Late at night, after the Mejiro family's banquet had concluded and Kitano's group had all taken their leave, the Mejiro matriarch and Mejiro Palmer went to Ardan's room together. They intended to discuss matters concerning Ardan's future, and even her lifelong happiness.
However, when they were still some distance from Ardan's room, the matriarch suddenly stopped and turned to Palmer, who had been somewhat absent-minded all day. After a moment's hesitation, she finally spoke, "Palmer, you don't need to come in this time. Just listen from the doorway."
"Grandmother?" Palmer was clearly a little confused by her grandmother's intention, a flicker of doubt on her face. After all, as the recognized next head of the Mejiro family, she could, in a sense, represent the entire family. The matriarch was used to having her by her side to listen and learn, no matter the issue.
But this time, facing the two sisters, the matriarch chose to have Palmer step aside temporarily, yet she didn't intend for her to just leave. Clearly, she had her own reasons...
"I'm worried that if you enter the room, Ardan will become reserved and won't be able to speak her mind completely," the matriarch said, finding a suitable reason to persuade her. "Besides, you also want to know your sister's true thoughts, don't you? So, just wait outside for a bit. Don't let her notice."
"...I understand."
Upon hearing this, Palmer finally nodded in obedience. When they arrived at Ardan's door, the matriarch entered alone, while Palmer silently hid in a blind spot outside the door. Soon, she heard her sister's slightly surprised voice from within.
"Ah? Grandmother? What brings you here?"
"I came to see how my granddaughter, who shone so brightly tonight, is resting."
The moment she stepped into Ardan's room and closed the door behind her, the matriarch's gaze immediately fell on Ardan, who was dressed in a silk nightgown but looked somewhat flustered, her clothes a little messy. Her slightly blushing appearance even made the matriarch wonder for a moment if she had been up to some teenage mischief.
But soon, as her gaze shifted, she noticed the obvious wrinkles on Ardan's bed, the several roses on the vanity table with all their petals plucked, and the rose petals scattered all over the floor. She couldn't help but smile knowingly.
This child... she must have been embarrassed after thinking about it, rolled around on the bed with a pillow for a long time, and then tried to soothe her feelings like a lovesick girl by plucking petals, right? Such youthful behavior.
But from this, it's also clear... her heart has completely fallen for that Kitano Ryuichi...
The matriarch, having already drawn her conclusion from the limited information, sat down in a spot without changing her expression. Facing the somewhat restless Ardan, she couldn't help but tease, "You've never been so conspicuous before, Ardan. You were one of the main characters of the banquet this evening. Even after it ended, everyone was still talking about you and Trainer Kitano."
"Grandmother, please, please don't tease me..."
In fact, after returning to her room, Ardan had belatedly realized that after this banquet, she would definitely become the talk of the family—and the topic, without a doubt, would be her relationship with Kitano. Who knows what they would imagine!
It couldn't be helped. After all, she had been able to perform a near-perfect duet with him on a piece she had never heard before. And their conversation afterward... even Ardan herself, as a bystander, would definitely think their relationship was not simple!
This made this sheltered and thin-skinned young lady unable to control herself for a moment. She had even done many naive things. Thinking about it afterward, it was normal to be embarrassed.
"I'm not blaming you, Ardan. You did very well today, so much so that even I had to come and talk to you about this."
The matriarch smiled faintly and, under the gaze of Ardan, who sat down uneasily, she got straight to the point, "So, what do you really think of that Kitano Ryuichi?"
"I... Grandmother... My feelings for him aren't necessarily that way. Please don't think that!"
At the mention of his name, Ardan reacted as if she had been electrocuted, reflexively standing up. Her face was flushed as she stammered, "In the end, I've only known him for a few months. Even I wouldn't develop such trust in a person in such a short time. You're underestimating me, Grandmother."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but think of him, surrounded by a group of horse girls. Her ears couldn't help but twitch up and down, and she said in a subtle tone, "Besides, he himself is not lacking in people who like him. Even without me, he doesn't spend that much time on me. So I think you're probably overthinking it..."
"—But, my child, I never once said that you liked him."
However, before Ardan could finish, the matriarch, whose smile was almost uncontrollable, stared straight at the stunned Ardan and said calmly, "Or is it that in your mind, you already know you have feelings for him, but you just aren't willing to admit it?"
"Ugh—Grandmother!"
The moment she finished speaking, whether it was because of her grandmother's teasing, Ardan finally showed her affectionate side. Knowing she couldn't win the argument, she took the initiative to bury her face in her grandmother's embrace, like a spoiled child, venting all her emotions.
"There, there, Ardan, be a good girl~" The matriarch, being spoiled by her granddaughter, at this moment, had completely lost the authority of a family head and was just like an ordinary, loving grandmother, gently stroking her sky-blue hair. The unconcealable doting look in her eyes was enough to show Ardan's favored position in the family.
And outside the door, even without seeing it, just by listening, Palmer could imagine the scene of her sister acting spoiled in their grandmother's arms... In a place where no one's eyes could reach, in her always-unwavering eyes, a hint of envy flashed.
The act of being spoiled by their grandmother was something McQueen, Zenshin, and Dober could also do. But... the only one who could confidently tell their grandmother everything and receive her wholehearted love and doting was Ardan.
All of this stemmed from the day of her birth... When she was born, she actually had another sister with her, born as twins.
But unfortunately, while the word "twins" might be a beautiful thing in an ordinary family, for a horse girl, it was a nightmare.
All the nutrients a mother receives during pregnancy are basically only enough for one horse girl. The birth of twin horse girls meant that the two of them shared the nutrients meant for one. One of them was almost destined to die young, and the other, even if she survived, would most likely be frail and sickly, not strong enough to run.
And Ardan was the "lucky one." And after Palmer, witnessing the premature death of one of her granddaughters, the matriarch could not bear such a huge blow. From then on, whenever the next generation of the family was born, she would deliberately not be present to avoid being reminded of the past, or... hearing a second piece of bad news.
Fortunately, the later horse girls of the family were all born safely, which made Ardan the one and only favorite in the matriarch's heart.
Ardan's health was not good. Her legs had once been described as "as fragile as glass," but she still stepped onto the racetrack for the glory of the Mejiro family, which made the matriarch dote on this granddaughter even more. The most common thing she had said to her was, "You don't have to work so hard, Ardan. You are the pride of the Mejiro family."
And in contrast... Palmer, this older sister, had never rested for a moment. As the eldest sister, she, like Rudolf, after showing her talent as a horse girl, was cultivated as a key target of the family. Her childhood was very similar to Rudolf's, growing up under strict education.
Facts proved that both of them had become the best representatives of their two families. Rudolf's "strength," Palmer's "elegance." As the next heads of their families, they never had a chance to breathe.
Ardan had also been instilled with the idea of "taking care of her younger sisters" since she was a child. Facts proved that Palmer, this older sister, did a great job. She gave everything to her younger sisters. Even if it was something she liked very much, she would say "I don't need it anymore" and reluctantly give it to them.
And among them, the one who had clung to her the most since childhood was Ardan, and she had also doted on this fragile sister the most...
All of this should have been something she was used to, but... sometimes, would she still feel jealous?
"Tell me, Ardan, there's no one else here. What are your real thoughts about him?"
As a hint of melancholy crossed Palmer's heart, the conversation in the room started again, and she quickly collected her thoughts and continued to listen intently.
And soon, after the matriarch's words fell, Ardan's heartfelt words finally echoed, with a hint of shyness and a deliberately spoiled petulance. "Maybe... a little bit of a crush... just a little bit."
"But, Grandmother, I can't convince myself... He clearly hasn't done anything to make my heart flutter, so why am I acting like a girl with a one-sided crush, falling for him alone?"
"Grandmother, feelings should be mutual, right? Why is it only my heart that's pounding, while he remains so calm, so... naturally letting me like him? I just can't understand..."
So that's how it is. Only now did the matriarch understand why her good-natured granddaughter was so repressed in her feelings for him. It turned out she felt her infatuation was too simple, to the point that she had become... what was the word? Ah, a "pushover" of a woman.
Ardan's little thoughts were very normal. Any girl with a little bit of self-respect who wasn't completely blinded by love would feel the same way, finding her own affection a bit strange. And to this, the matriarch, with a faint smile, replied softly:
"Well then, why not give him a chance to do something for you, Ardan?"
"That child, Kitano, I quite like him. He's talented, polite, and has an appreciation for the dancing and music you like. I also heard his piano playing... I think the love he's trying to convey will surely give you an answer."
"Trust me, Ardan. If you continue to spend time with him, you will understand why you like this person in particular. There must be some quality in him that subtly attracts you. His love for you will definitely be reciprocated."
"...Will it, really?"
"It will." The matriarch nodded gently, but in fact, she also knew that Ardan would never have the heart to do something like "verifying his love for her." This child was just like that. No matter how determined she was, if it was something she considered wrong, she would never do it.
This granddaughter of hers would give her heart and soul to that boy; it was only a matter of time... but at the very least, the matriarch wanted to see her granddaughter's happiness, not a fake happiness constrained and arranged by the family's bloodline.
"But no matter what, Ardan, I only have one request."
"Huh?" And suddenly, hearing her grandmother's much more serious tone, Ardan subconsciously looked up and met her particularly solemn gaze.
"Ardan, if in the end, you truly believe that he can bring you happiness—no matter what, don't let go, and don't let any other family, especially the Symboli and Gold families, have any opportunity."
"That boy is a great talent that would make all families covet him. If he is devoted to you, that's for the best. But if not..."
"Remember, don't let go for a second. Snatch that boy, body and soul, back completely. Everyone in the Mejiro family will support you on this path to happiness."
"...But if, in the end, you still feel that this boy is not the one you're looking for." And at this point, the matriarch's gaze flickered slightly towards the door, thinking of Palmer's gaze on him at the banquet. Her tone finally relaxed a little as she said softly, "Then I hope you can also let go freely. Just as everyone supports you, you must also support your other sisters in pursuing him, understand?"
"No matter what, in the end, do not harm your sisters' feelings. This is the bottom line, understand?"
"Grandmother..."
Ardan never expected her grandmother to give her so much support, so much so that she didn't even hear the last few sentences, only remembering what she had said before, "Everyone in the Mejiro family supports her in pursuing her own happiness."
As for hurting her sisters' feelings... such a thing, Ardan would naturally never do. Besides, who else in the Mejiro family would fall for him so one-sidedly like her?
And at this very moment, outside the door, in a strange silence, Mejiro Palmer silently chose to leave alone. And in her mind, her grandmother's words were still echoing.
And coincidentally, what Palmer had heard seemed to be only what Ardan had heard... the entire Mejiro family would support Ardan in seeking her own happiness.
"That's right... Ardan, you are the favorite. Everyone in the family must prioritize your happiness."
"Grandmother also hopes you won't marry into another country and marry a man you don't know, which is why she's so anxious for you to catch him."
And even I can only get a few scraps from my sister's mouth... Grandmother, is this the message you wanted to convey to me by letting me listen outside?
My love, my attention, everything about me must be given to my younger sisters first... even happiness, must my younger sisters taste it first?
—Ridiculous. How could I be so humble as to taste the leftovers my sister has eaten? The toys I gave to my sisters in the past, even if they were returned to me, I would never play with them again.
And now, the man my sister has tasted, even if he is given to me, I will absolutely not want him, Grandmother.
Mejiro Palmer's figure silently departed in the silence. However, the moment darkness enveloped her figure, her fists, which had been unconsciously clenched into a ball, reflected the dark side of her heart at this moment... the jealousy that she was unwilling to show to anyone.
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