Chapter 10 · 10 min

Chapter 10

The Young Lady of the Earldom

Iris.

The new work of playwright Arthur Wing Pinero who gained great fame in London's theater district with the success of the play 'Trelawny of the Wells'.

A story depicting a high-class woman heading toward a tragic fate amid love, betrayal, and social pressure.

It was completely by chance that Emily Edith Stanley came to see this play.

For her who almost never went out due to weak respiratory organs usually, even the acrid fog that had started to densely cover all of London recently was an object of fear.

Edith had sensitive ears so she easily didn't miss even the sound of servants secretly gathering and whispering behind the building.

According to rumors heard from somewhere, every winter people who were working fine would cough and collapse and die because of that fog.

Some servant said that because the rich dug too much iron from the ground, an angry earth witch cast a curse.

Such scary stories bound her even more not to go outside the house. Anyway, even if she didn't go out, the servants brought everything needed.

But even for such her, there came times when she had no choice but to go outside the house.

For the granddaughter of an earldom, and a woman well over 17, delaying her high society debut was something that couldn't be tolerated in a cultured household.

So she decided to start external activities one by one.

That day too London's sky was gloomy. The reason for going out that day was a charity event led by Grandfather the Earl of Derby.

After retiring from the position of Governor General of Canada a few years ago, the Earl of Derby had made the work of modestly gathering funds to support various educational activities his pastime.

The St. James's Theatre located in London's West End was the gathering place that such an earl most enjoyed visiting.

That day too the earl was sponsoring a play, and planned to hold a charity event right after the play ended.

Watching the play before the event was the natural order.

And she witnessed the passionate performance of a 'female' actress for the first time in her life.

It was a story dealing with the life of a woman who pursues personal freedom and love but meets a tragic ending as social constraints and her own choices collide.

The conflict between the social restrictions women experienced and personal desires.

It was a fresh shock to her in many ways.

It wasn't the first time she saw a play. However, Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear that she saw when younger were just boring classics she couldn't understand.

So Edith knew nothing at all about the genre called social drama that gradually became popular in European theater districts from the 1890s.

Henrik Ibsen's 'Hedda Gabler', Oscar Wilde's 'An Ideal Husband', Arthur Wing Pinero's 'The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith'.

If she had first encountered other social dramas that became popular after 1895, she might not have received such a big mental shock. Those works dealt with more refined themes than Iris.

But Iris was different. A problematic work no matter how you looked at it. This situation was also unexpected and bewildering for the earl. Because it was the premiere, he too hadn't accurately grasped the content.

Anyway, from that day on Edith resolved. To live the life of an active and independent woman.

She didn't want to live a life of ordinarily debuting in high society, taking an ordinary noble household man as husband, ordinarily giving birth to and raising children, and ordinarily growing old and dying.

For such her, there was exactly one occupation that lived independently.

Actress.

If she could live like Mabel Terry-Lewis who starred in Iris, it seemed okay to throw away all other wealth and glory.

So she resolved to become an actress.

However, in the conservative Derby earldom, there was no way they would easily permit the dream of being an actress which was socially evaluated lowly.

In the end she decided to follow the coping method of excellent laborers she often saw in newspapers.

That was a strike.

###

[ Emily Edith Stanley: I'll starve today too until my demands are met! / Emotion: Distrust / Satisfaction: - ]

I alternated looking at this noble young lady who covered herself with the blanket and pretended not to know me, and the status window message, unable to hide a dumbfounded expression.

What? The granddaughter closed the door of her heart, shut herself in the room, and lay sick?

There was a more accurate explanation for this situation.

'It's just simple feigning illness.'

In front of her room that I came up guided by the attendant, I only pretended to knock and recited my introduction from my mouth while forcefully pushing in.

Normally attendants or servants would have blocked the intrusion of an outside man, but perhaps because the butler had told them in advance, no one blocked my path. Because I had already received permission to bring food to the earl and came up. So up to here it was a free pass.

However, the moment I confirmed the status window with the back of her head slightly sticking out from the edge of the bed, I couldn't erase the uneasiness that I seemed to have gotten involved in something that would become troublesome if entangled.

'Darn, I got hit by a dead end? Is there no escape method? Should I just run away like this?'

It was nonsense. The earl would come catch me right away.

Anyway, she kept flinching at the savory aroma spreading from the Chicken and Chips I brought. That's a natural reaction. I also can't stand the smell of fried chicken on an empty stomach.

- Growl.

A sound that couldn't be pretended not to know. Probably if I leave this plate in the room and go out, she will madly devour it as if waiting. She's clearly pretending to sleep aiming for that.

But then the incident won't be resolved. As long as this young lady continues to shut herself in the room, the earl will keep making excuses to call me out.

Thinking about it now, the granddaughter story seems to have been half an excuse. In fact, wasn't it that he put forward the granddaughter because he wanted to comfortably enjoy Chicken and Chips inside the house?

Before coming up I sneakily looked at the earl's status window, and rather than worrying about the granddaughter, he was only thinking of eating up all the Chicken and Chips without leaving any...

"Ahem, young lady, please get up. This is Chicken and Chips that's hugely popular in London right now. And it's the genuine article from Baker Street."

"..."

There was still no reaction. It seems this stubborn young lady won't lift this pseudo-hunger strike until her demands are met. And looking at the earl's actions, he clearly had no intention of meeting her demands.

The reason I expressed it as pseudo-hunger strike was because I discovered traces of food that couldn't be hidden even if tried. It seems there's an informant among the servants secretly helping her. Well, that's none of my business.

Anyway, to safely get out of this mansion, turning this woman's heart around first was the priority. At minimum I had to confirm what she was sulking about. Only then could I judge whether it was right for me to pull my feet out of this matter, or if there was room left to mediate.

However, the current me is an incongruous outsider. Even if I have the ability to grasp the other person's emotional state, knowing the deep true feelings was unreasonable. If I could grasp all the entangled whole story with just one line of message, that would be a detective, not a chef?

First creating a situation where we could openly talk about each other's hearts was priority. And in fact that was my specialty.

I asked the servants watching from behind with a glance to go out. The servants obediently closed the door as they left.

"Now, there's no one watching anymore. How about having even one bite? If you don't eat, I'll take it back out?"

"...!"

Now there was a reaction. She turned only her head and glared at me. Look at that, it's all feigning illness, right?

For now half the purpose was achieved. If I somehow made her look at me, after that it depended entirely on my one-man show.

Crack, crack crack. First loosen the fingers.

"Since we met like this as a commemoration, I'll show you really fun magic."

From old times, there's nothing like magic for smoothly resolving relationships between people. So in my previous life I practiced a few simple hand movements. Just in time, even in 1901 Britain magic performances were a super popular genre, so there was no burden in showing light techniques.

Of course the magic I practiced was really beginner level, only enough to briefly deceive people who know nothing about magic. I myself am not that outstanding in hand skill so it's not that amazing. Of course that's only in normal situations. I had something else I believed in separately.

"Now, look. There's nothing in my hands right now, right?"

I spread both hands wide and with exaggerated movements confirmed to her that there was nothing on the backs and palms of my hands. But she still only glared at me.

Yeah, keep staring like that. The performance starts from now.

【 Exchanged 2 Points for '1 Penny Coin Chocolate'. 】

"Tada! But suddenly a coin came out of thin air!"

"...?!"

Really nothing but it suddenly popped out. Of course because I summoned it from the status window. If a third party saw it, it would be really absurd. I tossed the summoned chocolate onto the floor with a thud.

This is my secret magic. Real superpower magic using the summon function of the point shop. Even David Copperfield couldn't copy this.

【 Exchanged 2 Points for '1 Penny Coin Chocolate'. 】

"Tada! It came out again! Uh uh? It's suddenly pouring? Whoosh?!"

【 Exchanged 2 Points for '1 Penny Coin Chocolate'. 】

Countless coin chocolates pouring onto the floor. In appearance really plausible 1 penny coins. How is something like this possible?

In my previous life they sold them at a souvenir shop near the British Museum? It was impressive because they were hard to distinguish from real coins. Of course if you look closely they're fakes of completely different size.

My point shop can freely take out any object as long as it belongs to the 'food' category. That's why this kind of trick is possible.

Now Edith abruptly raised her upper body and alternately looked at me, my palm, and the 1 penny chocolates that fell on the floor with a surprised expression. Seeing it like this, she was a young lady of very modern beauty rare in this era, so I was a bit surprised too.

But my magic doesn't end here.

"Huh? Suddenly a card from the hand?"

【 Exchanged 20 Points for 'Spade A Edible Paper Playing Card'. 】

This wastes a bit of points but can't be helped. It was an expensive item even in my previous life. Don't ask how this is possible. Anyway, as long as it's something edible it seems to work somehow.

Ordinary paper playing cards can't be summoned, but edible models like cake decorations are possible.

Of course if you look closely the difference is clear, but with such flashy hand movements added, it couldn't be distinguished by human eyes.

【 Exchanged 20 Points for 'Club A Edible Paper Playing Card'. 】

【 Exchanged 20 Points for 'Heart A Edible Paper Playing Card'. 】

【 Exchanged 20 Points for 'Diamond A Edible Paper Playing Card'. 】

"Tada! Cards copied from both hands, do you see? Isn't it amazing?"

"...Yes, it's really amazing. How did you do it?"

Unlike the surprised expression, her voice was calm. Is this the dignity of a British noble young lady?

"Oh ho, this is magic. Would a magician easily tell the secret?"

"I'll keep it secret, so can't you tell me in a whisper?"

Now she was naturally talking to me. The power of magic is exactly this. But for this technique the finish was more important.

I picked up all the coins that fell on the floor and threw them one by one onto her bed while chanting a magic spell.

"Abracadabra! Hocus pocus! With the power of the great wizard Merlin! Yap! Now, these coins are all..."

"All...?"

"They became chocolate! Tada! Check it!"

"This is really... Yes, it's chocolate."

Even the final evidence destruction complete! Why? What? It was a scam from the beginning!

Anyway, a faint smile floated on the corner of her mouth after appreciating my magic. An expression as if she completely forgot the previous situation. As expected, the effect of magic is always powerful.

"It's not over yet. I'll show you something a bit more fun."

Having successfully attracted the audience's attention, now it was time to enter the real main point.