Chapter 3 (Part 7)

Ellermin Severin Mavro.

The Empress of the Carpen Empire, she is the mother of Crown Prince Patzraelli. The noble ladies and gentlewomen revered and looked up to Ellermin, and she took that for granted.

But lately, that has been becoming a thing of the past.

The noble ladies and gentlewomen have started to avoid the Empress, giving her obvious sidelong glances.

The reason was Meryl.

People were rejecting the new fiancée of Crown Prince Patzraelli.

The Empress also thought there might be some arguments. After all, many noble ladies followed Meia.

She had expected some clashes between those who missed Meia, the former fiancée, and Meryl who had taken her place.

But she never imagined people would reject Meryl to this extent.

“I will hold a tea party with Lady Meryl.”

Ellermin tried to hold a tea party with Meryl. Being invited to the Empress’s tea party was an honor for the nobility. But just with Meryl’s participation, people were finding various ways to avoid the tea party invitation.

Though she was angry, the reasons the noblewomen and young ladies gave for not attending the tea party were also valid.

After much deliberation, Ellermin decided to use the power and connections of her family to organize a joint tea party with Meryl, in an effort to improve Meryl’s image.

“Lady Meryl.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Are the tea party preparations going well?”

“Yes, they are going well.”

Seeing the confident Meryl, Empress Ellermin smiled satisfactorily and said.

“Well, let’s talk about the concept for this event.”

As the Empress was talking about the concept for the tea party, Meryl’s hand holding the teacup paused.

“Concept?”

“Yes. You must know the reason for hosting this tea party, don’t you?”

Meryl put down the teacup completely and pouted her lips, then withdrew them. The Empress didn’t miss a single detail of this. Suddenly, a suffocating feeling rose up in her.

“Tell me about it. You must have planned it yourself, right?”

“Actually, I left it to Viscountess Norman, as she offered to help. I had said I would do it myself, but Viscountess Norman insisted that I shouldn’t worry about it and let her handle it.”

The Empress remained silent for a long time, trying to understand Meryl’s current story.

‘Leaving the tea party to someone else?’

Of course, that is sometimes done. Especially when there are no women in the household. 

In such cases, the noble ladies from the vassal families often host the party, not as a tea party but as an introduction event, and arrange it. But Meryl is not a man, she is a lady.

Therefore, she should be the one planning and arranging the tea party.

“If Viscountess Norman disregarded your words and stubbornly insisted on preparing it herself, then she should be punished, Lady Meryl.”

At the Empress’ icy gaze and cold words, Meryl hesitated and spoke.

“Please don’t punish her. I also asked Viscountess Norman to help me.”

Lady Meryl! You must plan and prepare the concept of the tea party yourself.”

“But Empress, I think tasks like tea parties should be delegated to the lower servants.”

Bang!

The Empress slammed her palm down roughly on the table.

“Lady Meryl!”

The Empress was dumbfounded by Meryl’s perception of tea parties and the fact that she had entrusted it to someone else.

“Have you forgotten that you are the future Crown Princess? Yet you tell me that you handed over the tea party to someone else!”

Meryl remained silent, fidgeting, annoyed that the Empress was nagging her just like Meia.

“Answer me! Lady Meryl!”

“I have never hosted or planned a tea party. I lived in the countryside. Meia didn’t teach me such things and went to the magic tower. And I… I don’t have a mother to teach me such things. Sob, hic.”

As tears rolled down Meryl’s cheeks, the Empress pressed her throbbing forehead firmly.

“Sigh… Lady Meryl, you are now the fiancée of the Crown Prince. You will become the future Empress. This time, I will teach you the proper etiquette for a tea party, so go tell Viscountess Norman to stop preparing it right away.”

As the Empress’ tone became gentle again, Meryl wiped the tears from her eyes with her hand.

“I believe you will do well, Lady Meryl. No, you must do well. Lady Meryl, come to the imperial palace every morning at 10 o’clock starting tomorrow.”

At the order to come to the imperial palace every day, Meryl naively smiled and said,

“10 o’clock? Can it be around 11:30? Then we can have lunch and tea together with His Highness Patzraelli and Your Majesty.”

At her childish words, the Empress furrowed her brows and pressed her forehead.

“Lady Meryl, when an elder of the imperial palace speaks, you must answer ‘Yes’ without any retorts.”

“But I was just expressing my own opinion and thoughts. How is that retort?”

“It’s the etiquette of the imperial palace.”

“But the etiquette of the imperial palace…”

“Enough. Lady Meryl, come at 10 o’clock sharp tomorrow morning. And you may leave now.”

The Empress dismissed Meryl.

As soon as Meryl left, sniffling, the Empress received a report that she had gone to the Crown Prince Patzraelli.

The Empress had a very tired expression on her face as she began to receive a massage from the maids, focusing on her neck and head.

The next morning, Meryl arrived at the Empress’s palace at 10 a.m. on the dot.

The Empress did her best to teach her.

She taught Meryl how to plan a tea party and how to give instructions to her subordinates.

Of course, the Empress tried to get other noble ladies to educate her, but many refused, so the Empress had no choice but to teach her herself.

The Empress didn’t say anything more, but she believed Meryl had learned well.

However, Meryl gradually started arriving later – 10:05, 10:10, 10:30… On the last day, she arrived at 11 o’clock.

The reason for being late was that she wasn’t feeling well. But she didn’t look sick at all.

“Lady Meryl, it seems you are feeling better now.”

“I was terribly sick, hehe.”

“Lady Meryl, you should say ‘I was unwell in the morning and arrived late. I apologize, Your Majesty.’ Did you not learn proper language etiquette?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The more Ellermin talked with Meryl, the more she felt a sense of self-reproach.

No matter how much she taught or spoke, Meryl didn’t listen. 

‘If it weren’t for the power of the Hatzbellua Duchy…’

Ellermin missed Meia terribly.

“Lady Meryl, why must you plan the tea party yourself?”

At the Empress’s sudden question, Meryl shifted her eyes left and right, stalling for time.

“It’s something I taught you from the first day.”

“To drink tea…”

“How many times must I tell you it’s a preliminary practice for becoming the hostess!”

“Yes.”

“So what is the concept for this tea party?”

“You said it’s an event to introduce me, Meryl Hatzbellua.”

“No, not that!”

Ellermin shouted in frustration.

“I am Meryl of Hatzbellua. I am the fiancée of Crown Prince Patzraelli von Mavro. I have planned the tea party well, so please enjoy it.”

Snap.

The Empress finally broke the quill she was holding.

“Just don’t say words, Lady Meryl!”

“Pardon? Did I say something wrong?”

The Empress wrote a 1,000-character introduction for Meryl to memorize.

But as soon as Meryl saw it, she said,

<I’m really bad at memorizing things.>

And that was the end of it. She showed no effort to try. The Empress never imagined she wouldn’t even attempt to memorize it.

It wasn’t just that. She couldn’t be trusted with any tasks.

It would be fortunate if this tea party didn’t turn into a disgrace.

“Oh, my head.”

“Your Majesty, let’s have lunch with the Crown Prince.”

“I have work, so I can’t have lunch. Patzraelli is busy in his study, so go straight back to the duchy.”

“…Yes.”

Meryl left, her shoulders drooping.

The servants supported the Empress, who looked like she was about to collapse from a headache, and looked at her sympathetically.

“I’ll call the doctor, Your Majesty.”

“It’s fine.”

When Meia was the fiancée, people would send lots of gifts and try to flatter her to attend her tea parties.

Thinking back, the tea parties and gatherings with Meia were always enjoyable.

And Meia quickly took care of all the troublesome matters.

But now, Ellermin was the one sending out invitations, asking others to come.

Having to persuade others made her feel miserable.

She missed Meia so much. But she had to endure it to make Patzraelli the emperor.

“Why did the Duke and Duchess leave so suddenly, tsk tsk. If only Lady Meia had been born six months earlier…”

She would have married Patzraelli instantly. Then the power of the Hatzbellua Duchy would have been Patzraelli’s…

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

“Bijou… I’m fine. No, I’m not fine. How could there be someone like that? Ha… Never mind.”

The Empress, who almost gossiped about her own person to her subordinates, pressed down on her chest and calmed her anger.