Chapter 42
Sitting between the bright and warm Lor and the reliable Reykal, Yuren often felt at ease.
But now, to suddenly avoid her brother like this…
Something must have happened to Lor.
Worry filled Yuren’s eyes.
“Ah, um—!”
Yuren’s concern was visible even to Lor. He opened his mouth, then closed it repeatedly, flustered.
Soon, the atmosphere around the tea table grew serious. More precisely, Yuren looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment, and Lor didn’t know what to do watching her.
“Well, the truth is…”
Lor finally spoke.
He recounted everything in detail—from the incident where he gave her a “cream puff bomb baby shu” as a gift and was harshly rejected, to being suddenly summoned in front of the blackboard.
As he spoke, he became a little frustrated, raising his voice slightly.
“-And that’s how it happened.”
After finishing, Lor fell silent.
He felt a little guilty, thinking he might have spread rumors about what happened with Reykal, but he couldn’t leave Yuren worrying.
Listening quietly, Yuren cautiously began to speak.
“Um… you like the shell of the cream puff, not the cream. And… um…”
Even as she spoke, Yuren couldn’t hide her own embarrassment.
‘I didn’t know that happened…’
She tried to defend her brother with her clumsy words.
“He’s really smart… and very kind to me…”
There wasn’t much more Yuren could say to Lor.
‘He’s not a bad person.’
Yet the image of Lor crying bitterly still lingered in her mind.
“Uh, he’s… a good person…”
Yuren trailed off, frowning. Even to Lor, she seemed very confused.
Hmm…
Suddenly, Lor thought of his friends in the village, Hans and Evanna—specifically, the time they had a big fight.
He couldn’t remember the reason, but one day Hans and Evanna’s relationship had soured.
They lived near Lor’s house, and whenever he played outside briefly, he would always join them.
When Hans and Evanna played, Lor would sometimes join in.
But suddenly, the two who were always together had fought.
If he met them on the street, they would turn their heads and go, “Hmph!”
Lor had been the most troubled by this. Whenever they saw him, both would pull at his arms, each trying to play with him.
He still vividly remembered how intense their tension had been.
‘Reykal is Yuren’s brother.’
Now Lor was the one pulling Yuren’s arm.
“I don’t dislike Reykal! He’s not bad.”
Lor spoke urgently. Just like he had wanted peace between Hans and Evanna, he didn’t want Yuren to feel troubled.
And, honestly… Lor wanted to get along well with Reykal.
‘After all, Yuren and Reykal are my cousins.’
Of course, since some resentment still lingered, he wouldn’t speak to Reykal first. For now, it was just a temporary sulk.
Despite saying he wasn’t upset, Yuren’s expression became complicated seeing Lor’s round cheek puff out like he was sulking.
The strawberry cake in front of them remained untouched today as well.
“Phew—.”
After saying he had to go to the training ground, Lor dashed through the garden, leaving only a greeting behind.
Yuren, left alone, sighed until the table creaked.
“What should I do…”
How could she help her brother and Lor grow close again?
After hearing Lor’s story in detail, the problem seemed to have grown rather than shrunk.
“Emily, what should friends do when they fight…?”
Normally, she would ask her brother about such complicated issues… but now, she couldn’t.
“Um…”
Emily, the maid, carefully considered her words.
‘What to do?’
The gentle prince was popular even among the maids.
Seeing him ponder seriously made her want to help, but offering advice on a conflict between the crown prince and the grand princess was difficult for just a maid.
She cast urgent glances at the other maids nearby for assistance.
Someone gently placed a hand on Emily’s back.
When she looked back, it was Ella, another maid. Smiling, she silently mouthed:
‘I’ll speak.’
Emily stepped aside without hesitation, and Ella bent slightly to meet the young prince’s gaze.
“Perhaps you two should talk directly to each other?”
“Talk…?”
“Yes. It seems there is a small misunderstanding between Your Highness and the lady.”
“Really?”
“Yes. If there’s a misunderstanding, it can be solved through conversation.”
Yuren’s expression brightened at the appealing suggestion.
“Wow! That’s a really good idea!”
Ella also recommended a suitable place for the hopeful young prince.
“How about inviting them to a beautiful spot? By now, the violets should be blooming beautifully in the glasshouse.”
“But… is it really okay for me to go?”
Kainel furrowed his brow and asked again.
At this, Lor, who had been leading the way energetically, smiled brightly.
“Yeah! That’s right!”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“No! Look, it’s written here~!”
Lor showed Kainel the paper she was holding tightly.
<You’re invited to the Violetta Garden!>
The crooked handwriting on the invitation had been delivered to Lor by Yuren’s maid that morning.
Flowers drawn in the margins were painted in red and black, likely violets.
The petals were slightly crooked, and the stems a little bent—it seemed Yuren had drawn them herself.
“Yuren is really good at drawing!”
Lor was thrilled; he could feel all of Yuren’s care and excitement in each imperfect stroke.
“Yoohoo!”
Lor pointed straight at the center of the invitation.
<The tea party will be in the Violetta Garden!>
“It says ‘T.e.a P.a.r.t.y!’ right here!”
“So?”
Kainel tilted his head in confusion. Lor thumped his chest impatiently.
“A tea party is where many people drink tea together!”
“And…?”
“So! It’s a place to invite friends!”
“Huh?”
It seemed different from the tea parties Kainel knew. She opened her mouth to speak, but Lor confidently placed his hands on his hips and declared:
“In storybooks, princesses gather with their friends to drink tea—that’s a tea party!”
Kainel couldn’t help but doubt herself at his confident tone.
At that moment, Lor hooked his arm around Kainel’s like a hawk and said sharply:
“So, my friend Kainel can come too!”
Lor’s steps felt almost airborne with excitement.
His twin pigtails and ribbons bounced with every step—he was in high spirits today.
Invited to a tea party! Lor felt like a real princess!
“Let’s go quickly!”
“Uh, wait! Don’t pull me!”
Kainel, a head taller than Lor, was dragged along helplessly.
Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the Violetta Garden.
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
“What’s this?”
Reykal, standing at the garden entrance, widened his eyes in surprise upon seeing Lor. Then he noticed Kainel behind Lor and frowned.
Lor flinched at Reykal but stiffened when he saw Reykal scowling at Kainel.
It was obvious Reykal wasn’t pleased that Kainel had come.
Lor, who had practically forced Kainel to come, stepped forward quickly.
“Re-Reykal! Don’t make a mean face at my friend!”
Lor glanced back at Kainel while calling out.
Had Kainel seen Reykal’s scary expression? What if she was upset?
Fortunately, Kainel didn’t seem offended.
Phew.
Lor breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh? You’re all here! Why didn’t you come inside…?”
At that moment, the greenhouse door opened, and Yuren peeked her head out. Probably because it was tea time and no one had come yet.
Yuren scanned the group standing in front of the Violetta Garden. When she noticed Kainel, she blinked rapidly, looking flustered.
