Chapter 33
“Milady, a new teacup arrived today, would you like to see it?”
“It’s fine—”
“Milady, a lot of tea leaves have arrived today! There are also a bunch of unique fragrances!”
Adele shook her head and the maids frowned. She buried her head on her single-seater sofa and closed her eyes.
A few days have passed since that day. Adele seldom ate and she acted like a broken doll. Day by day, the maids got sadder.
At that moment, Noah and the butler’s voice was heard from the stairs on the third floor.
“Milord, I advise that you personally go and see for yourself.”
Noah mumbled out an ‘Okay’ in response. He came down the stairs, unbuttoning the cuff of his shirt. When he reached the first floor, he stared at Adele who was sitting on the sofa in the hall.
Adele, feeling the intense gaze, thought of one person and didn’t turn her head to see the newcomer. But Noah continued to stare and said to the butler. “I need to train my knights after going to the annex, so prepare for it.”
He bowed, “Yes, milord.”
After giving the command to the butler, Noah passed by Adele and left the castle.
At the sight, her maids looked at her with concerned eyes. Adele bit her lip out of habit, then a servant came in with a letter.
“Milady, there is a letter for you.”
Instead of answering, Adele held out her hand and the letter was delivered over to her. The sealing wax was with a pattern that no citizen of this country would not know.
“This is…”
It was a letter from the royal family.
At the front of the envelope was written, ‘To Adellia Noah Maktus’. She swallowed her saliva. She knew no one from the palace, so why would they send her a letter? Adele felt uneasy as she ripped it off.
「Hello, Lady Enon Maktus. Well, it should be Lady Adellia Noah Maktus now. Congratulations on your wedding! I would like to invite you to my tea party to celebrate this wonderful union. I haven’t seen you since your first wedding, so please join. I shall be waiting for you.
The only princess of the empire,
Janice Quincet」
Princess?
Two years ago, when she married Enon, the emperor and other members of the royal family had come. She remembered this princess being present as well, however, they were unable to have a proper conversation as the wedding was attended by many people.
Adele put down the letter, thinking of the princess in her memory. She couldn’t figure out why she would suddenly congratulate her.
Her mouth slightly parted as she touched the words with her name on it, brushing against it lightly with her finger.
Adele gave the orders to the maids and closed her eyes. “We are going to prepare for an outing tomorrow. Get the carriage and coachmen ready.”
“Yes, milady.”
She wished nothing would happen at this tea party.
***
In a huge greenhouse made of transparent glass, trees covered with lilacs in full bloom soared to the ceiling. Petals fluttered on the smooth marble floor, filling the space with a fragrant smell that further calmed Adele’s tension.
Even by just a simple glance, it was evident that the scale of the party was grand. From the luxurious tablecloths to the lavish ornaments filling the interior, there was nothing that wasn’t fancy. Even the greenhouse itself was extravagant, just like the youngest daughter that the previous emperor doted on the most.
“Oh my! This dress was tailored by Ms. Rosa Canaria?”
“Yes! I heard the rumors say that the princess had also visited her!”
The ladies and maidens continued to laugh and chat. They will continue to do so until the party hostess, the princess, arrived. It was customary for the hostess to arrive 30 minutes late so there weren’t any complains.
I’ll have to get used to this atmosphere by then.
Adele saw a name tag with her own name on the table in front of her, and she headed there. Meanwhile, the Countess Arsene who was sitting in the middle, saw her and addressed her.
“Lady Maktus.”
“Ah, Countess Arsene, how are you?” Adele replied.
“I am doing great.” Then the woman smiled delicately.
The Countess Arsene was an elegant and dignified woman of her age. She was often invited to her mother-in-law’s tea parties and somehow got acquainted with her.
At her beckoning, Adele sat in the chair across from her because she realized the countess had something to say. The maids with keen eyes quickly brought tea to the table, these subtle movements brought the attention of all the other ladies towards their table and glanced at her judgingly.
“Lady Maktus? The woman who seduced two brothers?”
“Yes, but she looks composed. Different from what the rumors say.”
“You will never know how she really is. She’s a woman who had brothers as both her husbands after all.”
Adele lowered her head at what she heard.
An imperial party, whether large or small, was too much to handle. Adele bit her lip as she recalled her first one that she attended at the tender age of 17.
The Countess Arsene put down her teacup loudly, startling some of the gossiping maidens.
“If your mouth is light, your family’s honor will also be lighter. It’s sad that a lot of people don’t know that.”
At the words of Countess Arsene, who was famous for being cold and stubborn, the women nearby shut their mouths. When Adele smiled and said a small ‘thank you’, the countess changed the topic.
“Is your body all right?”
“Yes, I’m doing fine. Ah, I heard you came to Enon’s funeral. I couldn’t express my gratitude as I was busy with the… wedding.”