Chapter 41
Unlike Ashinov’s winter estate, which was built entirely in white, the Imperial Palace was golden on the outside.
“So that’s why it’s literally called the Golden Palace?”
But once I passed through the golden gates, the inside was just ordinary stonework.
The attendant, after checking my invitation, politely guided me.
Since it was an invitation for tea, I thought I would meet the princess in her private drawing room.
Instead, the place I was led to was a huge garden.
And there, she wasn’t alone.
At least a dozen young girls in beautiful dresses were already gathered.
“This is less of a teatime and more of a tea party. It’s bigger than I expected.”
As I was looking around, trying to take in the situation, the girl in the most extravagant dress approached me.
“Are you Lady Danae, by any chance?”
The girl with flowing, wave-like pink hair smiled at me with her golden eyes gleaming.
“Ah, that’s the princess.”
The very person who had invited me to this tea—no, this tea party—was Princess Iella.
Her appearance matched the description I had heard beforehand, so it was easy to recognize her.
As I had practiced, I greeted her politely.
“Yes. I’m Danae of the Ashinov family, Your Highness. Thank you for inviting me to such a wonderful occasion.”
“There’s no need to thank me. Honestly, I thought you’d refuse. I’m glad you came. After all, the Ashinov family is famous for never replying to invitations, right? I must’ve been lucky.”
“Mm… is she…”
“…basically saying, ‘Your family is rude and ignores invitations all the time,’ right?”
Wondering if I was overthinking it, I looked at the princess’s face. Her eyes clearly said, “Go on, try me.”
“So she’s doing it on purpose.”
That being the case, there was no reason for me to take the bait.
With a smile, I answered,
“That’s true. My family doesn’t enjoy parties, so they decline most invitations. Today is actually my first time attending one. Please forgive me if I make any mistakes.”
This was what I called the “Let’s see if you dare spit in my smiling face” strategy.
“Th-then… please, sit here.”
At my mild response, the princess lost some of her fire.
It seemed she had expected me to snap back, like Baratheon or Sisé would have.
“Ohhh, I see now.”
I finally understood why people said Princess Iella wasn’t very good at confrontations.
* * *
The Imperial family and the Ashinov family.
Two great houses in rivalry. The noble ladies invited to this gathering sat with tense expressions.
This tea party was no simple social event.
“Her Highness must have planned something.”
The noble ladies exchanged glances.
Everyone knew the Imperial family considered the Ashinovs their rivals, always searching for an opportunity to undermine them.
But Princess Iella had an additional reason.
That reason was none other than Lucas Ashinov.
It was well known that Princess Iella had chased after Grand Duke Lucas for years, smitten with him.
And it was even more widely known that Lucas had rejected her in the end.
For the empire’s only princess—admired and worshipped by countless noblemen—it was a devastating blow to her pride.
Since then, Iella had been searching for a way to tarnish Lucas Ashinov’s name.
But annoyingly, Lucas was simply too perfect!
“Of course, that’s why I fell for him in the first place… Wait, no! Get it together, Iella!”
The moment Lucas’s face popped into her mind, she scolded herself and bit her lip.
Danae Ashinov, then, was the perfect opportunity.
A granddaughter of the grand duke who grew up among commoners surely wouldn’t know noble etiquette.
If she embarrassed herself here, it would stain not only Lucas’s image but also the entire Ashinov family’s reputation.
But when Danae appeared, she seemed far more familiar with noble manners than expected.
Though a little rough around the edges, her greeting had been flawless.
“And why is she this pretty? No one told me she’d be this annoyingly beautiful!”
Grinding her teeth, Iella glared at Danae, who wore a fashionable dress straight from the capital’s trends.
Her dress was beautiful, but Danae’s face outshone it so much that no one even noticed the outfit.
“…After all, the Ashinovs are famous for never replying to invitations. I must’ve been lucky.”
Straightening her shoulders, Iella threw her prepared jab, trying to mask her own unease at Danae’s radiant looks.
“There! Let’s see you respond to that, Lucas Ashinov’s little sister!”
Heart pounding, she waited for the counterattack.
But Danae’s reply was anticlimactic.
“That’s true. My family doesn’t enjoy parties, so they decline most invitations. Today is actually my first time attending one. Please forgive me if I make any mistakes.”
“…Wait, that’s a normal answer?”
Even the surrounding noble girls blinked in surprise.
If Lucas had been in the same situation, he would have ignored the provocation outright.
Baratheon would have flipped the table.
Sisé would have spat sarcasm before storming off.
But Danae simply acknowledged it and even asked for understanding?
An Ashinov giving such a normal, reasonable reply was something no one could have imagined.
“R-right. She’s just hiding her claws for now! I almost thought she was a kind, decent girl—not like an Ashinov at all.”
Struggling to steady herself, Iella launched her next attack.
“How do you like the tea? It’s grown in a southern coastal plantation. Quite hard to obtain in the north.”
It was basically saying, “You northerners are too provincial to have such good tea, aren’t you?”
This time, Iella sharpened her gaze, waiting for Danae’s counter.
Once again, the reply was disappointing.
“Thank you for offering such fine tea. It has a wonderful aroma.”
“Y-yes, of course. Please, drink as much as you’d like.”
“You’re so kind. I knew you would be. They say beautiful people are always kind, and it seems they were right.”
“B-beautiful…!”
The direct compliment made Iella’s face flush.
It was far from the roundabout, “elegant” speech nobles prided themselves on, but it wasn’t unpleasant to hear.
“I-if you like it so much, I’ll send some with you when you leave.”
“Really? Then I’ll gratefully accept without hesitation. You’re so thoughtful.”
“Hmph. The palace has more than enough of such tea. It’s nothing.”
“Even so, it’s not easy to share, no matter how much you have. That generosity is proof of your noble character.”
“W-well, if you put it that way…”
Turning her head sharply, Iella’s face was burning red.
The noble girls, who had been nervously watching, quickly exchanged glances.
“Her Highness just offered Lady Danae a gift!”
That could mean only one thing.
Danae Ashinov had won this match against the princess.
And she had done so in a way so elegant that her opponent didn’t even realize it.
Realizing this, the other noble girls quickly rose from their seats and crowded around Danae.
“Lady Danae, may I…”
“So pleased to meet you, Lady Danae. I’m…”
* * *
“…My lady, what on earth is all this?”
Marina, who came to greet me when I returned to the mansion, widened her eyes in shock.
It was because of the endless stream of boxes being carried out of the carriage.
“Oh, that? Princess Iella gave them to me.”
“What? Her Highness? She didn’t give you something strange, did she?”
Marina hurriedly opened one of the boxes.
The moment she lifted the lid, a rich fragrance filled the air. Inside was, just as the princess had said, high-quality tea leaves.
“She said they’re from a coastal plantation. A gift for me, apparently.”
“W-wait, could this be Philadenia? That’s tea grown on the imperial family’s own plantations! It’s both extremely rare and outrageously expensive… and she gave you all this?”
“Hmm… she said it was just lying around, so I should take it. Is it really that valuable?”
At my words, Marina practically jumped.
“Of course! This is top-grade tea!”
“Really?”
“How did you manage to handle the princess in such a way that she gave you such a precious gift?”
“I just… put my soul aside for a while and complimented her like crazy.”
It was the “Praise even an orc and he’ll dance” strategy.
If she asked a question, I praised her for asking such a clever question.
If she spoke, I praised her for speaking so well.
If she sighed in admiration, I praised her for being beautiful even when sighing.
“I think I even complimented her breathing at the end…”
By the time I was leaving, Iella had thrust all those boxes of tea into my hands.
“And she invited me to join her on a boat ride tomorrow. She said she wants to introduce me to her close friends.”
“Oh my, a boat ride?”
