Chapter 30
Children’s Social Gathering (1)
The boy, with brown hair as soft as cocoa, was obviously a member of a noble family, judging by the clothes he wore.
The clothes, however, were in a state of ongoing disrepair. The floor of the costume room was clean, but it was still a place where people walked around with shoes on. His clothes were all dirty.
“I’m not going to a social gathering! I won’t! I’ll play at home! It’s not fun at all! I don’t want to wear clothes!”
“Alan.”
The woman who seemed to be the boy’s mother called the boy’s name in a stern voice. The woman’s face was not visible due to the fan covering it.
“I’m not going to wear a tie! This is uncomfortable! No!”
“Alan, can you get up right now? Even babies much younger than you, wear clothes with confidence. It’s so embarrassing to throw a tantrum like this.”
“Mom is a liar! Babies don’t come to places like this!”
The boy shouted again.
Aria nervously stepped out of the curtain. When the woman saw the curtains fluttering, she touched her forehead in embarrassment.
Then, the fan covering her face moved away, so Aria could see her face clearly.
“Haz-”
Hazel?
Aria covered her mouth as she reflexively tried to call that name. However, Hazel had already noticed Aria’s presence.
She covered her mouth with the fan again and nodded.
“I’m sorry my son made a fuss.”
“Oh, no. It’s okay.”
Aria quickly added so as not to embarrass her.
“I came with a child too.”
“… So, are you a guest who came to attend the social gathering, too?”
“Yes.”
Hazel’s eyes quickly scanned Aria. Soon, a look of surprise appeared in her eyes.
“Miss Hilton, right?”
“Oh? You know who I am?”
“We’ve met before, right?”
Hazel said with a faint smile. Aria tried hard to remember if Aria had really been friends with Hazel, but nothing came to mind.
‘Well, Hazel has been to our house a few times… ..’
If they had met in the mansion at that time, it wouldn’t have been strange.
“Then the child you came with is probably the Princess of Lysianthus. I’m right-”
“Mom! Let’s go home!”
“Alan.”
Hazel sternly scolded the boy who had yelled. She gracefully gestured to grab the boy who was still lying on the floor.
“Get up right now. What the hell is this rude behavior?”
“Huh…!”
The boy realized that he would be scolded if he continued to act up, and stood up with his cheeks puffed out. Aria laughed awkwardly.
At that moment, the staff members exclaimed.
“Oh my, you’re so cute!”
“I’ve never seen a girl who looks so good in red!”
The boy’s ears perked up at the sincere admiration that went beyond the sales pitch.
Alan turned his head.
A small lady in a dress appeared among the employees. Alan, who had been a mischievous boy until a moment ago, stared blankly at the little lady.
“Bonita!”
‘Is that her mother?’
Alan’s eyes turned to Aria, who was holding the pink girl.
Still with a pouty expression, Alan thought.
‘She doesn’t look like her at all.’
Ah- It’s boring.
Social gatherings are the worst. They make you wear uncomfortable cravats and bow ties and sit quietly on a chair and drink tea. The boy grumbled to himself, not knowing why he had to do such boring things.
“Mom, can’t I go home?”
Alan tugged at Hazel’s skirt.
Having been scolded harshly by his mother, he was acting more gentlemanly than before. However, the whining in his tone was still the same.
“……”
But his mom didn’t scold him, nor did she sigh in resignation.
“Mom.”
Alan, who was starting to get annoyed, grabbed Hazel’s hand again and whined.
Hazel was still staring at the little girl as if mesmerized by something.
Impatiently, Alan screamed.
“Mom! Let’s go!”
“Ahh… Of course.”
Only then did she respond slowly.
She turned her gaze, covering half of her face with a fan. The confusion that had momentarily occurred in her soft brown eyes was erased.
She asked Aria.
“Miss Hilton. I’ll see you at the social gathering later, and…”
Hazel’s eyes turned to Bonita.
She smiled. Hazel greeted Bonita, who looked to be no more than five years old, kindly.
“You too, little lady. When we meet again later, I’d like to introduce myself.”
Bonita’s face turned red at the sight of the elegant and beautiful lady.
Bonita blinked several times and nodded belatedly.
“Ye-yes…!”
“I would like to introduce the children formally, but unfortunately, I am the host. I don’t think we have enough time.”
Hazel nodded toward Aria.
“Well, then I’ll get going.”
“Are we going home?”
“Yes, Alan.”
“Yay!”
“And as punishment for being rude today, you will sit in the thinking chair for an hour tomorrow morning and reflect.”
“What…?”
Thud!
Alan looked shocked at Hazel’s declaration.
The punishment that eight-year-old Alan hated the most was the ‘thinking chair’, which required him to sit still for an hour.
Bonita watched the boy being dragged away, then immediately reached out to Aria.
Aria now instinctively hugged Bonita. She smiled at Bonita.
“Our Bonita. I think your new outfit is prettier.”
“… Hehe.”
*****
Alan’s gaze turned to his mother, who was walking busily.
“What’s wrong with you, Mom?”
It was not like his mother, who had warned him strongly every time he ran, saying that running or hurriedly walking was not the behavior of a nobleman but of a servant.
“Ugh.”
As he chased after his mother, Alan groaned in discomfort at the tight suit pants. The red bow tie that choked his neck was also very uncomfortable.
After all, he had ruined all the clothes in the mansion.
It seemed that his mother would have to drag him to the dress shop and have a new children’s suit made to satisfy her.
“Alan.”
“Why?”
Alan answered in a pouting voice. His lips were pouting.
“Did you see that kid?”
“Who? That little pink-haired girl?”
“She’s my friend’s daughter.”
“What?”
Alan was startled.
“Mom has a friend too?”
“… Alan.”
Hazel was speechless at her eight-year-old son’s innocent and cruel question. She wanted to scold him for his habit, but the truth was that she had no friends.
The ladies she was currently in relationships with were mostly political interests or some kind of partnership with the social world. The only one she could confide in was her husband, the Marquis of Hyacinth.
Her only friend had died six years earlier.
“Mom, you don’t have any friends!”
“… I did.”
Hazel flicked her son’s forehead, who was proudly shouting at her.
“And it’s rude to tell someone they don’t have friends, son.”
“Can’t you do it to someone who doesn’t have any real friends?”
“… That’s worse.”
Then Alan opened his eyes wide and asked,
“Why? But isn’t it true to tell someone who doesn’t have friends that they have no friends?
You are only good at talking in times like this, really.
Hazel touched her throbbing forehead. Raising an eight-year-old boy is extremely difficult. It wouldn’t be easy if it was a girl.
It would be much easier to deal with the old aristocrats of society who whisper sweet and hide knives in their bellies.
She grabbed Alan’s shoulder and said,
“Alan.”
“Yes.”
“People don’t like it when you tell them the truth they want to hide. If mom told your friends that you still wet the bed at night, you’d be embarrassed, wouldn’t you, Alan?”
Alan blushed deeply at the mention of it.
For the proud young master of the Marquis, drawing maps in bed in the morning at the age of eight was a very shameful fact.
It was the so-called reverse ideology.
The boy nodded vigorously.
“So, not having friends is as embarrassing to Mom as wetting the bed?”
“No, that’s not it…”
“Okay! I won’t tell anyone that mom don’t have friends anymore!”
“Okay…”
Hazel nodded with empty eyes. In any case, this was a pretty good educational achievement.
… Maybe.
*****
At the same time, the Marquis of Hyacinth.
The Marquis’ servants were very busy preparing to welcome the ladies and their children.
During this gap, the Marquis’ eldest son, Derek, sneaked out of his room and knocked on the youngest sibling’s room.
“Cassis, cassis!”
Knock, knock.
Despite knocking twice loudly, the chic youngest sibling did not answer. Derek’s grin tightened.
“That’s how it works, huh?”
Boom, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
“Cassis! Cassis! Cassis! Cassis! Cassis! Cassis! Cassis! Cassis! Cassis! Cassis! Cassis-”
Bam!
The door swung open nervously, and Derek jerked back as if he’d seen it coming.
He stuck out his red tongue at his seven-year-old sibling, who was full of annoyance.
“What, were you reading a book again? you little nerd?”
“Brother.”
Cassis, the only one of the brown-haired siblings with silver hair like their father, frowned, book in hand.
“What are you doing so uncivilized? Didn’t Father tell you to stay in your room until the social gathering?”
“I just heard some exciting news!”
“… What?”
Cassis sighed like an old man at Derek’s fuss and asked.
Then Derek clenched his fists and shouted,
“Princess Lysianthus is coming to the social gathering today! What do you think? This is awesome!”
Thank you Gwynnie for the kofi♡
