Ch.7Tea Party (2)

“A tea party.”

The touch of hands fixing my hair was gentle.

It would just be a place to drink tea and eat snacks. Why did I need to be adorned with such cumbersome decorations?

Suddenly, I frowned as the accessories weaving through my hair felt uncomfortable.

With mountains of tasks to complete today, was it really right to engage in such useless activities?

Those tea parties were like playing with dolls—matching wits with dim-witted noble ladies and laughing at jokes that weren’t even funny.

Just imagining it made me sigh softly.

“You don’t look pleased.”

“Because I don’t want to go.”

I couldn’t understand why I had to attend such gatherings.

Rather than engaging in pointless conversations with those ladies, I’d find much more fulfillment swinging my sword and working up a sweat.

Though I’d been told it was good to build relationships with those who would help lead the empire in the future, I wondered if those fools actually had any interest in politics.

They’d probably be more interested in the passionate love stories of neighboring nobles than the emperor’s latest policies.

As my blue eyes darkened again, the maids around me began moving urgently.

They were reading my mood and acting accordingly.

But I wasn’t in a particularly bad mood, so with a slight gesture of my hand, the commotion immediately ceased.

How uncomfortable the position of the duke’s daughter was.

Ironically, being in this position made me feel like I was suffocating under constant pressure.

The expectations placed on me were easily felt, even when people tried to hide them.

“Ropena.”

“Yes, miss.”

With another light gesture, Ropena began dismissing the other maids.

I made eye contact with one who was complaining that there was still more to be done with my appearance.

The way her face instantly turned pale was truly a rare sight to behold.

Once all the maids except Ropena had left the room, I mentioned someone who had suddenly come to mind.

“What about Evan?”

Knight guard Evan Fried, who had been a knight candidate in our household for some time.

Beyond knowing that his talent was exceptional enough to be called a genius and that he had become a guard knight, I knew nothing about him.

‘He’s irritating.’

From the first time we met, he had been quite displeasing to me.

More precisely, I had been secretly hoping he would disappear from my sight as soon as possible.

Why was that? Thinking about it, he hadn’t made any major mistakes.

In terms of skill, he was actually the best among all those I had met.

The assassins we encountered that night were by no means unskilled.

His ability to subdue them with ease certainly exceeded the level of an expert.

“Sir Chris went to call him, so he should be here soon.”

“I see.”

Whenever I recalled those warm green eyes looking at me, I felt my heart sink.

That unusual sensation made me frown involuntarily. Why didn’t he ever complain?

I was certainly treating him more sharply than usual.

‘Don’t you think I’m being negligent?’

He was diligent. He performed his duties so well that “conscientious” would be an appropriate compliment.

He woke up at dawn to train with Sir Chris, and spent his leisure time reading books.

I thought he was quite different from other knights who were busy sprawling out and sleeping after training.

Yet I still treated him harshly because whenever I saw him, one phrase came to mind.

A phrase that completely shattered the mask I wore.

“Are you alright?”

That calm tone echoed in my ears. No matter how I tried to block it out, I couldn’t forget those words.

What I saw in those green eyes was clearly sympathy, concern, and compassion for me.

I knew well that the emotions behind his calm tone were the same.

How could he look at someone he had barely met with such eyes?

No one had ever looked at me that way before.

The emotions in the eyes of those who looked at me were always fear, respect, or admiration.

Those trembling eyes when they looked at me were truly unforgettable.

My closed eyes fluttered slightly. Opening them as the breeze blew through my trembling eyelashes, I realized the window in front of me was open.

The garden visible through the window was also green, making my chest feel somehow constricted.

“…Sigh.”

How long had it been since I called for him, and he still hadn’t arrived?

Just as I was about to direct my suddenly rising irritation at the absent Evan Fried, a knock interrupted my thoughts.

Knock knock-

By the time the door opened, my lips had returned to a horizontal line.

#

“You’re late.”

I had no idea what made her say I was late. I unconsciously exhaled at the cold gaze directed at me.

Though I wanted to argue, I couldn’t, so I simply apologized and bowed my head.

The chill in her casual voice made it clear that her mood was not good, unlike usual.

I didn’t know what had put her in such a bad mood, but it would probably be better for my well-being to be careful now.

“I heard you’re going to a tea party.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

A tea party? So that’s what had put Airin in such a terrible mood.

Come to think of it, she rarely showed her face at social gatherings in the future either.

Weren’t people surprised when Airin Yuris appeared at that place where she fought with the female lead?

But it wouldn’t be bad for her to make appearances like this occasionally.

She probably knew that too, which is why she was attending this social gathering.

With her brilliant mind, she would know that even if she disliked something, she had to do it if it was necessary.

My attention was suddenly drawn to the dress she was wearing, and I couldn’t help but admire her attire.

A dress that seemed to have captured the stars of the night sky, with light brilliantly scattering in the air,

Gold, silver, and copper threads intertwined to create what looked like a painting, leaving my lips slightly parted.

Her snow-white hair fell onto the shoulder straps of the dress, and her elegant appearance shone so brilliantly that it overshadowed even the accessories adorning her.

If Ropena hadn’t given me a warning look as I stared blankly at the sight, I might have unconsciously approached Airin.

“…Really now.”

My heart ached as if stabbed by a dagger at her look of contempt.

How was it wrong to look at someone beautiful?

As I briefly bowed my head, Airin clicked her tongue once and began walking.

When I turned my head, I saw Ropena looking at me with pitying eyes, and I could only smile bitterly.

After walking for quite some time, we came upon a garden where flowers were blooming neatly everywhere.

The duke’s residence was so vast that I hadn’t been able to explore it all, and my eyes widened again at the discovery of such a place.

All the summer flowers were gathered in one place.

Beyond the blue-green garden that seemed to capture the essence of summer, I could hear the chattering voices of women.

Probably the voices of the noble ladies invited to this tea party.

Tall sunflowers sent their unspoken affection toward the distant rising sun,

While scattered phlox displayed their purple beauty among the green leaves.

Roses of various colors forgot their thorns as they exuded their fragrance,

Making me wonder if even the weeds I was stepping on might be unnamed flowers.

Ropena’s eyes sparkled at the picturesque scene, and she ran forward with quick steps.

Like a fish finding water, she continuously looked around, and when Airin nodded her approval, Ropena began picking wildflowers and weaving them around her wrist.

“Would you like me to make one for you too, miss?”

“No, I’m fine.”

A smile naturally formed on my lips at her childlike behavior.

Despite being the same age as Airin and me, she possessed a child’s innocence and was someone who thoroughly taught observers what joy was.

When I briefly turned my gaze to Airin, a hollow laugh escaped me at the intense disgust in her eyes.

Since her gaze was directed beyond the garden rather than at Ropena, I could easily guess why she disliked such social gatherings.

The reason was probably the noble ladies who would be beyond there.

It was understandable. Most of the noble ladies in this world stood at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from the Airin Yuris I knew.

Unlike the fierce power struggles adults engaged in, this tea party would be filled with conversations typical of girls that age.

For Airin, who was quite distant from such things, it would just be a boring tea time.

In my opinion, she probably thought swinging a sword would be much better.

My sudden concern was whether Airin would be ostracized in this social setting.

After all, she genuinely hated even tea parties like this, so she probably hadn’t shown her face at other parties either.

They would have already formed their own factions. And in those factions, the name Airin Yuris would certainly be absent.

“…Sigh.”

The limited foundation she had built in the novel was probably due to this.

Because she had no interest in socializing, she hadn’t created a force that would be truly loyal to her.

Eventually, when she was pushed into a defensive position by the crown prince, those who had only been outwardly loyal to her quickly left, leaving her all alone.

The troubles she would face in the future were certainly due to such situations.

My brow furrowed with rising concern. Did she know about my worries?

I wanted to offer advice, but her attitude, which seemed to not even acknowledge me as her guard knight, made it difficult to even speak to her.

Whether this was a test for me, or if it was her intention to distance me, to make me dislike her—

It was a truth I would soon learn with time.

So for now, I would just silently watch over her.

“It’s about time for you to depart.”

“…I suppose so.”

When I quietly spoke to Airin, who had been watching Ropena pick wildflowers, she nodded readily and called Ropena over.

Airin’s steps as she avoided the flowers blooming on the green lawn of the garden were quite elegant.

Or perhaps it seemed as if the flowers were making way for her.

Like one of Moses’s miracles, the way she walked without disturbing the lush greenery made her look like a born aristocrat.

Just as I was admiring her appearance, a long white table came into view as we left the garden.

Above it was a white tunnel entwined with rose vines. Gathered beneath it were noble ladies happily enjoying their tea time.

“Oh my, is that so? I had no idea such a thing happened.”

“It’s possible. By the way, I heard there was a disturbance in the count’s territory recently. Was anyone hurt?”

“Thank you for your concern. Fortunately, all our family members are safe.”

A chill appeared in Airin’s eyes at the sight of them chattering like sparrows.

A chill that would make observers’ skin crawl. Even a child could tell how much she disliked this place.

Thud.

The cold footsteps crossing the noisy garden brought sudden silence.

As if freezing their space solid, the expressions of the noble ladies who had been laughing with their hands over their mouths just moments ago stiffened, making them look like statues.

“…Oh my, the duke’s daughter has arrived.”

“We pay our respects to the future Shield.”

Eventually, heads bowed deeply and greetings followed, but my impression was quite different from those noisy greetings.

I felt that the noble ladies’ attitude toward Airin was like a wall.

A very solid wall that would not let Airin into the tight-knit something they had created among themselves.

When I saw Airin’s still expressionless face despite knowing this, all I could do was smile wryly.