Just as Edmund turned to avoid Rose, a girl suddenly stepped into his path.
It was Melinda Surandon.
She stood with arms folded, surrounded by other girls like maids-in-waiting, and called out to him.
“Hey, Edmund.”
“What?”
His reply was curt and sour—he was still rattled after seeing Rose standing all alone.
Melinda raised an eyebrow at his unimpressed response.
No boy’s ever been anything but thrilled when I talk to them…
But she wasn’t especially bothered. A handsome boy acting like he knew his worth didn’t faze her much. Smiling sweetly, she got straight to the point.
“So, is it true? Are you really engaged to the snot-nosed girl?”
Even before she finished the sentence, Edmund’s expression twisted.
Guilt over what he’d done to Rose was one thing, but that didn’t mean he accepted the engagement.
Eyes blazing, he snapped, “That was something our parents decided on their own. They didn’t ask me what I wanted!”
The heat in his voice seemed like it might never cool.
Melinda’s dark eyes sparkled at this answer. If he had no intention of marrying Rose Panning, things just got a lot simpler.
So she made her offer right away.
“Then why don’t you get engaged to me instead? I like you.”
The girls beside her, and even the boys who had been secretly listening, stared wide-eyed at Melinda.
Melinda Surandon, the haughty princess of Aylesford, had just proposed to a boy she met today.
Their stunned reactions made Melinda feel all the more pleased with herself. The very air seemed to affirm how extraordinary her offer was.
She was sure Edmund would accept. To help seal the deal, she pulled a small silver mirror from her pocket—one she’d secretly taken from her mother’s vanity to show off to friends.
“Here. I’ll even give you this.”
She didn’t care whether her parents would faint at the thought of their daughter already offering gifts to a boy.
But to her surprise, Edmund replied with no hesitation, and no warmth.
“No thanks.”
“What?”
Melinda’s face turned bright red at the first rejection she’d ever received.
“Why… why not?”
“Because you’re ugly, too.”
The words were so blunt, so rude, that both Melinda and the girls around her gasped in disbelief.
He had just called the prettiest girl in Aylesford—ugly.
Melinda, who had only ever heard praises for her looks, stumbled backward in shock and fell to the ground. The girls screamed.
“Melinda!”
But Edmund didn’t so much as flinch.
He lived by one rule: keep only the most beautiful things by his side. Anything that fell short was beneath comparison, unworthy even of judgment.
His arrogance soared sky-high.
“Pfft! Edmund, that was amazing! You just crushed Melinda’s pride!”
The boys laughed, jeering at Melinda with glee. Having been quietly dismissed by her for ages, they found her humiliation thoroughly satisfying.
Though they’d once eagerly played the role of her loyal attendants, they now cheered like peasants watching a queen lose her crown.
“Edmund! Forget the girls. Come with us—we’re heading up the mountain!”
Edmund had never felt truly welcomed by boys his age. He’d been disliked for both his looks and his smug attitude.
So being accepted now—being one of them—didn’t feel so bad.
Curious to see what fun might await in the mountains, he followed the boys. But just then, a voice called out behind him.
“Don’t go, Edmund! It’s dangerous up there!”
Rose ran out in a panic as she saw him heading for the mountain. Her face was full of fear—just like that morning when her brothers had said they were going there.
“There are bears and scary monsters in the woods! You’ll get hurt for sure!”
“Tch. What nonsense is that snot-nose spewing again? Edmund, ignore her and come on!”
Edmund hesitated. Rose’s desperate pleas tugged at him. But what she said was nonsense—and the others were already calling for him to hurry.
In the end, he turned away and followed the boys up the trail.
__________𓍯𓂃𓏧♡𓇢𓆸_________
With all four siblings gone, the Beechwood House basked in rare afternoon peace.
A cat napped on the porch, lulled by the song of a blackbird. Chickens clucked and pecked at the front yard.
The servants fed geese, milked cows in the stable, and pumped water from the well to do laundry.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Panning was weeding the vegetable garden in the backyard.
A row of apple trees that bordered the back garden had burst into white bloom days ago, and their sweet fragrance hung in the spring air. The scent made Aileen’s sweaty work all the more pleasant.
She was inspecting the budding turnip sprouts when Noel, just returned from the mountain, approached her.
“Ma’am, where’s Rose?”
“Oh, Noel, you’re back? Rose went fishing at the Sadie River with Edmund.”
But before she could finish, she saw a small figure walking toward the house from the glistening birch woods.
Aileen straightened, eyes narrowing.
Why is she coming back alone? Where’s Edmund?
Raising her arm, she called out loudly.
“Rose!”
As soon as Rose saw her mother and Noel, her face lit up like a freshly bloomed flower.
“Mama! Noel!”
The kind of child who could find joy in even the smallest happiness, Rose ran through the tall bluegrass and threw herself into her mother’s arms.
The scent of sun-dried laundry welcomed her like a soft embrace.
“Mama!”
“Rose, why are you alone? Where’s Edmund?”
The bright sparkle in her eyes briefly dimmed.
“He went to the mountain with the others.”
“Why didn’t you go, too?”
“Because I’m scared of the mountain. And… the other kids don’t like me.”
Hearing her daughter say it so awkwardly, Aileen’s heart sank. Her words caught in her throat.
It hurt every time Rose ended up alone. She wished at least her sons would play with her, but they always found her a bother. That made it all worse.
Suppressing a sigh, she gently stroked Rose’s cheek. The breeze, like a mother itself, caressed the girl’s hair.
Noel, who had been watching quietly, tapped her on the shoulder.
“Rose, want to see what I brought you from the mountain?”
Rose, still clinging to her mother, glanced at the hand Noel was hiding behind his back, curiosity sparking in her eyes.
With a cheerful tone, he said, “I brought you a present. Close your eyes.”
“A present?”
Blushing with excitement, Rose obediently shut her eyes.
Aileen, who caught sight of the gift before Rose did, barely managed to stifle a laugh.
“You can open them now.”
Before Rose was a small bouquet of lily-of-the-valley, freshly picked from the mountain.
Tiny, white bell-shaped flowers hung from slender green stalks, swaying gently with a fragrant spring greeting.
Her face turned blank in awe.
“For me?”
Noel nodded silently.
Then, as if all her sadness had been washed away, joy surged across her face.
She ran forward and threw her arms around Noel with all her strength. Surprised at first, he soon returned the embrace with a calm smile.
“My goodness, Noel. How did you get so kind?”
Aileen affectionately ruffled his hair, then turned to her daughter.
“Rose, don’t forget to thank your brother.”
“Thank you, Noel.”
Still nestled against him, Rose lifted her head to say it. Her eyes, once shadowed with pain, now sparkled with joy.
Noel gazed quietly at her and gently patted her head.
__________𓍯𓂃𓏧♡𓇢𓆸_________
Edmund, who had gone up the mountain with the boys, didn’t last long.
His legs were too slow to keep up with the boys who darted around the rocky slopes like mountain goats.
“Come on, Edmund! You’re so slow—it’s embarrassing for a boy!”
“No wonder! He’s some spoiled city brat!”
Their jeers burned into his memory. He flushed with shame, so humiliated he even considered building up his strength from now on.
As he left the birch woods and approached the Beechwood House, his chest grew heavy—like a stone pressing down.
Did she go home alone?
Drawn by worry, he crept toward the tree-lined fence and peeked into the garden.
There was Rose, in the backyard vegetable patch.
“Look! Even the pear tree’s full of blossoms!”
Contrary to what he’d expected, her voice was bright. She seemed to be in a good mood again.
Relieved, Edmund felt the edge of his guilt start to fade—until he spotted Noel rising behind a row of tomato vines.
Like stepping in filth out of nowhere.
The memory of being humiliated by him that morning came roaring back, reigniting the anger that had just begun to cool.
“Pear blossoms are lovely, but… I still like the flowers Noel brought me from the mountain more.”
Rose cradled the unimpressive bouquet in her arms as if it were a treasure.
That smile—so different from the tear-streaked face he remembered at the river—felt like a dagger.
And that smile had been Noel’s doing.
His jaw clenched. His round cheeks puffed with rage.
He hated Noel’s two-faced nature—so kind only when others were watching. And Rose, so naïvely cheerful, annoyed him even more.
Whatever guilt he had left for Rose vanished the moment he saw Noel.
Turning away from the fence, Edmund stormed home.
I’m never coming back to the Beechwood House. I’m never speaking to Rose Panning again.
A dragonfly fluttered past, reminding him of the happy moments they had shared.
Scowling, he swatted it away with both arms—shooing off the memory like it was some bothersome fly.
