"
Did someone you know pass by? You seemed to be waving while looking toward the hunting grounds… Maria."
Ah, Maria.
I clenched my fist in nervousness.
The ladies at the tea party instantly fell silent.
Although there were still sounds like "Here, replenish the arrows!" and "A gamekeeper is injured, bring a stretcher!" coming from nearby, it wasn't complete silence. But anyone sensitive could tell that this silence was full of curiosity.
Maria, however, smiled brightly as if unaware of any malice and answered, "I think I saw a friend pass by."
"A friend, you say? Does Maria have any friends from the capital?"
"She's a friend I grew up with in the Meyer estate. She got a job for the hunting competition today."
Maria said this without any hint of embarrassment. But the slight curl at the corner of the countess's mouth made it clear what her next teasing target would be.
"Oh, I see. It seems she's not of a rank that could participate in the competition. While others are galloping their horses, it must be rather unfortunate for your friend to be working up a sweat."
"Unfortunate? Not at all! I'm just glad to see her, and I'm grateful for the generous salary she's receiving from the royal family."
At the mention of salary, the countess's lips twitched even more. She then looked around the group with eyes that clearly sought approval to make this topic the public plaything.
The young ladies around us, flustered, couldn't open their mouths. Some awkwardly laughed, and some turned their gaze away.
After all, the countess was the host of this gathering.
She spoke happily, "Salary, you say! It's the first time I've heard that word at a tea party. They say that workers place the highest value on their salaries in life?"
The moment I heard that unpleasant comment, the revolutionary song in my chest began to play.
Can you hear it? The song of solidarity, that the seeds of kings and queens are the same.
I might be from the unlucky aristocratic class here, but!
However, I couldn't contain myself at her next sentence.
"Maria, why don't you bring your friend who works up a sweat here? We can offer tea and listen to stories that we could never experience."
Her sly tone made me clench my fist without realizing it. She was openly mocking!
If Maria had said, "Really? I'll bring him!" it would have been a disaster. It would've been rumored that she couldn't tell the right time or place.
Fortunately, Maria didn't take the bait. She seemed a little flustered herself.
"Uh? Rick's working right now…"
"Logically, wouldn't the opportunity to join the tea party be more valuable than the salary? Maria, you're not thinking like a worker, are you?"
At that point, I gave up on holding back.
If I had truly been possessed by a villainess, I would've flipped the table by now. But I wasn't. I was a quiet introvert in someone else's body.
I had to let the words speak for themselves.
"I'll decline the invitation on his behalf."
"…Huh? Dory, why are you answering?"
The countess turned around in surprise, and so did the others.
Thanks to that, Maria managed to regain control of her expression without showing any trace of anger.
I answered while sipping my tea.
"Rick is my friend. I don't want to see my friend become an obstacle to tea time."
"An obstacle? We only wanted to hear some interesting stories."
"If you're looking for someone to talk about labor, you could turn around."
The countess reflexively turned around and spotted the waiting maid, startled.
Did she think they were just decorations?
The maid was also flustered, her expression seemingly asking, 'Do you want me to speak? Should I?'
The countess clicked her tongue and quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Dory, how did you get to know Maria's friend? I don't think Lady Redfield would have arranged such a friendship for you."
It seemed like I was the next target.
I answered naturally.
"When I was injured, Maria and Rick came to visit me. If someone is a friend of a friend, what's the reason I can't make them my friend?"
"Men and women are different, aren't they? Even just walking together, who knows what rumors might spread? I hope you're not hoping for those rumors, are you?"
The countess's eyebrows twitched with a sly grin.
Oh, this time she's really making things difficult, huh?
I opened my mouth—
and put a cookie in it.
The person next to me, who was better at speaking than I was, chimed in.
"Hmm. What kind of rumors would that be? I'd like to hear some examples."
Natalie Redfield's eyes gleamed.
The countess was taken aback.
"Oh my, Lady Natalie… hmm… As a social circle senior, I'm sure you know…"
"I know quite a bit. It's always interesting how the people who warn others about rumors are often the first ones to start them."
"Wait, Lady Natalie!"
"Am I wrong? Or is it just a problem because it fits too perfectly?"
Natalie tilted her head.
Well, the countess didn't just sit back and take it. She had been in the social circles for at least ten more years than Natalie.
"Hmph, rumors aren't always negative. Sometimes they serve as a guide to teach young people about taboos. If you care about your younger sister, Natalie, you should advise her to avoid reckless actions—"
"You're not in a position to advise. Rick is my friend as well."
"…What?"
"When we visited Dory during her illness, I served tea and walked in the garden with Rick. According to your logic, there should be some amusing rumors about me and Rick."
"Natalie!"
"Can you tell me what lesson could be learned from this situation? Not the low-class story about a country boy seducing three ladies, which no one would believe."
I couldn't believe Natalie was defending me by treating Rick like a friend.
Maybe the situation was getting bigger than expected, because the countess's trembling voice became a bit quieter.
"Natalie, just a few months ago, you were saying that your sister needed a lot of guidance…"
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Natalie tried to block my ears, but it was too late.
It was a well-known fact that my sister didn't like me.
But now, things had changed, and everyone needed to know that.
So, instead of Natalie, I spoke up.
"People and relationships can change, don't they? Without relying on harmful rumors about others."
"Dory! Are you saying I've harmed anyone?"
Isn't that what you're doing?
How shameless.
Well, when it comes to shameless, stubborn people, I guess Natalie's the better choice.
Natalie knew that too, so she didn't wait for me to ask for help before standing up from her seat.
"Natalie, where are you going? You should sit down and give your sister a lesson."
"I'm going to bring Rick. I'll be right back."
"Wait, why?"
"Why? Who was it who suggested inviting Rick earlier?"
"Well, I did say that…"
It was just a casual remark to tease Maria. Both Maria and I knew that, but Natalie pretended not to notice.
"If just spending time with Rick creates bad rumors, I wonder what kind of rumors will come up when he joins the tea party. What stories will they make up?"
"It's not a rumor! I was just giving a kind warning, please wait! How could a commoner…"
The countess stopped herself mid-sentence, having almost contradicted her own words.
If I were to point out "You can't have it both ways," the countess would probably sink into the role of a typical villain in a romance novel.
But Natalie wasn't someone who would settle for such a petty conclusion.
Without replying, she walked toward the hunting grounds.
"Natalie! Hey, hey! Go and bring him back!"
The countess, unsure of what to do, sent one of the servants, but of course, it was futile. The servant couldn't even touch Natalie, let alone stop her. She ended up being caught by Natalie instead.
With a cheerful shout, Natalie said, "The countess sent a helper? Well then, shall we go together?"
"Miss!"
Natalie doesn't listen to those weaker than her.
The countess, at a loss for what to do, must have decided that she had to stop it herself. She jumped up and said,
"Stop right there, Natalie!"
Of course, Natalie doesn't listen to those stronger than her either.
Natalie's steps quickened. The countess also hurried to catch up.
Sigh…
Watching the two of them move farther away, I silently assessed the situation.
Natalie was the first to succeed in the hunt.
Maria seemed a little uneasy.
"What should we do? Do you think Natalie really will bring Rick here?"
"…I don't think so."
The day Maria and Rick came to visit me, Natalie had said to me:
"Watch out for that Rick. There's something off about him."
She wouldn't go out of her way to talk to a man she was so cautious about. The countess was probably just teasing.
I didn't explain the reasoning, but Maria let out a relieved sigh.
"If you say so, I'll trust you. Oh, I was really nervous."
Other ladies' faces also relaxed a bit.
But soon, uncomfortable silence fell over the group.
The party host, who had been leading the conversation, had left. The weather and the hunting competition topics had already been exhausted in the small talk at the beginning of the tea party, and from then on, it was just gossip, both behind and in front.
A few of them tried to speak up, but when their words clashed, they awkwardly laughed and said, "Please go ahead," or "No, you go first, it's really nothing…" then it would go silent again.
The atmosphere was so stifling, it felt like even drinking water would cause indigestion.
The younger ladies started glancing at me. I guess since I'm a three-year veteran of social circles and had spoken earlier, they were expecting me to lead the conversation.
Sorry, but I'm an introvert who can't do that…
Yeah, no I'll pass.
Suddenly, I remembered something from the past.
'The day the children's library was brimming with people.'
Back when I worked at the library, a beginner librarian had organized a program for elementary school students. The problem was, the librarian hadn't anticipated that parents of younger children would show up.
On the day of the program, the parents awkwardly waited in the hallway outside the children's program room.
'In a way, this situation… doesn't it feel a bit like that?'
The hunting competition was for men. Ladies were brought in to cheer for the participants at the start and end of the event, but they were sidelined during the actual event.
The beginner librarian hastily adjusted the program to allow the parents to participate, but that was a story for another day.
That day, the abandoned parents were just…
"Excuse me, everyone."