Chapter 35 Tea Party (1)
Tea Party (1)
Just what was she so worried about?
The moment those words were spoken, I felt as though I'd been struck hard on the back of the head.
It was true that I'd saved Adel from the calamity-level monster during the Hunting Festival.
But I'd dismissed it—simply because of my baseless belief that she would have broken through that situation alone using Infinite Regression even without me.
I'd overlooked the fact that Adel feared death itself. Only after the princess's question and retracing each moment did I finally understand the real issue.
It wasn't that Adel didn't trust me.
'Perhaps... it was I who lacked trust.'
Despite thinking I wanted to build a relationship of trust with her, in the end, it was I who trusted her less than anyone else. If I wanted to make excuses, I could have listed them one after another.
That as a regressor who could turn back time at any moment, she could ruin my plans. Or that she was a variable even greater than the Emperor, leaving me no choice but to distrust her.
But those words would have been meaningless even if spoken aloud.
Expecting someone to trust me when I couldn't trust them in the first place was clearly my own failing.
Perhaps even when she first heard of the rebellion from the princess, the reason Adel hadn't asked me directly was also because of my distrust toward her.
"You seem to have realized it now."
The princess smiled faintly.
"Haah... something so simple."
"Even if it seems simple, realization doesn't come easily."
"Thank you for the advice."
At my words of gratitude, her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Her expression suggested she hadn't expected this from me, and I frowned.
"What's with that look?"
"No, it's just..."
She hesitated for a moment before continuing slowly.
"To think I'd live to see the day the Duke thanks me."
It sounded utterly sincere, without a hint of pretense, which irritated me slightly. I considered retorting but decided it would be a waste of time and closed my mouth again.
The princess cleared her throat and asked me,
"So, what will you do now?"
"I'll tell her directly."
She nodded in satisfaction at my answer. It was true—when it came to human relationships, she was far more skilled than I.
Having read people's hearts since childhood, she must have noticed my distrust toward Adel.
At times like this, I couldn't help but wonder if her claim of not being able to read minds was a lie. Though if she truly could, she would have reacted immediately to my earlier thought.
"Good luck."
With a slight nod, she activated her teleportation magic again. A brilliant white light filled the room, and my vision flipped.
The dazzling chamber from before was gone, replaced by the desolate sight of the ducal residence. Allen, unfazed by my sudden reappearance, spoke up.
"You're back already."
"Where is Adel?"
Before Allen could even answer, Adel opened the door and stepped out. Perhaps because her name had been called, she looked up at me with a questioning expression.
"Is something the matter?"
For a moment, I froze at the sight of her face, more meticulously adorned than usual, and her extravagant dress. Though flustered by how unexpectedly beautiful she looked, I made sure not to show it.
"Do you have time today?"
"Well... right now would be a bit difficult."
Adel lifted the hem of her dress slightly as she spoke. Come to think of it, she had mentioned accepting Estelle's invitation. Today must be the day of that Tea Party.
"We'll talk when you return. It's about something important regarding the Contract."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Adel nodded.
"Mmm... alright."
"Ah, your necklace is slightly crooked."
I said as I approached her.
The sudden closeness made her flinch momentarily. But she didn't push me away or insist on fixing it herself.
From that reaction alone, I could sense her trust in me.
The thorny demeanor from our first meeting was gone. Back then, she would take a step back every time I approached unless it was for official matters.
Had her trust in me grown that much?
Pretending to adjust the ruby necklace, I cast the spells I'd prepared in advance. A vibration, audible only to me, hummed in my ear as the gemstone glowed faintly red.
"Done."
"Thank you. It's my first Tea Party, so I'm a bit flustered."
"Don't mention it. Be careful on your way."
"Yes."
Adel smiled as she replied.
Watching her, the princess's question resurfaced in my mind—along with the realization that it had been my own lack of trust from the very beginning.
'I've changed so much, haven't I?'
Even in my past life, I hadn't been this wary.
Moments like these made me newly aware of how much I'd changed. At the same time, Adel's purity stood in stark contrast.
'Was I ever like that too?'
Now that I had changed beyond recognition, I would never know.
§
"Haah..."
I was exhausted.
Not just physically, but the mental fatigue was no joke either. The three deaths I'd experienced yesterday alone were more than enough to drain me.
But the so-called "social circle"—this never-ending tournament of backhanded compliments—was wearing me down even further.
As someone who had lived in modern society, this was a place I could never truly adapt to. The art of wrapping insults in pretty words was bad enough, but this was something else entirely.
Watching the same woman who had once looked down on me, spat on me as I lay collapsed, now flip her attitude and grovel before me—
It made my head throb so badly it felt like it might split open.
"Haah... Damn it..."
Apparently, I had no talent for high society. Some young ladies seemed to thrive on tearing others down with veiled words, even drawing energy from it.
But I just couldn't. Even in my past life, I'd loathed gossip and backhanded remarks—now, more than ever.
"Who would've thought the Duchess had such a sharp tongue?"
A voice suddenly spoke up from behind me, and I whipped my head around. A man in a deep blue uniform came into view. If my memory served me right, that attire was exclusive to the Tower Masters.
His silver hair shimmered under the sunlight, and his crimson eyes—like pools of blood—locked onto me. His face was familiar, but his name eluded me.
"Greetings, Tower Master."
"No need for such formalities."
He scratched his cheek awkwardly at my polite address, his mannerisms and speech betraying a clear lack of noble etiquette. From that alone, I could easily deduce his identity.
Tower Master Lev.
One of the male leads in the original story who had a thing for Estelle, if I recalled correctly. My friend from my past life had liked him the most out of the three male leads, if I remembered right.
Had she been here, she probably would've squealed and playfully smacked my arm, going on about how he was exactly her type—handsome and utterly lacking in manners.
"But how did you get in here...?"
Men weren't allowed at tea parties.
By definition, these gatherings were strictly for young noblewomen to socialize among themselves. So how the hell had he managed to waltz in?
At my suspicious question, he answered shamelessly.
"I was curious. Wanted to see what kind of person the rumored protagonist was."
"Is that so?"
Maybe he'd misunderstood the intent behind my question, because that was all Lev had to say.
Judging by his nonchalant demeanor, he might not even have known men weren't supposed to attend tea parties in the first place.
Given his commoner origins, it wasn't entirely impossible.
"But..."
Lev's gaze swept over my face before he slowly stepped closer, as if intrigued. Then, his eyes zeroed in on my necklace, studying it intently.
The way he stared made me uncomfortable, so I shielded it with my fan.
He didn't even seem to notice my reaction, too absorbed in his own thoughts.
"...Interesting. The Duke must really cherish you, huh?"
"What do you mean...?"
"Defense magic, detection magic, teleportation magic..."
He flicked his fingers, and the necklace glowed red, lifting into the air. Startled, I hastily snatched it back before it could float away.
"Huh, even curse magic? Isn't this overkill?"
Tap.
Another flick of his fingers, and the necklace dropped back down. Even if it was magic, who just touches someone else's necklace without permission?
I scowled at him, and he awkwardly waved his hands in defense.
"Ah, sorry. Got a little too curious. That was rude of me."
"Glad you're aware of it."
"Hahaha... Uh..."
He tried to laugh it off, but when our eyes met, he quickly averted his gaze. An awkward silence settled between us until Lev sighed and reached into the air.
Whoosh.
"This should do, right?"
He pulled out a few golden flowers and held them out. I nearly smacked my own forehead in disbelief but managed to restrain myself. Even for a Tower Master, his ignorance of noble customs was staggering.
Any other noble would've taken his actions as a direct insult. The only reason I wasn't livid was because I was an outlier myself—I just found it absurd.
"I don't need golden flowers. An apology is enough."
"But—"
"Lev."
A woman's voice cut through the air from behind us—colder than midwinter snow.
I turned to see Estelle glaring at Lev, arms crossed.
"What exactly are you doing here?"
Before he could even respond, she grabbed his arm and yanked him away. Lev, too stunned to protest, was dragged off without another word.
...Talk about being whipped.
Well, he had messed up.
He'd barged into a tea party he had no business attending, spoken informally to a noblewoman he'd just met, and then tried to pass off golden flowers as an apology.
...Now that I thought about it, he totally deserved that.
So this is what they mean by 'satisfying karma.'
For some reason, I couldn't help but feel a little pleased.