Chapter 7
After Olivia left, Yudi came in.
“They say Miss Meryl has just headed to the tea party venue.”
“I see.”
“My lady, are you not upset?”
With the sudden deaths of the former duke and duchess, she had been the one who had to protect Meia.
But she had failed to protect her. After all, she was only a powerless nanny.
“I… I…”
To Yudi, Meia was a precious young lady whom she had raised with all her heart since childhood.
“Nanny, are you very upset? Angry?”
“Yes, I am deeply resentful, wronged, and filled with bitterness.”
Yudi bit her lip and trembled.
Meia gently brushed Yudi’s lip with her thumb.
“Don’t bite your lip. It’s going to bleed, Nanny.”
At Meia’s mature words, comforting her instead, Yudi loosened the lip she had been biting tightly and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
“It seems the older I get, the more easily I cry.”
At her nanny’s words, Meia simply forced the corners of her lips upward and showed a smile.
Yudi, who had attended Meia for a long time, knew that Meia’s smile was one forcibly made by lifting only her lips. That only made her heart feel even more shattered.
“By now, most of the guests for the tea party should have gathered, right? I should get going soon. By the way, when is Agnita coming?”
“They say it’s difficult to meet her because she is searching alone deep beneath the valley.”
“Really? Tell Helena to send her a letter through the earth spirits.”
“Understood.”
After reducing the swelling around her eyes and finishing the rest of her adornments, Meia slowly walked to the tea party venue.
By the time Olivia arrived at the tea party venue, she sat in the seat marked with her name and family.
The other noble ladies also began arriving one by one, greeting each other and praising the beauty of the flowers decorating the surroundings.
“Oh my, it’s decorated with carnations.”
“Oh, and here, lagrass…”
“The fragrance is wonderful.”
“The flower meaning of lagrass and carnations is gratitude… I’m looking forward to hearing the explanation of the tea party’s concept.”
To the noble young ladies, Meia was the very model and textbook example of noble ladyhood. They all wanted to imitate her elegant steps and dignified smile.
Especially when Meia hosted tea parties, she was perfect. Many noble ladies even said, “Like Lady Meia,” when preparing their own tea parties.
Above all, because she always gave excellent advice on hosting tea parties, Meia’s tea parties were always very popular.
“I’m looking forward to the desserts today as well.”
“I can’t wait to see the social circle Lady Meia will lead after becoming Empress.”
The young ladies continued their conversation happily, imagining themselves attending upon an empress overflowing with elegant grace.
Since no one knew about Meia’s broken engagement, hearing such words only made Olivia’s chest feel heavier and more suffocating.
Jingle, jingle.
Just then, an attendant entered and announced the family and name of the arriving guest.
“Lady Meryl Hartsbellua is entering.”
At the sound that Meryl was coming in, everyone seated there stopped talking. No one felt at ease around Meryl, who went around joking—or not joking—that her cousin younger sister’s fiancée position should be hers.
“Lady Meryl is here too.”
“Well, since they’re from the same household, I expected she would come…”
Meryl appeared in a splendid golden dress with her hair piled high, looking proud and dazzling.
“That seat?”
“That is Lady Meia’s seat…”
Meryl walked to the head seat at the table and boldly sat down.
“My seat is here, of course.”
At the sight of her sitting so brazenly in the head seat reserved for the tea party host, the young ladies at the venue could only gape in disbelief.
It would have been fine if the host had offered her the seat, but with the host not yet present, sitting there simply because she was a cousin was the same as declaring, “I know nothing of table manners.”
Unable to watch any longer, Olivia rose from her seat and spoke to Meryl.
“Lady Meryl, that is Lady Meia’s seat. To sit there without receiving permission from the host when she has not yet arrived is an act that goes against social etiquette.”
At Olivia’s words, the other young ladies nodded as well.
They could not look kindly upon Meryl, who had seated herself in Meia’s place as she pleased.
Meryl frowned and said,
“‘Lady Meryl’? I never gave you permission to call me by my name. It is you, daughter of Marquis Merzen, whose manners are lacking.”
Sneering at Olivia, Meryl responded with a crooked attitude.
“What did you just say?”
“Why? Daughter of Marquis Merzen?”
Even though she clearly knew it was the House of Perzen, Meryl deliberately called it Merzen. At this unexpected behavior, Olivia could not keep her expression under control.
The other young ladies looked at her worriedly.
“I am Olivia of House Perzen.”
“Ah… so it’s not Merzen, but the daughter of Marquis Perzen.”
“The seat you are sitting in is Lady Meia’s seat, so please stand up. The tea party host has not even arrived yet, and sitting there is against etiquette.”
“It’s fine. Meia would understand.”
“Whether to understand or not is for Lady Meia to decide.”
“I am a daughter of House Hartsbellua.”
“I am aware.”
“That means if it is a seat Meia can sit in, then I can sit in it too.”
At Meryl’s words, all the young ladies there froze at once.
They had much to say, but nothing came out of their mouths.
“And do you all know who I am, yet still keep your heads raised so stiffly?”
What Meryl said sounded exactly as though she meant that even the ‘fiancée’s seat’ Meia held was one she could sit in as well.
Even now, was she not going around saying that Parzraely’s fiancée would soon be changed to herself?
Unable to endure it any longer, the young ladies glared at Meryl and began speaking one by one.
“I would appreciate it if you stood up from that seat immediately!”
“Do you realize how extremely dangerous what you just said is?”
Meryl instead raised her voice, slamming her palm down on the table right in front of her.
“You still haven’t heard, have you? I am soon to become the Crown Princess! Lower your heads accordingly.”
At Meryl’s declaration, the tea party venue fell silent in an instant.
In a calm tone, pretending not to know what she had heard from Meia, Olivia asked Meryl,
“So the rumors are true—that the fiancée has been changed?”
“It’s not a rumor. I became His Highness the Crown Prince’s fiancée. It will be officially announced tomorrow, but it’s better for you all to know in advance, right? So since I have the highest rank here, I’d appreciate it if you all showed proper respect.”
At those words, all the young ladies were shocked in an instant, and Olivia, unable to hide her anger, said,
“I asked only that you observe etiquette regardless of rank. Whether you become Crown Princess or Empress, I would appreciate it if you kept proper table manners.”
Jingle, jingle.
“Lady Meia Hartsbellua is entering.”
At Meia’s entrance, everyone stood from their seats.
Meryl could not hide her displeasure at the sight of people showing courtesy to Meia, who was stepping down from the fiancée’s place even though it was Meryl who would soon become Parzraely’s fiancée and Crown Princess.
“Welcome, everyone… Oh my, Sister Meryl. You were already here?”
Meryl crooked her finger, signaling for Meia to come closer.
“Sister, I told you that you should not beckon people by wagging your finger.”
“You really do speak formally well in front of others.”
“You as well should use honorifics toward others, including me. That is etiquette.”
“Ah! I hate hearing that lecturing tone again! Speak casually like you usually do.”
“Sister Meryl, that is my seat, so I would appreciate it if you moved. That is the host’s seat.”
“Isn’t it my seat too, since it’s a duke’s daughter’s seat? Where’s my seat? I want to sit in the place of honor too.”
“I was actually planning to have your seat prepared before inviting you in, but you arrived early.”
“So I’m not allowed to come early? Why is there no seat for me? Those beneath us must not have done their jobs properly.”
“That’s not it. I told you beforehand that I would call for you when the time was right.”
At Meryl’s words, Meia let out a short sigh and instructed an attendant to bring another chair, placing it beside her own.
“Please sit next to me.”
Since the seat beside Meia was also a place of honor, Meryl nodded and sat down.
The other young ladies thought Meia wise and benevolent because of how she handled the situation, while all of them were dumbfounded by Meryl’s words and actions.
“I’ll let it slide this much.”
Meia slightly bowed her head and greeted the guests at the tea party with a smile.
The others also greeted Meia with proper courtesy. The only one still seated was Meryl.
Reading the room, Meryl slowly rose from her seat as well.
When Meia told everyone to sit, they all returned to their seats.
Meryl found the sight extremely displeasing.
“So are you all just ignoring what I said or what…?”
At Meryl’s harsher tone, Meia spoke earnestly.
“Sister Meryl, please, use formal speech.”
Annoyed that Meia kept trying to correct her, Meryl blurted out whatever came to mind.
“I already said I’m now His Highness the Crown Prince’s fiancée, so why are you, Meia, the one receiving greetings?”
The tea party venue instantly began to grow as cold as ice.
And hearing Meryl say that she was the fiancée, it took everyone a moment to process what she meant.
Meia barely suppressed the laughter threatening to escape and opened her mouth.
“I am well aware that you are free-spirited, Sister. However, this is a tea party attended by other noble young ladies as well, so I ask that you use speech and behavior appropriate to the setting.”
“Forget social etiquette—you’re always lecturing. Are you trying to keep nitpicking me because you don’t like that I took over His Highness the Crown Prince’s fiancée position? If not, then why are you the one receiving greetings?”
At Meryl’s words, the surrounding young ladies began whispering.
“Did she just say the fiancée has been changed to Lady Meryl?”
“If I didn’t mishear, then yes.”
“That makes no sense. Lady Meryl has said at other gatherings too that she would become the fiancée. Isn’t it just that again?”
With the young ladies’ quiet whispers and stifled giggles, it was perhaps only natural that the last thread of Meryl’s reason snapped.
