Chapter 86…
“Loved…? In what way exactly?”
Before going out with Yuri and Lua, there was a tea party I had to attend.
That was—
“Thank you for coming today, Lady Eliana, Lady Yuliana.”
“The honor is ours, Lady Cloris.”
The invitation to a tea party held in one of the palace’s rooms had arrived a little while ago.
The host was Lady Liz — a member of the royal family — which meant refusal was practically impossible.
And so, I was forced—well, almost forced—to attend.
—It’s the first time I’ve seen her with her natural colors…
Today, Lady Liz wasn’t using magic, so instead of the black hair and eyes from the last time we met, her lime-green hair and ruby-red eyes were on full display.
Her dress, in shades of fresh leaf green, was decorated with tiny flowers that evoked an image of a blooming meadow.
Her twin-tails, tied near her ears, bounced lightly every time she moved.
“Please, this way.”
Guided by Lady Liz, we took our seats.
Before us was an array of beautifully prepared sweets.
—They look delicious…
Some were even shaped like bears or rabbits, so cute that it almost felt wrong to eat them.
Then—
“Pardon me for being late.”
A soft, pleasant floral scent drifted by.
—Ah, I know this smell.
It was a scent I’d experienced many times before—calming and familiar.
“The tea party hasn’t begun yet, so please don’t worry. We only just arrived ourselves, Lady Leticia.”
“I see. That’s a relief. Thank you, Lady Eliana. And Lady Yuliana, it’s been a while.”
“It has indeed, Lady Leticia.”
Lady Leticia’s crocus-colored hair was styled as always, her pearl hair ornament matching her eyes perfectly.
Her black, princess-line gown had an air of dignity—elegant and noble without being overly sweet.
—Lady Liz’s dress is adorable and floral, while Lady Leticia’s is cool and aristocratic… totally fits their personalities.
Of course, the same applied to Eliana and me.
Eliana’s gown was a bright, elegant red empire-line dress.
The shade was a deep, mature red—not flashy, but refined.
Her long flaxen hair was braided neatly.
—Beautiful people really can wear anything and make it work.
My dress, a short one in a clear blue matching my eyes, was chosen for ease of movement—my favorite kind.
—Anyway, today’s tea party only includes me, Elly, and Lady Leticia. A royal and two duchess families… Maybe this is about something important?
Both the Lindor and Forlain ducal houses have connections to the royal family and wield influence in society.
That’s why we have to be careful with what we say.
Well, that goes for all nobles, even viscounts.
“Thank you again for coming today. This tea was brewed with freshly picked leaves. Please enjoy.”
At Lady Liz’s prompting, I took a sip.
—As expected of royalty, it’s delicious.
But of course, it wasn’t going to end as a simple tea gathering.
“I’m sure you all know that there’s a special reason I called you here today.”
—Sorry, I have no idea.
Her expression was serious, but I had absolutely no clue what she was talking about.
…Wait, Elly and Lady Leticia are both nodding along—am I the only one who doesn’t know!?
Someone please tell me!
“Of course, it’s to celebrate…”
—To celebrate…?
“Lady Yuliana’s engagement!”
“…Huh? Me? Engagement celebration??”
Wait, engagement celebration… what now?
“Congratulations on your engagement to Lord Arthur! I apologize for being late in saying it.”
“A duchess marrying into a count’s family is highly unusual… Is there some special connection between you and Lord Arthur?”
“Honestly, Yuli just told me, ‘My engagement to Lord Arthur’s been decided,’ and that’s it! So today, I’m going to hear all the juicy details!”
—Uh, everyone’s eyes are sparkling way too much right now…
They say girls love romance talk, and maybe that’s actually true.
In my previous life, I never had anyone to discuss that kind of thing with, so I wouldn’t know.
“So, what do you think of Lord Arthur?”
“Uh… well… he’s normal?”
“There’s no way he’s just ‘normal’! I won’t give up until you tell us the truth!”
—No, really, that’s all there is to it…
“Did you know him before the engagement?”
“No, we first met during the engagement meeting…”
“Was it love at first sight?!”
“It wasn’t.”
—I mean, I did think he was handsome, but that’s not the same thing.
Every single “colored” person has a high face-value score.
(Note: Yuliana stubbornly insists, “I’m not one of the colored ones!” and thus fails to realize that she’s also incredibly attractive.)
“But even if you don’t have feelings for him, it’s obvious that Lord Arthur loves you, Yuli~”
“Eh?”
“Really!?”
“Please, do tell, Lady Eliana.”
—Loved…? In what way exactly?
Since that first meeting, I haven’t seen Lord Arthur again—not even once.
We’ve exchanged a few letters, but that’s all. Nothing else.
“I can tell from his gifts, even without seeing the letters. I’m sure of it—Lord Arthur adores Yuli.”
“Ad…ores?”
“What kind of gifts did you receive!?”
“I’m curious about what his letters said too.”
“P-please calm down, Lady Liz, Lady Leticia!”
I leaned back, trying to get some distance from the two, who were suddenly way too close.
Just escaping their enthusiasm took effort.
—Wait, adored? By Lord Arthur? No way, absolutely not!
There’s no way someone like me is being “adored.”
And even if I were… that kind of affection has no place in my peaceful, book-filled life.
