Chapter 35: Tea Party for the Ladies is Very Enjoyable Today As Well! (2)

Around the time she was just weaned, her mother was already gone.

According to stories, her father was saddened, but others weren’t quite so.

Because my mother was not a legitimate wife of noble blood, but a concubine of common blood.

From a young age, I was raised by a maid.

At first glance, it might seem like a rather unfortunate family situation, but she, unlike other maids, was a nursery maid selected through rigorous screening.

The reason for such meticulous scrutiny and examination was simple.

Because the maid had to breastfeed the noble child in place of the wife.

In other words, though called a maid, she was practically a wet nurse.

In fact, I think of her as my real mother.

Because her warmth was far greater than that of my stepmother, who would glare at me whenever we accidentally met in the hallway, or the woman smiling in a small picture frame.

The name ‘Rubel’ I bear was neither my father’s name nor my mother’s.

It was merely a trophy, won through gold.

Even at the young age of ten, I had already noticed.

That our ‘clan’ were a people who changed their names in such a way, hid themselves in the world, and secretly controlled all the gold.

Perhaps, I was made to know by my father.

If so, why?

Why did my father reveal such a truth to his daughter, who was only ten years old?

The answer could be easily found from my brothers and sisters.

Because I was not of noble birth, I had, conversely, inherited my father’s blood more strongly.

Only I was a proper child.

Whether my father truly felt that way or not is unimportant.

Only the fact that I perceived it that way mattered.

Only I am my father’s proper daughter.

Not you, who only receive superficial dresses or accessories on your birthdays,

But I, who receive silver coins imbued with old stories and an extremely practical and sturdy fountain pen.

I am Dad’s real daughter.

Under that belief,

I had to become an adult as quickly as possible.

I had to become the daughter my father needed.

I absolutely could not become like my brothers and sisters, who only whined and fussed every day, like such children.

For this reason,

A tea party like today’s was extremely important.

I had to thoroughly prepare in advance, even for the debut into the social world where all sorts of information and rumours circulated.

‘Lin Rosegarden….’

The daughter of the Rosegarden Count family, who possessed the same ‘clan’ blood as me.

According to the information I obtained, a child who was already planning to establish and operate a company.

Though I prided myself on being more mature than my peers, and even older siblings soon to enter the Academy.

I thought, as expected, the daughter of that Rosegarden family was different.

When I first heard about her, I felt jealousy.

But I realized that such an emotion was a trivial feeling that only a mere child would harbour.

An adult, an adult like my father.

When seeing someone greater, one shouldn’t feel jealousy, but rather learn from it and make it their own weapon.

“Welcome, Lady Lin. I’ve actually wanted to meet you for a long time now…. I’m very grateful that you accepted my invitation.”

“Fufu, no. Rather, it is I who am truly honored to be able to meet our Heine… No. Miss Heine in person.”

Unlike other young ladies who awkwardly mimicked adults due to their young age, she greeted me with a very dignified posture.

‘…In person?’

Lin Rosegarden, she had already seen through everything.

That I had been secretly investigating her and gathering information.

‘I thought I hadn’t been caught…’

There was a barb in her words.

A sneer mixed in, as if to say, how could I dare call this much information gathering?

As she had discerned, I had gathered basic information on all the young ladies invited to the tea party beforehand.

It was to win their favour and trust based on that, and then naturally gather various information that would be profitable in the future.

But it seemed the young lady of the Count’s family before me had already figured everything out.

‘…As expected of the young lady of that Rosegarden Count family.’

On the other hand, I felt a sense of relief.

I was very glad that another person like me existed in this world.

Behold.

Even now, isn’t she scrutinizing me from head to toe with fire in her eyes, as if trying to dig up all my information?

Honestly, it seems like she’s staring a bit too openly… but through our earlier conversation, we both know everything we need to know about each other, so there’s no need to be distant now, I suppose.

“Oh….”

So unreserved was she,

That she even tilted her head this way and that, examining me very meticulously.
…

‘Even so, isn’t that a bit too blatant an observation…?’

“Ha…! I’m sorry! You were just so cute in person, I got carried away…!”

“No. It’s quite alright. Lady Lin, you are also as beautiful as the rumors say.”

‘Cute, you say….’

Her earlier dignity vanished without a trace, and this time, she apologized, flustered like a ten-year-old child.

An act where the lack of malicious intent was obvious to anyone.

It seemed she was treating me like a mere child.

‘Unlike what I thought, you have quite a childish personality.’

Greatness aside, it seems I am a step above in terms of mature personality.

‘I felt a kinship for a moment….’

‘In the end, is this person also just a child, no different from other young ladies?’

‘Then again, I think I’m expecting too much from a mere ten-year-old child,’ Heine felt.

“Eheheh….”

…Eheheh?

Lin, who instantly became foolishly giddy at a single polite compliment.

Judging by her appearance, she wasn’t just pretending; she was genuinely happy.

Heine, who had held Lin in very high regard inwardly.

Perhaps because of that.

Unable to understand what was happening before her eyes, a momentary cognitive dissonance occurred.

Even other young ladies, who were merely children, would usually distinguish such flattery.

‘What on earth is this person?’ she wondered.

“Lady Heine! Thank you so much for inviting me to today’s tea party!”

“Ah, yes. I’m glad you seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Just then, a young lady interjected between Lin and Heine, starting a conversation about sweet pastries.

‘This child, doesn’t she know that interrupting while others are talking is not proper etiquette for a young lady?’

Heine skillfully responded to the guest, who couldn’t observe basic etiquette due to her young age, with a mask.

Meanwhile, Lin, who did know basic etiquette, tactfully excused herself.

At this moment, Lin’s evaluation score rose again in Heine’s mind, but in reality, Lin just wanted to eat sweet pastries quickly.

“Hm-hm, hmm~.”

Lin, confidently humming a tune even at someone else’s tea party, happily chose pastries to accompany her black tea.

Other noble young ladies watching the scene began to whisper quietly among themselves.

“Everyone, look over there….”

“That person is, the rumoured….”

“The Bombshell Young Lady of the Rosegarden family….”

Most of the young ladies, excluding Lin, exchanged rumours based on facts.

Heine, while attending to another young lady, vaguely overheard the whispers.

Heine’s hearing was sharp, but this time, it was simply that the young ladies’ whispers had grown louder and were audible to everyone around.

As the host of the tea party, Heine had a duty to maintain a congenial atmosphere.

More importantly, regardless of the truth of the rumors, no one would feel good hearing whispers about themselves.

Heine, slightly worried about that, casually shifted her gaze to observe Lin’s reaction.

‘……Why on earth is she looking pleased?’

However, belying such concerns.

Lin, at the end of Heine’s gaze, was scratching her head as if embarrassed.

Heine became increasingly confused about the person named Lin.

She thought she had a knack for understanding people, but she just couldn’t get a read on Lin.

The young ladies’ voices grew louder, enough for the subject herself to hear.

Nevertheless, the young ladies’ heated discussion showed no signs of stopping.

“What!? She modified that precious automobile into a magitech weapon that fires bombs indiscriminately and drove it through the middle of the city…!?”

“Shh…! If you’re not quiet, we might also disappear into dust like the citizens of Lunden…!”

“Hee, heeik….”

Moreover, rumours, by their nature, tend to be exaggerated with each telling.

Soon, stories entirely different from the truth began to spread as if they were gospel.

“Lady Heine, why did you invite such a dangerous person to this tea party…?”

“Could it be that Lady Heine was also threatened by Lady Lin…?”

“Wh-Why is that?”

“We are all young ladies of lower nobility…. To Lady Lin, the only higher noble at this tea party, we must be an eyesore…. So she must be planning to put bomb collars around our necks, make us lick her toes to know our place…!

And treat us like dogs, making us walk in the garden on all fours…!”

“……Pardon?”

“Aah…. If we don’t obey Lady Lin’s orders, our precious families will be blown up…. This is to protect our precious families, we have no choice, no choice but to become Lady Lin’s dogs….”

“It seems it would be better to stand a little further away from that person….”

“Y-Yes, indeed….”

Finally, Heine, the host of the tea party, thinking things had gone too far, clapped her hands loudly.

“Everyone. Are you enjoying the tea party?”

After that, Heine smiled faintly, as if telling everyone to behave appropriately now.

Although they were young children around ten years old, they were still noble young ladies.

Possessing a maturity beyond their years, they soon joined voices in praising the tea party and steered the conversation to another topic.

“Mmph, mmph…!”

Just then, an arm brandishing a fork shot up from the back.

“…Puha! Yes! This and that, everything is so delicious, I’m having a wonderful time!!”

“…That’s a relief.”

And so,

Watching Lin, her mouth smeared with cream, smiling foolishly,

Heine gave up on understanding the young lady named Lin any further.