Chapter 4
Just how lucky was today?
I was worrying about how to meet Seymour, and it turns out today is the day I visit the Grand Lady of Hayworth.
Then I was wondering how to start a conversation with her—and now I’ve suddenly been invited to her tea party!
Of course, this kind of thing wasn’t extremely rare.
Nobles liked to show off when they did good deeds.
And sometimes, to show that off, they would invite orphanage children to tea parties.
But the Grand Lady of Hayworth isn’t the type to show off.
And yet, somehow, they had really been invited!
Because of that, Rowena felt like there was a full-blown celebration happening inside her.
Is today one of those days where everything just works out?
Of course, the other children who were invited looked like they were about to faint from fear.
But that didn’t matter.
As long as she was happy, that was enough!
Humming quietly to herself, Rowena calmly picked up her teacup.
Even though, in her mind, she was singing and dancing at a party, her movements were perfectly neat and proper.
Naturally.
A golden opportunity just fell into my lap. I can’t mess this up.
Visits to sponsors’ estates only happened once every few months at most.
This visit to the Hayworth estate was because of Thanksgiving.
So the next visit would likely be at the end of the year—around Christmas.
And there’s no guarantee I’ll get a better opportunity next time.
In other words, this was practically her first and last chance.
Because of that, Rowena was paying twice as much attention to her behavior as usual.
Fortunately, she was quite skilled in tea etiquette, so as long as she didn’t make a mistake, she would be fine.
At Townsend Orphanage, which mainly dealt with high-ranking nobles as sponsors and adoptive families, the children were always taught proper etiquette.
And among them, Rowena had always been considered one of the best.
After the tea party, I’ll get a chance to talk to her.
Taking a quiet sip of hot tea, Rowena glanced around.
She hadn’t been invited to many tea parties before, but the process was usually similar.
Especially at garden tea parties like this, after refreshments, it was customary for each lady to pair up with a child and take a walk.
That’s my chance.
From the looks of it, even though the atmosphere seemed pleasant on the surface, the children were all tense.
Most of them were so afraid of accidentally making eye contact with the Grand Lady that they kept staring down at their plates.
So when it’s time for the walk, no one will dare to approach her.
That’s when I step in—
Link arms with her, and it’s game over!
Hehe.
I can’t believe things are going this smoothly.
Her twin pigtails swayed behind her as she hummed inwardly.
Now all that’s left is figuring out how to win her favor.
Rowena wasn’t a foolish child.
Even without memories of her past life, she knew that when asking something from an adult, you had to wait until they looked like they would willingly open their wallet for you.
The problem was, she didn’t know how to make that happen.
What should I do?
As she glanced toward the Grand Lady—
“Achoo!”
A series of sneezes suddenly came from a nearby table.
It was all from one person.
Martin, a nine-year-old boy.
“Oh my.”
“What should we do…?”
But the problem wasn’t the sneezing.
Because of it, the teacup Martin was holding spilled completely.
His shirt was soaked with tea.
At least it hadn’t splashed onto the noblewoman sitting next to him.
But that didn’t make the teacher’s glare any kinder.
“H-ha ha… oh dear. I’m so sorry, madam. This child is allergic to pollen… What are you doing, Martin? Stand up and apologize at once!”
The teacher practically yanked him up by the collar.
“Cough! I-I’m sorry…”
“Can’t you apologize properly? Bow your head!”
The teacher kept pressing his back down as if forcing him to bow.
Each time, Martin flinched in pain.
She was secretly pinching his side.
In the end, Martin burst into tears.
“I-I’m sorry… hng, sob…”
“Oh dear, look at him! What are you crying for?!”
The teacher scolded him, but the Grand Lady raised a hand.
“That’s enough. Stop. The child must be frightened. It pains me to see him cry. Henry, take him and help him calm down.”
“Yes, madam.”
“You are truly generous, Grand Lady. How kind you are… Next time, we’ll make sure not to bring children with pollen allergies. We almost ruined your tea party.”
As the butler Henry led Martin away, the teacher began flattering her endlessly.
Her words flowed smoothly, almost like water.
Jenny, sitting next to Rowena, tapped her lightly and wrote something on her palm under the table.
“Ugh.”
They exchanged a secret glance.
Jenny clearly found the teacher’s behavior disgusting.
But Rowena was focused on something else.
The Grand Lady.
She’s usually strict about things like this.
It wasn’t that she was harsh toward children—but she wasn’t someone who would say something like “it pains me” so gently.
And she doesn’t actually look like she’s in a good mood either…
If anything, the more the teacher flattered her—
“Even if it’s an allergy, isn’t it unpleasant when a child makes such noises in public? We work very hard to train them so that refined ladies like you don’t have to see such behavior.”
“Children don’t do it on purpose. That’s enough. It’s unpleasant to hear.”
…Her mood seemed to be getting worse.
Now that I think about it… when Martin was coughing earlier…
No one else seemed to notice because they were looking elsewhere.
But Rowena, who had been watching the Grand Lady closely, had seen something.
She just hadn’t been sure at the time because it happened so suddenly.
But if I’m right…
This might be something only I noticed.
As realization dawned, Rowena’s eyes sparkled.
Meanwhile, the tea party was already coming to an end.
The atmosphere had become unsettled after Martin’s incident, and everyone had noticed the Grand Lady’s mood worsening.
“H-hoho, I heard the spring garden of the Hayworth estate is beautiful. Since the children are here, why don’t we take a walk together?”
“Oh my, that’s a wonderful idea.”
“Yes, let’s pair up—one lady with one child.”
As the noblewomen chimed in, the children quickly stood and approached them.
Which meant—
It was Rowena’s moment.
Now!
Rowena quickly stood up and walked toward the Grand Lady.
Then, holding the edges of her dress, she gave a flawless curtsy.
“Grand Lady Hayworth, would you grant me the honor of learning your elegance?”
At her bold request, soft gasps could be heard all around.
“Gasp!”
“R-Rowena…”
Though quiet, a small stir spread among the children.
They weren’t good at hiding their emotions—especially not when they were this nervous.
Freya Hayworth, the Grand Lady, narrowed her experienced eyes.
So this is the child who’s been glancing at me.
She had already noticed the lingering gaze.
The child must have thought she was hiding it well, but no child could outwit someone of her age.
I thought she was just afraid of me…
But instead, she came forward.
So it was the opposite?
