day. Perhaps it was because her master and the others weren’t attending that Sophie seemed indifferent to the pre-wedding rituals.
It wasn’t that she didn’t care about marrying Rafael. She was determined to fulfill her duties as a proper wife after the wedding. She would take charge of the household affairs, and wouldn’t let anything distract Rafael from his work.
But no matter how good the man she was marrying might be, the absence of her family left her feeling joyless. Naturally, she didn’t feel the same reluctance as when she married Blake-there were no tears, no pangs of sorrow at leaving her family behind.
Seeing Sophie so downcast before her wedding, Lulu felt uneasy as well.
She turned to Lily and said, “Lily, what do you think about arranging for a little entertainment? Hell Monarch Estate has a theater. We could book a few performances from the local theater troupe, or perhaps even a private show. It might help lift her spirits.”
Lily thought for a moment and replied, “At such short notice, I’m not sure if we can get one, but you can ask Mr. Carter to try.”
Lulu went to find Frederick and explained the request for a theater troupe.
Frederick said, “I already went to invite the Harmony Troupe today, but they’ve been booked by the Silverstone Estate.”
Harmony Troupe was the best theater troupe in the capital, especially renowned for their performance called Twilight Serenade.
“If we can’t get the Harmony Troupe, can we invite another one? After all, the Devin family has sent so many people to help us. It would be nice for them to have some entertainment during their downtime.” Frederick nodded. “Alright, I’ll send someone to invite another troupe. There’s one called the Mirthful Fish Troupe that’s quite good as well.”
“Mirthful Fish Troupe? The name sounds a bit odd.”
“Who cares if they have a strange name? It’s fine as long as they put on a good show.” Frederick paused. Although, I’ve heard that the Mirthful Fish Troupe’s performances are quite…unconventional. Many say they’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Really? Well, just have them perform something cheerful. We are celebrating, after all. Go ahead and invite them, then let Lady Devin choose the songs.”
“Alright then, the wedding procession is scheduled for tomorrow evening. Let’s focus on keeping Lady Devin happy today and tomorrow. Even if she isn’t happy, at least she’ll be distracted and won’t dwell on the fact that her master isn’t coming.” Frederick said.
Lulu agreed. “You’d best head out and make the arrangements. With the year-end festivities approaching, I worry that the troupes might already be booked for other banquets.”
“Alright, I’ll head out now. You should stay with Lady Devin,” Frederick said, then gathered his guards and headed out..
The buffet-style banquet preparations were already in full swing outside, and Frederick was stretched thin with the responsibilities. If it weren’t for Sophie’s happiness, he wouldn’t have bothered to go out of his way to find a theater troupe.
Thankfully, Theodore had mobilized the Devin family, and many willing members had come to help. This display of support left Frederick both relieved and deeply grateful.
Fortunately, the Mirthful Fish Troupe hadn’t received any other bookings yet, so Frederick was able to secure their services without much difficulty.
No matter how grand or modest the wedding feast might be, the atmosphere in Hell Monarch Estate needed to be lively enough to match its status.
Upon Frederick’s return with the troupe, the women of the family immediately pulled Sophie along to watch the performance.
Since the wedding was scheduled for tomorrow, today was the day they would traditionally move the dowry to the groom’s house. The favorable time chosen by the fortune teller was in the evening, but it wasn’t suitable to transport the dowry at night. So, it was decided that the dowry would be moved early tomorrow morning before the wedding ceremony.
It was said that the Silverstone Estate was handling it the same way, planning to move the dowry on the wedding day itself. The dowry was substantial, including everything that had been retrieved from the Farrell family. Now, all of it would be sent to Valor Estate. The Earl of Silverstone’s family had also added even more to the collection.
This wasn’t just about showcasing Viola’s status; it was also meant to bring honor to the Jaffe family.
Frederick checked the dowry, making sure everything was in place. Everything was arranged neatly, giving him peace of mind.
Over the past few days, Rafael hadn’t visited at all, likely because the wedding was so near, and it wasn’t appropriate for them to meet.
However, Hell Monarch Estate was abuzz with activity. In addition to the continuous banquets, they had set up a stall to distribute bread to the poor, which would run for three months.
Sophie accompanied her relatives and friends to watch the theater troupe.
Ryan wanted to go, too. Back when he was a beggar, he used to sneak into the theater to beg for food. Sometimes, he would get so engrossed in the performance that he would be caught and beaten before being thrown out.
way. His difficult t past
This time, he was able to sit in a proper seat, without any fear of being chased away. made him cherish everything he had now,
As the music and drums of the performance began, the festive atmosphere grew, and Sophie could feel the joy of the celebration. Her mood lightened a little.
After all, one had to move forward in life step by step, no matter what.
At least she still had Ryan by her side.
Sophie glanced at the program. She’d never been particularly interested in theater performances, so she didn’t know much about it. She decided to let Solomon’s wife, Emily, choose the performance instead. They enjoyed theater performances, and knew which performances were best suited for a joyous occasion like this.
Emily selected a performance called A Happy Union. Whether it was an entertaining performance or not was beside the point-it was certainly fitting for the occasion.
The story was about a general who fell in love with the daughter of a high-ranking official. Their marriage was arranged by their parents and a matchmaker, which led to a mutual love, so they got married. Shortly after their wedding, the general was sent off to war, where he remained for three years. During that time, his wife managed the household and cared for his parents, enduring many hardships. Meanwhile, the general faced numerous life-and-death situations on the battlefield.
In the end, the general returned victorious and was granted a marquis title. On the day of his ennoblement, he hosted a banquet. He held his wife’s hand with tears in his eyes, and he shared with everyone how hard she had worked and how grateful he was. He declared that marrying her was the greatest blessing of his life.
The performance concluded with a happy ending, as expected.
Halfway through the performance, Emily realized she had made a mistake in choosing this particular performance, but it was too late to stop it. She could only watch the rest of it with a growing sense of unease, frequently glancing at Sophie, worried that the performance might upset her.
Everyone watched the performance in silence, and when the actors came out for their final bows, it was Sophie who led the applause and offering praises, prompting the others to follow suit. Emily leaned over to Sophie, and whispered, “I hadn’t seen this performance before. I didn’t know it would be like this. Please don’t take it to heart, and don’t be upset with your aunt.” Sophie smiled and said, “Aunt Emily, the performance was quite good, and it had a happy ending.”
Seeing that Sophie genuinely wasn’t upset, Emily felt more at ease. “Yes, that’s how it should be. Any man with a conscience would appreciate his wife’s hardships. But there are some who lack that conscience…
Well, for those without it, they aren’t worth thinking about. From now on, may every day be a good one for you.
Everyone joined in, offering their well-wishes and hoping to spread some good fortune.
After the performance, no one was in the mood to watch more, so they all decided to go and take a look at the dowry instead.
The Devin family had added quite a bit to the dowry. Although it was mostly made up of silk, furniture, and other such items, the sheer number of chests being delivered to Hell Monarch Estate would certainly be impressive. There were also plenty of gold and silver jewelry-elegant gold bracelets and rings, much more refined than the heavy gold bracelet that Kyle had given her.
Sophie felt no trace of anger anymore. She understood that she had been at fault in the first place. Kyle and Winona had already helped her so much. If she continued to hold a grudge, it would show a lack of maturity and an insatiable heart.
Her earlier discontent stemmed from being pampered at Meadow Ridge. She had assumed that, aside from Everett, everyone in the guild would spoil her forever.
But who was to blame for her failure to nurture those relationships properly?