Silly Bride

Chapter 278
“Who knows when you’d actually visit us if we never came here instead?” Emily beamed as she strode toward Winnie.The latter
immediately reached for the older woman’s hand. “It’s been a while, Grandma. How are you and Grandpa?”“We’re good.” Emily
took Winnie’s hand and gave it a pat before glancing at Joshua, who was next to her.“But your grandfather’s been having some
issues with his throat. He misses your beautiful singing voice and has been waiting for you to come back. But look at you!
You did return, but here you are hiding away at Wilhelm’s place! Why didn’t you come straight to the manor instead?”As Emily
rambled on, Wilhelm stood behind Joshua obediently.After greeting Joshua, Winnie cast her gaze on Wilhelm.The latter
shrugged innocently. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t tell them anything. We agreed on this, so of course I wouldn’t go back on my
word.”Hearing that, Joshua began to grumble, “You could’ve kept this whole thing a secret, but it’s Wilhelm’s fault for not being
married despite his age. Your grandmother and I came over right after hearing that he’d brought a mysterious woman home, only
to find you in his living room.”“Oh, goodness!” Emily burst into laughter as she turned to the two youngsters before her. “Don’t
listen to your grandfather’s nonsense. We only decided to drop by after confirming that you’re here, Winnie. It doesn’t matter
when Wilhelm gets married. Even if he chooses not to, it’s his freedom. We won’t interfere or busy ourselves with his private
life.”“Come on, Darling. You don’t have to explain the obvious! The kids know how naturally funny I am and wouldn’t take my
words to heart. Isn’t that right, Wilhelm?”“Of course.” Wilhelm was envious of the relationship his grandparents shared, but he
remained unmarried as he still hadn’t found the right partner yet.Smiling, he continued, “I still remember the last time Grandpa
called himself funny...”As the man began to reminisce the past, Winnie sat on the bed and listened to them chatter away.Despite
only sitting there and listening quietly, she felt unimaginably warm on the inside.Although the Speisers were aristocrats, and the
elderly couple was the most distinguished lord and lady in the country, Winnie always felt relaxed whenever she was with
them.Even Wilhelm, who was usually cold and stern, became gentle and caring whenever he interacted with his family
members.Enjoying the sunny afternoon with them gave Winnie peace, and peace was exactly what she needed right now.About
an hour later, Joshua left for an appointment with a collector to appraise a newly unearthed antique that was said to be a century
old.Emily, on the other hand, remained behind.Winnie was done washing up and getting dressed by now.As someone who was
always extremely well-dressed, Emily felt something lacking about the other woman’s attire.“You should dress better, Winnie.
You’re wasting your good looks and lovely figure.”Winnie glanced at her own arm that was still hanging in front of her torso, not
knowing how to respond.“But Grandma, I’m just in loungewear. I didn’t bring a suitcase with me this time around. I’ve washed my
clothes from yesterday and even had to get someone to go to my condominium and bring me what I’m wearing now. Besides, it’s
not like I can wear a dress with my arm in this state.”Emily turned to her. “But you just told me a while ago that it’s been over two
weeks since you got hurt. Can’t you remove the bandages by now? The last time I fell, I only had to wear a cast for two weeks.
Leaving your arm hanging like that any longer isn’t going to do you much good either.”“I understand, Grandma.” Winnie smiled.
“I’ll drop by the hospital and have them remove my bandages tomorrow. Today will be the last day I keep my arm wrapped

up.”“Do you have any plans for today, then?” asked Emily. “What do you intend to do?”“Hmm...” Winnie paused briefly. “I was
thinking of dropping by the manor to see my adorable grandma and grandpa, but they ended up coming over instead. I must be
the luckiest girl in the world.”Emily was tickled by her words. “Let’s go shopping in a bit. I’ve been thinking of getting you a few
dresses while getting my summer collection outfits, but we were always apart. I still ordered you a Chanaean gown, though,
which I’m sure you’ll like. Now that you’re back, let’s go have a look at it. We can make a few more outfits at that.”Emily was one-
eighth Aplothian since her great-grandmother was pure Chanaean.After seeing a photo of her great-grandmother in a Chanaean
gown, she swore the latter was the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes upon, in the most stunning dress ever.In all
fairness, such a gown only looked enchanting when worn by a Chanaean. Although Emily had an eighth of Chanaean blood in
her, she looked nothing like a Chanaean apart from her black eyes.Moreover, given that she was now old and out of shape, she
wouldn’t be able to pull off wearing the gown. That was why she decided to have one made specifically for Winnie instead.“You
have to try it on yourself, Winnie. If the measurements are off, you can have the dress altered on the spot.”Winnie knew how
obsessed Emily was with fashion and jewelry. It was no exaggeration to say that the latter’s dressing room was probably the size
of a shopping mall.In other words, there was no changing her mind about getting the gown today—even if she were to be in a
wheelchair and had a hard time moving.Concerned about Winnie’s safety, Wilhelm offered to take them to the store
personally.Emily was delighted. “You should stick around and take a look too, Wilhelm. Cultivate your taste in fashion so that
you’ll know what to get your girlfriend in the future.”The man nodded. “You make a good point there, Grandma.”Champes was
the most exclusive female apparel brand in the world. It was founded in Yartran and once designed and produced clothing solely
for the country’s royal family.However, with the rapid development of commercialization, Champes eventually began to accept
orders on a global scale. Quantities were limited each year, however, and it was virtually impossible for mere nobles to even
make it into the waiting list.Emily was a clear exception, and Wilhelm brought this matter up on the way to the company’s
workshop.“Isn’t there always a long waiting list here, Grandma? Will the workshop receive us if you drop by on such short notice
and without an appointment?”“Of course, Wilhelm. They’re always ready to serve if it’s me.”Wilhelm found it strange, but he also
knew that his grandmother would never lie about such a thing.“Doesn’t that mean you get even better treatment than the queen
does? I heard that even Her Majesty and the princesses have to abide by the rules and wait their turns.” “That’s right.” Even
Emily was puzzled. “But they told me it was okay, and that’s really how they’ve been serving me all this while. I normally do book
an appointment, but they’ve never turned me down whenever I had to reschedule or pop in on short notice, and they’ve never
once complained about it either. I find it weird too.”Winnie couldn’t help but smile as she listened the conversation between the
two.“What are you smiling about on your own?” Wilhelm asked upon noticing that. “Did you think of some good news? Aren’t you
going to share it with us?”“That’s not it!” The woman glared at him. “It’s just that I don’t find it weird at all. Grandma’s always had
excellent taste, so that makes her different from the other customers who visit the workshop. I’m sure staff member there respect
and adore her more than anyone else. But what matters most is that you’re happy, Grandma.”It wasn’t long until they arrived at
their destination.As soon as they walked into the large hall, they bumped into a few acquaintances.However, these people only

knew Wilhelm and Emily. They were completely oblivious to Winnie’s existence even though she knew them.Seeing that both
parties were inevitably going to engage in conversation, Winnie decided to step aside before the couple made their way
over.“Have fun talking, you guys. I’ll go take a walk inside the showroom. You can meet me there when you’re done chatting.”“All
right.” Emily nodded in response. “It shouldn’t take too long. Go see if there’s anything you like in there. If you come across
something that catches your eye, I’ll buy it for you.”“It’s okay, Grandma. I didn’t even come back with presents this time, so how
could I let you spend on me? Don’t worry about me, you two. I’ll see you later.”With that, Winnie turned and headed in the
direction of the showroom, which was located behind the large hall. Champes’ most exquisite works over the years along with
the brand’s latest designs, which were limited in number, were displayed there.Not only that, but the showroom wasn’t open to
the public. One had to present an entrance ticket to be allowed in.I probably wouldn’t have been let in if it weren’t for
Grandma.As Winnie scanned the room, a wedding dress caught her attention almost right away.It was the only wedding dress
inside the showroom, and the natural diamonds all over it made it look extraordinarily fancy.I used to really like this dress when it
first came out, but now that I look at it, it’s probably a bit too showy.Two series of footsteps came from behind as Winnie
scrutinized the dress.The footsteps sound as though they belonged to girls walking in unison, so she deduced that whoever had
just entered the showroom were not Wilhelm and Emily but other clients.She didn’t bother looking back until she heard the voice
of a young woman. “Well, well, well, look who I just bumped into! If it isn’t the adopted daughter of the Speiser family?”Winnie
furrowed her brows as soon as she heard such scathing remarks made toward her.She turned around and instantly recognized
the young lady with blond hair. “Margaret? That wasn’t very polite of you. Who gave you the courage to spout nonsense like
that?”“Ha!” Margaret Grayson scoffed in amusement. “Spout nonsense? Wasn’t I saying the truth? Are you not the hidden
adopted daughter of the Speiser family?”Winnie narrowed her eyes.I don’t recall ever getting into any direct conflict with her, but
she probably hates me just because she was never as good as I was back when we were taking cello lessons from the same
teacher. Oh, and not to mention the fact that I received a love letter from the boy she’d love for over a decade.All these incidents
were more than enough to make a haughty young woman like Margaret harbor a deep grudge against Winnie.Yet, the latter had
no intention of wasting her time on such a brainless woman. She knew not to say anything too inappropriate in a place like this
either.That was because the slightly older woman standing next to Margaret was Helen Colvin, a renowned journalist feared by
even the royal family of Yartran.In fact, she was the one who had sent shockwaves across the world a few years ago by
exposing a scandal that had occurred within the royal household.Not wanting to cause the Speiser family any potential trouble,
Winnie decided to ignore Margaret and walk away.Unfortunately, that only wounded the latter’s ego. She won’t even look at me?
Am I that invisible to her?“I’m talking to you, Vivian! You shouldn’t just walk away when someone talks to you! Is this how you
were raised in the Speiser household? You may not have the Speiser blood in you, but are you not still part of the family? Did
they not teach you the most basic social etiquettes that everyone should know?”“So, did the Grayson family raise you to scream
and shout in public?” Winnie clapped back without even turning around to look at Margaret. “Is this what you call social
etiquette? Please don’t raise your voice while you’re inside a showroom.”“You!” Margaret was temporarily speechless, but she

tried her best to retaliate. “Speaking of this showroom, how did someone like you even get in? Even I had to be put on a waiting
list for a whole year before being allowed to come in, while you’re just an adopted child who can’t even be spoken of publicly!”An
amused Winnie was about to respond when Emily suddenly walked toward them.“I was the one who let Vivian in,” the latter
declared with a grim expression and tone. “Is there a problem with that? If I remember correctly, you’re the youngest
granddaughter of the Grayson household. I know your grandmother. She’s always been so elegant in whatever she does or
says. Why didn’t you take a lesson or two from her?”“L-Lady Joshua?” Every member of Yartran’s upper-class society knew
Emily, and the young Margaret was no exception.“Also, there’s something you just said that I have to address sternly,” the older
woman added. “You referred to Vivian as an adopted child and claimed that she’s not related to the Speiser family by blood. That
infuriates me. I’ll have you know right now that she does have the Speiser blood in her veins! She was born into the Speiser
family as a true granddaughter of Lord Joshua and me!”“Grandma...” Winnie hadn’t expected Emily to make such a bold
statement, for in truth, there was nothing to be proud of regarding this matter.Besides, standing right next to Margaret was a
journalist who was bold enough to uncover even the royal family’s dirt.Taking that into consideration, Winnie leaned closer to
Emily and whispered, “Grandma, that journalist standing next to her is Helen Colvin. It’s best if you refrain from saying certain
things.”Helen had clearly taken note of every word Emily had just said.“Did you just call Ms. Vivian your granddaughter, My
Lady? Even though she has the facial features of an Aplothian? What is the meaning of this?”