Chapter 1 (Part 4)

Beautifully dressed to attend Olivia’s tea party, Meia headed to the Ferzen Marquisate.

After traveling for a while, the carriage stopped, and the coachman knocked.

Knock, knock.

“My lady, we have arrived at the Ferzen Marquisate. May I open the door?”

“Yes.”

Through the carefully opened carriage door, a glimpse of a splendid silver dress could be seen. Stepping out of the carriage, Meia looked like an elegant cat.

“Welcome, Lady Meia of Hatzbellua.”

The butler of the Ferzen Marquisate stepped forward and bowed courteously to Meia.

“It’s been a while, Butler.”

“Yes, you are very welcome. Lady Meia, I will guide you to the tea party.”

The butler led her to a beautiful glass greenhouse.

The butler of the Ferzen Marquisate opened the door to the glass greenhouse. Inside the greenhouse, filled with lush green leaves, it felt like entering a forest.

“Lady Meia of the Hatzbellua Duchy has arrived.”

The attendant announced Meia’s arrival to the others in the greenhouse.

The young ladies who had arrived before Meia stood up at the news of her arrival.

Everyone had been eager to see Meia, who had been in semi-seclusion for a while, so they greeted her with bright smiles.

“I will guide you to your seat.”

As Meia took her seat, the other young ladies followed and sat down.

And then it happened.

“Lady Meia!”

The owner of the tone, unnecessarily raised and filled with fuss.

“Lady Olivia.”

Meia mustered the warmest smile she could and looked at Olivia, who was walking quickly towards her.

“Lady Olivia, it’s been a while.”

“Lady Meia, are you alright?”

Seeing Olivia’s expression as she abruptly asked if she was alright, Meia had a strong premonition that Olivia was about to cross a line.

“What do you mean by asking if I’m alright?”

“I was worried because you went through several bad things all at once.”

“Thank you for your concern, Lady Olivia. I am fine.”

Olivia showed a worried expression to Meia, who was smiling with difficulty.

“I’ve heard rumors.”

The rumors could encompass many things.

It would likely be about the death of her parents, the funeral without bodies, and the topic of ‘breaking off the engagement.’

Meia already knew that Meryl was going around hinting that she might become the Crown Prince’s fiancée instead of Meia.

And rumors spread quickly.

People didn’t blindly believe Meryl’s words. Meia, thinking of using these rumors to her advantage, stayed secluded in her room to let the rumors spread further.

And just then, an invitation to Olivia’s tea party arrived.

“Lady Olivia, what rumors?”

Olivia looked at Meia, who was smiling innocently, and slightly furrowed her brow before relaxing it.

She thought Meia would show discomfort if she mentioned the rumors, but Meia responded with a smile, which left Olivia flustered.

“Lady Meia, let’s talk later. Hoho, it seems everyone has arrived.”

Afraid that Meia might ask more questions, Olivia left.

Meia smiled slightly, finding her cute.

The young ladies seated at the table listened to Olivia’s brief explanation of the concept for the tea party.

After the explanation, tea and sandwiches were served on the table. The real conversation began.

“Lady Meia, your silver dress is so elegant today. It could have looked dull since it’s the same color as your hair, but it suits you perfectly.”

“It looks like the Milky Way.”

“It looks like moonlight.”

Despite the admiring compliments directed at her, Meia only quietly lifted the corners of her mouth and smiled prettily, narrowing her eyes gracefully.

“Thank you for the compliments.”

Olivia wasn’t pleased with the situation where Meia was receiving compliments.

But she couldn’t show it.

Hiding her true feelings, Olivia spoke to Meia with a pensive expression.

“Please come to me anytime you feel troubled, Lady Meia.”

To that, Meia put down her teacup and said,

“When you say troubled… it sounds like you’re saying I will definitely have troubled times, Lady Olivia.”

Meia was waiting for Olivia to bring up the topic of ‘breaking off the engagement’.

She was sure Olivia wouldn’t pass up the chance to mention the rumors Meryl had spread.

Olivia’s mouth would be itching to talk about it.

‘Say it, quickly. Say it, Lady Olivia. So I can speak comfortably too.’

Hiding her true feelings, Meia waited for Olivia’s next words.

“I thought you might still be feeling down after your parents passed away… I’m saying this out of concern.”

A slight smile appeared at those words. It wasn’t the answer she wanted.

In that case, she would have to lead the conversation to get the answer she wanted.

“I can’t remain sad about my parents’ deaths forever. Soon, I will hold my coming-of-age ceremony and become the Crown Princess. I need to study harder than ever. My parents’ deaths are sad, but I have no time to be sad.”

At those words, the young ladies around her exclaimed in admiration.

“You are truly a model noble.”

“If you were a man, I would have fallen for you.”

“If it were me, I would have been too sad to do anything and stayed in my room. No one suits the position of Empress better than you, Lady Meia.”

With the continuous praise directed at Meia, Olivia bit her lower lip.

And then Olivia brought up the rumor Meryl had spread, which Meia had been waiting for.

“I heard the engagement position will be changed from you to Lady Meryl.”

At Olivia’s words, the young ladies present fell silent.

Blatantly asking about a widely spread rumor was not the behavior of a noble lady.

Meia smiled, narrowing her eyes gracefully.

“Lady Olivia… can you take responsibility for what you just said?”

Meia spoke haughtily, lifting her gaze.

“Nobles must take responsibility for their words.”

“Well… I heard such a rumor….”

Olivia’s words trailed off.

“To be shaken by rumors… Lady Olivia, you are not someone who would do that.”

Olivia regretted it internally and tried to continue her explanation, but Meia’s words were faster.

“Could it be… that my uncle would tell his niece, who just lost her parents and hasn’t even held her coming-of-age ceremony, to give up her position as the fiancée to his own daughter? My uncle cherishes me very much. It’s an absurd rumor. Moreover, after spending 10 years with the Crown Prince, would the royal family want to break the engagement?”

At those words, Olivia fell silent.

The other young ladies also agreed with Meia’s words.

“That’s right. The royal family cherishes Lady Meia very much.”

“And the Crown Prince too.”

“10 years cannot be ignored….”

Meia took another sip from her teacup and looked around.

“It seems even more certain that it’s a baseless rumor.”

“Of course. Breaking an engagement with someone you’ve been with for 10 years? It’s definitely a rumor.”

“Hoho, why would such a rumor start?” 

People knew that Meryl had been spreading the rumor, but they agreed with Meia’s words. Meia’s words were more convincing than Meryl’s.

Olivia’s frustrated expression caught Meia’s eye.

‘How can she think of becoming Empress when she can’t even control her own emotions?’

Clink.

Putting down her teacup again, Meia spoke with an indifferent face.

“I must be going now. It was nice meeting everyone after a long time. I’m planning to host a tea party at the duchy soon, so please come.”

“Yes! Please send us invitations.”

“Me too!”

Meia just smiled brightly and elegantly stood up, and the other noble young ladies also stood up and greeted her.

After confirming that Meia had left the glass greenhouse, the young ladies began to talk about the rumors.

“Breaking an engagement is not child’s play….”

“Then why would Lady Meryl say such things?”

“Who knows?”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any talk of breaking off the engagement.”

“But they have to do as the head of the family says. The current head is Lady Meryl’s father, Duke Luman.”

“Could he really ask Lady Meia to give up her position as the fiancée to Lady Meryl?”

Everyone knew that Meia was destined to become the future Empress.

No matter what rumors circulated, overturning an engagement arranged by the previous generation would reveal the current Duke Hatzbellua’s ambitions, making him vulnerable to political attacks.

And if he took the position from his underage niece as the head of the family, it would be something people would criticize.

“Yes.”

“They won’t break off the engagement….”

“Of course not.”

“Anyway, I thought she would be struggling after her parents passed away, but she seems to be coping well, which is a relief.”

For the royal family to unilaterally mention breaking off the engagement would disregard Meia’s efforts as the flower of the social circles and make their previous actions seem like a royal deception.

Breaking off the engagement would immediately cause the royal family to lose trust.

Breaking off the engagement would immediately cause Crown Prince Patzraelli to lose public support.

Meia was anticipating.

‘If by any chance the engagement is maintained, nothing will happen, but if it’s broken off, the social circle rumors will become quite interesting.’

Inside the carriage on her way back to the duchy, Meia smiled pleasantly for the first time in a while.