Chapter 52
Even though it was just a friendly gathering of girls who had not yet made their debut, it could never be taken lightly.
It was a smaller version of high society, where gossip and noble-style speech flew everywhere.
As I stepped into the mansion of Baron Lastin, I prepared myself.
“Thank you for inviting me, Miss Kien. It’s been a while, Baroness Lastin.”
“Thank you for coming, Miss Riez. That light green dress suits you very well.”
I bent my knees politely and greeted Kien and the Baroness. They smiled and welcomed me warmly.
“The mansion and garden are so beautiful and elegant. Your taste is truly excellent, Baroness.”
After praising the calm and luxurious interior, I entered the drawing room.
Five young ladies who had arrived earlier welcomed me, the last to come.
Except for Kien and me, who were fourteen, the other five girls were fifteen or sixteen.
We sat around an oval table and exchanged greetings one by one.
After compliments about the fragrant tea, sweet desserts, each other’s gifts, and outfits were exchanged, the real gossip began.
The one who started it was a young lady two years older than me.
“Did you hear? Miss Irena was caught having an improper secret meeting with the heir of Rutville!”
At her shocking topic, the other girls leaned forward eagerly.
“Oh my. By ‘improper secret meeting,’ you mean…”
“They were seen with their lips pressed together!”
“Oh dear! Even though people are more open about young romance these days, a scandal like that before debut would be a huge blow.”
“That’s why my sister asks four maids to stand guard in all directions whenever she meets her lover.”
“That’s a good method. Very wise.”
“Even with guards, you must never allow intense skinship. Remember that, everyone.”
Listening to their gossip, I sighed inwardly.
So Milly was right. Secret romance really was a trend.
It seemed to be more common among girls a few years older than me. Still… kids these days.
The conversation continued boldly, mentioning real names—who was dating whom, who had broken up with whom.
Since none of it involved anyone I knew, I just sipped my tea and reacted lightly. Then one young lady spoke to me.
“By the way, I heard your older brother, Sir Simon, graduated from the Royal Military Academy a few days ago.”
“How are you all so quick with news?”
I asked sincerely.
Is there some kind of social media I don’t know about?
“His speech as the valedictorian became quite a hot topic.”
“Oh. Was it because he shamelessly spoke longer than the principal, even though he was just a graduate?”
The girls burst into laughter.
“No, it’s because he’s so handsome and graduated at the top of his class. Did you attend the ceremony, Miss Riez?”
“Yes. I ended up going, not entirely by choice.”
“Wow, you must have enjoyed it!”
I was expressing resentment, yet they reacted with envy…
“Were there any handsome graduates?”
“No, not really. But I toured the inside of the academy. It was very interesting. The grounds are huge and well organized…”
“Well, it is the Royal Academy, after all.”
Yes. That’s true.
Feeling awkward, I stopped talking. The girl who had first spoken to me looked at me with bright eyes.
“When you debut in a few years, please properly introduce your brother to us, Miss Riez. And if he has any handsome friends, please introduce them too.”
“Oh, me too!”
“I want to stand in line as well!”
The other girls joined like hyenas lining up in an imaginary queue.
“Haha, of course.”
I lifted my teacup to hide my awkward smile.
Save me! No matter what we talk about, it always ends up being about men.
Even if we were at that age when romance and the opposite sex were the biggest interests, it was exhausting.
This was why attending social gatherings was such a chore. I had forgotten because it had been a while.
Could I really make a like-minded friend among girls like this?
While chewing a cookie to restore my drained mental energy, my eyes met Kien’s across from me.
Strangely, she had been quiet today. Unlike before, when she always led gatherings like this.
And today, she was even the host of the tea party.
She stared at me with a subtle expression, then lifted her teacup and looked away.
What was that expression?
Two hours later, the gathering came to an end.
Everyone repeated like parrots how much fun they had and suggested we meet regularly with the same members.
Finally free!
I was cheering inside and about to leave when—
“Miss Riez, could you wait a moment? I have something I’d like to discuss with you alone.”
Kien stopped me, halting my excited steps toward home.
Alone? What could it be?
“I’ll see the others off and come back.”
After she left those words behind, I sat back down on the sofa.
I wondered what she wanted with me.
She had once shown interest in my brother. Was she going to ask me directly to help her get closer to him?
If so, I would firmly refuse.
Left alone, I looked around and noticed a stack of books on a side table in the drawing room.
Thinking they might just be for show, I opened one. There were underlines and notes—clear signs that someone had seriously read them.
I thought she was the type who avoided books. Was that my prejudice?
Just then, Kien returned.
As she walked toward the sofa, I asked, “What is it, Miss Kien?”
Because of old memories, I still held a faint dislike toward her. My tone came out colder than intended.
Perhaps she sensed that my attitude was different from how I treated the others, because she hesitated before sitting across from me.
“I… want to apologize for something that happened a few years ago.”
That was unexpected.
I didn’t think the offender would even remember.
“For what? Did something happen between us?”
I tilted my head as if I had no idea. Kien steadied her breathing and spoke.
“When I was nine and visited your house… I called you frustrating and slow.”
She remembered it clearly.
“You also said I was pathetic.”
As I added to her list of wrongdoings, her cheeks turned red.
“I was young then—no, that’s just an excuse. I was foolish. I’m truly sorry for hurting you. You were going through a difficult time then… and I did something terrible.”
“……”
“Will you please forgive me?”
I could have taken her hand and said it was fine.
That would have been the easy path, no matter her intentions.
But for some reason, I wanted to see her true feelings. So I lifted my chin and kept a cool stance.
“Let me ask directly. You’re doing this because you’re interested in my brother, right? If you want things to go well with him, you need to look good in front of me too?”
Her lips parted in surprise.
“Unfortunately, you’re too late. I already told my brother everything you did to me.”
In truth, I had never said a word about her to him.
I was just testing whether her apology was sincere.
Kien clenched her fists on her lap, shut her eyes tightly, then opened them.
Would she give up and reveal her true colors?
“I want to confidently say that’s a misunderstanding… but it’s true. Before, I did have selfish intentions. Just as you said… I wanted to get closer to Sir Simon through you.”
“……You’re honest.”
“But now I’m different. I’ve grown ashamed of my narrow-minded, arrogant, self-centered past. I’m apologizing to you because I’m sorry, regardless of Sir Simon. I truly mean it.”
Her eyes, which had been trembling, became firm.
Even if she had no hope left with my brother, she still spoke like this.
It seemed genuine.
Now that I thought about it, she had been different during today’s gathering too.
The Kien I knew would have been the most excited one, showing off and spreading gossip.
“Miss Kien, you’ve changed.”
“Does it seem that way?”
“Yes.”
In a good way.
I dropped the cold mask I had been wearing and smiled.
“Lend me those books. Then I’ll accept your apology.”
I pointed to the books stacked in the corner of the drawing room—the ones I had noticed earlier.
<Pride and Misunderstanding>, <What Should We Aim For>, <Setting Milestones in Life>, <Rediscovering Dreams>, and so on.
I usually only read genre novels that chased dopamine. Just seeing titles filled with philosophy and ideology made me tired.
But seeing someone change this much made me want to try reading them at least once.
Besides, I didn’t think I had seen books like these in this world before.
Kien smiled brightly and immediately brought the books to me.
“Of course.”
Until that day, I did not know that I had formed a connection I never expected.
