Chapter 90
At the unexpected guest, I blinked slowly and, seeing Aisha watching me cautiously, gave up my seat.
“Of course. Please, young lady, sit comfortably.”
She was only eight years old and not yet debuted in society, but as the heir of a duke’s household who had learned manners from the duchess, she knew how to behave.
Aisha sat down gracefully. Her manners were proper and natural, but she couldn’t hide her gaze drifting toward the table. Her small, clear face flushed slightly, as though she felt awkward about eating as soon as she sat.
I quickly realized that what she had been eyeing was the freshly baked pastries.
“The smell of freshly baked pastry is hard to resist. Would you like to try one, young lady?”
At my gentle question, Aisha widened her eyes in surprise, then straightened her back and gave a polite bow.
“Thank you, Lady Ballandier.”
“You can just call me Erdia.”
I slid the plate of pastries toward her and spoke kindly.
Among adult noble ladies, Aisha’s speech would have been correct, but since she was still a child, she reminded me a little of Serel. She seemed very awkward and uncomfortable in this kind of setting.
“Ah! Then, please call me just Aisha as well.”
“All right, Aisha.”
Not wanting to burden her, I looked away. After staring at the plate for quite some time, Aisha finally picked up her fork with great caution.
As if sneaking something she wasn’t supposed to, she timidly took a bite. Gradually, her expression softened.
Her radiant smile was so pure it made even my own heart warm. I couldn’t help but smile back.
Cough—
Then suddenly, Aisha clapped her hand over her mouth and started coughing. She set the fork down in a hurry, pressed both hands tightly against her lips, and tried to stifle the cough, her face crumpling.
“Aisha?”
She hadn’t eaten too quickly, nor was it enough bread to choke on.
I poured warm water and offered it, but Aisha shook her head politely, her small hand waving.
“I–I’m fine. It’s not stuck—cough—it’s not that….”
It would’ve been better if she had just coughed it out properly.
Instead, she stubbornly suppressed the sound, her little face turning red from holding it in.
I could only wait helplessly for it to pass and handed her a handkerchief instead of the water.
She quietly thanked me, dabbed her lips with it, and bowed her head.
After calming her breathing, she finally whispered:
“I’ve been weak since birth. It had gotten much better lately… I guess I got too excited.”
It wasn’t as though the ducal house wouldn’t let her have sweets, so her excitement must have come from another reason. Remembering how happily she had savored her bite, I couldn’t help but feel pity.
So the rumors that the heir of House Schern was too frail to even leave the estate must have been true.
“Ah! It’s not that my aunt refuses to give me desserts. It’s just that my health doesn’t allow me to eat them often…. I must have shown you an embarrassing side.”
Noticing the sympathy in my eyes, Aisha quickly added words, as though worried I’d think Duchess Beate mistreated her.
“Don’t worry, Aisha. Who in the empire doesn’t know of the duchess’s love for her niece? I would never misunderstand.”
“I’m glad. Some people do make that mistake….”
Still clutching my handkerchief, Aisha fell silent, as if hesitant to reach for the pastry again.
A moment ago she had suppressed her cough, but if she did it again, everyone would surely notice. Perhaps she thought it would trouble the duchess who had gone to such lengths to bring her here.
It was too much consideration for an eight-year-old.
“Aisha, how about some pudding instead? It should be easier than bread.”
There wasn’t much I could do in this situation—especially here, in Arfin Manor where Rivier resided. I couldn’t meddle too much. All I could hope was that this moment would be a pleasant memory for her.
Aisha whispered her thanks, nodded, and pulled the pudding toward herself.
I kept the conversation light to ease her nerves. Before long, she opened up. Her impeccable manners faded, and a child’s pure nature peeked through our chat.
“…And so my aunt still thinks I love reading books. But honestly, I only read because it’s the easiest way to pass the time.”
“Choosing books to pass the time still means you like them in some way, doesn’t it? I can’t even last thirty minutes without falling asleep.”
“Really? Hmm… Then maybe my aunt’s right, and I do like books?”
“There’s no need to divide things into only ‘like’ and ‘dislike.’ You don’t have to like books… But you don’t find it boring either, do you?”
“No. When I read, time flies so quickly. I never get bored.”
“Then maybe it’s safe to say you enjoy them. Like I said, I can barely manage thirty minutes.”
I drooped my mouth in an exaggerated pout, pretending to cry, and Aisha laughed brightly, just like a child should.
She was pure, endearingly innocent.
Though she claimed to be shy, to me she seemed no different from other children. It was only her fragile health, which kept her confined indoors, that made new situations harder for her.
“You said your dream is to attend the Academy, right? I’ll pray that it comes true.”
“Thank you! The medicine hadn’t been helping for so long… But lately I can breathe much easier, and I’m even able to go out like this. I think that’s why my aunt invited me to this tea party.”
“Doesn’t she usually?”
“No. Every time I went out before, I fainted…. So she only lets me walk in the garden. She worries too much.”
The great southern noble house, Duke Schern, passed its titles through the female line.
Duchess Beate was in fact the true duke, the official head of the family.
Why, then, was she called only “duchess,” and why was her heir not her daughter but her niece? The reasons behind that were rather complicated.
“But since I could come to a tea party today… maybe the Academy isn’t just a dream anymore!”
Aisha clasped her hands and her cheeks flushed pink. Her eyes sparkled with hope, as if her dream was already within reach.
While we talked quietly, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of Rivier moving.
‘Where’s she going with Duchess Beate?’
The two of them strolled side by side into the rear garden, as though out for a walk.
Remembering that the back garden connected with the mansion’s inner corridors, I suddenly jumped to my feet.
“L–Lady Erdia?”
Aisha, startled, stood up too.
Though uneasy about Rivier leaving with the duchess, I realized her absence meant this was my chance.
Guests were permitted to wander for a little sightseeing inside the mansion during parties. In fact, Rivier herself seemed to have dared me: Go ahead, see what happens.
If I wanted to find Jena, I needed to take even a brief look inside. I couldn’t guess what traps Rivier might have set, but at least not now.
‘But if I go, I’ll be leaving Aisha behind….’
Strictly speaking, she wasn’t truly alone—her nanny was nearby, watching carefully. Still, most of the tea party guests were famous names in society. Hardly the crowd for an eight-year-old to face alone.
No one was guaranteed to approach her, yet unease tugged at me.
More than the guests, I worried what Rivier might do to Aisha.
Especially since she was so much like little Serel.
‘Ah… honestly.’
I bit my lip and finally turned toward Aisha.
“Aisha, shall we… go have a look around the mansion together?”
