New World, New Life: I Became A Bigshot In The Ancient World
Chapter 134: ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO VISIT THE NORTH

Chapter 134: ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO VISIT THE NORTH

Aristia couldn’t keep her expression straight.

[The ladies of the North are quite...open.]

She had heard about it but she didn’t expect this...

They even discussed their marital lives and... some things that should be private. Aristia was almost turning red.

The truth was that Amberale was very large, and each part had its own customs and tradition. The taste in clothing and clothing style of the people in the North was also quite different as it was cold and was covered in snow throughout the year. The food was mostly served hot.

The people of the North were also straightforward. They didn’t really say things in a roundabout way and usually didn’t put on much pretences. They, however, also observed etiquette and social status, just like the rest of the kingdom as it was what was expected of nobility.

[That should be the reason why most of the people from the north prefer to stay in the north. You can only see a few handful of families from the north in the capital. They say that the people from the capital are too vague and pretentious— using lots of words with hidden meaning instead of speaking directly. I quite like the north.]

Across the room, Aristia noticed Catherine engaged in discussion with a group of elder noblewomen, likely discussing matters of politics or estate management or... something else.

Duchess Alistair, on the other hand, was also engaged in conversation with Viscountess Vasily and another lady.

Aristia noticed that the people of the North were also easy to talk to. They weren’t cold like their climate. Both the adults and children alike.

[That’s why uncle Ross is so cheerful. Probably.] She had spent some time around Ross. From what everyone said, he was her favorite uncle.

[And I thought either Fedor or Maxim would be my favorite uncle.]

"Your Highness, what about the storybook Miss Lauren is talking about?" A girl around their age asked.

Lauren had been talking about the storybook she had made for Alaric. She didn’t tell them she was the one who made it though. Everything about Aristia was being kept secret.

"A close acquaintance made it for my younger brother. It’s in the Hemsworth Fief." She replied.

"Oh, then there’s only one?" Another girl leaned closer from another table close to theirs.

"Currently, but I heard that there will be more copies produced." She covered her mouth like it was a secret but all the children heard.

"That’s great then." The other person seated at their table said. He had heard that there were stories of knights and heros too.

The children were excited, especially the girls, who did not like reading the boring books in the kingdom.

[There are romance books, but they aren’t accessible to children as they contain... ahem... steamy adult content. Definitely not suited for children.]

"Your Highness, when are you returning to the capital?" A girl asked.

Aristia turned to the person, surprised. It was the girl with mauve hair and turquoise eyes who seemed to have a grudge against her. She wanted to know when Aristia would leave the north.

[Is she so eager to see me leave?] Aristia thought.

"What’s your name?" She asked instead of replying.

"Eh?" The girl obviously hadn’t expected that.

The people around her too seemed caught off guard. Liam even had a brow raised before he nodded like it was normal. Aristia chose to ignore that.

"I said, what’s your name?" Aristia repeated. She wanted to know if there was mention of the girl in the book.

"I...you...I... My name is Vivian Quentin, the third daughter of Count Quentin."

[Vivian Quentin, Count Quentin... nope, never heard of ’em.] Aristia searched her memories.

The girl seemed shocked that Aristia did not know her name, then angry. Her turquoise eyes lit up in fury.

[I’m certain I haven’t seen this girl or heard her name before. Why is she so angry that I said I don’t know her name?]

Then it dawned on her, [It must be the original Aristia! But what did she do? I heard that she was a brat from some servants before we left for the Hemsworths Fief. Why didn’t the book make any mention of that?]

A month ago, before they left for the Hemsworth Fief, Aristia had visited Nova and Paige Kiran in the Kiran Mansion.

However, the strange thing was that she had overheard some servants talking about how the arrogant and bratty princess was now sweet and considerate, not knowing she was listening.

That had confused her a lot because in the book, at her age, Aristia was already sweet, kind and considerate. The fact that it didn’t match with reality and actually seemed to be the opposite just didn’t make sense.

Just then, Countess Sylvia’s voice rang out again, breaking the conversations. "Ladies and children, please help yourselves to the dessert table as well. We have a variety of treats prepared for your enjoyment."

The atmosphere relaxed slightly as guests began to help themselves to desserts. Aristia noticed the tension ease around her table, the children eagerly eyeing the selection of sweets placed on the long table in a corner of the room.

From the tense atmosphere and reactions among the children earlier, it seemed like everyone but her knew what was wrong. The adults didn’t seem to be paying much attention.

Aristia left her seat and moved to the dessert table. She added the desserts to her plate. There were lots of small cakes and other desserts. She returned to her seat.

"... but you will soon begin to take the lessons."

"Yes, I will soon be six years of age." Lauren smiled at the person she was speaking to.

Everyone had their plates of dessert in front of them.

Aristia raised a brown at Lauren.

"Miss Aislinn was telling me about some of the classes she’s taking." Lauren said.

Aristia nodded in understanding. Her eyes flitted to Vivian Quentin. Sometimes she would catch her looking at her. She wondered what the original Aristia had done to her.

Before long, the mostly pleasant afternoon drew to a close. It was nearing dusk and all the ladies of the north who attended would have to return to their Fiefs.

Countess Sylvia sent off every one with a warm smile, expressing her gratitude once more for their attendance. "It has been wonderful having you all here. Your company has truly made this gathering special. I look forward to the opportunity to host you again."

With that, the tea party concluded.

Countess Sylvia approached Catherine and Alistair who were standing together.

"Your Highness, your Grace. Thank you all for joining me today. I hope you found the tea party enjoyable."

"Certainly Countess, I truly enjoyed your tea party." Catherine nodded sincerely, giving off the perfect example of grace and elegance.

"Please, do invite us whenever you’re hosting a tea party the next time we visit the north." Alistair smiled.

"I am honored to have her highness and her Grace feel that way. I will ensure to do so. I wish her highness and her grace a safe return to the capital." Countess Sylvia was ecstatic.

She curtsied and bade goodbye as they entered the carriage and left the Clyvehill Estate for the Hemsworth Fief.

They soon left the Clyvehill Fief.

"I cannot seem to get used to the ladies of the north." Alistair laughed in the carriage.

"Yes. No matter how many times we attend a tea party in the north, I never fail to be amazed by their boldness." Catherine smiled along.

"It is always a pleasure to visit the north if you put aside the constant cold weather." Alistair pulled her shawl closer.

They were wearing the clothes worn by nobility in the north. It was made with thick material and had fur around the neck.

You couldn’t dress skimpily in the north. Even with the thick clothes, they could still feel the cold. However, the residents of the north were used to the cold. The North was always cold and snowed throughout the year.

"I can say I’m a bit used to the weather as we always visited Grandfather and Grandmother back when we were little children. We would spend the most of the summer and winter breaks with Mother and Father here, sometimes even more than we did in the Anton Fief." Catherine replied.

She, Maxim and their parents always spent the holidays in the Hemsworth Fief so she was quite used to the cold and could adjust quickly.

It wasn’t the same for Alistair who only visited the north when she got married to Maxim and entered the family.

What Catherine couldn’t get used to though, was the straightforward and open way of the northern people.

The carriage entered the Hemsworth Fief when the sun was about to set and arrived at the Hemsworth Estate when the sun almost couldn’t be seen anymore, even though it didn’t really sun much in the north.

"Mama, you’re back!" Lilith chirped when the carriage stopped in front of the main mansion of the Hemsworth Estate, waving one hand since Alaric was holding the other.

The butler opened the carriage door and the family alighted.

Adeline was waiting at the entrance. After greeting the family, she turned to Aristia.

"Princess, would you like a hot bath? I have prepared the bath."

She had prepared the bath about five minutes ago, knowing that by the time Aristia got back, it would have reached the right temperature.

"Yes, let’s go."

"Sigh~" Aristia relaxed when her body entered the bath. "There’s just that nice feeling when you soak in hot water on a cold day."

After a bath, Adeline dressed her up in thick, warm clothes and left the room. Aristia headed to the parlor where the rest of the family was gathered.

She had questions she needed to know the answers to.

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