Chapter 87…
It’s Getting So Lively~
If that handsome, delicate-looking Lord Artur were to ever shower affection on someone, it would have to be no one less than a goddess. Only a beauty of national-treasure level could possibly match him.
“Umm, Lord Artur’s gift, his gift…”
“Yuri, what about the barrette you’re wearing now?”
“Oh, that’s right!”
I had completely forgotten.
“Please, let us see it, Lady Yuliana!”
“May I take a closer look as well?”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
I removed the barrette and placed it on the table.
It was crafted with exquisite detail — a silver barrette adorned with small silver osmanthus flowers. It had recently become one of my favorite accessories.
Since I often wear my hair half-up, I usually have it on except when bathing or sleeping. Even someone as clumsy as me finds it easy to use, which I’m grateful for.
“How lovely…”
“The silver osmanthus is also the symbol of the Lindor family, and the silver color matches Lord Artur’s hair… It feels like a wish to strengthen the bond between the two houses.”
“Because it’s not made of gold, I think he chose it while thinking of Yuri. Silver suits you better, after all.”
“It even reflects Lady Yuliana’s preference for modest elegance.”
“Oh…!”
“What’s the matter, Lady Liz?”
“M-maybe I’m overthinking it, but… Lord Artur has silver hair, right? So maybe… he made it silver for that reason?”
“!! That’s a faint sign of possessiveness — wanting to dye her in his own color!?”
“Possibly, yes. But if that’s true, don’t you think this is a very deep expression of love?”
“I can feel the love~”
“It’s definitely love, no doubt about it.”
— Wow, everyone’s really getting fired up…
Even though this is about me, I’m the one who can’t keep up with the conversation.
I guess I need to try harder~.
— Lord Artur really has good taste, though.
He had sent me this barrette on its own.
It came in a small box — when I opened it, I was surprised to find such a beautiful piece inside.
— If I recall, there was a little message card too. Something like, “I can’t wait to see you again.”
As expected of a main character, he really knows how to make an impression.
“An engagement built on love is so rare… I envy you, Lady Yuliana.”
“But it’s only because he hasn’t met anyone better than me yet. Surely in a few years, he’ll fall for someone else…”
“Lady Yuliana, that’s not true. At the very least, he doesn’t choose based on appearances.”
“That may be so, but…”
There are plenty of people with better personalities than mine.
So if Lord Artur were to fall in love with someone else, it wouldn’t be strange at all.
After all, there are many people far superior to me.
“It’ll be fine, Yuri.”
“Ellie…?”
“Once someone like him falls in love, they never love anyone else. The chance of him falling for another person is practically zero.”
— Well, I’m not even sure Lord Artur likes me that way, so if he did get engaged to someone else, I probably wouldn’t feel much about it.
Still, I appreciated Ellie’s kind words.
“Thanks, Ellie.”
“Hehe, you’re welcome.”
After that exchange, Lady Liz changed the topic.
“Well then, shall we move on to our usual tradition?”
“Our usual…?”
“This is your first time, Lady Yuliana. It’s a standard at women’s tea parties — bragging about your love life!”
Eh— bragging… what?
“That’s basically why we came here, isn’t it~”
“It’s fun to talk about yourself, but it’s even better to hear about others’ experiences.”
“……”
I had assumed this engagement celebration was a formal noble event — that after some light conversation, we’d move on to an important topic.
— But wait… isn’t this just an ordinary girls’ gathering?
Does this tea party even have a purpose?
Notes
Supplement 1:
The silver osmanthus (ginmokusei) flower language meanings include:
-
“To attract your attention”
-
“First love”
-
“Nobility”
-
“One and only love”
…As you can see, most meanings are tied to romance.
Supplement 2:
A brief introduction to the family crests:
-
House of Lindor: A longsword with silver osmanthus
→ Symbol of knights who protect the country from its enemies -
House of Forein: A droplet and a crocus
→ Symbol of agricultural prosperity -
House of Chevalier: A white rose and berries
→ Symbol of peace and tranquility in daily life -
Kingdom of Anrylil: A red rose with green wings
→ Symbol of nobility and the wish for peace
(The Anrylil Kingdom’s emblem also appears on the national flag.)
For royalty, the national flag effectively serves as a family crest.
Each family’s floral symbol often represents common regional flora or a flower cherished by their ancestors.
The Lindor family’s crest includes a sword because many of its members serve in the knights’ order.
The Forein family’s raindrop motif signifies their role in sustaining the kingdom’s agriculture.
Supplement 3:
In response to Yuliana’s final questions:
① “Isn’t this just a pointless girls’ gathering?”
→ Correct.
② “Does this tea party even have a purpose?”
→ It does.
The title, tagline, and tags of the story all suggested romance, yet most of the chapters so far hadn’t contained much of it.
(The reason: the author thought, “We can deal with romance later,” and then took around twenty chapters just to reach from Lua’s rescue to the attendant approval scene, etc.)
So yes, it’s my fault. I’m truly grateful to all the readers who’ve stayed with me this far. Thank you so much.
The tea party will continue for a bit longer, so I hope you’ll keep enjoying it.
