Chapter 36: Tea Party for the Ladies is Very Enjoyable Today As Well! (3)

My debut at the tea party was a complete success.

So successful, in fact, that I managed to grow close enough with Heine—the heroine of Cain’s story to host a private tea party with her.

Not just anyone, but the Heine!

Knowing that, I feel a bit more reassured, as if one of my ruin flags has been broken off.

Well, even aside from that, I’ve been so busy lately preparing to establish the Raphael Company that I haven’t had a moment to rest.

So, taking a short break like this isn’t such a bad thing.

To be honest, my daily schedule lately has been pretty packed.

I start by waking up early and having a ‘simple’ Western-style breakfast—though, for reference, the Western region of the Empire is known for serving the most lavish morning meals.

Then I head out to the outer garden and do stretching exercises to maintain the strong, villainess-like figure I strive for.

Once that’s done, I hop into the car and take our puppies for a walk.

With my brain now fully activated from the workout and walk, I begin my morning studies.

Of course, I never forget to replenish the energy spent with a bit of sugar during my morning tea time.

After finishing my studies, I have lunch with the rest of the family.

Following lunch, I take the puppies on a second walk to help with digestion.

Then I begin my magic and alchemy practice.

Usually, this means applying what I studied in the morning in a more practical setting.

Since hands-on practice can be exhausting, I make sure to take another tea break in the afternoon.

Unlike morning tea, afternoon tea is the best.

The sweets are sweeter and tastier than in the morning.

Kiriel, Dinavel, and even Exia all agree that this is their favourite time of day.

Of course, even with all the sugar we consume, there’s never any issue with our health.

Once tea time is over, I read through alchemy material indexes or herb encyclopaedias while waiting for dinner.

Though my magic skills are still lacking, my potion-making abilities have been improving dramatically.

At first, I thought I had a knack for water magic…

But after seriously diving into alchemy, I realized—this is where my real talent lies.

Thinking back, my water magic probably relied more on the necklace’s power than my own skill.

Lately, I’ve been studying enchantment—imbuing magic into items.

After dinner which, by the way, I don’t have every single day but only on occasion—I briefly review the day’s schedule.

Then, I either pet the puppies in my room, finish the book I was reading, or simply cuddle up with them in bed until we all fall asleep.

The next morning, I start all over again.

Of course, I still go out occasionally and adjust my schedule accordingly.

Hmm?

You’re wondering how Heine has time to visit with such a packed schedule?

Naturally, we arrange her visits during afternoon tea time.

When I asked Heine about it, she said her routine isn’t all that different from mine.

Turns out, most noble ladies besides me live similarly busy lives.

Honestly, in a fantasy world like this with magic and alchemy—how could studying not be fun?

Besides, nobles are usually born with at least one natural talent, right?

In a world without much in the way of entertainment, I think the best pastime is self-improvement.

Just a little effort yields visible results.

And more than anything, the studies themselves are so fresh and exciting.

How could that not be fun?

Sure, there are things like chess or horse racing…

But those aren’t really to my taste.

And let’s be real—what kind of ten-year-old enjoys horse racing?

Now, if it were a car race, that’d be a different story.

Still, considering our family is the only one in the entire western region that owns a car, it’s a bit unrealistic.

How could you even hold a race with just one car?

“Lady Lin?”

“Huh? Oh! Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment…”

The greenhouse at the Rose Garden Estate, where the roses are in full bloom.

Today again, Heine sips black tea during her visit to our mansion.

Even though we’ve had more than a few tea times together, it still feels a little surreal that I’ve become friends with Heine, the main heroine.

Alright. I just have to take my time getting closer to Heine…!

By winning her over to my side, I can block one of the major ruin flags waiting for me in the future!

At the same time, I’ll continue pushing forward with the Raphael Company’s foundation plans as a worst-case fallback, and strengthen people through the “vaccination strategy” in preparation for the upcoming gold rush to reduce the damage.

Mmhmm.

Absolutely perfect.

And with that in mind—this distance between Heine and me.

I need to do something about the fact that she still calls me “Lady Lin” out of consideration for our status difference…

…Wait.

No.

Do I really need to change that?

That kind of thinking is more fitting for a kind, righteous protagonist.

But I’m a villainess, remember?

Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for me to have Heine as a loyal follower instead?

Yes, that’s right.

I imagined myself walking through the academy with the mighty Heine by my side.

[“Lady Lin is currently enjoying her tea time. Kindly do not disturb her. If you have business with her, please speak with me, her devoted follower.”]

[“Fufu, Heine. I’m always in your debt.”]

[“Not at all, Lady Lin. I am simply honored to remain at the side of the proud flower of villainy.”]

[“It’s not good to flatter me too much, you know? Still… even though there may be a gap in our status, I think of you as a friend—no, more like a precious little sister.”]

[“Lady Lin…”]

…

…

…Perfect.

The me in my imagination looked every bit the proper villainess.

I was deeply satisfied.

Yes.

This is the way to go.

I’ll turn the main heroine, Heine, into the faithful follower of a villainess!

Cain, the protagonist, has three other heroines besides Heine.

So it shouldn’t be a big deal if I take just one of them for myself.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“L-Lord Edwin…?”

Suddenly, Father appeared, stepping into the greenhouse without warning.

Right now, I’m in the middle of an important tea party with my precious follower, you know?

“Father?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Grand Duke Edwin. I am Heine Rubel of House Rubel.”

“Ah. Forgive me for interrupting your pleasant tea time.”

Recognizing my father at once, Heine stood up in a hurry and bowed politely.

Strictly speaking, he’s the unexpected intruder, so there’s no need for her to feel so tense—but Father gave a subtle wave of his hand, telling her not to worry.

“You really did interrupt us, you know! Poor Heine froze up completely thanks to you!”

I puffed up my cheeks in protest at Father, who had barged in on my peaceful tea time with my dear frie—follower.

He gave me another apologetic pat on the head.

Normally, I would’ve let something like this slide, but…!

“I’ll be away for a while on some business. Before I left, I wanted to see your face, Lin. Forgive the intrusion.”

……Fine.

I’ll let it slide just this once!

“Well… I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Father, who’s usually so curt and reserved with his emotions, said something so openly affectionate that it made my heart soften a little.

Unable to resist, I gave him a farewell hug and told him to take care.

Only then did he seem satisfied, and he quietly left the greenhouse.

“……Lady Lin is…”

After he left, Heine looked a bit stunned.

Ah… I did it again…

Even I had to admit—that was not villainess behaviour at all.

“You and the Grand Duke… seem to be on quite good terms.”

There it was, just as I feared.

Heine was looking at me with eyes full of disappointment.

“R-Really? Isn’t this… normal…?”

“Normal…”

Heine was incredibly mature for her age.

Just like me.

Which is why being patted on the head and giving my father a hug felt embarrassingly childish—like I was just a regular ten-year-old girl.

I mean… it is like that, right?

When you’re a kid, you get all weirdly embarrassed about acting close with your parents in front of friends…

And to make it worse, I’d just been acting all high and mighty and grown-up five minutes ago, so my face started burning with secondhand shame.

I couldn’t even look Heine in the eye…

“Yes. This must be what a normal father-daughter relationship looks like.”

“…?”

Something felt off in that moment.

The ten-year-old Heine in front of me wasn’t quite the same Heine I knew.

Maybe because she was still young, her mask wasn’t as refined, and she expressed her emotions more freely—well, at least more than in the original story.

But right now, the expression on her face looked strangely familiar.

Or more accurately—it felt like I’d read it before.

“…Ah.”

“My, look at the time. Today’s tea party was simply delightful, as always.”

That’s when it hit me.

Heine wasn’t disappointed in me because I didn’t measure up to some ideal villainess she could serve.

More likely, she’d assumed I had a cold and distant relationship with my father—just like her.

And when she saw how close I actually was with him, it must’ve made her feel… betrayed.

In fact, the Rosegarden and Rubel families have more in common than most people realize.

Of course they do.

They were written as foils to each other—similar circumstances, but opposite outcomes.

To the world, my father is a cold-blooded man obsessed with money.

But in truth, he’s someone who deeply cherishes his family.

He’s just so stiff and awkward in how he expresses himself that it ends up pushing his children away.

In the Rubel family, that exact same setup gets resolved in the right way—leading to Heine and her father reconciling.

But in our case, it all twisted into something ugly, giving us my father, Rio, and my older brother, Leonard.

That said—

Unlike the original story, Father has been slowly improving his communication these days.

Even Rio—who used to be all smug and indifferent—must’ve been inspired by me or something, because now he trains in swordsmanship every day.

As for Leonard… well, he was always perfect from the start.

In other words, the Rosegarden family has changed.

I have no idea why, but it’s definitely been for the better.

But the Rubel family… doesn’t seem to have changed at all.

And really, that makes sense.

After all, I was supposed to die. My survival was a massive turning point.

But in Heine’s case, her story has unfolded just like the original—no twists, no divergence.

If nothing changes, she’ll just keep misunderstanding her father, and slowly become the cold, calculating girl who knows only gains and losses.

Later, when she meets Cain at the academy, she’ll discover love and eventually reconcile with her father.

“…Stop.”

“Lady Lin…?”

So I’m just supposed to stand by and watch as she slowly loses her ability to feel…?

Until the day she enters the academy?

I don’t think so.

To hell with the future.

To hell with the butterfly effect.

I’ve changed the future so many times already.

And now I’m supposed to ignore the friend right in front of me—just because “that’s how it went in the original”?

“Heine.”

I grabbed her hand just as she was about to rise from her seat.

She blinked down at me in confusion.

“You’re not going home today.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

Every human needs at least one tea time a day.

The reason is simple.

You need sugar to fuel your body and mind—otherwise, daily life is impossible.

In the same way, children instinctively crave their parents’ love and attention.

Today, I had tea time with Heine.

Tomorrow, I’m going to write a letter to her father.

“Heine’s been kidnapped?!”

“That’s what the letter says, sir…”

Your precious daughter,
Heine Rubel,
is currently being held captive in the room of Lin Rosegarden!!