In most tea parties, a certain level of refinement was expected. It wasn’t enough that the food tasted good, it needed to evoke a sense of nobility, not only in flavor, but in appearance as well. Peasant sweets were avoided. When tea was prepared for me, a princess, that sort of thing just never made an appearance because it was seen as disrespectful.
Peasant food also really clashed with the vibe, which even I could understand. I once tried to get all my favorite foods to become popular tea party fare. But if everything they served was my favorite, tea parties would definitely become chaotic affairs. It’s tough, communicating the foods I like, so I decided I’d have to take baby steps. As a result, the list of people who knew my true favorite foods was very short.
But this menu was only the sort of menu that Lucinda—as somebody in the know—could select.
“Why, you selected this menu for me, Lady Lucinda. Of course I like them.”
Like hell I wouldn’t like them!
“…”
As Derek beheld the spread on the table, he cast Lucinda a pressing glance. Derek was right to be uncomfortable, but in this very specific case, he was wrong…!
All my favorite treats were thoughtfully shifted toward my seat. The nobleman’s equivalents were also on the table.
Lucinda smiled, then turned to the girl at the table who hadn’t yet spoken a word and raised her hand.
“And now—pardon asking your permission after the fact, Your Highness, but I’ve invited another guest to our little tea party. This is Liliciana Turchen, daughter of the Earl of Turchen. She will be our guest at the villa for a while… I just thought you two should be acquainted, Your Highness, as I doubt you’ve heard anything from my husband.” She glared at Derek and added, “Or my son.”
“I simply didn’t have a chance to tell her.”
But Derek’s excuse did nothing to break Lucinda’s death glare.
“Um… Let me introduce myself,” the silver-haired girl said, rising to her feet.
“Good afternoon,” I said. “I’m Octavia.”
Her wandering eyes landed on my seat. She gripped the hem of her skirt and curtseyed. “My name is Liliciana. It is an honor to meet you, Princess Octavia.”
…“Meet” me?
But we already met in the Sky Cham— Oh. Right, my voice. I didn’t say anything when Liliciana was in the room. She might have sensed my presence, but it would make sense that she wouldn’t recognize that I was there that night.
Besides, the Nightfellows probably didn’t tell Liliciana more than she needed to know.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
“Thank you, you’re too kind. I’m honored to speak with you, Princess Octavia.”
Liliciana smiled sweetly and sat down. Was she nervous? If she was, she didn’t look it anymore. Lucinda might have invited Liliciana to tea for her own good. To distract her.
She probably wondered why she was being kept here or why Emilio wasn’t by her side. And even if nobody told her why, she surely was able to get some sense of it.
And now I, too, had learned that the girl I had met in the Sky Chamber was staying at the Nightfellow villa as their guest.
“…” Liliciana suddenly looked at me again. Well, not at me exactly—?
“Um, pardon me, but is there anybody else here besides the Princess, Lady Lucinda, Lord Derek, and Lord Steyn?”
“My bodyguard is also here,” I answered.
That is where Liliciana’s gaze was directed—Klifford. And even with the gazes of the other two on him, Klifford didn’t bat an eye. After we stared at him like that for a while, he raised an eyebrow at me as if to ask, Something wrong? But there was no way I could tell him I was just staring for no reason.
I shook my head and turned back to face the front. My answer seemed to have disappointed Liliciana.
“Liliciana?”
“I knew it wasn’t him…but he has the same aura as my attendant…”
The same aura… If her “attendant” was Emilio, then what he had in common with Klifford was being an Adjutant. Was this Adjutant-related, then?
“In what way are they the same?” Derek suddenly asked.
“Their…way of being, I suppose? Except Her Highness’s bodyguard feels much sharper.”
“Sharper than Emilio, eh…?” Derek murmured to himself. Liliciana shivered at the sound of Emilio’s name.
Lucinda clapped her hands together. “Come! The chef will cry if we don’t eat this delicious spread. Do go ahead, Your Highness.”
In simple gatherings and small meals like this, it was customary to offer a short prayer to the Sky God on an individual basis. After finishing my little prayer, I went straight for the eba. How many years has it been? Nightfellow’s specialty eba, you are mine at last!
“Lady Liliciana, what would you like to eat? I can tell you what’s available.”
Steyn told Liliciana what was on the table and then gave her whatever she asked for. And I was tempted to demand why Steyn’s manner of speech was way out of character.
Maybe that was why Steyn was with Liliciana—because she was comfortable around him? She looked much more natural when she spoke with him. And as I quietly watched over the pair, I nodded in satisfaction at Liliciana’s selections.
Good, good, she went for the eba first. One! Of! Us!
Lucinda and Derek kept their hands off the sweets and stuck to their tea. Then Lucinda set down her cup and gave Derek a harsh warning. “And Derek—don’t you dare say anything depressing during tea. A tea party should be light and festive.”
“Don’t you mean, a bitter battle between ladies?”
He had a point. As a rule, Lucinda’s tea parties were drama-free. Everyone could attend without worry. But not all tea parties were like that. More than half of them were like a battle? A factional dispute, at least.
“Derek, mind your words. For goodness’ sake, who taught you that turn of phrase?”
“My father, whom you love so very much.”
Ahh, this dynamic…hasn’t changed a bit.
Whenever I came to the Nightfellow home, I always felt the family vibes. The unique nature of Esfia’s royal family was partially to blame. But if I couldn’t be part of a normal family, then I at least wanted to breathe the same air as one.
Uncle Dearest was a devoted husband. He had no male lover on the side, and Derek was loved and cared for by both his parents. Speaking of which…I didn’t see Uncle Dearest around.
“Is the duke not home?”
“I’m afraid my father is out today.”
“My husband is rarely home this time of year,” his mother added.
“Well, I saw him at the castle yesterday, so I was hoping I could see him today…”
“Oh my. At the castle, you say?”
“Yes. He came regarding the survey—he told me about the dress you ordered and that he invited you out to that restaurant with the delicious coffee.”
“And he came all that way just to tell you that, Your Highness?” Lucinda rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “It was all very welcome information for me… All the places you visited on your survey aren’t the sort of places I would ordinarily visit…understandably so.”
Lucinda’s eyes wandered over toward Derek, probably at Steyn, who was distributing some chirro jam-filled cookies. Ooh, I’m gonna have some chirro cookies, too!
“Though somebody in this very house had already gone to those places on that very day.”
Steyn muttered a little “Oops” under his breath and said, “My lady…how did you know?”
“See if I tell the men who lie to me all the time. I have my own information network, you know. That Leif can be so impulsive with his secrecy…”
“Mother…sometimes there are things we really can’t tell you.” Derek stepped up to defend his father. “I can understand why that makes you unhappy, but please stop giving Father the silent treatment. It hurts him more than you. Remember that one time you made him mope?”
Since the story came from her son Derek himself, it was most credible.
“Oh, I would love to see his grace like that just once,” Steyn cooed.
Sorry, Uncle Dearest, but I’m with Steyn on this one!
“Duke Nightfellow…mopes when he can’t speak with you, Lady Lucinda?” Liliciana sounded intrigued, and I was, too. I couldn’t imagine Uncle Dearest moping.
“Yes…and it’s incredibly annoying.”
Derek folded his arms with the authority of someone who was there.
A peculiar look filled Lady Lucinda’s face as she reminisced.
“Yes, quite.”
They shared a mother-son understanding.
After that, we chatted and depleted most of the refreshments. Then our tea party came to a close.
“Thank you so much for a lovely afternoon, Lady Lucinda. Good to meet you, Liliciana.”
“Likewise, Your Highness.”
“I also had a great time!” Liliciana cried with an energetic nod as Steyn handed her cane to her. She smiled like a forest sprite.
I smiled in turn. God, she’s so cute… If I had a little sister, she’d probably be like her. In looks, at least. Her hair is the same as mine and Sirius’s. Meanwhile, her eyes remind me of Alec and my father. If somebody said she had Esfian royal blood running through her veins, I’d totally believe them.
“Steyn, escort Liliciana to her room.”
“Yes, your grace.”
As Liliciana dangerously teetered off, Steyn chased after her.
I took a deep breath in and turned to face Derek. Now that fun time was over, I had to accomplish what I set out to do when I came here to the Nightfellow villa.
I had to, but…
Seeing the drop of tea left on the table, I had a sudden thought and turned back to look at Klifford. Then I approached Lucinda and whispered a request in her ear. “…if that would be possible?”
I still hadn’t heard from Klifford what he thought of that sandwich yesterday. Since I had asked to hear his impressions, maybe that meant he had none, but my methods of sussing out Klifford’s tastes were effective as far as I was concerned! So I made a little request along that avenue! It would satisfy my need, while I was at it.
The brown eyes just like Derek’s lit up in Lucinda’s face.
“Request accepted, Your Highness.”