Chapter 45: The Knights' Advice
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: The Knights' Advice
Loik flinched and came to a halt.
“Doesn’t he, though?”
Demich gestured with his chin toward the knights standing behind him.
“I—I think so too.”
“What exactly changed?”
“Did he cut his hair?”
Loik cleared his throat as he watched the knights whispering behind him. None of them were quite as bold as Demich.
“What is it? Something is definitely different.”
Just then, Leon, who had been peeking out from the very back row, raised his voice.
“I think his shirt is different.”
“His shirt?”
At those words, the knights narrowed their eyes in unison and stared at Loik’s chest.
“The shirt placket is slanted.”
“You’re right. Wait, there aren't even any buttons?”
The placket that fastened the center of Loik’s shirt ran diagonally. Furthermore, the buttons that should have been lined up down the middle were all hidden inside, out of sight.
Demich leaned in close.
“Is this some kind of new trend?”
Having started as a mercenary, Demich was the most unrestrained of the knight captains in both his actions and speech.
Loik narrowed his eyes at the familiar rudeness, about to snap at him, when—
“Wait, don’t tell me...!”
Demich asked with a smirk.
“Are you attending Her Highness the Consort’s tea time?”
Ah!
Loik frowned at the small exclamations that escaped the knights.
“What are you talking about? Attending a tea time?”
“What? Didn’t you dress up like this to give Her Highness some face?”
Seeing Loik’s bewildered expression, Demich’s eyes widened in surprise instead.
“Wait, do you really not know? It’s customary for a husband to drop by his wife’s first tea party after marriage to greet the guests and ask them to treat her well.”
Hearing this for the first time in his life, Loik glanced at the faces of the surrounding knights. Most of them, especially those from noble families, were nodding in agreement with Demich.
“I attended my wife’s first tea time as well.”
“I couldn't make it because of a campaign, and my wife was incredibly upset.”
“I had to work so hard to soothe her pouting for a while.”
The married knights hurriedly added their two cents.
It was as if they felt compelled to prevent their clueless superior from making a terrible mistake. It was a powerful manifestation of camaraderie, all for the sake of their lord’s peaceful newlywed life.
I’ve never heard of such a thing...
Just as Loik was casting a suspicious gaze at them, wondering if his subordinates were being overly dramatic, he locked eyes with Norton, who was standing behind Demich.
In response to the silent question in Loik’s eyes, Norton gave a quiet nod.
Damn it.
Loik swallowed a deep groan.
Showing up at a ladies' tea time to exchange greetings? It might be easy for an ordinary husband, but for Loik, it was nearly impossible.
Opening the castle gates for today’s tea time had already required an immense amount of resolve.
The Grand Duchess had never asked him to attend, but...
She might be secretly expecting it.
She already had no foundation here; it must be difficult for her. If he didn't show his face, would it undermine her authority?
The lighthearted mood he’d felt from wearing the clothes his wife had tailored for him vanished in an instant.
“Wow, anyway, marriage really is a great thing!”
Demich, completely oblivious to Loik’s troubled state of mind, grinned widely.
“Is this Her Highness’s handiwork?”
The other knights also reacted enthusiastically.
“Whoa! No wonder!”
“You look amazing! As expected, Her Highness has exceptional taste!”
“I’m so jealous!”
The knights’ mouths shut instantly at the chilling aura suddenly radiating from the Grand Duke.
“Seeing as you’re all spouting such nonsense, you must have plenty of energy to spare.”
Tomorrow’s training would be sparring.
Loik muttered the words as if grinding them out, then turned on his heel after a short command.
Ugh. The knights groaned deeply as they realized what that implied, but a mischievous glint lingered in Demich’s eyes as he followed behind the Grand Duke.
It was because he could clearly see that the back of his lord’s neck had turned bright red.
*
The gates of the Grand Duke’s Castle, which had been closed to the outside world for nearly seventeen years, finally opened.
The young ladies, arriving in carriages bearing their respective family seals, were guided by the Head Butler toward the tea room in the East Wing.
The ladies couldn't hide their curiosity, stealing glances at various parts of the castle visible through the corridors.
Walking at the very end of the group, Cecilia, the second daughter of the Terito family, craned her neck to take in the surroundings.
The castle really is huge.
For Cecilia, who had started writing a column for Northern News a month ago, everything was categorized by whether it could serve as material for an article or not.
Since her column last week about capital fashions had received a decent response, Cecilia wanted to keep that momentum going by any means necessary.
Writing a column about visiting the Grand Duke’s Castle would be a massive sensation, but any contribution regarding the castle was strictly forbidden.
I probably shouldn't write about the Grand Duchess’s tea time either, right?
— “Cecilia, I don’t even expect you to catch Her Highness’s eye. Just please, go and don’t cause any trouble. Always remember that your mistakes could bring shame to your father.”
Let’s just stay quiet like a shadow and then leave.
Cecilia was sighing as she recalled her mother’s desperate pleas that had continued right up until she boarded the carriage.
Suddenly, someone standing in the shrubbery beyond the corridor grabbed her arm.
“Eek! What the—!”
“Shh!”
Cecilia, struggling in a panic, frowned as she recognized the face of the man with a finger pressed to his lips.
It was Norton, a knight of Blenheim and the second son of the Terito family.
“You scared the life out of me.”
Meeting her detestable older brother outside didn't make him any more welcome.
“What do you want? Speak quickly.”
Seeing Cecilia’s blatant displeasure at this sudden family reunion, Norton also narrowed his eyes.
“Yes, hello to you too.”
“Don’t be sarcastic.”
Cecilia looked up at him sharply.
“I’m busy, so just get to the point, Sir Norton.”
“Is that how you plan to speak in front of Her Highness? What a way with words.”
Norton clicked his tongue softly.
“I came to warn you not to act rashly at the tea time.”
“Oh, if this is a lecture, I’ll pass. I’ve already heard that over a hundred times from Baroness Terito.”
“Listen seriously.”
Norton arched an eyebrow.
“Stay quiet and only answer when Her Highness asks you something. Don’t get all excited just because she’s kind and start blabbering.”
“Always with the nagging.”
Cecilia answered dismissively and peeked outside. The group of ladies was already entering the annex entrance.
“Are you done? I’m going.”
“Especially...!”
Norton grabbed his sister’s sleeve as she tried to leave, his eyes widening with rare intensity.
“Don’t you dare bring up those useless articles of yours, got it?”
“Useless? You’re the one who’s useless, never even showing your face at home!”
After giving Norton the fiercest glare she could muster, Cecilia hurried away.
She managed to rejoin the group just as they were halfway down the hallway.
The lady at the very back glanced behind her at the sound of footsteps.
Cecilia, panting from the rush, gave an awkward smile, but the lady simply turned her head away with an indifferent sniff.
Soon, the large doors swung open, and the ladies entered the tea room under the Head Butler’s guidance.
With windows draped in high-quality silk and walls adorned with gold trim, the tea room boasted an atmosphere that was quite sophisticated and luxurious for its purpose.
The ladies quickly scanned the room for their seats.
Meisel, who had walked at the front with her skirts fluttering, lifted her chin with a confident look upon seeing her name placed directly to the right of the Grand Duchess.
Cecilia’s seat was at the very end on the left.
It was only natural, as the Terito family had joined the North relatively recently.
When their eyes met, Meisel gave her a look of disdain before sitting down with a satisfied expression.
How childish.
Meisel had been petty and malicious toward Cecilia ever since they’d bumped into each other at a tea time two years ago.
Of course, that mostly amounted to intentionally excluding Cecilia from groups or subtly ostracizing her.
Even that had little effect on Cecilia, who had zero interest in high society.
While it was occasionally interesting to watch the ladies engage in their group power struggles, she found it unbearable to spend hours talking about the latest embroidery trends.
She wondered what kind of trivial conversations would take place today.
Just as Cecilia was suppressing a yawn while watching the other ladies sit primly—
“Her Highness the Grand Duchess is entering.”
At the Head Butler’s announcement, the ladies rose from their seats in unison.
Seeing Meisel stand up with a slight delay, Cecilia also looked up with curious eyes.
Wow.
A hushed gasp escaped someone’s lips.
The Grand Duchess, appearing in an elegant pink dress, was breathtakingly beautiful.
Cecilia’s jaw dropped.
She had heard rumors that the Grand Duchess was exceptionally beautiful.
But what was truly surprising was her attire.
I was sure she’d show up dripping in flashy jewels...
The Grand Duchess wore only a small pearl necklace and earrings, yet she looked incredibly noble.
Is it because of the dress?
The neckline of the dress featured delicate, textured embroidery, and the skirt appeared voluminous with subtle pleats on every draped tier.
Forget capital trends, I need to write an article about the Grand Duchess’s fashion right now!
“Thank you all for coming.”
As the Grand Duchess sat down with a bright smile, the rest of the ladies, who had been staring blankly and forgetting their manners, hurriedly took their seats.
“I heard some of you have come from quite far away. Was the journey uncomfortable?”
Wait, what’s with this atmosphere?
Even though the Grand Duchess had opened the conversation, the ladies only exchanged glances, their mouths shut tight like clams.