“Welcome, Your Highness.”

“Thank you for the invitation, Countess.”

“It’s just a simple tea party. I’m the one who should be more grateful that you came.”

When I got off the carriage, the Countess, accompanied by a few servants, was there to greet me.

I exchanged a brief greeting with her and slowly entered.

“There can’t be a simple party that you prepare, Countess. You’re known to put a lot of effort into preparations.”

“You flatter me, Your Highness. I still have many shortcomings.”

Countess Ferze humbly led me to where the party was being held.

The Countess Ferze’s words about a simple tea party were half right and half wrong.

Although there weren’t many invited guests, the outdoor greenhouse where the tea party was held rivaled a garden party.

They said it would be a small gathering with just a few people chatting casually.

The scale, the prepared desserts, and the decorations were all enough to invite all the nearby nobles and call it a garden party right away.

‘As expected of Countess Ferze.’

I inwardly admired and subtly gestured to Betty, who remained behind me.

Receiving my gaze, she slightly nodded her head.

After Betty quietly disappeared, I whispered softly to the Countess.

“I brought a few more dresses for the young lady to wear. They haven’t been worn yet, so you just need to alter them to fit.”

“Your Highness, really…… I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”

“You listened to my request, didn’t you?”

“But it’s too little compared to what you’ve bestowed.”

The Countess whispered to me with a perplexed face.

Her little daughter, Elze Ferze, really liked the clothes I sent last time.

Although she couldn’t attend official events due to people’s attention, she held a small party with her close maids wearing those clothes.

Countess Ferze secretly sent me a letter repeatedly expressing her gratitude.

And thanks to the Countess’s goodwill, I was able to invite Arianna Valois to this party.

“I needed a place to meet in secret. In that sense, you’ve provided a very good opportunity.”

“I told them to guide Lady Valois to the glass pavilion inside the garden as soon as she arrives. I informed them that Your Highness has to get up early today, so you can leave when the maid comes to escort you.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Of course, it wasn’t just a simple invitation.

Most of the attendees at the Countess’s gatherings were from moderate or pro-emperor families.

Even if it was a request from the Crown Princess, there was no way people from such families would try to include someone from the Valois family, the leader of the noble faction.

That’s why I had been asking the Countess to secretly find a place for us to meet.

Since meeting at the Imperial Palace might draw attention, it would be better to meet face-to-face at a party if possible.

But since the attendees might feel uncomfortable, I asked if she could just lend us the place.

The Countess very willingly accepted my request and even said to let her know if I needed anything else, constantly expressing her gratitude.

So it wouldn’t be a losing deal to give her a few more dresses I had.

I smiled, thinking of Madame de Fare’s dress that would have been delivered to the rear of the Count’s residence by now.

“It will be an enjoyable occasion. Everyone shouldn’t feel too disappointed that I’m leaving early.”

“Everyone knows you’re a busy person. Don’t worry too much.”

The Countess reassured me with a gentle smile.

It was as if telling me not to worry about the inside and focus on what I had to do.

I expressed my gratitude to her and entered.

* * *

The party was more enjoyable than I thought.

Maybe it was because only people who got along well were gathered, or maybe it was because I already knew this occasion wasn’t very important to me.

Rather than fiercely and viciously probing each other, it was an occasion where we could just comfortably listen to and share each other’s stories, which brought unexpected ease.

“Madam.”

It was when I was having such meaningless conversations for a while.

A maid quietly approached the Countess and whispered something.

And immediately after that, the Countess looked at me.

“Oh my, what should I do? They say the carriage to take Your Highness has already arrived.”

“Oh my, already?”

“Goodness. The rumors must be true.”

The carriage to take me had arrived.

That meant I had to leave this place and depart for another meeting.

At the moment I was about to say goodbye to those who had enjoyed the short but pleasant time and leave,

Melina, Viscountess, one of the younger members of the gathered group, widened her eyes.

“Rumors, Countess?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Haven’t you heard?”

“Oh my. Don’t tell me you’re talking about that…?”

When I asked back, the Viscountess laughed slightly as if it was amazing.

Then, Theresa, Viscountess, who was next to her, clapped her hands and laughed along.

Rumors. Was there a rumor in this capital’s social circle that I hadn’t heard of?

I was relaxing and feeling comfortable, and then this felt like a bolt from the blue.

“They say His Highness the Crown Prince can’t do anything without you!”

“What?”

“Since His Highness cherishes you so much, everyone talks about it like that. And you two always go everywhere together, right?”

With half envy and half jealousy, people talk about it like that.

Theresa smiled innocently, as if dreaming.

The content was so absurd and quite plausible that I ended up giving a hollow laugh.

“Ah, by the way, I’m speaking very positively about it! It’s a blessing for the country that you two get along well!”

And His Highness the Crown Prince is very romantic too.

At the Viscountess’s words, everyone sitting around the table nodded in agreement.

Among them, there were some who looked at me with truly envious eyes.

Is having a good relationship with one’s husband something that attracts so much attention?

I had thought about using the plausible rumors and situations created so far as a weapon in the social circle.

But I never thought I would receive such pure envy.

So I was a little flustered by this situation.

I couldn’t tell the envious person to stop, so I laughed awkwardly.

“Thank you for seeing it positively. I guess it’s because His Highness pays a lot of attention to me.”

“Well, it was already a hot topic even before the wedding! I heard His Majesty had a lot of concerns because His Highness said he wouldn’t get married if not to you.”

Melina, Viscountess, who was also the wife of the Grand Chamberlain, smiled brightly, saying that her husband also had a lot of concerns at that time.

Because I was not only a well-known top bride candidate in the social circle but also the daughter of a family with great power.

Half of it was the concern that power might be overly concentrated on one side, and the other half was the confusion at his clear expression of will as the Crown Prince, she said with a smile.

Moreover, operating a trading company as a woman, they were concerned if the workload would be too heavy.

“But His Highness insisted so strongly that they put aside all their concerns. That’s why those who know the situation are so happy to see you two getting along well.”

Despite the rampant rumors about Lloyd and me in the social circle at the time, Viscountess Melina didn’t mention that part at all.

She only talked about Leoprick, who said he wouldn’t marry anyone but me, and His Majesty who respected his son’s decision.

Even though it was a well-known story to everyone, none of those present brought it up.

They also sincerely rejoiced and congratulated me, agreeing with Viscountess Melina’s words.

…… If I had known such people in my previous life, it would have been nice.

Talking about Leoprick, who only wanted me, and the attitude of these people who treated me with genuine goodwill was very touching and heartwarming.

I listened to their stories for a while and thought it was about time to get up.

“Then I’ll get up now before it gets too late. It was so nice to meet you all today.”

“We are the ones who are more grateful, Your Highness. Please join us often in the future.”

“Of course, whenever you invite me.”

“Yes! It would be an honor to have you with us, Your Highness.”

They were really happy like little children at my words that I would drop by from time to time in the future.

Seeing their girl-like appearance, I thought I should visit often when I have time.

The wives of the power holders of a country.

It was a gathering where you would naturally expect tense and useful information to be exchanged and invisible battles of nerves to take place.

It was almost equivalent to a gathering of families that could be called the main axis of the moderate and pro-emperor factions.

But they purely shared their recent status, rejoiced together at each other’s news, and grieved together.

They did share useful information, but it was only about their respective concerns, and there was very little political talk.

‘How can people live sharpening their swords every day? There should be occasions like this to breathe a little.’

I remembered what Countess Ferze had said when she first introduced this gathering.

She said it was a gathering where people meet to spend time together without any special reason or grand purpose.

For me, who had thought that not a moment should be wasted and that I should run towards my goal, it was something I had never thought of before.

‘This isn’t bad either.’

I exchanged brief greetings with the noble ladies who saw me off and followed the waiting maid out of the place.

While thinking that it would be nice to create such a gathering around me, even if I respond to Countess Ferze’s invitations from time to time.

“She is waiting here.”

But to continue the thought, there was a pressing matter at hand.

I stood in front of the door and watched it slowly open.

An enclosed space outdoors.

A place inside the garden where sound wouldn’t leak out.

A location where people wouldn’t even know if someone was there unless they came looking.

The door opened, and I faced Arianna Valois sitting inside.

“….. Greetings to the little moon of the Empire.”

Arianna Valois, who looked somewhat tense but much more beautiful and intelligent than I remembered.