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“Who knows when you’d actually visit us if we never came here instead?” Emily beamed as she strode
toward Winnie.
The latter immediately reached for the older woman’s hand. “It’s been a while, Grandma. How are you
and Grandpa?”
“We’re good.” Emily took Winnie’s hand and gave it a pat before glancing at Joshua, who was next to
her.
“But your grandfather’s been having some issues with his throat. He misses your beautiful singing
voice and has been waiting for you to come back. But look at you! You did return, but here you are
hiding away at Wilhelm’s place! Why didn’t you come straight to the manor instead?”
As Emily rambled on, Wilhelm stood behind Joshua obediently.
After greeting Joshua, Winnie cast her gaze on Wilhelm.
The latter shrugged innocently. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t tell them anything. We agreed on this, so of
course I wouldn’t go back on my word.”
Hearing that, Joshua began to grumble, “You could’ve kept this whole thing a secret, but it’s Wilhelm’s
fault for not being married despite his age. Your grandmother and I came over right after hearing that
he’d brought a mysterious woman home, only to find you in his living room.”
“Oh, goodness!” Emily burst into laughter as she turned to the two youngsters before her. “Don’t listen
to your grandfather’s nonsense. We only decided to drop by after confirming that you’re here, Winnie. It
doesn’t matter when Wilhelm gets married. Even if he chooses not to, it’s his freedom. We won’t
interfere or busy ourselves with his private life.”
“Come on, Darling. You don’t have to explain the obvious! The kids know how naturally funny I am and
wouldn’t take my words to heart. Isn’t that right, Wilhelm?”
“Of course.” Wilhelm was envious of the relationship his grandparents shared, but he remained
unmarried as he still hadn’t found the right partner yet.
Smiling, he continued, “I still remember the last time Grandpa called himself funny…”
As the man began to reminisce the past, Winnie sat on the bed and listened to them chatter away.
Despite only sitting there and listening quietly, she felt unimaginably warm on the inside.
Although the Speisers were aristocrats, and the elderly couple was the most distinguished lord and
lady in the country, Winnie always felt relaxed whenever she was with them.
Even Wilhelm, who was usually cold and stern, became gentle and caring whenever he interacted with
his family members.
Enjoying the sunny afternoon with them gave Winnie peace, and peace was exactly what she needed
right now.
About an hour later, Joshua left for an appointment with a collector to appraise a newly unearthed
antique that was said to be a century old.
Emily, on the other hand, remained behind.
Winnie was done washing up and getting dressed by now.
As someone who was always extremely well-dressed, Emily felt something lacking about the other
woman’s attire.
“You should dress better, Winnie. You’re wasting your good looks and lovely figure.”
Winnie glanced at her own arm that was still hanging in front of her torso, not knowing how to respond.
“But Grandma, I’m just in loungewear. I didn’t bring a suitcase with me this time around. I’ve washed
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtmy clothes from yesterday and even had to get someone to go to my condominium and bring me what
I’m wearing now. Besides, it’s not like I can wear a dress with my arm in this state.”
Emily turned to her. “But you just told me a while ago that it’s been over two weeks since you got hurt.
Can’t you remove the bandages by now? The last time I fell, I only had to wear a cast for two weeks.
Leaving your arm hanging like that any longer isn’t going to do you much good either.”
“I understand, Grandma.” Winnie smiled. “I’ll drop by the hospital and have them remove my bandages
tomorrow. Today will be the last day I keep my arm wrapped up.”
“Do you have any plans for today, then?” asked Emily. “What do you intend to do?”
“Hmm…” Winnie paused briefly. “I was thinking of dropping by the manor to see my adorable grandma
and grandpa, but they ended up coming over instead. I must be the luckiest girl in the world.”
Emily was tickled by her words. “Let’s go shopping in a bit. I’ve been thinking of getting you a few
dresses while getting my summer collection outfits, but we were always apart. I still ordered you a
Chanaean gown, though, which I’m sure you’ll like. Now that you’re back, let’s go have a look at it. We
can make a few more outfits at that.”
Emily was one-eighth Aplothian since her great-grandmother was pure Chanaean.
After seeing a photo of her great-grandmother in a Chanaean gown, she swore the latter was the most
beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes upon, in the most stunning dress ever.
In all fairness, such a gown only looked enchanting when worn by a Chanaean. Although Emily had an
eighth of Chanaean blood in her, she looked nothing like a Chanaean apart from her black eyes.
Moreover, given that she was now old and out of shape, she wouldn’t be able to pull off wearing the
gown. That was why she decided to have one made specifically for Winnie instead.
“You have to try it on yourself, Winnie. If the measurements are off, you can have the dress altered on
the spot.”
Winnie knew how obsessed Emily was with fashion and jewelry. It was no exaggeration to say that the
latter’s dressing room was probably the size of a shopping mall.
In other words, there was no changing her mind about getting the gown today—even if she were to be
in a wheelchair and had a hard time moving.
Concerned about Winnie’s safety, Wilhelm offered to take them to the store personally.
Emily was delighted. “You should stick around and take a look too, Wilhelm. Cultivate your taste in
fashion so that you’ll know what to get your girlfriend in the future.”
The man nodded. “You make a good point there, Grandma.”
Champes was the most exclusive female apparel brand in the world. It was founded in Yartran and
once designed and produced clothing solely for the country’s royal family.
However, with the rapid development of commercialization, Champes eventually began to accept
orders on a global scale. Quantities were limited each year, however, and it was virtually impossible for
mere nobles to even make it into the waiting list.
Emily was a clear exception, and Wilhelm brought this matter up on the way to the company’s
workshop.
“Isn’t there always a long waiting list here, Grandma? Will the workshop receive us if you drop by on
such short notice and without an appointment?”
“Of course, Wilhelm. They’re always ready to serve if it’s me.”
Wilhelm found it strange, but he also knew that his grandmother would never lie about such a thing.
“Doesn’t that mean you get even better treatment than the queen does? I heard that even Her Majesty
and the princesses have to abide by the rules and wait their turns.”
“That’s right.” Even Emily was puzzled. “But they told me it was okay, and that’s really how they’ve
been serving me all this while. I normally do book an appointment, but they’ve never turned me down
whenever I had to reschedule or pop in on short notice, and they’ve never once complained about it
either. I find it weird too.”
Winnie couldn’t help but smile as she listened the conversation between the two.
“What are you smiling about on your own?” Wilhelm asked upon noticing that. “Did you think of some
good news? Aren’t you going to share it with us?”
“That’s not it!” The woman glared at him. “It’s just that I don’t find it weird at all. Grandma’s always had
excellent taste, so that makes her different from the other customers who visit the workshop. I’m sure
staff member there respect and adore her more than anyone else. But what matters most is that you’re
happy, Grandma.”
It wasn’t long until they arrived at their destination.
As soon as they walked into the large hall, they bumped into a few acquaintances.
However, these people only knew Wilhelm and Emily. They were completely oblivious to Winnie’s
existence even though she knew them.
Seeing that both parties were inevitably going to engage in conversation, Winnie decided to step aside
before the couple made their way over.
“Have fun talking, you guys. I’ll go take a walk inside the showroom. You can meet me there when
you’re done chatting.”
“All right.” Emily nodded in response. “It shouldn’t take too long. Go see if there’s anything you like in
there. If you come across something that catches your eye, I’ll buy it for you.”
“It’s okay, Grandma. I didn’t even come back with presents this time, so how could I let you spend on
me? Don’t worry about me, you two. I’ll see you later.”
With that, Winnie turned and headed in the direction of the showroom, which was located behind the
large hall. Champes’ most exquisite works over the years along with the brand’s latest designs, which
were limited in number, were displayed there.
Not only that, but the showroom wasn’t open to the public. One had to present an entrance ticket to be
allowed in.
I probably wouldn’t have been let in if it weren’t for Grandma.
As Winnie scanned the room, a wedding dress caught her attention almost right away.
It was the only wedding dress inside the showroom, and the natural diamonds all over it made it look
extraordinarily fancy.
I used to really like this dress when it first came out, but now that I look at it, it’s probably a bit too
showy.
Two series of footsteps came from behind as Winnie scrutinized the dress.
The footsteps sound as though they belonged to girls walking in unison, so she deduced that whoever
had just entered the showroom were not Wilhelm and Emily but other clients.
She didn’t bother looking back until she heard the voice of a young woman. “Well, well, well, look who I
just bumped into! If it isn’t the adopted daughter of the Speiser family?”
Winnie furrowed her brows as soon as she heard such scathing remarks made toward her.
She turned around and instantly recognized the young lady with blond hair. “Margaret? That wasn’t
very polite of you. Who gave you the courage to spout nonsense like that?”
“Ha!” Margaret Grayson scoffed in amusement. “Spout nonsense? Wasn’t I saying the truth? Are you
not the hidden adopted daughter of the Speiser family?”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmWinnie narrowed her eyes.
I don’t recall ever getting into any direct conflict with her, but she probably hates me just because she
was never as good as I was back when we were taking cello lessons from the same teacher. Oh, and
not to mention the fact that I received a love letter from the boy she’d love for over a decade.
All these incidents were more than enough to make a haughty young woman like Margaret harbor a
deep grudge against Winnie.
Yet, the latter had no intention of wasting her time on such a brainless woman. She knew not to say
anything too inappropriate in a place like this either.
That was because the slightly older woman standing next to Margaret was Helen Colvin, a renowned
journalist feared by even the royal family of Yartran.
In fact, she was the one who had sent shockwaves across the world a few years ago by exposing a
scandal that had occurred within the royal household.
Not wanting to cause the Speiser family any potential trouble, Winnie decided to ignore Margaret and
walk away.
Unfortunately, that only wounded the latter’s ego. She won’t even look at me? Am I that invisible to
her?
“I’m talking to you, Vivian! You shouldn’t just walk away when someone talks to you! Is this how you
were raised in the Speiser household? You may not have the Speiser blood in you, but are you not still
part of the family? Did they not teach you the most basic social etiquettes that everyone should know?”
“So, did the Grayson family raise you to scream and shout in public?” Winnie clapped back without
even turning around to look at Margaret. “Is this what you call social etiquette? Please don’t raise your
voice while you’re inside a showroom.”
“You!” Margaret was temporarily speechless, but she tried her best to retaliate. “Speaking of this
showroom, how did someone like you even get in? Even I had to be put on a waiting list for a whole
year before being allowed to come in, while you’re just an adopted child who can’t even be spoken of
publicly!”
An amused Winnie was about to respond when Emily suddenly walked toward them.
“I was the one who let Vivian in,” the latter declared with a grim expression and tone. “Is there a
problem with that? If I remember correctly, you’re the youngest granddaughter of the Grayson
household. I know your grandmother. She’s always been so elegant in whatever she does or says.
Why didn’t you take a lesson or two from her?”
“L-Lady Joshua?” Every member of Yartran’s upper-class society knew Emily, and the young Margaret
was no exception.
“Also, there’s something you just said that I have to address sternly,” the older woman added. “You
referred to Vivian as an adopted child and claimed that she’s not related to the Speiser family by blood.
That infuriates me. I’ll have you know right now that she does have the Speiser blood in her veins! She
was born into the Speiser family as a true granddaughter of Lord Joshua and me!”
“Grandma…” Winnie hadn’t expected Emily to make such a bold statement, for in truth, there was
nothing to be proud of regarding this matter.
Besides, standing right next to Margaret was a journalist who was bold enough to uncover even the
royal family’s dirt.
Taking that into consideration, Winnie leaned closer to Emily and whispered, “Grandma, that journalist
standing next to her is Helen Colvin. It’s best if you refrain from saying certain things.”
Helen had clearly taken note of every word Emily had just said.
“Did you just call Ms. Vivian your granddaughter, My Lady? Even though she has the facial features of
an Aplothian? What is the meaning of this?”
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