Chapter 55
Part 23. The Midsummer Festival
To my beloved daughter, Chloe,
My dear child, how was your journey back to Thisse? Watching you depart this time was an entirely different experience from seeing you leave unaccompanied the last time. As I watched you board the carriage with your husband, my eyes welled up with tears, but they were tears of sheer joy, not apprehension or fear.
I am told that your aunt in Swane was deeply moved the moment she opened the wagon laden with gifts. My tears of happiness were likely just as intense as Lady Talbot’s.
Laborers have flocked here from every corner of the kingdom and even foreign lands in search of work. While their arrival was cause for celebration, the sudden influx of people has also brought its share of problems. However, the Duke of Thisse graciously dispatched a unit of security officers, which eased my worries and filled my heart with deep gratitude.
