/
“Ugh, be careful,” Lady Ghiberti clicked her tongue in response. “Really, you’re too careless…….”
“…….”
Lady Ilmaz helplessly pursed her lips.
I swallowed a sigh that was about to burst out.
‘Ah, I can’t stand this anymore.’
Honestly, it bothered me. Clearly, Lady Ilmaz didn’t need to go through such a hardship.
‘It seems like she’s in trouble because of me.’
Moreover, as I watched her being pressured like that, memories of my life in the Demon King’s castle kept coming back to me.
Those days when I had to live in fear, constantly looking out for the people who tormented me.
Now, I live happily under the protection of the three heroes.
No one can torment me anymore…….
‘Enough, why am I thinking about the past?’
I forcefully pushed away the gloomy thoughts.
At times like this, it would be much more productive to help Lady Ilmaz.
I picked up my teacup and took a sip. Then, with a furrowed brow, I muttered to myself.
“Is this tea too hot?”
“…….”
“…….”
The room fell silent for a moment.
All the ladies’ gazes were focused on me.
“…….”
I bit my lip slightly.
When Lady Ilmaz was in distress, none of the ladies reacted. They only watched Lady Ghiberti’s reaction.
It was only when I took action that such an immediate response came…..
‘How much did Lady Ghiberti bother the ladies to make them like this?’
I bit my tongue inwardly and offered tea to the lady sitting next to me.
“Lady, would you like to try this?”
The unexpected offer widened the lady’s eyes. As I held out my cup, I subtly threw a question.
“Isn’t this tea a bit hot?”
Actually, it wasn’t that hot.
But that was my perspective, and for someone who couldn’t handle hot things, it could be uncomfortably warm.
Deliberately making a fuss, I continued speaking.
“I didn’t realize the tea would be this hot. It feels like I burned my tongue.”
“Ah, um, that.”
The girl reflexively glanced in Lady Ghiberti’s direction. Ghiberti batted her eyes at her, as if to make sure she answered correctly.
Seeing this, the lady was almost on the verge of tears.
‘Hmm, I feel a bit sorry for the lady……’
Honestly, the outcome was already predetermined.
The empire’s only ducal princess and the daughter of a mere count. Just that fact alone tipped the scale.
I’m the adopted daughter of one of the three heroes whose eyes don’t mind being poked in, right?
Eventually, as I expected, the lady agreed with me.
“Yes, it’s too hot…….”
Lady Ghiberti’s eyes widened in an instant.
‘What? Why?’
Even when Lady Ghiberti, using her status to force Lady Ilmaz, didn’t she think that she would face the same treatment in return?
I chuckled and stood up from my seat.
“Lady Ilmaz.”
“Yes, yes?”
Lady Ilmaz looked at me in surprise.
I took off the shawl that was draped over my shoulders and put it around her shoulders.
It was still chilly in the morning, and my first dad had insisted that I keep my shawl on.
I never expected to use it like this.
“P-Princess?” Lady Ilmaz called out to me in a bewildered manner.
Regardless, I meticulously adjusted the shawl and secured it with an emerald brooch. Voila! The tea stains were mostly covered under the shawl.
“I’ll give this to you as a gift.”
“…A gift?” Lady Ilmaz gasped.
“It’s yours, Young Lady, to dispose of however you wish.”
For the record, my shawl and brooch were quite expensive. Perhaps if one sold them, one could afford a new dress.
“B-but.”
“But it’s not free,” I added with a shrug. “I actually plan to go out for a moment to get some fresh air.”
At that moment, Lady Ghiberti’s face crumpled into a hideous grimace.
It seems that since everyone attending the tea party is young, there’s an implicit agreement to have a designated time for walks and other outdoor activities.
Young ladies have their limits when it comes to sitting for a long time.
And it is usually the host of the tea party, or the lady with the highest status, who sets the time.
Usually, in consideration of the host of the teatime, the guests give way to her and follow her lead…
‘But that’s none of my business.’
I neatly ignored Lady Ghiberti’s fierce look.
Although she glared at me ferociously, she was unable to make a proper protest.
Do you think you stung me by talking about ‘roaming around the bottom of the demon world’ earlier?
But such a gaze was still uncomfortable.
“Lady Ghiberti. Do you have something to say to me, by any chance?” I playfully addressed her.
She regained her composure and subtly avoided eye contact.
“Ah, no, nothing.”
“Is that so? You were staring at me with such intense eyes that I thought you had something to say.”
“…….”
Lady Ghiberti looked visibly angry.
‘You’re probably quite annoyed, aren’t you?’
I suppressed the laughter that was about to burst out and turned to Lady Ilmaz.
“The conversation took a little detour. Would it be alright if I became your walking companion while Lady Illmaz goes for a walk?”
“…Walking companion?”
“Yes. I’ve been sitting for too long, and I’m feeling a bit restless. My body feels stiff too.”
Lady Illmaz stared at me with a blank expression.
I smiled mischievously.
“Can I ask for that much?”
“…………”
In an instant, Lady Illmaz’s eyes welled up with tears.
‘Oh, please don’t tell me you’re crying?!’
I panicked.
Fortunately, Lady Illmaz nodded vigorously instead of crying.
“Yes, yes! Princess!”
Well, I guess it’s fine if it’s just that much.
We can go for a walk, and she can put some distance between herself and Lady Ghiberti.
And since I’ll be by their side, it’ll be difficult for Lady Ghiberti to play any tricks.
And then.
“Excuse me, Princess.”
Someone called me cautiously from behind.
When I turned around, the ladies were gathered together, looking at me with expectant eyes.
“If you’re going out, can we come along too?”
“We’ve been feeling a bit frustrated as well.”
I squinted at Lady Ghiberti through the corner of my eye.
Jealousy, anger, and the envy of having her authority taken away. Seeing her face, filled with a tangled mess of emotions, was refreshing, as if a toothache had been relieved.
‘Maybe I just have a bad personality……?’
Self-reflecting, I flashed them a bright smile.
“Should we? Shall we all go for a walk together?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s go quickly!”
The sight of young girls, who were barely twelve or thirteen years old, sparkling with excitement, was incredibly cute.
‘This feels like being an elementary school teacher. ’
With that thought in mind, I led the ladies outside.
* * *
At the same time, in the garden.
Countess Ghiberti was in a cold sweat.
‘How on earth should I handle this atmosphere?’
It had been good, first of all, to be reunited with Siegfried under the guise of the former Duke of Orleans.
But…….
‘I didn’t think they’d get along this badly!’
Of course, she knew that there had been a long-standing feud between Siegfried and the former Duke of Orleans.
But she thought she could mediate the situation to some extent. So, she naturally expected that Siegfried and the former duke would reconcile.
‘They’ve been apart for over five years now.’
Countess Ghiberti glared at the two of them with a dissatisfied look.
‘But still, your emotions haven’t softened yet, huh?’
The two of them were so cold that even the other nobles, who had come as guardians for the children, noticed.
It was Countess Ghiberti who dragged them out of the room.
And now, at the present moment.
Siegfried and the former duke sat at a distance on a bench, looking away from each other.
With their arms crossed and faces displaying stubborn expressions, they resembled each other.
It was the former duke who spoke first.
“Siegfried. I have something to say to you……”
“To me?”
Siegfried, truly surprised, narrowed his eyebrows and asked.
In response to his defensive attitude, the irritated former duke raised his voice.
“Why is it so strange that I have something to say? Are you going to react like that every time I try to say something?!”
“…….”
However, Siegfried tightly sealed his lips as if he didn’t want to say anything more.
Another heavy silence fell between them.
But then.
“Dad!”
A cheerful voice called out.
Siegfried quickly raised his head.
Tatiana was running towards them from a distance.
Her pink hair, tied into two braids, swayed like flower petals.