It was Lady Martina, daughter of the duke, who opened the attack.
“It’s summer, you know. In the summer season, lemons are a must. Yet, there’s not a single lemon in the tea or dessert.”
It was an attempt to shift blame onto the host, who seemingly lacked the sense to time things right. The trend of citrus fruits in summer had a deep-rooted historical tradition, so it might not be easy to escape traditional arguments like earlier.
“Oh, that darn lemon.”
However, the one who reacted wasn’t Blanche, but Young Master Argon, grandson of the Marquis, seated at the back table.
The boy clenched his small hands tightly and shouted in anger.
“It’s not just about the timing; lemons are tasteless in the summer, yet everyone treats them like the tastiest fruit in the world! Like–are we going to die if we don’t have that stupid fruit?!”
Lady Martina, daughter of the Duke, didn’t particularly want lemons. She was just looking for something to taunt Blanche with, which made this intense reaction puzzling.
“Ha, how foolish…”
Blanche spoke up right at that moment. She cut off Martina’s words as if to stop her from blurting out.
“I have heard about Young Master Argon.”
Young Master Argon gave Blanche a disdainful look with his venomous eyes.
“You can’t eat lemons.”
Ah. Someone let out a suppressed gasp. Now that they thought about it, they hadn’t seen Argon much at summer gatherings.
“So, you deliberately took away the lemons.”
It made sense if he couldn’t eat lemons. After all, he might drink it without knowing it if the tea leaves were mixed with lemon slices or if lemon was used for flavoring.
“Lady Martina. Even if it’s a pleasant dish in the mouth, it’s not enjoyable without sharing it with others.”
Lady Martina, who complained just because there were no lemons, had become someone who said selfish things as if she didn’t care if someone had allergies or not, as long as her mouth was happy.
“And Young Master Argon too.”
Young Master Argon, who had been frowning, corrected his posture without realizing it. It was a straight posture that could be seen in front of etiquette tutors.
“You should maintain your dignity.”
“I, I was trying to help─”
“If you say such things to someone, it’s not good etiquette.”
Young Master Argon cursed lemons. He didn’t curse at people. But within skillful remarks, Young Master Argon had unintentionally become a brat who insulted a girl of the same age.
“I, I…”
“You don’t need to apologize to me.”
Neither of them had ever said they would apologize, but she was incredibly good at cutting off her opponent’s mouth.
“You should apologize to the other person.”
They glanced at each other, looked around at their focused gazes, and reluctantly apologized to each other.
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, Lady.”
“…I too didn’t mean to ignore you, Young Master.”
They must have apologized considering their family positions and the eyes of others. If they had to apologize to Blanche, they would never have done it.
But ultimately, the staged scene was as Blanche suggested: the two broke their stubbornness and humbly compromised. Especially for children who couldn’t think deeply about things, only the superficial aspects of this situation would be visible.
In the children’s minds, the image of the two high-ranking nobles being scolded by Blanche and looking as if their spirits had died left a deep impression.
“Thank you all for today.”
As the host declared the end of the gathering, the children rose hesitantly. Normally, at the end of such parties, there would be ritualistic exchanges about how enjoyable or splendid the party was, but there were no such formalities this time.
The participants, being children, were too preoccupied to engage in such pleasantries.
It was a disaster caused by having young children as attendees. Even after Lady Martina and Young Master Argon, participants continued to make futile attempts to attack Blanche about thirteen times.
One child, who tried to flaunt wealth with expensive jewelry, was criticized for his sloppy attire, and another child, who criticized the fabric of Blanche’s dress, found themselves listening to historical lectures on the advantages and disadvantages of various fabrics and why a particular fabric dominated an era.
Therefore, explanations about why this fabric was the optimal choice at this tea party, or why the fabric chosen by that child was not a good choice, became additional points of discussion.
If they were adults, they might have realized after three failed attempts to attack Blanche that she was not an easy opponent.
But the children here were all under seven years old, so despite seeing another child being scolded, they couldn’t give up hope, and as a result, this disaster occurred.
Melchizedek did not get up but just fidgeted with the teacup in front of him as he watched the children leave, sobbing.
In the end, after all the other children had left, Blanche gestured to Tula and dismissed everyone.
Only when the two were left alone in the drawing room did Blanche finally speak up.
“Is there anything you want to say?”
Melchizedek, who had been staring at his teacup, looked up and grinned.
“Hey.”
Hey? Blanche’s eyebrows twitched for a moment. It was something that was impossible with her original body, but it was not easy for a child’s face to hide its expression.
“……DId you call me?”
There was no way Melchizedek hadn’t noticed the brief flicker of displeasure on her face, but he remained relaxed.
“Try saying, ‘Have you been well, Your Highness?’”
Blanche briefly doubted her ears. What did he just say?
“That’s difficult.”
What the Grand Duke demanded was the level that even a 5-year-old could say without twisting their tongue. No matter how much Blanche hated showing awkward pronunciation in front of others, she couldn’t possibly pronounce it properly, no matter how much she practiced by biting her pen desperately.
“But you can, can’t you?”
At his next words, Blanche shut her mouth tightly like a clam.
He had caught her.
During the first argument earlier, Blanche had deliberately slurred her words to make it hard for the children to understand.
While they paused, unsure of what she was saying, she changed the topic by suggesting they sit, leaving them defeated.
“You don’t speak that poorly, do you?”
As Melchizedek said, Blanche could now pronounce to some extent. If she used age-appropriate words, she could probably speak almost perfectly.
This was all because Blanche disliked showing awkward pronunciation in front of others and had practiced diligently. So, originally, she should now be speaking with perfect clarity.
But the advantage of slurred speech was too significant. The biggest benefit was emphasizing her childlike innocence.
‘Yi Baek-ryeon’ had never been truly treated like a child. Thus, even though Blanche received affection from those around her, she didn’t understand why they found her endearing.
Without knowing the reason, it was difficult to control the variables. Therefore, Blanche analyzed why ‘Blanche’ received the affection ‘Yi Baek-ryeon’ never did.
Even though she was a fallen noble, Baek-ryeon had the prestige of her family name to support her. Blanche, on the other hand, might be royalty, but she lacked a strong background.
There could also be a difference in the abilities they had shown, and the expectations of those around them might also be different.
After considering all of this, Blanche came to one conclusion:
Those around Blanche liked her because she seemed harmless and easygoing.
In that sense, her awkward pronunciation effectively reinforced the image of her being harmless and easygoing. It wasn’t because of her personal pride that she was reluctant; after all, it’s not a big deal even if a 3-year-old can’t speak very well.
Moreover, she could use it to interrupt others when she was with her peers. It was an effective tool in many ways.
In fact, if she spoke difficult words quickly, her pronunciation would naturally become slurred, and it wasn’t as if she was acting.
“If I speak slowly and carefully.”
Perhaps it was the effect of special training, or maybe she had grown a bit during that time. If it wasn’t a phrase like ‘Have you been well, Your Highness,’ she could pronounce most words accurately as long as she paid attention.
As Melchizedek pointed out, even her earlier remarks about the support and respect could be understood if she took her time and spoke clearly.
That was on purpose. If others got a response but they didn’t understand what it meant, they wouldn’t be able to launch a follow-up attack.
“Then, it would be good for you to get into the habit of always speaking slowly and carefully in front of me.”
Well, Blanche was only using it as a means to an end, and she didn’t like to speak awkwardly on purpose. Since it wasn’t a difficult request to accept, Blanche nodded obediently.
“I don’t particularly like children, but I dislike children pretending to be childish even more.”
It’s not something a 5-year-old would say, but children don’t usually like to admit that they’re children. This is especially true for precocious children like Melchizedek.
“Did you stay here to say that?”
That was the host’s way of saying that she had said everything she had to say and should leave. But Melchizedek still had something to do, of course.
“Oh, that’s just a bonus. The real reason is the reward.”
“A reward?”
* * * *
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