Chapter 93

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Clink-Clank. Clink-Clank.

Lucy leaned back in the swaying carriage and looked out the window.

A splendid cityscape unfolded outside.

The city, Belgadia.

Belgadia was the center of the kingdom’s social life.

Many upper-class noble families owned mansions there, and it was a city where social gatherings, banquets, and balls were frequently held.

So why had Lucy come to such a city?

It was because of Ellie.

After meeting her mother in Harmonia and returning home, Lucy had enjoyed a peaceful life for a while.

She took Finn and Hon for walks in the nearby forest, visited Leyton Castle for delicious food, and even flew in the sky on the Bone Dragon a few times.

Then, she received a request from the Lord of Leyton:

To go to Belgadia with Ellie.

A tea party was being held in Belgadia, hosted by the eldest son of the kingdom’s Grand Duke.

The Grand Duke’s eldest son had sent an invitation to the Leyton family, but for some reason, he had excluded the heir Ed and the second son Ron, inviting only Ellie.

Moreover, the invitation included the following:

—When attending the tea party, only one maid can accompany you without any escort knights.

The intention seemed suspicious, but one couldn’t refuse an invitation from the Grand Duke’s eldest son.

Refusal might cause problems with the family’s prestige.

Therefore, the Lord of Leyton asked Lucy to attend the tea party as Ellie’s maid.

After the incident with Lord Howard, the Lord of Leyton trusted Lucy immensely.

He believed that Lucy would be able to protect Ellie safely no matter what situation arose.

“I’m counting on you, Lucy.”

“Yes.”

For that reason, Lucy was currently in Belgadia with Ellie.

She didn’t bring Finn and Hon because they wouldn’t be allowed inside the Grand Duke’s mansion anyway.

The Grand Duke’s mansion was located in the heart of Belgadia. It was a luxurious and magnificent mansion, like a castle.

Soon, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the mansion.

“We have arrived, Miss.”

“Ah, yes. Let’s go, Lucy.”

Ellie took Lucy’s hand and got out of the carriage.

“Then, I will wait nearby. I hope you have a pleasant time.”

“Thank you.”

As the Leyton family’s coachman retreated, Ellie moved into the mansion with Lucy.

Knights checked their identities in front of the mansion, and after confirming the family’s seal that Ellie had brought, they were immediately allowed in.

“Wow.”

Ellie’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

“It’s beautiful…!”

From the entrance of the mansion, a red carpet was laid, and the surroundings were decorated with beautiful flowers.

The red carpet continued through the mansion’s garden and into the interior.

It seemed to be meant for them to walk on, but Lucy thought it was an unnecessary show.

From the start, Lucy found this tea party suspicious. Excluding Ed and Ron and inviting only Ellie?

Moreover, it was strange to ask them to come with only a maid and no escort knights.

She had come along because she was worried about Ellie, but the maid’s attire was uncomfortable, and she didn’t like the ostentation from the entrance.

Therefore, she was ready to mercilessly punish the Grand Duke’s eldest son if he tried anything funny.

“Um, excuse me….”

Then, she suddenly heard a voice from the side.

“Lucy…?”

She turned around and saw a girl in a dress standing there. Her face looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t remember right away.

“Lu-Lucy, is that you…?”

Lucy nodded for now.

Then, the girl smiled brightly and took Lucy’s hand.

“It’s-it’s me…! Estelle!”

“Ah.”

Only then did Lucy remember.

Estelle.

She had met her in Cressia.

She was the mayor’s daughter, and Lucy had helped her when she was being chased by masked men.

After that, they had taken a bath together, and Lucy had transformed Estelle into a rabbit, carrying her in her arms and stroking her.

“It’s been a while, Estelle.”

“I-I really missed you, Lucy!”

Estelle hugged Lucy tightly, as if moved.

“Ahem!”

Then, Ellie cleared her throat from the side. She didn’t like someone else hugging Lucy instead of her.

“Who is she, Lucy?”

“This is Estelle. The daughter of the mayor of Cressia.”

“Ah, hello. My name is Estelle.”

Estelle bowed to Ellie.

Ellie didn’t like her at first, but she couldn’t ignore the greeting, so she waved her hand slightly.

“Hello.”

They seemed to be about the same age, so she didn’t use honorifics.

“I’m Ellie from the Leyton family.”

“Ah, I know the Leyton family. I heard it’s a peaceful place where monsters don’t appear… And I heard rumors that the youngest daughter of the Leyton family is very beautiful…”

Estelle smiled shyly and said,

“Now that I see you, the rumors were true…”

“…”

Ellie’s face turned slightly red.

◈

Estelle and Ellie quickly became friends.

They were about the same age, and neither of them was unpleasant, so they quickly took a liking to each other.

“I see… Ellie’s brothers weren’t invited to this tea party.”

Ellie nodded at Estelle’s words.

“Yeah. So I came with Lucy. I think something’s a little strange.”

“…My father also said something was strange. The invitation said that only a maid could attend with the guests without escort knights. But we couldn’t refuse a tea party hosted by the Grand Duke’s eldest son…”

“I forced myself to come too. Do you know what the Grand Duke’s eldest son is like, Estelle?”

“Ah, no. This is my first time at a social gathering…”

“I see.”

As they talked and walked, they arrived at the garden.

The garden was also covered with a red carpet and flowers, and all kinds of refreshments were prepared on a large table.

Estelle looked around and said,

“It seems that all the invitees to the tea party are young ladies.”

There were only young ladies dressed in gorgeous dresses around. There wasn’t a single man.

“That’s right. Where is the Grand Duke’s eldest son?”

That was the moment Ellie said that.

“Ahem! Ladies, please pay attention!”

Someone raised their voice.

It was an old man in a butler’s uniform.

“Now, the eldest son of the Astoria Grand Duke and the host of this tea party, Lord Sebastian de Astoria, will enter. Everyone, please show your respect!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of musical instruments began to play from one side.

And from inside the mansion, someone began to walk out, stepping on the red carpet.

All the young ladies in the garden looked in that direction.

Of course, so did Lucy.

Thump. Thump.

Walking out was a blond boy dressed in flamboyant attire.

He looked chubby and overweight, and his waddling gait made him look like a baby pig.

Yet, he had a rose in his mouth, and Lucy couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Pfft.”

Then, the old man in the butler’s uniform glared at Lucy.

Lucy pursed her lips to suppress her laughter and waited for the appearance of the chubby boy named Sebastian to end.

After a while, when the boy stood in front of the garden, the music stopped.

The boy held the rose he had been holding in his mouth in his hand and looked around. His eyes, buried in fat, looked like buttonholes.

“Oh.”

The boy soon spotted someone. It was none other than Ellie.

The boy walked straight to Ellie and handed her the rose he was holding.

“Please accept this, beautiful young lady.”

Ellie’s face slightly frowned. She didn’t seem to want to receive it.

‘Ew. I don’t want it.’

But the other party was the eldest son of the kingdom’s Grand Duke. Ellie reluctantly reached out and took the rose.

“T-Thank you. To give me such a beautiful flower…”

“Hehe, you are much more beautiful than the flower.”

“…”

Sebastian twisted his lips. He seemed to be smiling, but it wasn’t very noticeable because it was buried in fat.

He stared at Ellie for about 5 seconds, then turned his body and walked to the center of the garden and stood there.

“Cute ladies. Thank you very much for coming to this place today. I am Sebastian de Astoria, the eldest son of the Astoria Grand Duke. This tea party is a special occasion where I have invited only the most beautiful young ladies in the kingdom.”

He looked around and gave a meaningful smile before continuing.

“Today, please eat and enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content. And… you are always welcome to talk to me comfortably. Ah, and one more thing. This tea party will continue until sunset.”

◈

The tea party began.

The musicians’ music echoed, and the young ladies picked up the refreshments on the table and chatted.

Sebastian sat on a fancy chair on one side of the garden, striking a pose, as if expecting the young ladies to come and talk to him.

As he expected, some young ladies hesitantly approached him and greeted him, but Sebastian wasn’t very happy.

He wasn’t particularly satisfied with the appearances of the young ladies who had approached him.

What he was looking forward to was a conversation with cute young ladies like Ellie and Estelle.

But Ellie and Estelle weren’t even looking at him and were busy playing with each other.

They seemed to be having a good time talking to a young maid…

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, Sebastian’s eyes widened. Although they were just buttonholes.

‘Wh-who is that girl?!’

Sebastian stood up in surprise.

A silver-haired girl standing between Ellie and Estelle with an expressionless face.

He hadn’t paid much attention to her because she was wearing a maid’s uniform, but now that he looked at her, her beauty was extraordinary.

She wasn’t at all inferior even among the gorgeously dressed noble young ladies. No, she seemed to be the most outstanding.

‘To think there was such a cute child…!’

Sebastian immediately moved towards them.

“So, Lucy turned me into a rabbit and my escort knight into a crow…”

Estelle, who was telling Ellie something, stopped talking when she saw Sebastian approaching.

Then, Ellie and Lucy also turned their gazes to look at Sebastian.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading, have a nice day!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Self confidence is earned, when you acknowledge even the worst of yourself.

Trying to hide your dumb parts however, is the act of blinding yourself.

Don’t trust me? Go ask Kat!