Although she had pretended to be calm, that didn’t mean she was completely unaffected.

‘How nice would it be to just enjoy the refreshments as the name suggests?’

As befitting a tea party, enjoying tea and desserts while engaging in light conversation.

……Well, she had expected it to turn out like this from the moment she had put Giana Dalton on the guest list.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t exclude her from the list because it would have been problematic not to invite the daughter of a family that had been acquainted with her father, due to personal feelings.

‘But it will be over if I just endure a little longer.’

Giselle took a deep breath, comforting herself. Then, feeling that the trembling had somewhat subsided, she picked up the teacup again.

It was a battlefield that had been swept by a storm, but it was still as bright as ever.

A bright battlefield of women only.

Who would have imagined such an intense battle would take place here?

‘……I’d gladly stay up all night looking at ledgers if asked. Or even if asked to read and summarize accounting principles from beginning to end, that would be better than this.’

Just as she was grumbling inwardly and taking a sip of tea, Giana, who had regrouped, glanced toward the entrance and raised the corners of her mouth.

“By the way, Lucas…… I mean, President Taylor seems to be late.”

“……Pardon?”

Giselle looked at Giana, who was addressing her husband familiarly as if by mistake. As their eyes met, Giana continued with one corner of her mouth raised.

“No, I’m just worried. It’s your first tea party, but your husband hasn’t shown up yet. Perhaps you don’t know this either? At a new bride’s first tea party, the husband……”

“I know, Miss Dalton. You don’t need to explain.”

To tell the truth, she had first learned about it from the nanny a few days ago.

That a husband should attend his wife’s first tea party.

Moreover, bringing gifts for the tea party guests.

Apparently, that’s how one proves that a wife is loved by her husband, or something like that.

⟨Social custom? What kind of custom is that? Forget it. I don’t want to make such demands on someone who’s already busy.⟩

⟨That won’t do, Miss! No, Madam! The master might forget, so you should remind him!⟩

When Giselle first heard this story and shook her head in disbelief, the nanny urged her several times.

Saying she must tell Lucas.

⟨Isn’t it ridiculous to prove you’re a loved wife with something like that? No, and why should I show something like that in front of people?⟩

It wasn’t even a place to demonstrate results achieved through her own abilities.

The idea that the husband’s attendance and the presence of gifts would determine whether they were a harmonious couple or not.

Giselle couldn’t understand it at all.

Still, unable to refuse the nanny’s repeated requests, she had halfheartedly agreed, but……

‘So this is what the nanny was worried about.’

Giselle inwardly muttered while calmly meeting Giana’s mocking gaze.

It wasn’t just Giana who harbored hostility toward her.

Other ladies and young noblewomen were also subtly curious about whether Lucas would come to the tea party.

Giselle turned her gaze to look toward the window. The sunlight that had been pouring through the curtains was visibly tilted much lower.

It was almost like a sign that day would soon be over.

……And that the tea party should also be wrapped up soon.

“That’s fortunate. I mentioned it because I was concerned that President Taylor hasn’t arrived yet.”

“……”

“Surely he’s not going to skip it? After getting married in such a way that stirred up the world.”

Giana addressed Giselle again and burst into laughter. Some of the younger women seated at the table laughed in agreement.

Usually, husbands would make an appearance midway through a tea party. But since Lucas hadn’t come until now, they seemed confident that he wouldn’t come at all.

‘……Should I just say he’s not coming?’

Giselle was also inclined to believe that Lucas wouldn’t come. It was a perfectly natural conclusion for her.

After all, she had never once asked him to attend the tea party. Lucas had never asked her if he needed to attend either.

‘There’s a high possibility that man doesn’t know about it either.’

She had only learned about it because the nanny told her, so how would Lucas know?

Moreover, a workaholic like him wouldn’t have any interest in social customs.

As she was debating whether to speak or not, Giana, perhaps misinterpreting her silence, raised her chin with a triumphant expression.

“Oh dear, ……it seems I’ve said something wrong. I’m sorry, madam. But don’t be too disappointed in President Taylor. He’s such a busy man after all.”

“Of course. President Taylor is always so busy that even having several bodies wouldn’t be enough. That’s why I was so surprised by the sudden marriage announcement. I wonder by what means they ended up getting married……”

The young noblewoman sitting next to Giana quickly agreed and spoke up. Her lips also carried a sneer.

“Indeed. I find it amazing too.”

But Giselle calmly nodded toward those who were mocking her.

Looking back on the process of how she ended up marrying Lucas, she did find it amazing.

The day she was forced to marry Count Maurice.

The man she had encountered in the dimly lit office.

The lamentations she had blurted out without realizing.

And then…….

⟨Marry me instead.⟩

The voice of the man who had suddenly proposed marriage echoed in her ears anew. At the same time, one of the maids hurriedly entered and whispered something to the head maid.

“Madam!”

Giselle could see the head maid’s complexion brighten; the head maid had been anxious and pale during the conversation between Giselle and Giana. And the head maid continued speaking even before her permission was granted.

Loudly, as if wanting everyone to hear.

“The master has returned from work! I’m told he’s on his way here right now.”

“……He’s coming, at this hour?”

Giselle opened her eyes wide at the head maid’s words and instinctively looked outside.

Although the sun had tilted westward, darkness had not yet fallen.

In other words, he had left work earlier than usual.

“Yes, madam!”

The head maid nodded, smiling broadly, unlike her usual expressionless self.

Knock knock.

Just then, there was a knock. The maid standing by the door opened it as if she had been waiting and stepped aside.

“Lucas……”

Giselle unconsciously murmured his name.

The name of her husband who was entering the reception room holding a large bouquet of flowers.

* * *

The car stopped in front of the mansion.

The secretary, who had been in the passenger seat, hurriedly got out of the car and was about to open the back door where Lucas was sitting, but the door opened before he could.

“Master Lucas, you’ve arrived!”

He had thought there wouldn’t be many employees to greet him since he was returning earlier than usual, but quite a few had been waiting, including the butler, who immediately approached.

“The tea party?”

Lucas immediately asked Bushin who approached him. As if anticipating this question, Bushin promptly replied.

“Madam is still with the guests in the reception room.”

“……Haa, that’s a relief.”

Only after hearing the butler’s words did his expression soften. Lucas let out a sigh of relief and looked back again. The secretary then opened the car trunk with the driver.

“Oh my!”

One of the maids involuntarily exclaimed upon seeing the trunk full of flowers, then hastily closed her mouth. Lucas, paying no mind, gave instructions to Bushin.

“Tell the servants to bring everything. The order from the dessert shop will arrive soon, so make sure they bring that too.”

“Yes, Master Lucas. I will see to it immediately.”

A smile spread across Bushin’s wrinkled lips. Lucas was about to turn away, pretending not to see the butler’s pleased expression, when he remembered something and stopped in his tracks.

“Here it is, President.”

The quick-witted secretary approached with a bouquet he had taken from the car’s back seat.

A momentary awkwardness flashed across Lucas’s face, but he maintained a composed expression as he took the bouquet and continued walking.

“Did you see that? The bouquet the master just took. It was orange roses, wasn’t it?”

The maid who had been watching Lucas enter the mansion whispered, poking the side of another maid beside her. She was the same maid who had exclaimed in admiration at the flowers filling the trunk earlier.

Still seemingly entranced by the beauty of the fresh flowers in the trunk, she had a dreamy look in her eyes before finally coming to her senses at her colleague’s question.

“Orange roses? Why?”

“Don’t you know what they symbolize? ‘A shy confession of first love’!”

“……What? Oh my goodness.”

Light gradually returned to the dreamy maid’s eyes. Then, as if she were the one receiving the bouquet, she covered her blushing face with both hands.

“How romantic! Who would have thought the master had such a romantic side? He must have known the meaning and deliberately bought a bouquet of orange roses.”

“Of course! He specifically chose orange roses for the bouquet. Look over there. The flowers in the car are so diverse.”

A bouquet of only orange roses for the madam. Various pretty flowers for the guests.