Once she set aside the bias of seeing him as the protagonist, the crown prince was nothing more than a worthless piece of trash.
He cheated! Why would anyone fall for someone like him?
If the Crown Prince were to exit Peonia’s life cleanly, there would be no war at the end, and the Felicia family would remain safe.
Having made her decision, Seraphie steeled herself. At that moment, her necklace faintly shimmered.
* * *
When the arm of the person you love is wrapped around another woman’s shoulder… Peonia had experienced the overwhelming feeling of her mind going blank, and it was a terrible moment she never wanted to relive. But she couldn’t show those feelings. Even as her pride crumbled, she had to endure it for the sake of her dignity as a noble and the honor of her family.
That light magician was staying at the imperial palace as a guest, and the crown prince claimed he had to accompany such a valuable individual under the guise of hospitality. However, Peonia had watched the crown prince for a long time. She knew exactly what was happening—he was interested in that light magician.
Peonia resented the crown prince for knowing his own feelings yet still acting so disrespectfully. She also disliked that light magician, who seemed unsure how to handle the situation. But all of this was her personal matter. She couldn’t afford to reveal her private struggles to others. She was Peonia Felicia, the daughter of Duke Felicia and the crown prince’s fiancée. As such, she couldn’t let others see her weaknesses. But even she had her limits.
“Has the light magician arrived?”
“Wow, such a rare talent.”
“Why haven’t I heard more about her yet?”
Peonia wanted to shut their mouths immediately. The mask she had painstakingly kept in place, pretending nothing was wrong, was starting to crack.
“The light magician is the crown prince’s guest…”
“Countess!” Lunie quickly cut off Lady Tipeon. “If it’s not too much trouble…” Lunie glanced at Peonia before addressing Seraphie. “Could you tell us more about your trial, Countess?”
“Of course.”
The attention of those who had been focused on the light magician swiftly turned to Seraphie.
“But, if it’s alright, I’d like to talk about something other than the trial. But about my father.”
Everyone at the table held their breath.
“…Countess?” Peonia, too, was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic.
“My story isn’t something to be proud of,” Seraphie said with a bitter smile. “But I want to share what I learned from it so none of you make the same mistake I did.”
“A mistake?” Lady Kastane cautiously asked.
Seraphie nodded. “The belief that people can change.” Then, Seraphie began to recount the atrocities committed by the former Count Vallidus in a way that these noble ladies could fully grasp.
* * *
Violence, abuse, and cruelty. The former Count Vallidus’s deeds, as Seraphie described them, were shockingly brutal and inhumane. The audience listened with rapt attention, so much so that no one even noticed the tea in their cups growing cold. Lunie and Lady Kastane clutched their handkerchiefs so tightly their hands were soaked with sweat.
While Seraphie recounted her father’s atrocities without a filter, she was extremely careful when speaking about her mother.
“I was able to survive thanks to my mother.” She emphasized the sacrifices and efforts her mother made for her. Though Seraphie herself had no real memory of these moments, she made up a story to protect her mother’s honor.
Whenever she mentioned her mother, many of the ladies discreetly wiped away tears or sniffled.
“…You must have suffered so much,” Lady Kastane remarked, this time more cautiously than before.
Seraphie smiled quietly, indicating that she was fine. “Ladies,” she said, meeting each of their gazes. “I held onto one last hope for my father.”
In reality, Seraphie had never had any hope for him.
“I thought one day he would look at me, that he would smile at me the way he did with others.”
As Seraphie recounted her memories, many of the ladies felt their hearts tighten. But Peonia didn’t. Instead, she felt as though a deep secret of hers had just been exposed.
“But in the end, that day never came.”
Peonia looked at Seraphie. Seraphie looked right back at her and then spoke. “That’s when I realized. People don’t change. When I give up the hope that they’ll change, you start to understand what you need to do.”
“Was that the trial?” Lady Tipeon asked, her voice laced with disapproval. “But still, he was your father…”
“So, are you saying it’s okay to be beaten to death by your own father?” Lunie snapped, her voice sharp. Many others agreed, casting disapproving looks at Lady Tipeon.
Lady Tipeon, flustered, hurriedly explained that wasn’t what she meant. But she didn’t apologize to Seraphie.
“Ladies,” Seraphie continued. “You’ve all been so kind to me, even though we’ve only just met. So I think some of you might have felt the same hope I did.”
At this, several of the noble ladies averted their eyes awkwardly.
“If I try harder, things will change. I can change them. It’s not their fault—it’s mine. Because I’m not trying hard enough.”
As Seraphie spoke, some nodded in deep agreement, while others could only shed silent tears. But all of them listened to her words as if they were under a spell.
“But no,” Seraphie said firmly. “They will not change.”
“And how can you be so sure of that, Countess?”
“If they were the kind of people capable of change, they wouldn’t have made us suffer in the first place. Isn’t that right? They would have quickly recognized their mistakes and made efforts to correct them.”
“Remember this one thing.” In the end, Seraphie wanted to convey one clear message to everyone, especially Peonia. “We are stronger, nobler, and more valuable than anyone else. So don’t ever forgive those who fail to see your worth and treat you poorly. We’re too precious for that, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely!” With a bang, Lady Kastane jumped up from the table, showing the most enthusiastic reaction of all.
“You’re absolutely right, Countess.”
“Uuh…”
“I’ll be firm and stop anyone from wasting my valuable time.”
“…Huh?”
What is she talking about? Seraphie’s eyes, nose, and mouth rounded in surprise.
“I’ll firmly reject anyone who dares to waste my precious time.”
“Me too…!”
Another lady stood up as if in agreement.
“I’m going to break up with that b*stard, I mean, that person once and for all!”
“Right! Why should we endure such misery?”
“So it wasn’t my fault, sniff, after all…”
One lady even burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
“…Oh dear.”
Seraphie exchanged uneasy glances with Lunie. Neither could hide their discomfort at the unexpected situation. What had begun as a simple effort to steer the conversation away for Peonia’s sake had somehow ignited a passionate outpouring of hidden love stories among the ladies. Both Seraphie and Lunie turned to Peonia.
“…” Peonia rested her chin on her arm, deep in thought.
“If I try harder, things will change.”
“I can change them. It’s not their fault—it’s mine.”
“Because I’m not trying hard enough.”
Everything Seraphie had said echoed Peonia’s own thoughts. Seraphie had been talking about her father, but to Peonia, it felt like she was talking about the crown prince.
“If they were the kind of people capable of change, they wouldn’t have made us suffer in the first place.”
Have I been suffering? Peonia reflected. How did I feel when I was with the crown prince? Was I happy?
“Coun—” Peonia was about to call out to Seraphie.
“Yip!”
Yip yip! Suddenly, a small white ball of fur darted through the garden, racing toward the pavilion where the tea party was being held. The unexpected guest startled everyone. The white puppy barked furiously, whipping around in excitement before suddenly stopping in front of Seraphie.
“...Yip.”
The puppy tilted her head and barked cutely, then ran straight to Peonia.
“Rara?” Peonia scooped up the puppy, who had started pawing at her skirts. “How did you get here?”
Rara, instead of answering, wagged her tail furiously and licked Peonia’s face with her tiny tongue.
“Gasp.”
Someone in the group gasped as they noticed another guest approaching from the direction Rara had come from. Wearing a shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, black trousers covered in white fur, and dusty leather shoes, a tall man approached. His expression was as indifferent as someone who had just buried three bodies in secret.
“I apologize for disturbing the ladies’ time.” Orkis strode forward, his voice carrying none of the apology his words implied.
“Are you joking right now? You want to ruin my tea party?” Peonia handed Rara over to Orkis, gritting her teeth. The muttered curse that slipped from between her teeth was terrifying.
“Looks like your tea party was already ruined before I got here.” Cradling Rara in his arms, Orkis scanned the tea party guests. Some were standing, some were crying. “How could this possibly be my fault?”
“…”
“But you… Why do you look like that?” Reading his sister’s troubled expression, Orkis naturally glanced at Seraphie, who was sitting next to Peonia. “…You’re here too, Countess.”
“Good to see you as well, Lord.”
The brief, dry exchange between the two marked the end of the tea party.
* * *
In the end,
“It seems like the tea party was beneficial for me.”
The noble ladies who attended that day sincerely begged Seraphie to attend their own tea parties in the future. Some even held her hand tightly, thanking her. It seemed her story about her father had left a deep impression on them.
“Then it was a good thing, wasn’t it?” Orkis, looking out at the garden under construction, remarked. A pavilion was being built there. “By the way, what happened with my sister at the tea party?”
“Why do you ask?”
“She’s been…” Orkis waved his hand lightly in the air, searching for the right words. “…Looking even more miserable.”
Typical brother, Seraphie thought, pretending not to hear. But it was clear that Peonia had undergone some sort of emotional change since the tea party.
“There’s something I want to ask you, too.” Seraphie, sitting cross-legged on the couch, asked. “How long do we have to keep pretending to dislike each other in front of everyone?”
Hi, if you enjoy the story, please leave a review in the Novelupdates. Thank you~
