When the Daffodil Blooms

CHAPTER 4

The next day, Butler Mel knocks on Charlotte's door and gently calls her name. The butler patiently waits for the young lady to open the door. Soon, he hears soft footsteps from the inside before the door opens revealing Charlotte who is already finished dressing up.

"Good morning, Lady Charlotte." Butler Mel respectfully said. "Count Byron sent me here to tell you that the breakfast is now served."

"I see." Charlotte replied. "Then I will go now and meet them."

After closing the door, Charlotte starts walking while the old butler is following her from behind. Just like the scenario yesterday, the servants are greeting her but Charlotte ignores them. At this point, the servants are now used to their lady's aloofness and did not take her actions to heart. So after greeting her, they continue their work again.

When she arrives in the dining room, the whole family is already seated on their respective chairs and waiting for her arrival. Charlotte greets them first before sitting on her chair. Her seat is placed near the Count so that he can have a better view of her every mealtime. Charlotte ignores the stares they are giving her as she places the clean napkin on her lap.

"Good morning, sister!" Roselyn said with a smile. "Did you have a good rest?"

"I did. Thank you for asking." Charlotte replied.

Countess Rosalyn can't help but feel a little dissatisfaction with her daughter's lack of emotion.

"Charlotte, it is only early in the morning but you are lacking energy. I heard that you slept early last night. That means you had plenty of rest." the Countess said. "You are still young and should start your day full of energy."

"Alright. I will always remember mother's teaching." the young lady replied with a blank expression on her face.

Seeing that her daughter did not even change her expression or show any emotions on her face, the Countess suddenly feels lost. When she looks at her husband, Count Byron just shakes his head signaling her not to continue whatever she wants to say now. With a sigh, Countess Rosalyn decided to follow her husband's words. Instead, she signals the servants to start serving their breakfast.

The servants are really efficient with their work. In just a few seconds, they already served their food on the table. Seeing that everything is now served, Count Byron tells them to start eating their breakfast.

Countess Rosalyn picks a slice of bread and spread it with strawberry jam. After that, she put it on Roselyn's plate and reminds her to eat it slowly. The second young lady shows the countess a smile and thanks her for being mindful and considerate. As a mother, the countess knows all of Roselyn's favorites and one of them is a soft white bread with strawberry jam in it.

"Charlotte, do you want a cup of blue mellow tea?" Count Byron asked with a smile. "I heard from a servant that you specifically like its taste."

"It's alright, father. I am not especially picky when it comes to the food or drinks I'm taking." Charlotte replied before continuing her meal.

"I see."

The Count can only let out a sigh in secret. It is really hard to get along with his oldest daughter. She is too aloof and her replies are all short and precise. She doesn't initiate any conversations either and likes to be alone most of the time.

If only she is bubbly and energetic like Roselyn, then it might be easy for the Count to know his oldest daughter well. It's been a month since she returned to their mansion and yet he hasn't learned anything about her aside from her common interests. But soon, Count Byron reminds himself not to rush things. They still have a lot of time in the future to know each other again.

Countess Rosalyn is secretly looking at her eldest daughter. She already has a ready-made sandwich with strawberry jam filling in her hands. But the Countess is hesitating to give it to Charlotte. The last time she put food on her plate, her eldest daughter did not even touch it and said she was already full and cannot take another bite again.

In the end, the Countess let out a soft sigh and put the sandwich on her plate. Forget it. Maybe Charlotte doesn't want it seeing that she's not trying to get even a slice of bread. Countess Rosalyn is only getting her fifth bite when she sees her eldest daughter wiping her lips already.

"Are you done with your breakfast?" Countess Rosalyn asked in surprise.

"Yes." Charlotte replied.

"You eat so little."

The Countess looks at Charlotte’s plate. She only eats a small portion of scrambled eggs, a small scoop of mixed vegetables, and a thin slice of ham. She did not even drink a cup of coffee or tea and just take a glass of water.

"Can I go back to my room now?" Charlotte asked. "I have a book I want to finish today."

"Do you really like reading books?" Count Byron asked. "I can bring you to a bookstore and buy the books you want to read."

"It's alright, father. There's a lot of books in the library that I can borrow and read inside my room."

"Oh, right!" Roselyn suddenly exclaimed. "Sister, do you want to come with me this weekend? Lady Silica, my friend from the academy, is inviting me to a tea party. I already asked if I can bring you with me and she said yes."

"It's alright. I am not used to joining a tea party with other young ladies and I don't want to embarrass you too." Charlotte refused.

"But sister, it will be so much fun. I will introduce you to my friends and I can assure you that they are all good people. You should come with me."

"It's alright. You should enjoy the party with your friends."

"But sister—"

"I don't want to come with that tea party."

"Oh."

Roselyn's expression falls since Charlotte refused her invitation. The countess can't help but give her eldest daughter a look. Roselyn just wants to include her in their plans. There's no need for her to refuse like that.

"You should come out too and socialize, Charlotte. Reading too much is not good. And don't refuse Roselyn like that. Your sister is just inviting you to show her goodwill."

"Rosalyn."

The Countess stops herself from scolding Charlotte when she heard Byron calling her name. Countess Rosalyn looks at her eldest daughter. But as usual, she did not give too much reaction to her.

"Okay. I will remember your words, mother. Can I go now?"

Sensing the familiar feeling that they are only talking to cotton, the Countess lets out a sigh and finally lets Charlotte leave the dining room. Roselyn holds her mother's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. The Count looks at his eldest daughter's back until he can no longer see it.

Charlotte has no attachment to her family. That's why she can easily leave them and not care about their feelings. It is not just because she is heartless. It is just a natural reaction considering that her family was absent in her life until they recently found her.

After her breakfast, Charlotte returns to her room. When she opens the door, Annie is already waiting for her. Without a word, she offered her a box of dried persimmon covered in candied sugar. Charlotte looks at the maid to ask for her explanation.

"Prince Marius sent a person here in secret to give you this treat, my lady. He said you can eat it during your free time or when you are bored."

Charlotte still did not say a word after that. But she pick a piece of dried persimmon and take a small bite from it. The sweetness coming from its clear sugar shell is quick to spread in her mouth. Still, she finished the treat in her hands before telling Annie to tightly close its lid and keep the rest inside her drawer.

"My lady, Prince Marius is also sending his gratitude for the necklace you gave to Princess Andrea. He said the princess liked your gift so much." Annie added to her report as she watch her lady wearing an eyeglass in front of the mirror.

"Hmm." Charlotte hummed in response.

Through her peripheral view, Charlotte can see Annie standing quietly at the corner and waiting for her orders. She is a maid around their age and has short brown hair and freckles on her face. Annie is one of the Crown Prince's trusted people that he sent into their mansion to disguise himself as her maid. She is also the one who receives and delivers all the letters and messages that Charlotte and Prince Marius exchange with each other, especially if it's urgent. They can trust Annie since they have her blood oath that states she will instantly die the moment she betrays them or did something that will harm them.

After wearing her eyeglass and tying her hair in a bun, Charlotte leaves her room with Annie following her from behind. She goes to the library to see if there's any interesting book that she can read to pass the time. As she checks the bookshelf one by one, Charlotte sees two portraits hanging on the wall inside the library. She has to stop walking in the meantime to look at the portraits.

The first portrait is obviously old due to its fading colors and its rusting frame. There's a couple with a little girl sitting on her mother's lap painted in that portrait. It was the White family and the little girl in that portrait was her. The Count and the Countess looked so young and full of vitality while the little girl looked cute and adorable.

She heard that the Countess used to be a famous flower in a noble society. Charlotte can now see the reason why. When Countess Rosalyn was around her age, she has straight golden hair and blue eyes that can capture a young man's heart in just one look. As for her father, Count Byron possessed fading blue platinum hair and has a pair of dark gray eyes. He looked so handsome especially when his hair was properly combed upwards.

In the second portrait, the colors are vivid and its frame is made of silver and gold. She heard from one of the maids that the second portrait was recently commissioned by the Countess from a famous painter in their empire. The people painted on it are full of life because of the smiles on their faces. But the daughter standing on their sides is not Charlotte but Roselyn. She can see their happiness by just looking at their smiles in the portrait.

Charlotte was accidentally found by her family two months ago. She was walking around the plaza and checking different stalls that sell silks and thread when a man bumped into her. It was Count Byron. Although it was purely an accident, the Count did not let her go and begged if he can talk with her. Seeing the desperate look on his face, Charlotte had a hard time declining his request and said yes.

They talked in a quiet restaurant and the Count did not hesitate to ask her a lot of questions. Most of it is asking about her birth parents, her name, her age, and if she can remember anything about her childhood when she was five years old. Charlotte did not hide anything from the Count and gave him an honest response. She gave her personal information and told him that she grew up in an orphanage located in the north.

As for her childhood memories, Charlotte simply said she can only remember a few things about it. All she can recall was a golden ball surrounded by sapphire stones. She used to play with it around a huge and extravagant place. Charlotte also added that a man gave it to her and she hugged that person to show how happy she was.