Chapter 5 (Part 1)

If it had been a congratulatory letter sent by the Emperor or Rio, it would have been easily dismissed. However, it was sent by an unexpected individual.  

“What… should we do with this?”  

After checking both the sender and the recipient, Heldor spoke.  

Theodore, who had been silently staring at the letter, rubbed his forehead. He couldn’t help but sink into thought.  

The sender wasn’t requesting him, but rather Reinis.  

Still, it wasn’t a situation he could simply ignore. Theodore, who had been staring at the letter with a serious expression, finally spoke.  

“Bring the lady here.”  

Reinis, who had been enjoying a rare moment of leisure, headed straight to Theodore’s office upon his summons.  

Sensing the unusually serious atmosphere, Reinis instinctively shrank back and cautiously observed the situation.  

Worried that she might misunderstand him again, Theodore quickly got to the point.  

He placed the letter from the Imperial Palace in front of Reinis, who looked at him with a puzzled expression.  

“This is a letter from the Princess.”  

“What? Why would Her Highness the Princess send me a letter…?”  

“Because it is addressed to you, lady.”  

Reinis, still wearing a perplexed expression, widened her eyes as realization dawned. Soon, her gaze turned to Theodore, filled with astonishment and concern.  

“Could it be… I… have I done something wrong?!”  

“No. You haven’t done anything wrong, Lady. Please, first check the contents of the letter.”  

With a slightly apprehensive look, Reinis opened the letter. However, she froze before she could even finish reading it.  

The letter stated:  

[I would like to meet Lady Reinis Martin, who is soon to become the Duchess. If the Duke’s manor is planning to host a tea party, I would appreciate it if this Princess could also be invited.]  

The marriage between the two had been a closely guarded secret, even within the Duke’s manor.  

Yet, the letter openly referred to Reinis as ‘soon to become the Duchess.’  

While this revelation alone was surprising, what shocked her even more was the Princess’s request to be invited to a tea party.  

This was essentially a polite way of saying, ‘You should host a tea party.’  

Even though Reinis had never personally hosted a social gathering before, she could understand the implication behind such phrasing.  

Theodore, looking troubled, stared at the letter.  

‘It must be Rio’s doing.’ 

He thought grimly.  

Theodore thought to himself that it was unlikely for Princess Nico to have sent such a letter on her own. He wanted to handle this situation as quietly as possible. However, the recipient of the letter was not Theodore, but Reinis. A letter addressed to her name, especially from a Princess, could not simply be ignored.  

After a moment of thought, Theodore spoke.  

“It would be best to send a reply first. Since you are still staying at the Duke’s manor as a guest, you can’t freely host a tea party. It would be appropriate to respond that you’ll consult with the Duke and get back to her.”  

At his words, Reinis slowly nodded, though her face was filled with worry.  

Having participated in social activities with Chloe to some extent, Reinis was well aware of what it meant to meet with a Princess. If she managed to leave a good impression on the Princess, her future social endeavors would go smoothly. However, if the opposite occurred, it would naturally lead to difficulties—and she might even find herself entirely excluded from the social circles.  

Moreover, Reinis knew better than anyone that, if not for Theodore, she would never have had the chance to speak with the Princess up close in her lifetime. For now, she could delay the meeting, but it was not something she could avoid forever.  

This realization made her feel immense pressure about meeting the Princess solely because of her connection to the “Duke.”  

The thought of making a mistake and causing trouble for Theodore had already filled her with fear.  

Sensing this, Theodore spoke gently to her.  

“My Lady, are you feeling burdened about meeting the Princess?”  

Startled by his question, Reinis frantically waved her hands and replied, 

“No… Please don’t say such things! Burdened, you say… It’s just that I… I’m worried I might make a mistake…”  

Nodding at her words, Theodore gave a faint smile.  

‘Does she still not realize that she’s incapable of making a mistake?’  

Reinis, unaware of the meaning behind his smile, lowered her head with a strained smile.  

“I’m sorry. I must be causing you trouble, aren’t I?”  

“Trouble? Not at all. Even if I were to face difficulties because of you, my Lady, I would gladly help you with a joyful heart. So please, don’t worry about such things.”  

Was it because his voice was so kind? A smile mixed with joy began to spread across Reinis’s face.  

After that, with Theodore’s help, Reinis carefully finished writing the reply to send to the Princess.  

Once the reply was sent through a servant, Theodore left his office to spend time with her.  

The two of them went for a light stroll in the garden. The Duke’s garden was filled with the fragrant scent of flowers and a pleasant breeze.  

How long had they been walking?  

Reinis, whose steps had slowed, came to a stop and looked at Theodore.  

“Commander.”  

Hearing her call him, Theodore met her gaze.  

“I want to invite the Princess.”  

“You can host a tea party with the Princess after the wedding, so there’s no need to push yourself unnecessarily.”  

“Honestly, I can’t say it won’t be a bit of a strain… but I’ve started to want to host a tea party in such a beautiful garden.”  

After finishing her words, she took another look around the garden.  

The flowers, which had only just begun to be planted when she arrived, now shone brilliantly in a variety of beautiful colors. The way they danced in the wind was so stunning that it felt like a shame to enjoy it alone.  

Until now, Reinis had never personally hosted even a small gathering. Not even before she returned to the past.  

But more than that, there was a bigger reason why she wanted to host a tea party.  

The Princess’s letter was practically an order to invite her. Reinis didn’t want to cause trouble for Theodore, who had created such a beautiful garden for her.  

Although Theodore was concerned about the meeting between Reinis and the Princess, he eventually gave his permission for the tea party, swayed by Reinis’s unexpectedly determined reaction.  

* * *  

“Marriage? That Theo? He’s getting married?”  

“Yeah, that Theo. He’s getting married.”  

“Who’s the bride? It’s not some strange woman who tricked him, right?”  

Princess Nico, upon hearing the news of Theodore’s marriage, glared sharply at Rio. Expecting such a reaction, Rio shrugged his shoulders and replied.  

“Lady Reinis Martin. Do you know her?”  

“Reinis… Martin?”  

Rio nodded and observed Nico’s reaction.  

Nico, now deep in thought with a serious expression, furrowed her brows when she couldn’t recall anything about Reinis no matter how hard she tried.  

“What kind of family is that, anyway?”  

“A baron’s family of no significance.”  

“Why on earth would Theo want to marry a lady from such a family?”  

Her voice was filled with irritation. Rio, wearing a meaningful smile, shrugged his shoulders in response.  

“I can’t let this be. I have to see for myself what kind of person she is.”  

“Theo won’t like it.”  

“Even so, I have to see her. With my own two eyes!”  

At her determination, as if she would go immediately, Rio had no choice but to stop his sister.  

After finally calming down, Nico fell into thought.  

‘I can’t summon her to the Imperial Palace. If she gets invited to the palace, she might get conceited. But if I go to her, she might start thinking the Princess came all the way to see her, which would be ridiculous. What should I do?’  

Watching Nico lost in deep thought, Rio instantly figured out what she was thinking.  

“Do you know where Lady Reinis is staying right now?”  

“She’s the lady of the Martin family, so she must be at the Martin manor.”  

“Wrong. She’s been staying at the Duke’s manor for some time now.”  

At those words, Nico’s expression turned to one of shock. Theodore, who didn’t even welcome visits from herself or Rio, was letting her stay at the Duke’s manor? The unbelievable fact left Nico frozen in surprise.  

Smiling at her reaction, Rio said, 

“When I visited last time, she invited a friend and held a tea party. She’ll probably keep hosting tea parties at the Duke’s manor in the future, so why don’t you suggest inviting you to one? You can use it as an excuse to see Theo too.”