“An old memory, you say? Could it be some special memory related to Aliande? It’s not a tea that commoners easily encounter. Oh, perhaps it’s a memory from your time as a servant? Like a memory of serving nobles who enjoyed drinking such tea when you were a servant or something like that.”

“Lady Hoen.”

Michel, sensing the mocking intent in Marilyn’s words, restrained her with a cold gaze. However, as if expecting such a reaction, Marilyn sneered and muttered.

“An old memory, they say. I wonder if there’s a special memory related to Aliande. It’s not a tea that commoners easily encounter. Oh, could it be a memory from your time as a servant? Something like memories of serving nobles who enjoyed drinking such tea when you were a servant.”

“Lady Hoen.”

Michel, sensing the mocking intent in Marilyn’s words, restrained her with a cold gaze. However, as if expecting such a reaction, Marilyn sneered and muttered.

“Is it about the teacup?”
In response to her words, everyone looked at Lina’s teacup, but it was just an ordinary white ceramic teacup.

“This is just an ordinary teacup. Do you have any special memories associated with it?”

“My late mother used to say that in the Southern Continent, the meaning of serving tea to guests changes slightly depending on the color of the teacup. Typically, when offering a teacup to someone lower in status, it is blue, indicating appreciation for their hard work. To a beloved lover, it is served in a red teacup.”

As Lina reminisced about memories with her late mother, the young ladies looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

“And the white teacup in front of me represents the color of friendship, expressing a desire to treat someone with intimacy.”

“Then, Young Lady’s teacup must have been the most suitable for today’s tea party.”

Upon hearing this, everyone touched their own teacups, indulging in conversations.

“Come to think of it, strangely, only Young Lady Hoen has a white teacup.”

While other teacups were various colors like pink and sky blue, only Lina’s teacup was placed in front of her.

‘It couldn’t be helped.’

Perhaps, to avoid mixing up her teacup with others intentionally, hers was the only one different.

For Lina, it was fortunate that hers was white.

With a gentle smile, Lina looked at Marilyn.

“So, today, I would like to offer this teacup to Lady Hoen.”

“…What?”

Without saying a word, Marilyn, who had been silently keeping her mouth shut, shuddered at Lina’s words.

“I am well aware that my background is different from all of you here. Some of you may even think of it unfavorably. However, I believe it’s something I must experience until I can confidently stand by the Duke’s side. Until I am recognized by all of you as a noble. So today, in this place, I want to extend the hand of friendship to Lady Hoen first. I think it’s the first thing I should do before becoming the Duke’s wife.”

“Oh my.”

To extend her hand first to someone who, until a while ago, had sarcastically spoken of her commoner background.

Behind Lina, Duke Fermainens was silently supporting her, and, in fact, with her lineage as a fellow aristocrat, she could even ignore Marilyn.

Everyone looked at Lina with admiring eyes due to her unexpected attitude. Of course, Marilyn didn’t think that way.

‘What…?’

Marilyn, who had been helplessly staring at the teacup in front of her, bit her lip. Surely, this should be in front of the Duke’s fiancée.

‘Why on earth…!’

She was in a situation where she couldn’t do this or that right now.
If she drinks this tea as it is, she’ll likely suffer from a nasty skin disease, and she won’t be able to go outside for a while. Then, it was clear that she wouldn’t be able to participate in the hunting competition, let alone the marriage ceremony of the First Prince scheduled for this year, a crucial year where she had to choose her fiancé. To be confined only to the mansion at such a time. Moreover.

‘This could leave a scar…!’

Marilyn recalled the words Heylen had said to her when he handed her this.

However, not drinking this tea could also lead to a situation where her reputation would hit rock bottom.

‘What should I do?!’

At that moment when her body was trembling with anguish, Michelle, who had been watching Marilyn, asked.

“Lady Hoen, please gather the courage and drink this tea, at least after seeing Lady D’Autremont and me.”

“…….”

However, when Lady Hoen, without any response, just lowered her head, Lina cautiously asked.

“Lady Hoen, is there something wrong?”

Repeating the same words Lady Hoen had said to her earlier.

“That, well…”

“Lady Hoen must feel embarrassed in front of Lady D’Autremont.”

“That’s right. Lady D’Autremont has done enough at this point.”

As the young ladies around made comments one after another, Marilyn’s complexion became even darker.

And.

“I-I’ll graciously accept that… Oops.”

Just as Marilyn was about to raise the teacup as if she were going to drink it, she let out a short sigh and dropped the teacup.

It was a flaw that could be felt deliberately even to the bystander.

“I-I’m sorry. Because I carelessly let go of the cup…”

“…It’s okay. Nothing can be done about it.”

Lina deliberately cast a disappointed look, and then everyone looked sharply at Marilyn.

“Lady D’Autremont, please don’t be too upset. Gerald.”

Watching silently over that scene, Michelle called the butler nearby.

“Change all the teacups here to white. Oh, and except for Lady Hoen’s, since she doesn’t seem thirsty[Dash].”

Open ridicule. That was the price Marilyn had to pay to protect her face.

“In accordance with Lady’s intentions, I would like to treat everyone to a tea of friendship.”

Before her words even finished, all the teacups in front of everyone magically changed to white, except for one.

“Now, for the sake of our friendship[Dash].”

Everyone began to drink Alionde, the warm fragrant tea, with warm feelings. Only after Lina took a sip did she smile brightly.

“The tea is truly fragrant.”