~Chapter 69~
“Rafi, make lots of friends and have fun, okay?”
Leah bent down and gently cupped her daughter’s cheek.
“…Okay!”
Raphaella replied a bit late, feeling
nervous about meeting the crown prince today.
“Don’t forget—no one is allowed to treat you badly.”
Leah was worried someone might look down on Raphaella’s background.
Even though it was just a tea party for young noble girls, there could still be mean kids like Marco.
“You’re the daughter of the Blumhardt family. If anyone’s rude, don’t just take it, get it?”
“Got it!”
Raphaella nodded, and Leah kissed her cheeks.
It was Raphaella’s first time meeting both the crown prince and other noble kids, so Leah was nervous too.
‘…I hope everything goes well.’
She silently prayed as she watched Raphaella get on the carriage with Johann.
Raphaella waved from the carriage.
“Bye, Mom! I’ll be back!”
“Have a good time.”
Leah waved back.
The carriage passed through the big iron gates of the Blumhardt estate and headed to the palace.
“Don’t be nervous, Rafi.”
Johann held her hand.
“I’ll be nearby, and Lady Lucia is a really kind person, just like the crown prince.”
“…Okay!”
His calm voice helped Raphaella relax a little.
To their surprise, the crown prince himself was waiting at the entrance of the palace.
“…Why are you out here, Your Highness?”
Johann asked after stepping out of the carriage.
“Ahem. It’s my daughter’s first tea party—I had to greet her guests myself, right?”
Prince Matthias answered with his hands behind his back.
“Your Highness, you’re always so dramatic.”
“…Greetings to the crown prince, the little sun of the empire.”
Raphaella gave a polite bow.
“Let’s skip the formalities between us.”
Matthias bent down to meet her eyes.
“I’m your godfather now. Just greet me casually next time, okay?”
“Yes, Godfather!”
Raphaella replied cheerfully.
“Haha! I like that—‘Godfather’ has a nice ring to it.”
Matthias laughed and lifted Raphaella up with both arms.
“Ahh!”
“Your Highness, she’s scared. Please put her down.”
Johann said sternly.
“Huh? Lucia loved it. Are you scared, Raphaella?”
“No, it’s fun!”
Raphaella giggled.
Johann’s face hardened even more.
‘Even I haven’t done that with Rafi yet, and he did it first…’
Matthias burst out laughing at Johann’s fiery expression.
“Oh wow, Johann. Are you jealous right now?”
“…If you know that, then please put her
down.”
Johann replied through clenched teeth.
“Okay, okay. Your face is scary enough that I’ll stop.”
Matthias set Raphaella down and wiped away his tears from laughing.
“Raphaella, looks like your dad’s going to give you plenty of sky rides in the future.”
“Really?”
Raphaella looked at Johann with sparkling eyes.
“Sure. I’ll do it anytime.”
Johann gently fixed her slightly wrinkled clothes.
“Alright, Raphaella. Time to head to the tea party now.”
Matthias signaled a nearby maid.
“I’ll escort you, young lady.”
Raphaella waved to Johann as she followed the maid.
The maid led her through a big glass door to a place decorated with flowers and filled with tables and chairs.
Four other noble girls were already sitting there.
“Please wait here with the other young ladies. Lady Lucia will be here soon.”
“Okay.”
The maid left, and Raphaella approached the girls.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Blumhardt.”
A girl with curly blonde hair greeted her first. She looked about two years older than Raphaella.
“Oh, so you’re that Lady Blumhardt?”
A brown-haired girl next to her covered her mouth with her hand.
“I’m Emilia from the House of Hessel,” she said.
Following her lead, the others introduced themselves.
“I’m Raphaella von Blumhardt.”
Raphaella finally spoke.
“…Pfft, a country girl using ‘von’ in her name?”
The brown-haired girl—Lady Frey—turned her head and giggled.
“Lady Frey, that’s rude to Lady Blumhardt,”
Lady Hessel said with a polite smile.
But Raphaella saw the contempt in her eyes—just like Frey.
If Frey was like Marco, Hessel was a more subtle, manipulative version.
Like she was pretending to be a real lady.
“I heard you moved from the north last year?”
“…Yes.”
“Have you ever seen monsters there?”
The girls started bombarding her with questions.
“How’d you even get here from that mountain village?”
Lady Lindblum, who was about Raphaella’s age, asked.
“She probably came on a freight wagon. She wasn’t a noble back then, right?”
Lady Weiss, who had freckles, answered for her.
“Ugh, a freight wagon?”
Frey made a disgusted face.
“Lady Frey, that’s really rude.”
Lady Hessel scolded her.
“…Sorry, I have a weak stomach.”
Frey apologized insincerely.
“Oh no, it must be hard for you with such a sensitive stomach,”
Hessel said while patting her back.
It felt like watching a play.
A play about mocking her.
‘…They’re just like Marco.’
Marco insulted her directly.
These girls pretended to be polite while doing the same thing.
Raphaella remembered what Johann told her about the girls and their families.
None of these girls, except for her, had the right to use “von.”
So technically, Raphaella outranked all of them—except Lucia.
And yet, they still looked down on her.
…They probably knew it too.
“Lady Blumhardt, please understand. We’ve only ever lived in the capital.”
Hessel raised a fake smile.
“We have trouble with dirty or impure things.”
Weiss added.
Mom once said:
If someone looks down on you, don’t let them.
“You’re a Blumhardt lady—no one can treat you like that.”
Raphaella clenched her hands under the table.
“Why is a freight wagon dirty?”
I’m not going to stay quiet!
“What?”
Weiss blinked.
“I asked why it’s dirty.”
“Well, just look at it… it looks dirty.”
Lindblum replied softly.
“Do you know that the clothes you wear and the food you eat are delivered by those ‘dirty’ wagons?”
Raphaella looked around at the girls.
“Then your dresses must be filthy too, right?”
“…”
No one could say anything.
“Lady Blumhardt, please calm down.”
Hessel gave another fake smile.
“I am calm.”
Raphaella replied.
“Don’t you see that everyone’s uncomfortable because of you?”
They had been just fine until now—how convenient to act upset now.
“…This is why background matters.”
Frey mumbled.
“Her mom’s a commoner, right?”
Weiss added.
“We should be understanding.”
Hessel made a fake ‘compassionate’ face and encouraged the others.
They were only 9 or 10, but already so sly.
Creak.
Just as Raphaella stood up, unable to take more—
“What is going on here?”
“…Your Highness!”
Lucia, the star of today’s tea party, appeared.
“Looks like we’ve got some street rats pretending to be noble girls.”
Lucia scanned the room with a stern face.
“Lady Blumhardt is still new to all this, so…”
Hessel began.
“I was talking about you, Lady Hessel.”
Lucia glared at her.
“And the girls next to you, too.”
“…Your Highness, how could you say that to us?”
Frey turned red.
“Lady Frey, did you just raise your voice at me?”
“…No, Your Highness. I wouldn’t dare.”
Frey bowed her head.
“Looks like you were all looking down on the daughter of my godfather and the noble lady of the empire’s top five duchies. Am I wrong?”
Lucia was only ten, but her voice carried
real authority.
“…”
The girls lowered their heads in fear.
“Seems like I’ll only enjoy this tea party with the well-mannered Lady Blumhardt.”
Lucia gently put a hand on Raphaella’s shoulder.
“…Your Highness. But…”
Hessel stammered.
“How could I enjoy tea with those who insulted Lady Blumhardt?”
That was her way of saying: Apologize or leave—and for good.
If their parents found out, they’d be in huge trouble.
Gulping nervously, the girls stepped forward.
“…Lady Blumhardt, please forgive my rudeness.”
Hessel bowed first.
“We treated you unfairly. Please forgive us.”
The others followed.
It felt a bit forced, but now they would never dare look down on Raphaella again.
They finally understood who she really was.
“Do you want to accept their apology?”
Lucia whispered kindly.
“…As long as it doesn’t happen again, I’ll accept it.”
“We won’t ever do it again!”
All four girls nodded eagerly.
Earlier in the carriage, Dad had said:
“Raphaella, a tea party is like a small society. Let me give you some advice…”
She had listened carefully.
“In society, don’t make enemies if you can help it.”
“Okay.”
“But don’t let anyone walk all over you either.”
“…So what do I do?”
No enemies, but don’t stay quiet either?
“You dominate them. Use both kindness and firmness wisely.”
It was hard for seven-year-old Raphaella to fully understand.
“Don’t worry. You’re still young. One day, you’ll do it just right.”
Raphaella turned to look.
There was Lucia, doing exactly what her dad said.
“Now, let’s all sit down, shall we?”
Lucia gracefully wrapped things up and led everyone with ease.
‘…She’s amazing.’
Raphaella wanted to be just like her.
