If eating diet cookies hadn’t scrambled her senses, Delina was certain that the group approaching were people she knew well. Zen was the first to recognize her and react.
“Delina!”
Unaware or indifferent to the current chaotic atmosphere of the tea party, Zen approached with a cheerful smile. Alongside him were other children, lined up neatly. Delina’s pupils wavered back and forth.
‘Why? Why are they here?’
Though Delina gave several glances to Vincent who was next to Zen, Vincent scanned the place and spoke.
“Is this how young ladies’ social gatherings usually are? It’s quite quiet.”
It was noisy just a moment ago…
It was as if time had come to a standstill. The young ladies present stared at the five children who had suddenly appeared.
“Your Highness Hwang Tae-son, I am Sylvia Roselip of the Roselip Duchy.”
Sylvia was the first among the young ladies to snap back to her senses. Taking a step toward Ashud, she greeted him and then alternated her confused gaze between Delina and Ashud.
“I am the host of this tea party. How did you manage to come this far?”
“There was someone to bring us here.”
As he spoke to Sylvia, Ashud’s gaze was focused on Delina. Noticing this, Sylvia tightly gripped the hem of her dress.
“It’s halfway through, but would it be okay to take them along?”
Noah, who was surveying the atmosphere, spoke with a slight grin. Then, Kalix, who was standing next to him, mumbled.
“…Let’s go a little later.”
Kalix, who didn’t particularly enjoy crowded places, had a stern expression. However, his gaze was fixed on the desserts placed on the table.
“Were you having fun?”
Zen was the only one with a bright expression. Delina, as if giving up on everything, stared blankly into space until she suddenly felt a burning gaze. It was the gaze of the young ladies.
It was only natural that their curiosity was piqued when the five eye-catching individuals suddenly tried to take Delina away. The problem was that Delina herself had no idea what was happening. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Sylvia stepped in.
“Your Highness, it is an immense honor that you have graced our duchy. Would you care to join us for the tea party?”
“…”
“Of course, the same invitation extends to the young nobles behind you.”
Not only the royal Ashud but the current hot topics among the nobles were gathered. Sylvia didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
“Our duchy’s social gathering is considered one of the finest in the Empire. You will surely enjoy it.”
Despite Sylvia’s enthusiastic explanation, the children seemed uninterested.
“We don’t need to. Just take us here.”
Ashud’s response remained the same. Sylvia’s piercing gaze shifted from Delina to Ashud.
“It seems you are taking Lady Floren. May I ask the reason?”
“It’s a summon from the royal palace.”
At Ashud’s brief answer, everyone seemed surprised. However, the most shocked was Delina.
‘The palace? Could it be the one who called…?’
She had heard stories but never imagined that the day would come this quickly. It was then that Delina realized why they had all come.
“What’s this?”
In the middle of everyone’s surprise at the mention of a summon from the palace, Zen noticed the cookie in front of Delina.
“Diet cookies.”
“Diet?”
“It’s a cookie they gave me here.”
At Delina’s words, the other children’s attention was also drawn to the cookies.
“…Cookies?”
“A waste of ingredients, judging by the looks.”
“Not even experimental cookies look like this.”
Each child uttered a word after inspecting the cookies. Then Zen picked up a cookie, sniffed it, and seemed surprised by its smell, tossing it away. Kalix caught it.
“Want to try it?”
“…”
“If you’re curious, go ahead and try it.”
Calix’s face was complicated as he looked at the cookie, even though Noah had said that.
“Um…!”
Before Sylvia could stop him, the cookie went into Calix’s mouth. He reacted quickly.
“…!”
This was the first time Calix’s expression was so varied. He turned pale and flushed, picked up the cup in front of him, gulped down the tea, and glared at Sylvia with a distorted face a long moment later.
“Tastes bad?”
“It’s not a diet cookie because you eat it, it’s a diet cookie because you can’t eat it.”
Jen and Vincent commented in turn on Calix’s loud reaction. Noah chuckled.
“It’s considered one of the best gatherings in the Empire, and indeed, that cookie is one of the best in the Empire.”
At those words, Sylvia’s face flushed red with embarrassment and shame. Then, Ashud, who had been silent, spoke.
“Why are you the only one eating this cookie?”
“…”
“Other ladies are eating perfectly fine cookies.”
“I was told I needed to diet.”
As the conversation between Ashud and Delina continued, Sylvia’s complexion grew worse. Delina, who had been watching Sylvia, spoke.
“It seems His Highness was quite impressed with my debutante dance.”
“…What?”
Ashud’s brows furrowed at the comment. Sylvia immediately knelt before Ashud.
“Your Highness, I never intended to mock that dance, I truly did it for Lady Floren!”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
