“Bracelet! I hid it secretly so that no one would find out!”
Diana’s lively response made a smile automatically spread across my face.
A few days ago, I gathered the highest-purity and cleanest magic stones I had made to create a bracelet.
After meticulously reinforcing it with magic, I gave it to Diana.
It was the first gift I gave to Diana.
In fact, everyone praised me for taking care of Diana at the orphanage, but whenever I looked back, all I could think of was how much I received from Diana and her family.
So, since coming to the Ellard Duchy, I wanted to repay their kindness with what little I could do, and I was pleased to give Diana a proper gift for the first time.
Moreover, having watched Diana while taking care of her, I noticed that the child quite liked pink.
Coincidentally, since the color of my mana was the same, the magic stones also had a pink hue. So, with a trembling heart, I gave her the gift, and Diana happily accepted it, jumping with joy.
“You did well, miss. Don’t show it to anyone until I say it’s okay.”
“Yeah! It’s a secret.”
“That’s right. If you keep the secret well, I’ll make something even better for you next time.”
I nodded my head and smiled along with Diana, who nodded vigorously.
In my new life, I didn’t expect much.
Just living confidently without being looked down upon by others, and being able to enjoy a normal and happy daily life with precious new relationships like Diana was enough for me.
If I had to use all my information and abilities to protect this newfound happiness, I was willing to do so.
“Oh! Miss, are you eating my sherbet right now?”
I realized that what Diana had been inhaling for a while was mine.
Seeing that she had already finished mine and pushed it aside, I felt utterly bewildered.
“Miss…”
“Ugh, sorry.”
Seeing my disappointed expression, Diana started to justify herself, fidgeting with her fingers.
“You weren’t eating it, so… I couldn’t let it melt away.”
Even her adorable appearance made me smile involuntarily, but I put on a stern expression and said firmly.
“Miss, that’s not fair. Are you deliberately trying to upset me?”
“Huh?”
“If you’re upset, Miss, won’t you be upset too?”
“Are you upset?”
“Yes, very upset.”
Thinking back to a few days ago when Diana suffered so much from stomachache, I couldn’t help but feel emotional.
Perhaps sensing the sincerity in my plea, Diana’s sulky breathing soon followed.
“Miss, I’m sorry…”
Feeling shattered by her subdued voice, I quickly turned my head and met Diana’s eyes.
“Miss.”
“Sniff… I shouldn’t make you upset, but it’s so delicious.”
Caught in a dilemma, Diana’s eyes welled up with tears. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“It can’t be helped. You can only have it today, and that’s it. You understand, right?”
“Yeah!”
Seeing Diana’s bright smile as she replied confidently, I gently brushed her silver hair behind her ear and smiled contentedly.
*Ding dong.* Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
As I chuckled, one of the maids who served the Duchess entered the room.
“Ria, Lady Faelunt is here right now. She’s looking for you, so come with Miss.”
“Yes!”
I nodded and quickly checked Diana’s hair and clothes.
Though there was a bit of sherbet around her mouth, fortunately, there was nothing out of place in terms of etiquette.
After wiping Diana’s mouth with a handkerchief, I followed the maid out of the room, explaining once again how to greet Lady Faelunt when meeting her.
Even though Diana was smart and would handle it well, it still put my mind at ease to take care of her like this while she was still young.
“Lucio probably hopes I’ll do this kind of role for him too.”
Now that I felt like a truly competent maid, my shoulders shrugged for no reason.
* * *
These days, the guest who frequently visits the Ellard Duchy is Lady Faelunt, the Duchess of Faelunt, who is also known as the princess of the kingdom of Defamba, often called the desert kingdom. In fact, in her previous life, she had no connection with the Duchess of Ellard.
Although the Duchess of Ellard gained fame shortly after ascending to the capital, Lady Faelunt, after her marriage, rarely engaged in social activities despite staying in the capital. Therefore, the two mistresses of the ducal household, who are also called the two pillars supporting the empire in the imperial faction, had little interaction with each other.
‘Perhaps they only saw each other’s faces once or twice at large parties hosted by the royal family.’
Especially since Lady Faelunt, the Duchess who practically handles the state affairs of the empire as an imperial minister, is the younger brother of the empress, Lady Faelunt didn’t need to attend the parties hosted by the palace, making it even more difficult for her to become familiar.
But for Lady Faelunt to come to the Ellard Duchy today…
‘It’s probably because of me.’
A few days ago, when there was turmoil among the duchy’s mages and councilors due to the Splaisha incident, I was diligently standing by the Duchess’s side, trying to fill in the vacancy left by the late head maid.
Among the duties of a noblewoman, there are tasks like preparing budgets and financial reports and managing servants. In fact, the Duchess had been doing such tasks sufficiently even in the ducal residence.
However, she faced difficulties in social activities.
‘I could have helped if only I knew the preferences or weaknesses of other noble ladies…’
Arranging themes according to the season or weather and organizing gatherings and parties accordingly were tasks I had never attempted before. I was just anxiously watching from the sidelines.
When the Duchess first mentioned holding a tea party at the ducal residence, she said while writing invitations.
“Hmm. It seems like the invitations for other ladies are almost finalized, but Lady Faelunt seems to be a dilemma.”
Glancing at the paper the Duchess was holding, it seemed she was pondering which flowers to send along with the invitation to Lady Faelunt.
In the empire, it was customary for noblewomen to send their favorite flowers when hosting gatherings. It subtly showcased their wealth and information while wrapped in delicate consideration.
Noblewomen who were active in society had no worries since they had firm preferences for flowers, but Lady Faelunt had no known preferences, so it was common to send anemones, which were the symbol of the Faelunt Duchy.
However, as it was the first time for the Duchess to come to the capital and host a tea party, she seemed to want to put more effort into it despite the high probability of rejection.
After much consideration, the Duchess muttered if she should send anemones after all, but I cautiously spoke up.
“Madam, how about cacti?”
“Cacti?”
“Yes. Lady Faelunt came from the desert kingdom. She might like to see plants she often saw in her homeland.”
It was widely known in the ducal residence that I studied travel books and maps of neighboring kingdoms in the library.
Therefore, the Duchess quickly nodded in agreement without finding my suggestion strange.
However, since there were no nobles in the empire who preferred cacti covered with thick, dense thorns, there was a slight concern on my face.
“In reality, there are very few upper-class cacti, making it difficult to obtain them.”
But I knew from memories of my past life that Lady Faelunt, who suffered from homesickness, eventually divorced the Duke and returned to her homeland.
“So she’ll definitely like it.”
“Okay. Ria, as you suggested, prepare the cacti. You are a jewel of our house.”
At that moment, the Duchess seemed to make up her mind.
Though her last words felt awkward and burdensome, a few days later, when I saw the cacti that I had managed to obtain with difficulty, those thoughts vanished.
The blooming cactus was indeed beautiful, as they said.
With joy, the Duchess sent the cacti along with Lady Faelunt’s invitation, and as I prayed anxiously for the success of the Duchess’s tea party, I witnessed an astonishing outcome.
Lady Faelunt, who often rejected invitations to the Empress’s tea parties and rarely stepped out of her house, set foot in the Ellard Duchy.
At the same time, I was summoned to the reception room.
<Did you really send me cacti?>
The first time I met Lady Faelunt, she had an exotic appearance with dusky skin, jet-black hair, and mysterious purple eyes that were rarely seen in the empire.
Just by looking at her, I felt momentarily entranced by her ethereal aura, and I quickly nodded my head.
And I explained that I learned about her homeland, Defamba, the desert kingdom, from travel books in the library.
<…You sent me cacti to mock me, didn’t you? And you used a child as an excuse.>
At that moment, Lady Faelunt’s cold gaze softened in an instant.
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Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
If you like my work please support us in Patreon. Next post will be released on March, 9.
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