Chapter 43
“Yuren, I received an invitation to a tea party today.”
Reikal spoke as if representing the others. At that, Ror’s eyes widened, and she glanced back and forth between Yuren and Reikal.
‘What… Did Yuren invite Reikal?!’
Ror, still holding a little grudge against Reikal, felt a bit disappointed in Yuren.
She had thought only Ror, Yuren, and Kainel would be at today’s tea party.
‘Tch…’
Of course, Reikal was Yuren’s older brother, so it was good for them to get along…!
“That’s right, Brother. Since it’s a tea party, I invited you and Ror…”
Yuren trailed off. He had prepared the gathering for just the two of them and hadn’t expected Kainel to come.
‘Ah-ha.’
Kainel silently nodded, as if understanding. Here, he was the uninvited guest.
Who asked to be included? I’d rather skip this awkward gathering.
Kainel was about to turn and leave the garden when he noticed Ror.
Her small lips were pressed together, her large green eyes wavering.
Her fingers nervously fiddled with the tip of a ribbon.
Seeing that, Kainel could easily guess what was on Ror’s mind.
‘Tsk.’
She didn’t want to be left alone, and she felt uncomfortable being with that Reikal guy. But now that he had forcibly brought her into this uncomfortable situation, she felt guilty holding back.
Why does this little girl, who should be a kid, try to be considerate?
Kainel recalled how Ror had stepped forward to protect him even while feeling awkward around Reikal.
‘This tiny one…’
He had seen only a few five-year-olds, but Ror was the smallest among them. Even compared to his own childhood, she was tiny.
Her limbs were so thin that it was surprising she could lift a teaspoon with her small hands, or walk and run with feet the size of his fist.
Perhaps that’s why Kainel didn’t want to leave this small, fragile child alone among the uncomfortable cousins, especially next to the bratty crown prince.
“Can I join the tea party too?”
Eventually, Kainel blurted out the words.
Ror’s face immediately brightened, and she grabbed Kainel’s arm excitedly.
“Of course! Since Yuren invited me, I’m inviting Kainel too! The more people at a party, the more fun it is!”
Ror, who had almost been intimidated, puffed out her chest confidently. With Kainel by her side, she had nothing to fear.
Hehe.
A beaming smile appeared on Ror’s previously tense face. Seeing it, Kainel felt glad he had decided to stay.
‘Why…?’
It was strange. Why did he feel like he was being swayed by this little girl? And yet, why didn’t it feel unpleasant at all?
“Ye-yeah… I guess…”
“Right?”
Ror’s expectant energy made Yuren nod in agreement.
A typical tea party is usually enjoyed with four to six people.
With only him, Reikal, and Ror, there would be just three. Counting on his fingers, Yuren laughed, seemingly convinced, following Ror’s lead.
“Ha!”
The atmosphere warmed up, but Reikal remained unmoved.
He had no intention or reason to sit politely sipping tea with a brat who had been throwing him insolent looks since the training grounds.
“Uh…”
Yuren’s smile vanished at Reikal’s scoff, prompting a faint sigh from Reikal.
He couldn’t just storm out and ruin the gathering.
Not wanting to hurt Yuren’s feelings, he decided to endure this time.
“Alright. Let’s go in.”
Reikal strode past the three and entered the greenhouse.
“The greenhouse is huge!”
Ror grabbed Kainel’s hand tightly and stepped inside, her eyes sparkling in awe.
“It’s Violetta! There are so many here!”
Red and black Violetta flowers bloomed along the walls, enveloping the large greenhouse.
Violettas climbed the glass columns like wisteria, hanging blossoms above their heads, making it feel as if they had stepped into a world of Violettas.
Following the well-laid stone paths, Ror, Kainel, Yuren, and Reikal walked further into the garden.
“Ooooh?”
Ror, gazing at the profusely blooming Violettas, widened her eyes.
The flowers here were slightly different from those she had seen in the garden a few days ago—the petals were much darker in color.
Noticing her puzzled expression, Reikal chuckled.
“Ah, that’s right. This must be your first time seeing Violetta.”
“Huh?”
Ror’s round eyes focused on Reikal.
Feeling proud to have a chance to teach her, Reikal continued in a gentle tone.
“Violetta is common in Letront, but rare in the Ateleon Empire. That’s why the Violetta garden in the Grand Duke’s residence is famous.”
Letront was a kingdom of beast people. Ror would have never seen these flowers in such a distant foreign land, Reikal thought, so he explained in detail.
“Is that so! But I…”
“Thank you for explaining.”
Before Ror could respond, Kainel suddenly interjected. Despite speaking politely, Reikal’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“I wasn’t explaining for you to hear.”
“But if you have ears, you’ll hear.”
Reikal’s expression darkened at that, while Kainel simply smiled leisurely.
“Uh… uh-oh—”
Yuren and Ror exchanged glances.
Something… felt icy. Sparks seemed to fly between them…
Even in the tense atmosphere, Ror realized something and tilted her head again.
Kainel already knew Violettas very well.
He had even found them in the corner of the garden!
Yet Reikal said they were rare in their empire… Something felt off!
But now wasn’t the time to mention it.
“Hah.”
Reikal sighed. He didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere, especially with Yuren and Ror here.
“Since this is a rare joyful gathering, I’ll forgive your insolent attitude this time only.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Kainel stopped arguing and neatly concluded the conversation, which only annoyed Reikal more.
“Phew…”
With the situation settled, a long sigh of relief was heard.
“Ah!”
Yuren suddenly exclaimed, covering his mouth and glancing between Reikal and Kainel.
Fortunately, the two simply followed the attendants to their designated spots without a word.
Suddenly remembering something, Yuren exclaimed again, “Ah!”
“What is it?”
“Well… we wanted to be alone without the knights and maids…”
Answering his older brother, Yuren recalled Ella’s advice.
‘When you have a conversation, it’s better if there aren’t many people around so you can open your hearts.’
Indeed, it would be difficult to share feelings with a crowd.
Having Kainel here was a bit awkward… but he was a friend Ror had brought along.
“Mm, alright.”
Reikal nodded. He felt a little guilty for making his younger sibling uneasy, but there was no reason not to grant such a simple request.
“But, Your Highness—”
“It’s fine. It’ll only be for a short while.”
The maids and knights tried to caution him, but Reikal waved them off.
There was no way an intruder would appear in the greenhouse of the Ateleon Grand Duke’s residence.
Yuren sometimes disliked having people nearby when he wanted to share secrets. This seemed to be one of those times.
Except for a few maids stationed near the entrance for assistance, everyone else followed the young prince’s instructions and withdrew.
Thus, Ror, Reikal, Yuren, and Kainel arrived at the tea table in the center of the greenhouse.
“W-wow!”
Ror, who had been slow while exploring the garden, quickened her pace, even letting go of Kainel’s hand as she ran ahead.
“It’s so beautiful!”
Unlike the entrance and surrounding garden, the center of the greenhouse was filled with Violettas of rich, deep colors.
It was the same shade as the Violettas Ror had seen not long ago.
