TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 228
A quiet Darbav’s Estate.
“…”
Sitting at the desk in the Office, Darbav let out a heavy sigh as he read a Letter sent by Olivia.
[To Father]
Father, I have no Friends.
Ricardo says he has no Friends either.
I tried counting on my fingers, but I gave up because it felt bad. I’ll just host a small Tea Party at our house.
So send me some Allowance.
Darbav nodded in satisfaction at Olivia’s Elegant Handwriting. Even if he didn’t know whose Daughter she was, her penmanship was impressive enough to elicit admiration.
“Indeed.”
Although the contents of the Letter weren’t particularly good, Darbav still nodded in satisfaction at the Letter sent by his Daughter.
“I never thought she had no Friends…”
Darbav raised his head, recalling his Academy Days.
-Darbav! Let’s eat together.
-Be quiet, Commoner.
-Are you eating alone again, Darbav?
-What’s wrong with eating alone? It allows me to use my Time efficiently. Don’t think of it as strange.
-Uh… okay.
Such a remarkable Childhood.
Thinking of his extraordinary past since Childhood, Darbav folded the Letter neatly with a sullen expression.
“Like Parent, like child.”
Darbav could understand Olivia’s pain. Although he made Friends while running his business, they were merely business connections.
A Ball is traditionally a place to showcase oneself in front of many people, but dancing in front of strangers was uncomfortable. Thus, he could understand Olivia’s decision to forgo the Ball and opt for a Tea Party instead.
Even if the intended purpose wasn’t a small gathering, this might not be so bad. Olivia could establish her position later, so there was no need to rush.
Darbav nodded, blaming himself for not considering his Daughter’s feelings.
“A Tea Party, huh…”
Darbav called the Man sitting beside him with an excited Smile.
“Kyle.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Olivia says she’s hosting a Tea Party.”
“Didn’t she decide to host a Ball?”
Darbav asked Kyle seriously.
“Name three close Friends.”
“…”
Kyle couldn’t answer.
Seeing Kyle following in his footsteps, Darbav smiled contentedly. How could he be so similar to himself? Watching Kyle display excellent qualities as the Next Head of the Family, Darbav thought there was no need to worry about the future.
“Father is proud of you.”
“…”
Kyle gave a bitter Smile.
*
The Young Lady’s Estate was peaceful today as well.
“Eeeek.”
Sitting at the Desk, the Young Lady was racking her brain, trying to think of Friends while writing Invitations.
“Young Lady, the confirmed attendees are Darbav-nim, Lord Kyle, Rosanna, Malik, and Hanna.”
“Wait…”
The Young Lady couldn’t easily decide on members for the Tea Party she was hosting for the first time in a while. No matter how hard she racked her brain, there was no one to invite.
During her Academy Days, people would rush over at her slightest word, but now, as a fallen Young Lady, there was no one who would be happy to receive her Letter, leaving her with no one to invite.
The Young Lady placed her fingers on her temples, trying to send Telepathy to her Future self.
“Eeeek…”
Seeing the Young Lady’s strange behavior, as if asking her Future self if she had any Friends, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Young Lady, doing that won’t create Friends.”
“Wait. I think I might remember someone.”
Her already narrow social circle wouldn’t change no matter how much she strained herself. I gave her a bitter Smile and patted her shoulder.
“Young Lady.”
“Eeeek…”
“Canceling it now and aiming for another opportunity might be a good idea. After all, you can always buy Friends with money.”
“You can’t buy them with money.”
“That’s true.”
“And I want to host a Tea Party. I want to meet Friends after a long time, have a Pillow Fight, make cookies, and have a Pajama Party.”
I looked at the Young Lady with pity and swallowed my tears.
“Young Lady.”
“Yes?”
“It’s not ‘after a long time.’ You’ve never done it before, have you?”
“…It was in a Novel.”
“…”
The Young Lady wanted to have a Pillow Fight.
The Young Lady wanted a party born not from the superficial ties of complicated business relationships but from genuine Friendship that was more structured and heartfelt.
Wiping my tears with a Handkerchief, I cautiously spoke to the Young Lady. I tried to convey that not having Friends wasn’t her fault and that the Novel that instilled such fantasies was to blame.
“Shall I do it with you?”
“…”
“Let’s have a Pillow Fight today, wear Pajamas, chat together, and even take a Bath together. I don’t mind.”
“You know we built a separate Bathhouse during the Remodeling, right? If we play there, we can at least get the feeling.”
I gave a small Smile and offered kind words.
“With me, the Young Lady, and Gomtangi, that makes three… No, three beings, at least.”
The Young Lady lowered her head and clenched her Fist.
“Ricardo…”
“Yes.”
“Ricardo, do you have no Friends?”
“…That’s a rude question.”
“But if it’s just you and me, it’s not a Tea Party.”
“Hmm.”
I cautiously opened my mouth toward the Young Lady.
“Then, can I invite my Friends?”
“Friends?”
“Yes.”
“Ricardo, you have Friends?”
With an awkward Smile, I thought of a few people that came to mind.
“They’re people the Young Lady knows too.”
“Who?”
With a bitter Smile, I began writing Invitations.
-Yuria.
-Chartia.
These were all the people I knew.
*
Those who received the Invitations reacted in various ways.
Yuria felt excitement.
[Shall we play together at the Estate?] – Ricardo
“Wha… What?!”
Hanna offered flattery.
[We’re hosting a Tea Party at the Estate. If you have Time, come. Ricardo says he’ll provide food.] – Olivia.
“This is an opportunity…”
Chartia opened the Invitation with curiosity.
[Do not open it.] – Ricardo
‘I’m not going.’
The Ladies, each with different thoughts, began preparing after receiving the Invitations. They were putting on Dresses hidden in their Wardrobes or wearing Earrings, getting ready to attend the Tea Party.
And so, a week later.
The day of the Tea Party dawned.
[The 1st Lady Olivia Tea Party]
After hanging a Banner on the Wall of the Estate, I stood next to the Young Lady, massaging her shoulders as her face turned pale with nervousness.
“Young Lady. Don’t be nervous.”
“Sniff… I thought no one would come, but three people actually showed up…!”
Malik.
The Desmond Household.
The Master of the Magic Tower.
As a considerable number of Guests arrived, I spoke to the Young Lady, holding back my emotions.
“It seems we’ve done quite well.”
“You’re right…”
Still, I thought it was fortunate that life wasn’t entirely in vain. I had even considered bringing back an Orc from the Dungeon if necessary, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
I wiped away tears while looking at the Carriages Beyond the Wall of the Estate.
“Young Lady… They’re coming again.”
“Hiiiik!”
“Smile.”
“Hihit…”
“Doesn’t smiling like that look scary?”
“Eeeek!”
I lightly touched the cheek of the awkwardly smiling Young Lady and held my breath as I watched the Ladies slowly walking from the Mansion’s Front Gate.
“Wow…”
Yuria, dressed in a light Dress.
Hanna, wearing a Dress that accentuated her figure.
Chartia, worn down by work.
These Beautiful People were walking into the Estate.
The three of them awkwardly smiled as they stared at the Banner on the Wall of the Estate.
“Ahaha…”
“You worked hard preparing!”
“I want to go home.”
The one who showed the biggest reaction was Hanna.
“Butler!”
Hanna, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, had her brown Hair tied to one side and ran straight into my arms.
Feeling the heartfelt emotions of the Disciple.
I smiled softly and hugged Hanna tightly.
“It’s been a while.”
“Butler!”
“I saw it in the Newspaper. There was a big incident, but thanks to Miss Hanna, it was resolved.”
“No… It was all thanks to the Butler.”
Yuria greeted me with an awkward Smile.
“Hello.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“No, I had to come after receiving such great help last time. And…”
Yuria awkwardly looked at the Young Lady and bowed her head.
“Thank you for last time.”
“Mm.”
“There are still… many things to resolve, but I came because I wanted to say this.”
“Thank you.”
Princess Chartia.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Then I’ll leave.”
She wanted to go home.
*
After exchanging greetings, Chartia let out an Empty Laugh and shook her head.
‘…What is this lineup?’
The Desmond Household, Rivals of the Magic Tower.
-Father!
-How grand.
The Iron-Blooded Prince, Kyle.
-Ricardo.
-Lord Kyle, you said other Guests could be invited, but are there none?
-…
And Malik, the Next Head of the Family of Histania.
-I wanted to discuss business.
Lastly, even the Master of the Magic Tower.
-You want me to install a Teleportation Device?
-Yes.
-…?
-Didn’t you say you’d grant one wish?
-Even so, this is… Haha…
-I think this is already a bargain.
-That’s impossible. The installation cost alone exceeds ten million Gold. Isn’t it strange to ask for that? Moreover, inviting the Head of the Desmond Household and then calling me here too…
-Isn’t the Magic Tower known for making the impossible possible?
-…
-Are you saying you’re beneath Desmond?
-…I have some business to attend to, so I’ll leave first.
-I was just about to suggest you leave.
Each one of them was a big shot.
For the Tea Party of a fallen Young Lady, the lineup was excessive. If there were enough Time, these influential figures could take control of one-fifth of the Empire. Chartia let out an Empty Laugh and shook her head at the absurdity of them gathering for a mere Tea Party hosted by one Young Lady.
“This is insane.”
Chartia clenched her Fist as she watched Ricardo slowly emerge among the gathered crowd.
She couldn’t predict what words would come out of his mouth.
She didn’t think he would have invited these people just to hold a Tea Party. According to Rumors, the Desmond Household was said to be a bloodless and tearless Family.
-Gulp.
Chartia grew nervous, thinking that if a rebellion were to arise, she would run away.
“Thank you for making the effort to come.”
Ricardo, with eyes filled with emotion, looked at the Guests and spoke.
“First, let me briefly introduce today’s schedule.”
Making cookies.
A banquet.
A Pillow Fight.
A Bath.
Hearing the schedule, Chartia furrowed her brows and doubted her ears.
“What…?”
It was absolutely not something one would say to this group of people gathered here.
Ricardo, without pause, began to continue explaining today’s schedule. As more items came out of Ricardo’s mouth, Olivia’s face grew increasingly tense as a side effect.
“The cookies made during the baking session will be donated to a Charity Organization, so I would appreciate it if you could participate.”
“…”
“If you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do, but I think the children would be very happy to receive the cookies.”
“…”
Chartia widened her eyes as she caught Ricardo’s faint muttering. ‘Of course, it will go to the underprivileged Villainess Olivia Foundation…’
‘Ha.’
Chartia wanted to go home.