***
The garden where the afternoon tea party was held was already bustling with quite a few nobles.
Anais took a moment to calmly observe the guests invited to the tea party. They were mostly from prestigious families or those recently rising to prominence, all with impeccable reputations.
‘If I can leave a good impression of Prince Max here, it would be perfect,’ she thought as she assessed the atmosphere.
While she was scanning the crowd, she felt a presence beside her.
“Lady Anais Brienne?” a voice called out.
It was Sandrine, the host of the tea party. Standing on either side of her were Carol and Sophie, whom Anais had seen earlier at the entrance. Anais quickly composed herself and greeted them with a bow.
“Your Grace, the Duchess of Armand. I am Anais of the Brienne family,” she introduced herself.
“I’ve heard much about you from Her Majesty, the Queen Dowager,” Sandrine said with a smile.
She’s talked about me…? Anais wondered, unsure of what had been said about her, so she merely returned the smile politely.
Carol, who had been observing her with curiosity, suddenly spoke up. “Oh my, are you the new aide appointed by Her Majesty, the Queen Dowager?”
“Wait, aren’t you the lady who nearly fell into that puddle earlier?” Sophie added, recognizing Anais with a delighted expression.
As Sophie recalled the earlier incident, Carol also realized who Anais was. “Yes, that’s right! The lady from earlier!”
“What is this about nearly falling into a puddle? Oh dear, I thought the estate had been thoroughly checked,” Sandrine said, her voice tinged with concern. “Were you hurt at all?”
Carol quickly reassured her with a light laugh. “Fortunately, a gentleman was there to help her.”
“Do you know who it was?” Sophie chimed in, leaning in as if to share a secret.
Sandrine’s face lit up with curiosity. Carol and Sophie spoke in unison, “It was His Highness, Prince Max Barbier!”
“What? What did you just say?” Sandrine’s usually composed demeanor cracked as she raised her voice in shock. Realizing she had drawn attention, she quickly lowered her voice and asked again, “Did you say Max Barbier? The Max Barbier I know?”
The two women, startled by Sandrine’s reaction, simply nodded. Sandrine pressed a hand to her forehead, looking as though she’d just heard something dreadful.
Just as the Queen Dowager had feared, Sandrine was clearly taken aback by the news. It was understandable, given that the unexpected presence of Prince Max had thrown the entire tea party into disarray.
“Oh, goodness. The youngest prince is really here?”
And Anais saw it—the slight tremor in Sandrine’s eyes. Despite her efforts to maintain her composure, Sandrine was visibly rattled. After a brief pause, she stood up and called for a steward, likely to confirm that Max Barbier had indeed entered the mansion.
But no matter the situation, there was no way she could simply expel him from the estate now that he was inside.
The Armand tea party was known for only inviting guests carefully selected by the matron, so the fact that Max was among the attendees was hard for everyone to tolerate.
Trying to ease the matron’s displeasure, Carole and Sophie started making light conversation.
“Sophie, why don’t you go ahead and tell the matron what happened earlier?”
Sophie, who was about to take a bite of her finger sandwich, put it down instead.
“Well, just as Lady Brienne was about to stumble, His Highness the Third Prince appeared like a flash and escorted her! I’ve truly never seen a more splendid sight.”
“That’s right. If it weren’t for His Highness, who knows what might have happened to Lady Brienne by now!”
Carole, waving her hands as if the thought alone was horrifying, tilted her head.
“Doesn’t it seem like he’s changed a bit?”
“Could it be that he’s finally matured? Haha.”
Still looking uncomfortable, Sandrine set down her teacup and said coldly,
“Are you sure you didn’t see it wrong? I know Max, the Third Prince, very well since childhood.”
Sensing the chill in her words, Carole and Sophie immediately fell silent.
Anais calmly added,
“I was quite surprised as well, but what they say is true, matron.”
“……”
“In fact, I’ve encountered His Highness the Third Prince somewhere else before.”
Carole and Sophie eagerly asked,
“Oh my, you’ve seen the Third Prince?”
“Oh my, where?”
Anais, holding her teacup with both hands, smiled faintly. Whatever, she thought.
“During a charity event.”
“Charity work? His Highness the Third Prince?”
“Yes.”
This wasn’t just a simple lie. It was a righteous one. After all, Max was already planning to do volunteer work to improve his image! She was merely speaking about something that would happen in the future. So, it wasn’t a complete lie, was it? Anais granted herself that indulgence.
“Tell us more about it, Lady Brienne,” Sophie said, pushing aside the dish of pastries to focus entirely on Anais’s story. Carole rested her chin in her hand, finding the tale romantic.
“And what about you, Lady Brienne? If it were me, I might have fallen for the prince. He was so different from the prince we knew,” Carole added.
Caught off guard by Carole’s sudden question, Anais smiled sweetly and replied, “He’s a true gentleman, so much so that it makes you doubt the rumors. I was quite surprised myself.”
A gentleman, my foot. If having two nostrils means you’re breathing, then yes, sure.
The expression on the matron’s face finally relaxed a little after hearing all this praise about Max. The compliments continued for a while longer before the conversation naturally shifted to other topics.
‘What a pity. It would have been nice if Lady Bastien had been here.’
Anais thought it would have been wonderful if Roxanne could have seen this favorable atmosphere surrounding Max. She glanced around but saw no sign of Roxanne, not even a strand of her hair. Well, if she had been here, the matron would have already been doting on her.
Given how famous this tea party was, Anais concluded that Roxanne was likely to arrive later, even if she hadn’t been invited initially.
While the conversation continued about a popular play, the matron turned her attention to Anais.
“Is it true that you run a salon, Lady Brienne? I’ve heard a lot about the Anderson-Brienne Salon. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the chance to visit, as it’s too far from the Armand estate.”
“Oh my, that explains your calm and graceful demeanor.”
“Isn’t the Anderson-Brienne Salon famous for offering advice on romance?”
As the topic of the salon came up, the attention of the other ladies shifted to Anais. Some even shared their experiences of meeting Lady Amour there.
Taking the opportunity, Anais expressed her desire to invite them all to the salon, laying the groundwork for future camaraderie.
‘Good. Everything’s going according to plan.’
So far, everything was going smoothly.
However, her gaze kept drifting toward the entrance. She couldn’t help but be concerned about Max, who was likely still inside the mansion.
***
The Armand tea party continued for quite some time. While the ladies enjoyed light sweets and tea during the day, the gentlemen amused themselves with card games or billiards, accompanied by drinks.
And so, the dinner party that followed, where gentlemen and ladies gathered together to spend time, was a highlight unique to the Armand tea party.
A walk through the rose garden, one of the prides of the Armand estate, followed. Entering the garden under parasols, they were greeted by the overwhelming fragrance of roses. Anais was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being a part of high society once again.
“Oh my, these roses remind me of Sophie.”
“Heavens, but Carole has a scent far more precious than any rose.”
Their light-hearted compliments, exchanged like gifts, sparked laughter among them.
It felt like a return to a time when nothing was lacking—a time when she simply smiled like sunshine under the protection of her parents. It was as if she had found her true self, which had been overshadowed by Lady Amour for so long.
‘Is this what it feels like to be welcomed by everyone?’
Even if it was due to her position as the Queen Doger’s aide, she was happy.
Soon after, the bell announcing the start of the dinner party rang.
Just as Anais, along with the other young ladies, was about to enter the mansion, she noticed something.
‘What… what’s with this commotion?’
People were gathering in the anteroom, a space prepared for the gentlemen. Despite the bell signaling dinner, only a few seemed to be leaving their spots, all intensely focused on something.
‘What’s going on here?’ she wondered.
