Chapter 51 : Chapter 51
Chapter 51: Shopping
On this day, Tina and Rosa came to Isabella’s room to attend a tea party.
Sophia did not attend.
It was not because they were excluding Sophia.
Rather, it was because Sophia’s birthday was coming up soon.
So everyone planned to give Sophia a surprise and celebrate her birthday for her.
After tasting the desserts, Tina spoke up. “Let’s discuss how we should handle Sophia’s birthday party.”
“Her family will be holding a birthday party for her, won’t they?”
Rosa said blandly.
“Oh, come on. What fun could there possibly be in a birthday party hosted by her family? It would just be a bunch of adults talking business and discussing cooperation. It would be boring to death. I’m talking about a birthday party that we hold for Sophia ourselves, without inviting anyone else. Just the few of us.”
Tina shook her head as she spoke.
“I see. That really does sound nice.”
Rosa nodded.
She came from a great family as well.
Naturally, she knew that birthday parties for daughters of great families like theirs often turned into occasions for the adults to discuss cooperation.
Otherwise, they became announcements of marriage alliances with other families.
Having been born into great families, they had long since prepared themselves for political marriages.
That was why they had never been happy during their usual birthday parties.
If it was the kind of birthday party Tina was talking about, with only their own people present, then it would surely be a very happy one.
Isabella’s attention was drawn in as well.
She had experienced many birthday parties before.
Her parents adored her, so they held a birthday party for her every year.
Because of her personality, her father had never allowed outsiders to attend her birthday parties either.
The only people who attended her birthday parties were the servants in the castle and her parents.
Isabella suddenly realized that she seemed never to have attended the birthday parties of her three friends.
Back then, her personality had been what it was, and she had been unable to adapt to birthday parties full of unfamiliar faces.
But recently, her personality had improved greatly.
When she heard Tina mention a birthday party held only among their own people, Isabella was delighted.
She could finally celebrate a friend’s birthday.
“Then let’s discuss the venue for the birthday party and the things we’ll need.”
Isabella spoke softly.
“All right. First, the venue. Why don’t we choose an outdoor location?”
Tina suggested, “There are very few strangers in Isabella’s home. Other than Isabella’s parents and the servants, there are only Mr. Ryan and Miss Nika. We can invite the two of them to attend the birthday party as well.”
“All right, no problem. I’ll take care of the decorations.”
Isabella nodded as she spoke.
“Then Tina and I will prepare the pastries. If we let you handle everything by yourself, the two of us would feel too embarrassed.”
Rosa continued.
“All right, I have no objections.”
Tina said with a smile, “That leaves the birthday gifts. Have either of you decided what to give Sophia?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
Isabella shook her head.
“I’ve already decided!”
With a bright smile, Rosa said, “When Sophia and I went shopping before, there was a headband she liked very much. But something urgent came up, and she had to leave, so she never bought it. I’m planning to buy that headband and give it to her as a birthday gift.”
“Ah! How sly. The two of you went shopping without calling me!”
Tina grumbled.
“How could that be? Have you forgotten that Sophia and I came to ask you to come with us that day, but you stayed curled up in bed and refused to come out?”
Rosa teased.
“Uh... Huh!?”
Tina froze for a moment.
Then she remembered.
There had once been a time when Rosa and Sophia came together to invite her out shopping.
But she had not been fully awake then, and she had stubbornly remained in bed without getting up.
So it had been that time?
Tina felt a little embarrassed.
But she threw the matter to the back of her mind almost at once.
After all, something as simple as a birthday gift could not stump her.
Tina thought for a moment and then said, “The birthday gifts we prepare should be different from one another. Since you’re giving her a headband, then I’ll give her a bracelet.”
When Isabella saw that both of her friends had already decided on their gifts, she fell silent.
She still had not decided what birthday gift she should give Sophia.
The moment Tina saw Isabella’s expression, she knew that she had not made up her mind yet, so she suggested, “Isabella, since you haven’t decided yet, why not go shopping? You might find a suitable birthday gift.”
“Shopping?”
Isabella was stunned.
To her, that word felt as though it belonged to a distant past.
Ever since her personality had become withdrawn, she had stayed at home and never gone out.
“I can’t even remember the last time I went shopping. This is a good opportunity. I might as well go out and take a look at the outside world.”
Isabella said.
“Very good. Do your best!”
Rosa and Tina both cheered Isabella on.
Nila, who was serving at the side, had tears in her eyes.
It really was not easy.
Young Lady Isabella had actually taken the initiative to say that she wanted to go out shopping.
Ever since Nila had come here, the farthest place she had ever seen Isabella go was the training grounds outside her room.
She wanted to hurry and bring this good news to Lady of the House Greta.
“Nila, what do you think about inviting Mr. Ryan to go shopping with us?”
“Huh? Young Lady wants to invite Mr. Ryan?”
“Yes, I want to express my gratitude to Mr. Ryan.”
“I think that would be very good. Mr. Ryan came from the Kingdom of Mia, so he is definitely unfamiliar with this place. It would surely be wonderful for him to take this opportunity to look around.”
Nila smiled and nodded.
“All right, then help me invite Mr. Ryan to go shopping with us tomorrow.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“Mr. Ryan? The boy who’s always training in the training grounds?”
Tina asked.
“That’s right. The girl in the training grounds is Nila’s twin sister. Mr. Ryan came here to find Nila.”
Isabella answered.
“If that’s the case, then Ryan treats his slave very well. He even helped his slave search for her family.”
Rosa seemed thoughtful.
“All right, all right, enough about him. Let’s continue talking about girls’ matters.”
The moment Tina saw Rosa’s expression, she knew exactly what Rosa was thinking.
As the eldest daughter of the Jurgen Family, Isabella had had countless people trying every possible means to get close to her over the years.
Their goal was to obtain benefits.
Rosa thought to herself, If you really came here for Nila, then that is one thing. But if you came for Isabella, then I will definitely make you pay for it.
Nila turned and left, heading toward the training grounds.
If they wanted to invite Mr. Ryan, it would be best if Nika was the one to bring it up.
Nila planned to find her sister first.
“Big Sister.”
Nila called out.
Nika, who had been training, turned around. When she saw that it was Nila, she jogged over at an easy pace.
“Nila, you were looking for me?”
“Mhm... Big Sister, Young Lady is planning to invite Mr. Ryan to go shopping with us. Please help me pass the message on to Mr. Ryan.”
“Shopping? Master probably would not like that, would he?”
“Oh, come on, Big Sister. Mr. Ryan has been here for more than a month, and he hasn’t even properly looked around this town. Don’t you think that’s such a waste? Besides, Mr. Ryan exhausts himself every single day now. Wouldn’t it be nice for him to ease up once in a while?”
After hearing her younger sister’s words, Nika fell silent.
What Nila said was indeed true.
Ever since she and Ryan came here, neither of them had gone out again.
Every day, Ryan was either getting beaten up or on his way to get beaten up.
Even if that was what Ryan himself had asked for,
Nika still felt terribly sorry for him.
That was why she had learned many massage techniques and helped him relax every night.
It was just that those massages tended to go off track from time to time, and the two of them would end up tumbling onto the bed together.
If they could use this opportunity to let Ryan relax for a day, then that would surely be a very good thing for him.
Training in martial arts was not something accomplished in a day or two.
Resting for a day or two should be fine, right?
“Then I’ll go and ask, but I can’t guarantee that Master will agree.”
Nika nodded slightly.
“I know, Big Sister. You just need to pass the message along.”
“All right, then.”
“Oh, right, there’s one more question I want to ask you, Big Sister.”
Nila slapped her forehead, suddenly remembering something.
“What is it?”
Nika looked somewhat puzzled.
Nila moved close to Nika and whispered into her ear, “Big Sister, is Mr. Ryan really that incredible? You can’t even endure serving him by yourself at night?”
“Ah... th-this...”
Nika’s face instantly turned bright red.
She truly had not expected her younger sister to ask something so private.
“Hmph, I’m not telling you!”
Nika turned her head away with a huff and left.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
As Nila watched Nika’s departing figure, she could not help clicking her tongue.
Seeing Nika like that,
there was no doubt that it was Mr. Ryan’s handiwork.
Time passed very quickly, and before long the sky grew dark.
The tea party in Isabella’s room came to an end as well.
Tina and Rosa left the Jurgen Family’s castle and took a carriage back to their homes.
Ryan and Nika returned to the guest room to rest.
While Nika was massaging Ryan, she asked, “Master, Miss Isabella has invited you to go shopping. What do you think?”
“Shopping?”
Ryan frowned.
He was not particularly interested in shopping.
Mainly because during this time in the castle, everything had been taken care of by the Jurgen Family, so there was nothing he lacked.
But it was different for girls.
Was there not a famous saying like that?
There was always one more outfit missing from a girl’s wardrobe.
Ryan guessed that this was also the reason Isabella wanted to go shopping.
When Nika saw Ryan frown, she asked, “Master, do you not want to go? Then I’ll go to Young Lady and refuse on your behalf. It’s just a pity. Master has been here for more than a month, yet you have never once seen the scenery of this town.”
When Ryan heard that, he came to a realization.
Thinking back on the more than a month since he had arrived here, he truly had never gone out to have a look.
That did not match the original purpose of his journey and adventure.
At that thought, Ryan made up his mind to go out and take a look.
“There’s no need to refuse. I accept the invitation.”
“Hehe, I knew Master would definitely accept.”
Nika giggled.
When Ryan saw Nika’s adorable expression, he could not resist pouncing on her like a wolf.
The perfectly ordinary massage immediately became something intimate.
Nothing more was said that night.