56. Children's High Society (1)
56. Children's High Society (1)
[Episode 56] - Children's Social Gathering (1)
The Princess's first social gathering was conducted under the direction of the ministers. Vin Chaud, the Minister of Finance, prepared a modest tea party venue in the garden, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Education carefully selected and invited the guests.
In fact, it was practically impossible for this first social gathering to fail. Since we were hosting the tea party ourselves and even chose the theme, wasn't the tea party basically a guaranteed success?
"First of all, these are the people carefully selected by the Minister of Education and myself. They are parents with children around the Princess's age, and we've chosen those who have no political ties to the royal castle or who pose no harm."
I checked the list of people handed to me by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Perhaps due to the difficult challenge of finding parents with children the Princess's age who were not politically entangled with the royal castle, there weren't many people on the list.
The noble ranks were all over the place. From barons to counts. The list even included a businesswoman from another country who had a child. Was it really that difficult of a problem?
"Good work. I suppose it was harder than expected to find children who met the criteria."
"Indeed, it was. We selected children who were attending their first social gathering, after all. On top of that, with various other conditions... just when we thought someone met the criteria, they wouldn't have any pets."
I wondered if I had been too demanding, but I didn't want the Princess to be ignored by other children like in a game. I returned the list to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and let out a small sigh.
"That aside, do you know when the puppy the Minister of Education promised to send will arrive?"
"Why are you asking me that... You know full well that I loathe that man and those animals. Well... I suppose that man needs time to prepare in his own way."
What kind of preparation is needed just to lend a puppy? As I frowned, unable to understand, the Minister of Foreign Affairs shook his head and replied that he didn't know.
Come to think of it, this happened a few days ago when I went to see the Queen Dowager. While we were sharing drinks in the night breeze, the topic of the Minister of Education lending a 'pet' to the Princess had come up.
The Queen Dowager at that time... was honestly surprised. She opened one eye wide as if to say, 'Is he crazy?', then without saying a word, she just let out a long sigh and spoke to me as if she had given up.
'Yes, I'm sure you'll handle it well.'
'Hehe.'
With that as the last thing said, the Queen Dowager didn't talk about the 'pet' anymore. At the time, I was just happy that the Queen Dowager trusted me even without me having to say anything...
With less than a month left until the children's social gathering.
I started to feel worried about the 'pet' that I hadn't even seen a hair of until now. Should I bring another puppy, even now? I thought, but...
'Right, he wouldn't just be sitting in a ministerial position for no reason, would he? He must be a sensible person. He is the Minister of Education, a position you can't hold without common sense, right?'
I thought, and brushed it off.
Even though I had never once had a good outcome from brushing things off like this...
*
The day the 'tea party' was held for Titania's children's social gathering.
Titania, who was getting dressed for the tea party, pouted her lips. Perhaps exhausted from the people pestering her for the past few months while preparing for the social gathering, Titania's face was full of sulkiness.
"I didn't end up seeing the puppy..."
She had trusted Mother's words that she would bring a puppy and waited, but she hadn't seen the puppy's face even once until now. And after all that, the theme of the tea party was 'the animal I raise'...
Titania was at a loss for how to introduce the puppy she would be seeing for the first time today to the others. The animals the other children brought would likely be ones they had lived with for a long time, but for her, it was a puppy she was meeting for the first time.
Ainsel, who didn't know what to do while watching the pouting Titania, asked if she would like to take a walk in the garden since there was still time before the tea party.
-The weather is nice, and Vivian looks busy, so why don't you go for a short walk? There's still time. And since the garden is close to the gate, you might be able to meet the puppy soon.
"...Okay. I'll do that."
Titania hopped off her chair and began walking toward the garden with pitter-patter steps. Looking around, she could see the maids moving busily to prepare for the tea party, and the gardeners trimming the garden; everyone was moving about in a hurry.
As she was walking through the garden, feeling at a loss for what to do, a little girl crouching by the stream trickling in the corner of the garden caught Titania's eye.
Golden hair that looked like it had been spun from melted gold, and red eyes that were as bright as her own. She even looked a bit younger than her.
Titania couldn't take her eyes off the little girl for a moment. First, it was the subtle feeling she got because there were almost no children her age in this vast royal castle, and second...
"...What are you doing?"
It was because of the small turtle in the girl's hand. Titania watched the girl blankly as she played in the stream, as if trying to make the turtle swim.
It also seemed strange that there were no adults around, and the little girl was playing alone in the stream in the middle of the royal castle. Where on earth did she come from?
After a moment of silence, the girl hesitated at Titania's question and answered in a very small voice. Truly, a voice so small that only Titania could hear.
"The weather is nice... so I wanted to... let the turtle... swim..."
"...Swim?"
Titania glanced at the small fishbowl next to the girl. Perhaps the small fishbowl was the turtle's home, as it was empty and didn't even have proper water in it.
Realizing then that this girl was one of the young ladies invited to the tea party, Titania smiled gently and approached the girl.
"That's a cute turtle. Is it okay if I watch for a moment?"
The girl, who had been looking back and forth between the turtle playing in the stream and Titania who had approached, gave an awkward smile and showed the turtle in her hand to Titania.
Unlike the turtles Titania often saw in the stream, its shell was spiky, and its mouth was sharp; it wasn't exactly cute.
Its claws were sharp, and the thorns on its long tail were far from what one would call cute. It was smaller than a palm, so it seemed to be a baby turtle, but...
Titania tilted her head at the appearance of the turtle she had never seen before and asked the girl.
"It looks a little scary... What's this turtle's name?"
"Pugi."
"No, what kind of turtle is it?"
"Aha, they say it's a snapping turtle. They say it's because its tail is long like a wolf's or because it's as fierce as a wolf... I heard that when I received it as a gift last month. Hehe."
At the mention that the turtle was fierce, Titania stepped back slightly from the girl. It was certainly a turtle that looked not just fierce, but scary.
Titania, who had expected ordinary pets like puppies or kittens to come since it was a place to bring pets, found this situation slightly amusing.
Setting aside the social gathering, she thought this might be a place where she could see animals she had never seen in her life— and while she was carefully observing the girl's snapping turtle-
"Emily!"
"Ah, Unnie!"
Hearing her name called, the girl put the turtle in the fishbowl and started running toward where the sound came from.
Where the girl ran to, a girl with red hair stood with her hands on her waist and her cheeks puffed out. Then, she glared at the girl called Emily as if she were displeased.
"I told you not to wander off alone!"
"But..."
The girl with puffed-out cheeks had red hair, red eyes, and even a dress with a red base. Even her shoes were red. As Titania watched her blankly, the red-haired girl ran over and bowed her head.
"I'm sorry! Did my younger sister cause any rudeness? She's only six and the youngest... so she's very free-spirited."
"I'm fine. I even got to see a fascinating turtle. Are you also invited to this tea party?"
The red-haired girl nodded, then shook her head as if to say no. Then, she pushed Emily, who was blankly watching the fishbowl, to the front and introduced herself.
"I'm the one invited to the tea party... but my younger sister Emily made such a fuss about wanting to come along... I asked her to stay with the mothers, but... Ah, my name is Caroline Sergio."
Mothers?
Titania tilted her head, wondering if she had misheard, but she missed the timing to ask about it again. Titania, who had no choice but to smile gently, lifted the hem of her dress elegantly and greeted her.
"I am Titania Snow White. Thank you for attending this tea party. Sergio."
Caroline's eyes widened when she realized that the person in front of her was the Princess of this country. When she bowed her head again with Emily and was flustered, not knowing what to do, Titania let out a small sigh.
"Shall we head back to the tea party venue? It's almost time to start, so the others must have arrived too."
"Yes! Shall we go now, Emily?"
At Caroline's question, Emily smiled brightly. Caroline's lips also curled up at the smile that seemed to say she was happy anywhere as long as she was with her big sister.
'A younger sister...'
Titania, who was watching that scene, was overcome by a sense of envy she didn't know why. She wished she had a younger sister or an older sister too... that kind of loneliness and envy.
Titania, who had bad thoughts come to mind again due to the sudden thought, shook her head and shook off the bad thoughts. When she arrived at the tea party venue with Caroline and Emily, she saw Mother talking to another woman.
Was it because she had felt lonely just a moment ago? Titania smoothed her chest without realizing it at the sensation of a hollow wind blowing in her heart. The moment she tried to compose her emotions and quietly approach Mother-
"Mommy!!"
With the shout of "Mommy," Emily jumped at the woman next to Mother. The woman, who had golden hair that looked like it had been spun from melted gold just like Emily, and blue eyes like the blue sea, looked troubled as she saw Emily hugging her legs tightly.
"Emily... I told you not to trouble your sister too much..."
"I didn't trouble her!"
The woman, who had a troubled expression while looking at the brightly smiling Emily, eventually smiled as if she had lost and hugged Emily. Then, Caroline, who had sighed as if she couldn't help it, approached them.
No matter who looked at them, they were a family, to the point where one could feel that the three were a family. As Titania watched them blankly, Vivian approached Titania and introduced them.
"Titania, this is a businesswoman from another country who is attending this tea party. She develops or sells items used by young children."
At Vivian's introduction, the woman bowed her head and knelt on one knee to meet Titania's eyes, smiling brightly. Titania couldn't help but be surprised, as the businessmen who usually visited the royal castle were all like old raccoons.
"My name is Elise Sergio."
Emily, who was in Elise's arms, smiled bashfully. Then, she stroked the hair of Caroline, who was standing next to her, and continued the conversation.
"Originally, 'Catherine Sergio', the mother of 'Caroline Sergio', was supposed to come... but due to unavoidable circumstances, I, a family member, have come in her stead."
"It is a pleasure to meet you. Mrs. Sergio."
When Titania bowed elegantly, Elise laughed and accepted the greeting. Then, she kneaded Emily's cheeks, who was in her arms, and continued Emily's introduction.
"And this one here... is my daughter, 'Emily'. Perhaps because my daughter is the youngest, she likes her older sisters so much... she won't leave their side for even a moment."
"I don't mind. Nice to meet you, Emily."