Chapter Two: A Battlefield Disguised as a Tea Party
THREE years had passed since I reverted back to Alexandra’s childhood.
I was attending my first ever tea party at the age of eight. Of course, my household hosted tea parties as well. Nevertheless, I hadn’t been allowed to appear in public until I could fully control my magic. Without perfect concealment, my powers would eventually come to light. Learning to control an immense mana supply was rather difficult for a young girl like me.
Yet after three years, I had learned to control my magic. Now, I was making my formal debut in public. As a result, I’d been oblivious to the truth behind these gatherings. This event was actually a battlefield disguised as a tea party. No wonder Mary had bade me farewell with a worried expression.
“I never expected this to be a group matchmaking event,” I muttered to myself.
The royal family was sponsoring this particular tea party. Who would have expected such a gathering to be a group matchmaking event? Or rather, a battlefield? Numerous round tables and chairs had been set up in the castle’s large courtyard. Likewise, plentiful sweets had been arranged in the back. Highborn boys and girls of the same age were the only participants. The young noblemen enjoyed the party without reservation, laughing loudly and pretending to be mature gentlemen.
However, the young noblewomen were already on the hunt for eligible bachelors. Their mental maturity far surpassed their male counterparts, after all. The girls were concentrating their attention on four specific boys to a frightening degree. By the time I arrived, the girls had already swarmed around these boys. Consequently, I couldn’t see them at the center. Regardless, colorful dresses fluttered all around them.
“How terrifying,” I said.
Women are scary no matter what world you’re in.
As this realization dawned on me, another girl sat down next to me. “No arguments there,” she agreed.
Felicita Camprani was the daughter of a marquis. We’d been friends for as long as I could remember. Currently, she held a plate with sweets piled so high that they threatened to spill over.
“Are you planning on eating those all by yourself, Cita?” I asked.
“Of course not,” she replied. “I brought your portion, too.”
“Heh, I know. Thanks.”
Felicita wore her light beige hair in a half-up, half-down style. She’d gathered the knot of the half-up portion on the right, forming a small bun.
“Oh?” another voice asked. “Did I double up on the sweets?”
Felicia Camprani sat down on my other side, placing another plate filled with sweets on the table. She wore her light beige hair in a style similar to that of her sister. However, she’d gathered the knot of the half-up portion on the left, forming a small bun.
“That’s twins for you,” I said with a laugh. “You even think alike. Thanks. Looks like we’ll be having a feast.”
The three of us immediately dug into the sweets while sipping our tea.
“Speaking of which, what did you mean by ‘no arguments there’?” Cia asked.
“We were talking about the murderous enthusiasm of the young ladies here,” I explained.
Cia nodded in understanding. “I see. Well, tea parties at the royal castle are always like this.”
Apparently, the twins were accustomed to this scene. They’d attended similar functions numerous times.
“Are you two interested in anyone?” I asked.
The twins laughed at the same time.
“Not right now,” Cia responded. “But we’re not seriously looking for anyone either.”
“At the very least, we’re not interested in boys who can’t tell us apart,” Cita added.
“Right?” both of them said simultaneously.
They did look very similar, as one might expect from twins. At the same time, their eye colors were different, and they had completely different personalities. Cita had hazelnut eyes, a lively disposition, and was adorably clumsy. Conversely, Cia had peridot eyes, and despite her more relaxed demeanor, she could trounce anyone in an argument. Still, both twins possessed an ephemeral beauty.
“What about you, Ally?” Cita asked. “A lot of the boys have been staring at you for a while now.”
“She’s the prettiest girl here, after all,” Cia said. She then added for emphasis, “On the outside, at least. Who knows what’s going on underneath the surface?”
“Rude, much?” I responded. “But I guess you’re right.”
As my childhood friends, the twins knew all about my mana supply.
“I’m not interested in anyone either,” I said. “For starters, everyone looks exactly the same. Plus, I’ve decided to stay with my family forever. No point fishing for men when I’m never getting married.”
Both twins sighed, as I’d been repeating this declaration for years.
“I do understand how you feel,” Cita said. “But I doubt that’ll be possible as a highborn noblewoman.”
“You’ll find someone you love eventually,” Cia added. “I’m certain of it.”
The twins both laughed.
“It’s fine,” I replied. “At the very least, that won’t be right now.”
I began digging into the sweets again, which signaled the end to this conversation about me.
Meanwhile, Cita stuffed her cheeks with petit fours while observing the four groups. “Still, their popularity is unwavering.”
“Unwavering?” I repeated.
“Yes. First is Second Prince Lauris Bartis. Second is Rosario Marchetti—his father is a marquis and the prime minister. Third is Oreste Rodarte—his father is a duke and head of the chivalric order. Last is Severin Fregolini—his father is a marquis and the head of the mage’s order.”
Wait, what did she just say?
“Well, what do you expect?” Cia asked in a disinterested tone. “They’re all quite handsome.”
“Hold on,” I said. “Could you repeat their names again?”
“Sure,” Cita responded.
When she finished, I couldn’t help but look up at the sky. What kind of cosmic irony was this? Those were the men I’d beaten up after first arriving in the world.
Ugh, I want to go home, but these sweets are just too good.
I had a bad feeling about this. Though I wanted to leave right away, the mouthwatering sweets were keeping me glued to my chair. I couldn’t stop myself from stuffing my face with them.
Well, they probably don’t remember what happened.
My heart had already lost to sugary morsels. Thus, I satisfied myself with this conclusion. Yet as the sweets vanished from our plates, several young noblemen visited our table.
“If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind speaking with us?” one boy asked.
While fixing a smile on my face, I forced myself to not say, “Yes, it is too much trouble.” I was still a highborn noble, regardless of my youth. I understood my obligation to maintain a pleasant façade. A few minutes later, however, I discovered how naïve my thinking had been. Our table soon resembled the four groups we’d been observing. All at once, boys began pestering me with questions.
“Would you like to walk with me in the garden over yonder, Lady Vistriano?”
“Would you like to select more confections with me, Lady Vistriano?”
“We plan to host a tea party at my manor in the near future as well. I hope to see you there, Lady Vistriano.”
I received a terrifying number of invitations. Perhaps I seemed novel as a first-time participant. My smile began twitching involuntarily, as any girl’s would.