~Chapter 05~
Leonhart. He was Cedric’s close friend. He also played the role of Bianca’s practical older brother, unlike the blunt Cedric.
He was one of the few people in the social circle I could talk to comfortably. Just that fact alone made me feel at ease.
“Lord Leonhart hasn’t gotten engaged yet, right?”
“Probably not…”
“That must be why. I’ve heard rumors that Lady Idette is really determined now.”
Well, that’s not really my business.
“It seems like the social circle will be noisy again after a long time.”
Emily sighed deeply.
I agreed. The social scene was always a headache, but now, the return ceremony and the hunting competition were overlapping.
Wouldn’t it be enough if we just had the return ceremony?
I already felt tired thinking about it.
Do you know what scene I hated the most in romance fantasy novels?
“Did you hear the rumor? They say a magical stone was found in Count Mariette’s mine.”
“I heard it’s just a rumor. Apparently, Count Mariette’s northern business is going badly, so they inflated the story to calm the investors.”
“Well, the young count’s face didn’t look like it was just a rumor…”
It was exactly the kind of scene I hated in those novels!
To think I was now part of one of those boring social scenes.
I laughed so much that my mouth trembled.
To prevent my expression from breaking, I touched my lips with my hand, and that’s when Johanna cautiously spoke to me.
“Lady Bianca, is something wrong?”
In that instant, the people in the glasshouse all turned their attention to me, as if they had found fresh prey.
“You can speak comfortably!”
Her voice was kind, but her gaze was more like that of someone who had found a new meal.
Wow, this truly felt like a jungle.
“I… It’s nothing. I was just enjoying the conversation with the young ladies.”
I wanted to go home!
Please, just send me home!
Wouldn’t it be nice if we all just stayed home and relaxed?
I silently screamed in frustration and smiled with a forced chuckle.
“I’m glad to hear that. We were worried about you, so we invited you.”
Like I didn’t know their real intentions?
They invited me because they were curious about what had happened with Ricardo!
I had no idea how much my every word would be blown out of proportion.
I was never one to enjoy going out, but do you know how rumors spread in the social scene?
“Lady Bianca was heartbroken after being rejected by Lord Ricardo!”
This was the kind of society I was dealing with.
In this situation, it was perfectly natural for me to be on edge, especially since I had to be so careful with my words.
…Maybe I just don’t want to be a lady anymore. I don’t want this.
“By the way, will Lord Ricardo be coming today?”
At that moment, Hestia, who had been hiding her mouth behind a fan, smiled softly and asked me.
What a roundabout question. She must have wanted to ask this from the moment I entered the glasshouse.
These days, after tea parties, lovers would come to pick up the young ladies.
The trend was for couples to leave early, and the remaining guests would clap as they left.
I tried to act casual as I spoke.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to take up the Duke’s time.”
“Isn’t saying ‘take up his time’ a bit much when it comes to spending time with a lover?”
Hestia smiled slightly.
Ah, if only I could say something.
But she was the only princess of the empire, so I decided to keep quiet.
Yes, yes, you’re right, Princess.
“The Duke is so indifferent. Don’t you think so, Lady Idette?”
When Idette’s name was mentioned, she visibly flinched. Her pupils started to tremble like a trembling aspen tree when she met my gaze.
Curious, the ladies started glancing at both me and Idette.
Ah, how I envied her. If I were in her position, I would be watching this scene with more excitement than anyone else.
Being the one at the center of it all was so frustrating.
At that moment, Johanna, unable to hold back any longer, asked,
“Lady Idette, do you not have anyone you’re interested in?”
Oh, this might get interesting.
I perked up my ears.
“Oh, not yet. The reason I came to the capital was for university…”
Trying to avoid the question, huh?
But that was a very lady-like answer.
Of course, it would be boring if the male lead was already decided.
I nodded at Idette’s words, but then I snapped back to attention when I heard her call my name.
“…Lady Bianca?”
I realized I had been zoning out and awkwardly straightened up, looking around at the group.
When would they all be going home?
I stared up at the ceiling, my face drained of energy.
Then, Hestia, still smiling, spoke up.
“I think the Crown Prince really likes Lady Idette.”
As soon as the Crown Prince was mentioned, the atmosphere grew oddly stiff.
I felt as uncomfortable as if I were sitting on a bed of thorns, so I tried to distract myself by looking around the greenhouse.
One tile, two tiles, three tiles…
“I’m just grateful. But as the Princess might think, I’m not that close to His Highness.”
“If you weren’t close, His Highness wouldn’t be sponsoring Lady Idette.”
I flinched at Hestia’s sharp voice while I was absentmindedly counting the tiles.
“He just highly values my abilities.”
“I see. Well, if appearance is a talent, I suppose it counts. But if it weren’t for Lady Idette’s glamorous appearance, do you think His Highness or the Duke would have shown any interest in you?”
With the sudden mention of Ricardo, the gazes of the ladies, who had been focused on Idette, turned to me all at once.
I… I don’t know anyone like that.
I swallowed dryly and was about to stand up when I heard footsteps coming from behind. I turned my head.
An unexpected person was entering the greenhouse.
“…?”
Huh? Why is Cedric here?
It wasn’t just me who hadn’t expected a visitor. The young ladies were also looking at him with surprise in their eyes.
“Lord Cedric?”
Cedric, entering the greenhouse, looked radiant.
Normally, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but now he looked like a savior. I immediately stood up as if I had been waiting for him.
“Brother!”
Cedric, startled by my overly excited greeting, seemed quite taken aback.
Hestia, watching me, couldn’t hide her deep smile.
“Looks like Lady Bianca won the bet today. I didn’t realize you preferred the love of family over your fiancé’s affection.”
Her tone was mocking, as though I had unfairly called my family instead of my fiancé, but I didn’t mind.
I could go home!
“…Then, I hope you enjoy your time.”
Cedric gave a respectful nod. I wrapped my arm around his, not looking back, and walked away as fast as I could.
As soon as I stepped out of the greenhouse, I released my arm from Cedric’s. Maintaining an appropriate sibling distance, Cedric silently stared at my empty arm.
But… Cedric did come to pick me up, right?
He didn’t come to pick up some other lady and I accidentally interrupted, did I?
“U-um, you really came to pick me up, right?”
I cautiously asked, and Cedric looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Then who do you think I came to pick up?”
It seems like the aftereffects of Ricardo’s incident are still bothering me. I should cut down on these unnecessary thoughts.
“Ah, no. Thank you for picking me up.”
Cedric didn’t reply. He glanced at me briefly, then started walking. I hesitated a bit, following behind him while trying to gauge his mood.
But why did he come to pick me up?
Was it to give me another one of his long lectures because there wasn’t enough time at home?
Unable to find a satisfactory reason, I felt uneasy as I climbed into the carriage. But even after the carriage started moving, Cedric said nothing.
He just kept reading an unfinished newspaper.
Doesn’t he get motion sickness? I stared at the tiny text on the newspaper, feeling dizzy, and hurriedly turned my gaze out of the window.
At that moment, Cedric’s calm voice echoed in my ear.
“…If there are such occasions in the future, let me know.”
“Pardon?”
Cedric sighed quietly.
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
…Did I understand that correctly?
It sounded like he was saying that he would pick me up for every tea party I attended from now on.
