Chapter 47 - Invitations
The next morning. Opal stood before a pile of invitations and let out a deep sigh.
"I suppose I should be impressed..."
"To think they found where we’re staying in a single night. Were we followed?"
"Or maybe they checked every suitable rental house one by one?"
"Who knows? We borrowed a carriage when we rented this manor, so perhaps they identified it by its features."
"I see."
Opal had returned quite early last night, so the rumors must have spread like wildfire after that. The names of the senders included many who had not been at the Viscount’s soirée.
"There are very few addressed to you, though."
"What did you tell them about me yesterday?"
"I said you were busy and couldn’t leave your desk."
"Ah, so they must think the ‘doddering old man’ of a Marquis hasn’t come to this country."
"Should I have been more specific?"
"No, this is fine. It gives me more freedom to move around."
Seeing Claude’s smirk, Opal simply raised an eyebrow and said nothing. It seemed Claude had work to do in this country as well, but she knew he would tell her if it was something she needed to know. She gathered the invitations and sighed again.
"It seems the people in this country who have met Marquis Rousel in person are all very discreet."
"Well, most of them dealt with my agent and never actually met me. Even in Taisey Kingdom, it was only recently that I started appearing at the palace as Marquis Rousel."
"Oh, I didn’t know that."
Until her father told her a year ago, Opal had also believed Marquis Rousel was an old man. Still, if it were known that the Marquis hailed from Sosylle Kingdom, there should have been more rumors. The fact that there were not must mean there was a reason for it.
"These are for you, Claude. I’ll leave it to you to reply whether you’ll attend or not."
"Alright, understood. By the way, which ones are you attending?"
"I haven’t decided yet. So I’ll decline the ones with dates that are too soon."
"Then what are your plans now?"
"Since I have the chance, I thought I’d visit my fief to check on things, and then extend my trip to the town of Nobori."
"Nobori, huh..."
"Is it too far, after all?"
"There have been rumors of bandits lately."
"Bandits? Did we discuss this with Duke McLeod before?"
"No, this is a different group. And much smaller in scale. Their activity is in the opposite direction, but I’ll see you part of the way."
"It’s fine. I’ll have a proper escort."
"I’m the one who’s worried. I wish I could go with you, but that’s impossible, so please let me at least see you part of the way."
"Alright."
Opal had initially refused, but she had no choice but to yield to his gentle persuasion. Claude smiled, satisfied.
"We’ll be acting separately for a while. It feels like we’re a modern couple, doesn’t it."
"Are you lonely?"
"Not particularly... It’s nothing new."
Even though she had brought it up herself, being asked so directly made her stubborn. Yet Claude did not seem offended and just laughed. She hated that she could not be more honest, but Claude understood her perfectly. In the end, Opal also smiled, and the discussion came to a close.
—That afternoon. Opal paid a visit to the Sanctuary For Women in the Royal Capital. This facility also served as the base for an organization Opal had founded, and many staff members worked there. Most of them had initially been women seeking shelter themselves, but now they were independent and full of life.
(All that's left is for society to understand...)
In the carriage on her way back, Opal thought about her conversations with the staff and women at the sanctuary. Most of the women being sheltered had become pregnant while unmarried and had been fired from their jobs or abandoned by their families. That said, the sanctuary did not just protect them. It also had them work according to their individual circumstances.
Pregnant women were tasked with cooking, laundry, and other jobs within the facility. Immediately after giving birth, they rested, aside from caring for their babies, and gradually returned to their former work as their health allowed. When their child turned one, they entrusted the daytime childcare to other women at the facility and sought outside employment to reintegrate into society, aiming to eventually leave the sanctuary. But that was proving quite difficult. There were very few workplaces that would hire an unmarried mother.
Just as Lady Northem had dismissed Beth, public opinion was harsh toward unmarried mothers. In a society where one could not secure a decent job without a letter of recommendation, they were almost always dismissed without one. On top of that, even when their children were old enough to require less care, they were often refused employment simply for being unmarried mothers. It had only been a little over a year since Opal had established this charitable organization, but they were already running out of places to send the women.
(I can provide enough financial support for them to live on, but that’s not the answer...)
Opal possessed a staggering amount of wealth. Enough to support many mothers and children for decades. But that would not solve anything.
The women supported by Opal and her organization were likely just a handful of those who needed help. In the provinces, many women and children were surely struggling without anyone to help them, in the worst cases, even dying. She wished for a society where more people in this country would understand and offer their support. Of course, she knew how steep and long that road would be. But if you do not aim for it—if you do not begin—nothing will ever change.
(In the first place, men are always involved when a woman is driven into a corner. It’s wrong for only the woman to bear that responsibility.)
Regardless of the circumstances, pregnancy did not happen without the presence of a man. The sanctuary also housed women who had sought refuge after enduring violence from their husbands. Each of them carried their own painful story. And yet, as fellow women, how could others overlook women in such circumstances? What was worse, many women of the upper class even looked down on them with contempt.
(I need to start by changing that mindset...)
Even if they could not understand everything, she wished they would at least not try to exclude them. Even if they could not accept them, she wished they would at least leave them be. And if they had the means, she wished they would lend just a little bit of their strength. If each person’s awareness changed, society would change, little by little. It was a problem too large for Opal to shoulder alone, but that was precisely what made it so worthwhile. She resolved to do what needed to be done first, and clenched her fists tightly.