~Chapter 54~
A few days after returning to the mansion, Ruby received a letter.
“Miss Ruby, a letter from the palace has arrived,” Diana said.
“Already?” Ruby asked, taking the envelope from Diana.
The contents of the letter were just as Ruby had expected.
“It’s from Prince Ivan, isn’t it?” Ruby asked.
“Yes, it’s an invitation to a tea party being held at the palace.”
“A tea party? Is Prince Ivan hosting it?”
“Yes, he’s the one who invited you.”
“I didn’t know Prince Ivan hosted tea parties. That’s unexpected.”
Until now, Ivan had never hosted a party by himself. He had always been invited to events hosted by the palace, like birthday banquets, where other noble children were invited. Since Ruby wasn’t at Grand Duke Lux’s place at the time, she had never been invited. Recently, the only children Ivan had been meeting were Ruby and her siblings, so hosting a tea party like this was new to everyone.
“Actually, I asked him to,” Ruby admitted.
“You asked him?”
“Yes, I asked Prince Ivan to invite the noble children.”
“Why don’t you host a tea party yourself, Miss Ruby? You can invite them, too.”
“I haven’t officially been recognized as my grandfather’s granddaughter yet. If I invite them, who would come to the party?”
“I see…” Diana realized she had said something wrong and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
“Don’t worry. It’s true, so I’m not hurt,” Ruby said, patting Diana’s back.
Ruby smiled broadly, and her cheerful attitude made Diana feel more at ease.
“But why are you gathering noble children?”
“I have some business with them,” Ruby explained.
If Ruby were to invite them, no one would come. But if Prince Ivan invited them, most noble children would attend. Ruby intended to subtly reveal her true purpose to the children at the party.
Diana looked worried. “Do you think it will work?”
“Don’t worry, Diana. Everything will be fine,” Ruby said confidently, reassuring Diana with a smile.
Ruby looked back at the invitation and couldn’t help but smile to herself.
***
At the Palace Tea Party
As Ruby had requested, Prince Ivan invited noble children around his age to the tea party. Since it was hosted by the First Prince, all the children who received the invitation were eager to attend. However, none of them knew why Prince Ivan suddenly decided to host a tea party.
The children from powerful noble families of the Baldur Empire gathered at the Frisia Palace, unaware of the real reason behind the gathering. Ruby arrived at the palace alone, leaving her siblings behind.
Ivan, busy greeting guests, noticed Ruby and waved at her.
“Ruby, come greet the guests,” Ivan said.
The children standing in front of Ivan were surprised to see him so casually calling Ruby. Since this was the first time they had seen Ruby, they quickly became curious.
Ruby greeted them politely, using the proper manners she had learned over time.
“I am Ruby Brooklyn. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said.
“Brooklyn?” one of the children asked. “Is there a family with that name?”
The children were surprised by Ruby’s introduction. Ivan added, “Ruby is the granddaughter of Grand Duke Lux.”
Only after Ivan’s introduction did the children realize that Ruby was the famous granddaughter of Grand Duke Lux, whom they had only heard rumors about. They also knew that Ruby and her siblings had been chosen to be playmates for Ivan and Theo.
After hearing the introduction, the children realized that Ruby had not yet been officially recognized by Grand Duke Lux as his granddaughter. But since Ivan was with her, they couldn’t ignore Ruby and greeted her politely.
“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Ruby. I’m Barker Land of the Land Count family,” one of the children said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ruby. I’m Sennis of the Brensel Count family,” another child introduced herself.
Ruby greeted nearly twenty children and finally found a seat.
The tea party was held in the large garden of Frisia Palace. Ruby sat at a table with Ivan, Barker, and Sennis. Barker seemed to be unusually relaxed and smiled comfortably, while Sennis, with her round face and curious eyes, looked at Ruby as if she had a lot of questions.
Ruby could feel Sennis staring at her, and it made her a little uncomfortable.
Once everyone was seated, Ivan stood up.
“Thank you all for accepting my invitation. The purpose of this tea party is for all of us to get to know each other and build connections for the future leadership of the Baldur Empire. Please feel free to chat and enjoy the refreshments,” Ivan announced.
As soon as Ivan finished speaking, the garden became lively. Many of the children stood up to walk around and greet each other. Most of them wanted to talk to Ivan, so he ended up talking to other children instead of having a quiet conversation with Ruby.
Meanwhile, Sennis continued to look at Ruby with curiosity.
“So, you’re Grand Duke Lux’s granddaughter?” Sennis asked.
“Yes,” Ruby replied.
“Then why are you still using the Brooklyn surname?” Sennis asked bluntly. It was a question that touched on Ruby’s background, and Ruby knew it might be a sensitive topic.
“Barker,” Ivan quickly said, trying to stop Sennis.
But Ruby answered calmly. “I haven’t been officially recognized as my grandfather’s granddaughter yet. That’s why I’m still using my father’s surname, Brooklyn.”
“Oh… So your father was…?”
“My father was awarded a knight’s title after his achievements in war, along with his family name,” Ruby explained.
“Ah, so he was originally from a commoner family?”
“Yes,” Ruby replied honestly, without a trace of embarrassment.
“That’s amazing. I’ve never met a noblewoman from a commoner background,” Sennis said, clearly intrigued.
“Miss Ruby,” Barker said, trying to steer the conversation back. “Do you get along with Prince Ivan?”
“Well, we’re friends,” Ruby said, referring to Ivan as her friend.
Sennis and Barker looked at each other, surprised by Ruby’s casual mention of being friends with Prince Ivan.
“To be friends with the prince… I envy you,” Sennis said, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Ivan with a mix of admiration.
“Miss Ruby, do you know why Prince Ivan decided to host this tea party?” Barker asked.
Ruby was about to say that it was because she asked him to, but then decided to give another reason.
“As Prince Ivan just said, it’s important for us to become familiar with each other to build good relationships for the future of the Baldur Empire,” Ruby explained.
“No, that’s not why he did it,” Barker said firmly, as if he knew Ivan well. “Prince Ivan didn’t seem interested in us at all during his birthday banquet.”
“Maybe he’s changed now,” Ruby said with a smile.
She nonchalantly rubbed her neck, where she wore a diamond necklace that sparkled in the light.
Sennis noticed the necklace and immediately became even more curious.
“Oh, that necklace is beautiful. Where did you get it?” Sennis asked.
Ruby smiled faintly at her curiosity.
