The garden in early summer was filled with beautiful shades of green. Boys and girls, dressed in elaborate attire, gathered around tables, chatting and enjoying themselves. The age range varied from early to late teens.
‘Wow. It’s totally different from Natalya’s.’
Compared to the intimate tea party held at Marchioness Tataricha’s, which had only four guests, this felt more like a children’s ball than a tea party.
‘Uncle Valery’s business went down the drain. Is it okay to bring people together like this?’
<There are some foolish beasts who try harder to hide their wounds when they are hurt.>
Over ten children sensed the presence of others, turned to look, recognized Asha, and quickly held their breath. It was when Asha was about to say hello first.
“Your Highness!”
A cheerful voice called out to her, and Asha looked at the person with widened eyes. It was a girl with short brown hair, wearing fine trousers, boots, and a thin shirt wrapped around her neck. It was Natalya.
“Natalya? How did you…?”
Asha looked puzzled. Just a moment ago, she thought of Natalya – to be exact, the marchioness’s tea party – but she didn’t expect to meet her here. Wasn’t Natalya obviously bored with the tea party she hosted?
“Oh, my mother sent me, so I couldn’t help it. At first, I didn’t want to come, but she said we were going to play Kerum, so I just went along.”
Natalya seemed to be trying to give off a disinterested vibe, but her face was full of liveliness when she looked at Asha. The other children, who were aware of the marchioness’s daughter holding onto the hand of the princess, didn’t dare to speak.
“Do you like Kerum, too?”
When Asha first found out about Kerum, she couldn’t help but think that everyone was the same everywhere. The game was almost like the billiards she knew. The difference was that the Kerum game here was the basic knowledge of the aristocracy.
Asha only felt grateful for Kerum – that is, billiards – when she thought about it. It was the only thing that helped her in times of financial need.
“Well, I’m… what about Natalya? Do you like it?”
“Yes! Then, let me show you.”
Ilya timidly smiled next to them, seemingly satisfied just by the fact that so many people had gathered. Dimitri, who was about to say something, was overshadowed by Natalya’s momentum and ended up shooting Ilya a look for no reason. In the meantime, Natalya took Asha’s hand and led her confidently to a large table in the garden.
“What color do you prefer, Your Highness?”
The children who had been playing with cues on the table cautiously moved away, but they couldn’t take their eyes off Natalya and Asha.
On the large table covered with elegant green fabric, there were one white ball, one yellow ball, and two red balls placed.
“White?”
“Then I’ll go with yellow.”
Natalya said so and tidied up the end of the small cue stick meant for children, placing it in Asha’s hand before explaining the rules.
“I’ll show you first.”
Natalya, with the cue stick resting on her left index finger, eagerly leaned over the edge of the table.
Thwack!
With a joyful sound, the yellow ball struck one red ball and narrowly missed the other one.
The children who were watching from the side exclaimed in awe.
“Natalya is really good at everything she does with a ball.”
“Keum. Well, it’s not like I did that well. I made a mistake by not hitting both red balls at the same time. Would you like to try, Your Highness?”
Asha chuckled and took hold of the cue.
“Don’t make fun of me too much, Natalya.”
“I wouldn’t do such a thing!”
‘Should I mention that I used to excel at betting when it came to billiards?’
Thwack! Click, click.
Thud! Click.
Thwack!
Thud, thud, click.
Thwack! Click.
Asha smiled satisfactorily as she watched the red ball roll past her white ball, narrowly missing it.
‘It feels like I’ve gotten better at this. Is it because of Phoebe?’
<Of course it’s all thanks to me!>
Although it was a cue stick meant for children and the balls were smaller and lighter, it wasn’t difficult to adapt.
“It’s so much fun just to enjoy it.”
“Natalya, now… um.”
Asha, who had raised her head thinking she should give the others a chance since she had made consecutive shots, blinked at the children gathered around her like clouds.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…H, how did you do that just now?”
Among the children who were holding their breath, Dimitri managed to speak up. Asha looked around the table. Two red balls were gathered together, with a white ball nearby and a yellow ball a little further away.
“Um, thwack, thump?”
Asha awkwardly answered and looked at Natalya. In Natalya’s green eyes, a mix of embarrassment pretending to know about Kerum and a strong desire to defeat Asha could be seen.
“My… It’s my turn.”
“Yes!”
Natalya held the cue stick with a determined face and leaned over the table.
Click! Thud.
Thwack! Click, click.
Thud! Thwack!
Thump, thump, thump!
“You… you’ve won.”
The servant, who was waiting next to the Kerum game table so that the children of the aristocracy could play comfortably, declared Asha’s victory in a dazed voice.
After Natalya’s defeat, Dimitri and other noble children took turns with the cue stick, but no one was able to beat Asha. Natalya, who was the first to lose, had at least a closer score.
“Why are you bothering everyone around you?”
Everyone was so focused on the table that they didn’t realize that a guest had arrived a little late. Asha turned around in surprise at the voice near her ear.
“Karnov?”
At the same time, the color of silence changed dramatically. Everyone faltered back with a frightened look on their face.
“Oh, Karnov. What are you doing here?”
“His Highness, Prince Ilya, sent me an invitation, too. My response was a bit late, it seems.”
Asha gathered her eyebrows at Karnov’s nonchalant reply. Asha, who handed over the cue stick to the frozen Dimitri, looked around and took Karnov’s hand and headed to the corner of the garden.
“What are you really doing here? Karnov doesn’t come to places like this.”
“I can come if I want.”
“Did Alyosha say something?”
“He said it seems like you’re interested in Kerum.”
Asha sighed profusely. Indeed, Alexei seemed to have given Karnov a separate role.
“But I had no idea that you were such a talented person.”
“It’s because it’s my first time playing it here.”
It was the first time here, so Asha muttered to herself and let out another sigh.
“I’m not the one bothering everyone around, it’s Karnov. The kids are all scared.”
Karnov completely ignored her words.
“Because the others don’t know.”
Asha looked at Karnov with a sullen face, then she took his hand again and walked over to the table where she had just played Kerum. The kids who were there quickly moved away as if caught in a whirlpool.
But there were also children who remained firm. It was Dimitri, who seemed to endure fear, and Natalya, who was biting her lips tightly. Asha took a light deep breath and introduced Karnov to the two.
“Karnov, this is my friend, Natalya Bagration. And, um, Dimitri is my cousin. Dimitri, Natalya, this is the crown prince’s friend… and deputy commander of the imperial army…”
As the weight of the titles felt different, Asha felt embarrassed while introducing them. Asha coughed in vain, but Karnov intervened dimly as she tried to cut back on her words.
“If you want to say whose friend I am, it’s Karnov, the friend of Her Highness Anastasia.”
“Karnov…”
Asha was about to ask what he was saying, and was about to hit Karnov’s waist, but a hand suddenly intervened between them.
“I’m Natalya, Bagration… that is.”
It was Natalya, whose voice was slightly trembling. Asha opened her eyes wide as she saw the hand that was clearly out to shake hands with Karnov. She introduced them to Karnov, but she didn’t expect a reply.
“If you’re a friend of Her Highness, then you’re my friend too.”
Natalya said firmly with a determined voice. Her hand trembled slightly but didn’t pull back. Asha momentarily froze and then quickly gestured to Karnov with her eyes. It was a request to quickly hold that hand and greet them, so that the hand wouldn’t feel too insecure.
Karnov also grabbed the hand, shook it lightly, and released it, showing some surprise. Then Dimitri interrupted in a strained voice.
“D, Dimitri, I’m Dimitri.”
Dimitri’s face turned red, perhaps ashamed of his voice cracking, But despite his shaky demeanor, he looked up at Karnov with a strong gaze. Karnov, after briefly recapping the situation, nodded kindly.
“I see His Imperial Highness Dimitri.”
“T… The war, you did a great job.”
A ten-year-old boy, trying his best to show respect to someone much taller and older than himself!
Asha turned her head, shaking her shoulders as she couldn’t suppress her laughter. It was because she felt more embarrassed looking at him than anything else.
“Well, since it’s come to this, let’s all play Kerum together.”
“I won’t lose again!”
Natalya shouted angrily at the mention of Kerum. Asha swallowed her laughter and pushed Karnov.
“Then, play against Karnov too.”
“Yes… I’d like that.”
“Your Highness.”
Karnov looked back at Asha with his eyes narrowed. Asha personally put the cue stick in Karnov’s hand.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
‘Where’s Uncle Valery?’
While Natalya lost to Karnov one after another, Asha looked around, pretending to watch their game from a little distance.
In order to see Valery’s Prasti as soon as possible, she had persuaded Dimitri to participate in this gathering to see him but she couldn’t see him anywhere.
“…What did you say?”
Suddenly, Dimitri, who was next to her, mumbled.
“What?”
“…You…forgot…to bring…the tart.”
Dimitri’s ventriloquism was the worst. Asha hardly understood what he said as he moved his lips.
“Dimitri? What are you saying?”
“You forgot to bring the tart!”
Dimitri said in a hushed voice. His expression and demeanor seemed like he was shouting, but his voice remained a whisper.
“Tart?”
“You said you’d bake a tart if I made Ilya organize this gathering.”
Dimitri frowned and glared at her. Asha felt a little flustered and lightly patted her cheek.
