Maylily - Chapter 52

The villagers said that Maylily’s father had been a nobleman who visited Purdshire one summer.

When Maylily heard those words, she always imagined her father as a refined nobleman, like her grandfather’s clients at the tailor shop—graceful and dignified. After realizing that the word “dignity” didn’t suit a man who had abandoned his own child, she stopped imagining him altogether.

Victor, however, fit perfectly with the image of the father she had long pictured.

His formal attire, his gentlemanly voice and tone. Even the way he gestured to call a server in the tearoom, or stirred his teacup with a teaspoon, was as elegant as the Count of Everscourt himself.

To think that such a man was her father.

Just by looking at this dignified figure, Maylily felt as though the long-standing shame and inferiority she had carried throughout her life as a child of uncertain birth were slowly being washed away. In that faint wave of emotion, she lifted her teacup.

“Thank you for making time for me, Maylily.”

Victor, setting down his teaspoon on the saucer, raised his cup and spoke. The sunlight streaming through the window reflected off the thick gold ring on his little finger, glimmering brightly.

“I thought we should take some time to get to know each other better, Father.”

At Maylily’s shy words, her cheeks slightly flushed, Victor smiled with satisfaction.

“Hearing you say that makes this father very happy. Does the tea suit your taste?”

“Yes, it’s very good.”

“Try adding a bit more milk. It’ll make the flavor much richer and smoother.”

Maylily quietly watched as Victor poured milk into her cup himself. That small act of kindness made something inside her chest tingle faintly.

“I’d like to hear how you’ve lived all this time.”

Victor asked Maylily about her life from her school days up to now. His questions carried both gentle interest and a careful hint of apology.

If they could fill the years that had been missing from each other’s lives, could they reach understanding?

With that hope, Maylily answered sincerely. It was her first time speaking about her life at such length to anyone, and though it felt awkward at first, Victor’s consistently kind gaze helped her gradually relax.

“Isn’t it difficult to work as a singer without a patron? I’ve heard that even at the Roden Opera Company, the treatment of chorus members isn’t particularly good.”

As he listened to Maylily describe her life with the opera company, Victor subtly brought up the question that mattered most to him.

It was common for singers with patrons to have private relationships with them, and society generally assumed as much. That was why he needed to confirm whether Maylily had a patron. The man waiting to purchase her, Viscount Dawson, demanded a bride who was pure both in body and reputation. Though he himself was a man who had already married three times.

“It’s something everyone goes through. But since I was able to perform on stage in my first year with the company, I think it’s quite a good start.”

Completely unaware of Victor’s hidden intentions, Maylily listed the works she had performed in that season. Her large, untainted eyes shone brighter than ever.

She didn’t look like someone with a patron. Once that fact was clear, Victor felt completely at ease.

“Do you have a man you’re seeing?”

Maylily, who had been speaking excitedly about her plans for the next season, blinked at the sudden, unexpected question.

“…No.”

“I feel heavy-hearted thinking that you’ve reached the age of marriage yet still have no suitable match. It’s my fault, I suppose.”

“Ah….”

“Don’t worry, Maylily. Before it’s too late, your father will see to it himself.”

At those words meant to reassure her, Maylily’s face instead clouded over. After fidgeting with her teacup for a while, she lifted her head.

“Um… Father.”

“Yes, speak freely, whatever it is.”

Taking a deep breath as if to steel herself, Maylily continued, “I want to succeed as an opera singer. To do that, I have to devote myself entirely to my work with the company, so I have no plans to marry right now.”

“Chasing success without a patron is no different from reaching for clouds. But that doesn’t mean a patron will take responsibility for a singer’s life until the end either. You must have seen and felt enough while working at the opera company.”

“Still… you never know unless you try.”

“Betting your life on such a faint possibility is not a wise choice, Maylily. A woman’s happiness lies in living a comfortable life with a financially capable husband.”

“But I can’t really imagine living that kind of life, Father. Even if I don’t achieve great success, singing on stage itself makes me happy. I don’t want to give that up.”

Maylily’s eyes were resolute, but Victor paid no attention. In the progress of this marriage arrangement, her opinion was of no importance.

“Let’s discuss this another time.”

Leaving Maylily, who looked as if she still had something to say, Victor called for the server and paid for the tea.

The two, who promised to meet again for dinner over the weekend, moved to a nearby dress shop. The store, located between Aberque and Cryer, mainly catered to middle-class women. Despite his tight finances, Victor boldly decided to invest in enhancing his daughter’s market value.

“I’m really fine. I don’t have many occasions to wear such expensive dresses.”

“That’s easily solved by making more occasions for them. I don’t want to remain a father who’s never bought his daughter a single dress, so don’t feel pressured and take a look around.”

After repeatedly refusing, Maylily eventually began browsing through the dresses with an awkward expression, still dazed by the first attention and affection she had ever received from her father. She showed not a hint of suspicion about why her wealthy businessman father had chosen a ready-made clothing shop in a modest location instead of a high-end boutique in Aberque. The child was all the more lovable for having nothing in common with Victor but her face.

After trying several dresses on Maylily, Victor finally bought her a coral-colored one. The bright shade made her lovely face glow even more.

“If you give me your address, I’ll send the dress to you as soon as the alterations are done.”

The clerk explained that it would take two days to adjust the sleeves and waist to Maylily’s measurements.

“…Would it be alright if I came to pick it up myself?”

“That’s fine, but wouldn’t that be inconvenient for you?”

“It’s alright. I’ll come back the day after tomorrow.”

There was something faintly off about the way Maylily made the appointment to return, as if she were hiding something. But Victor brushed it off, thinking she was only embarrassed about where she lived.

“I look forward to seeing you in your new dress this weekend. It’ll suit the bright spring weather perfectly.”

Victor saw Maylily off at the carriage stop and reminded her just before parting. Unaware of what was soon to come, Maylily smiled brightly, her gaze softer than before.

“I will. Thank you, Father.”

***

Unfortunately, it rained that weekend.

Before her dinner appointment with Victor, Maylily hesitated for a moment but eventually took out her new dress. She disliked the thought of it getting wet in the rain, but her father had said he wanted to see her wearing it.

“I hope he likes it.”

As she looked in the mirror, Maylily was startled by the words that unconsciously slipped from her mouth. Only then did she realize that beneath her resentment and longing for her father, there had always been a childlike yearning for parental love.

She suddenly remembered how she used to envy Daisy and Liam when they rode on their father’s shoulders as children.

Though she had grown too big to sit on her father’s shoulders now, she found herself quietly hoping that she too might one day have someone who would become her steadfast support, just as her uncle had always been for them.

Carrying a little more excitement than before, Maylily set out. Careful not to let raindrops splash onto her skirt, she walked slowly, taking longer than usual to reach the carriage stop.

The situation after boarding the carriage wasn’t pleasant either. Because of the road being ruined by the pouring rain, the carriage couldn’t pick up speed. By the time she arrived at the meeting place after much trouble, she was already more than ten minutes late.

The restaurant located on Aberque Street looked luxurious from the entrance alone. It was quite different from the tearoom they had gone to last time, and Maylily swallowed hard as she shook the raindrops from her umbrella.

“Maylily, why are you so late!”

The sharp voice hit her the moment she stepped inside. It was Victor. The look in his eyes as he saw Maylily, startled with her round eyes wide open, carried both irritation and anxiety.

“I’m sorry, Father. I left early, but the roads were heavily blocked because of the rain….”

Frightened by that unfamiliar expression, Maylily hunched her shoulders. Victor quickly softened his face.

“I’m sorry for raising my voice. The rain was so heavy that I worried something might have happened to you.”

“I was only startled, that’s all. You don’t need to apologize. Were you waiting outside because you were worried about me?”

“Of course. But now that you’ve arrived safely, it’s fine. Let’s go in.”

“Yes, Father.”

When Maylily, regaining her usual bright expression, gently placed her hand on Victor’s arm, he suddenly exclaimed as if remembering something.

“Oh! It just so happens that Viscount Dawson is dining here today, so we’ll be joining him. You don’t mind, do you?”

It meant there would be no chance for a warm father-daughter conversation today. Hiding her disappointment behind a faint smile, Maylily nodded.

“No, not at all.”

“If he asks you anything, answer clearly and politely.”

While Victor explained what she needed to be careful about during the meal with Viscount Dawson, they reached the table beneath the chandelier, glittering with dazzling light.