Chapter 282: A Step Ahead

Patricia rose coldly. "Please enjoy your coffee. I'll excuse myself for a moment."

She went inside and informed Christine of the situation. Christine had been busy assigning tasks to the servants and hadn't gone out to greet the betrothal gift bearers.

After hearing Patricia's account, Christine frowned. "We can't tell Isolde about this. With her temper, she might just throw the gifts out."

"It seems we'll have to ask Natasha to intervene," Patricia said.

Christine pondered. "Let's try this: we'll go out and speak to them again. After all, not much is missing. If they're willing to make amends, there's no need to involve Natasha. Her temper is quite similar to Isolde's, and she's especially anxious about Isolde's wedding. If she gets into an argument, it'll be embarrassing for both families, and Isolde will be in a difficult position. The Valen family is, after all, a prominent family. Isolde came from the village and doesn't know much about etiquette. If she offends Margaret, she'll suffer for it later, and we won't even know."

Patricia thought her reasoning sound. Isolde might be tough and outspoken, but Margaret was still her elder and future mother-in-law. A single accusation of failing to serve her in-laws properly could crush Isolde under the weight of the charge of unfilial piety.

"Alright, let's go out and speak to them again. We won't tell Isolde about this," they agreed.

Just then, a servant approached, seemingly having overheard their conversation. "During the betrothal ceremony, the Valen family sent two roosters."

Patricia and Christine were stunned. "Roosters? Two roosters?"

The servant nodded. "Yes, Harlan accepted them. The pair of roosters is kept in a pen in the backyard."

The two women hurried to the backyard as the servant directed and, sure enough, found two live roosters in a pen. The roosters were molting, and when they saw people approaching, they flapped their wings and squawked, startling Patricia. The servant quickly shooed the roosters away.

Patricia's eyes burned with anger. "This is deliberate. Who sends roosters for a betrothal ceremony? If they couldn't catch wild geese, couldn't they buy them? A few taels of silver would buy plenty of geese. What's going on with the Valen family? Are they deliberately making things difficult?"

Christine's expression also darkened. "We should have come earlier. But why did Harlan accept these roosters?"

The tradition of sending wild geese during the betrothal ceremony symbolized harmony and deep affection, as geese mate for life. If one died, the other would live alone for the rest of its life, representing the depth of love and the hope for a harmonious marriage. What did sending roosters mean? That both parties were male? Was this a jab at Isolde's lack of feminine grace?

The servant explained, "Harlan doesn't know any better. He's never been married and knows nothing about wedding customs. When they said it was a betrothal gift, he just accepted it."

Christine said coldly, "Let's go out and speak to them again. If that doesn't work, we'll have to ask Natasha to step in."

Both women tried to suppress their anger, but their expressions were far from pleasant. Margaret and her aunt, Lillian, were sitting outside, sipping coffee, attended by two maids. The other servants who had carried the gifts were waiting outside.

When Patricia and Christine entered, Margaret looked at Patricia apologetically. "The wedding was arranged in a hurry, and many things weren't properly prepared. It's our fault. Please forgive us."

Patricia, hearing her polite tone, thought there might still be room for negotiation. "We understand that you're busy. Weddings involve a lot of details, and it's easy to overlook things. Now that we've noticed the omissions, let's just make up for them. What do you think?"

Christine chimed in, "Since we're making up for it anyway, could you also replace the pair of roosters sent during the betrothal ceremony with a pair of wild geese? The roosters can count as today's livestock. How does that sound?"

Margaret was taken aback. "Roosters? What roosters? We sent wild geese."

Christine shook her head. "No, you sent roosters. They're still in the pen in the backyard. If you don't believe me, you can go and see for yourself."

Lillian let out a strange laugh. "This is ridiculous. Even if the Valen family isn't the most meticulous, we wouldn't send roosters for a betrothal ceremony. You're just making trouble for no reason."

Patricia's face darkened. "Mrs. Valen, watch your words. A marriage isn't just about the two young people; it's about the harmony between two families. Why ruin the relationship before the wedding even takes place? It's not good for either family, and it'll only make us a laughingstock."

Lillian chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Isn't marriage about uniting two families? But strictly speaking, the Langley family isn't as prestigious as the Valen family. Lady Isolde is marrying up. If it were me, I'd just let it go. All this back-and-forth is such a hassle. You have nothing better to do, so you don't mind, but the Valen family is different."

"How is it different?" Christine couldn't hold back anymore and stood up angrily. "How can you say such things? Marrying up? Are you saying our Princess isn't good enough for your Valen family? You're busy, so we're just idle and have nothing better to do, is that it? Instead of wasting time here, why don't you hurry up and send the missing items? During the betrothal ceremony, the Langley family received roosters, and those needed to be replaced too. That's all we're saying. If you don't send them, forget it."

Christine had spent years in the military with her husband, who had grown up in the army and often used coarse language. Though Christine came from a respectable family, she had picked up some of his rough expressions.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Patricia also said, "That's right. If you still want this marriage to go ahead, send the missing items today. Today is the day for delivering the betrothal gifts. We can't wait for you to send them later."

Margaret shook her head, feigning regret. "I didn't expect you two to be so stubborn. I've already admitted my mistake and didn't say I wouldn't make up for it. Yet you're still making demands and driving us away. Fine, we'll leave."

With that, she stood up and said indifferently to Lillian, "Lillian, they're driving us away. Let's go."

Lillian snorted and stood up. "What a crude family. I've never seen anything like it. If there's a problem, just say so. If you have demands, just state them. Losing your temper and throwing people out—only your family would do such a thing."

With that, she led the group away.

Christine and Patricia exchanged glances, fuming. It turned out that Margaret and Lillian had been deliberately provoking them with their sarcastic remarks. Once they returned and spread the word, with so many of their people as witnesses, the Langley family and the Sharp family would be the ones criticized.

"Natasha was right. Margaret is truly despicable," Patricia said bitterly. They should have asked Natasha to intervene earlier. Now, not only had they been insulted for no reason, but they were also being blamed for driving away the betrothal gift bearers. This was a disaster. Now everyone would know that they had essentially "thrown out" Margaret over incomplete betrothal gifts.