57. Children's High Society (2)
57. Children's High Society (2)
[Episode 57] - Children's Social World (2)
Including Lady Sergio, there were five ladies in total who arrived at the tea party venue.
Was it because I set the conditions for attending the tea party too strictly? Rather than the sinister atmosphere of high society I had imagined, many people gave off a gentle vibe, like a parent-teacher association meeting.
Everyone held their children's hands, bowed their heads, and thanked me for the invitation, to the point where I felt embarrassed for having worried for nothing. Some ladies were even more nervous than I was, to the point where they bit their tongues while introducing themselves.
I kept smiling at those ladies, telling them not to be nervous, but the more I smiled, the more nervous they seemed to get, even stumbling while walking. Perhaps it was because they were in front of a Queen with a bad reputation.
"Today is simply a tea party for the children. Please don't be too nervous. I, too, have invited you here as a mother of a child, just like all of you."
I glanced at the children gathered in the middle of the garden and said that. In the center of the garden, which the maids and gardeners had decorated beautifully, six children were huddled together at a round table.
Perhaps because it was their first meeting and they were still nervous, they were all hesitant and unable to say anything. They were busy touching the pets they had brought or avoiding eye contact by staring at the teacups in front of them.
Seeing that, I couldn't help but chuckle. According to what Vin Chaud told me, this is what the children's social world is like. A place where parents have their own seats, and children have theirs.
'Was it said that... behind the children's social world lies the adults' social world?'
It is said that the rule of the children's social world is that parents only watch the children from afar, and they do not interfere with what the children do or say.
Is that why? Everyone was busy watching the children with anxious eyes. They were nervous and restless, watching the children, wondering if they would make a slip of the tongue or do something strange.
Was it said that handling this atmosphere was also the role of the 'host'? I sipped my tea to moisten my throat, then smiled and looked at the worried ladies.
"Please don't worry about the children too much. Seeing you ladies with my own eyes, I can see that the children have been raised to be as polite as their mothers. Surely, once a little time passes, the sound of the children's laughter will reach us here."
Whether my encouragement worked even a little, the ladies' expressions brightened considerably. Then, I wondered what topic I should use to continue the conversation, but it was a needless worry.
As if the topics discussed wherever mothers gather are set in stone, the ladies started finding topics themselves and talking to each other.
What books are good for children's growth~ whether the children are picky eaters~ whether they are worried because the children don't study enough~ the children~ the children~
As if their worries about their children would never dry up, the ladies, who had been hesitant at first, were soon busy talking as mothers of children rather than as nobles. And the one who took the lead in the middle of it was none other than Lady Sergio.
'Was it Lady Elise Sergio? I thought that since she was a businesswoman, she would only think about money...'
I wondered if she intended to do business with the ladies from the perspective of a businesswoman, but her story was a little different. She said that the reason she started a business related to 'children's goods' with her family was because of the suddenly increased number of children.
That story was enough to capture the ladies' curiosity.
The experience of having to start developing goods for children because the family grew, starting from making small rattle toys to even making strollers that children could ride together, was enough to entertain the ladies.
'Did she say she had four children? Looking only at Lady Sergio's appearance, it doesn't look like she has given birth to that many children... Since she said there is another 'Sergio' lady, could it be a relationship like a concubine?'
She looked like a woman who was at most in her mid-20s? So it seemed a stretch that she was already a mother of four.
Well... it's not like this country puts restrictions on concubines or anything like that, so I just thought, 'I see,' and moved on. Sometimes the cognitive dissonance caused by this modern perception is a bit painful.
"If I had to say what I'm truly grateful for, it's that the children get along so well. They've never fought with each other, so I'm just grateful for that alone."
Lady Sergio trailed off in a small voice, saying, 'Though it's a problem that they get along too well...', but the other ladies laughed, saying what's wrong with getting along well, as if they were envious.
Indeed, what's the problem with getting along well? I still get chills thinking about those two months when I fought with the Princess. It's a relief that things have returned to the way they were in the past when we got along, but...
"Your Majesty the Queen...? Is something the matter?"
Was I lost in thought without realizing it? As I stared blankly at the teacup, the ladies were looking at me with worried expressions. It was awkward to say it was nothing when all eyes were on me, so I smiled bitterly and just said something random.
"It's nothing. Just for a moment, I remembered the time I fought with the Princess..."
Come to think of it, have I ever shared stories like this with others before? Perhaps it was because there was no one around to have this kind of conversation with. I continued talking as if muttering to myself without realizing it.
"As you all know, the Princess has no brothers or sisters. Her parents are at most me, her stepmother, and the Queen Dowager, her grandmother."
The Queen Dowager... ever since her own child, the King, met such an end, she hasn't said a single word to me about how to raise a child as a parent. Because I understand how the Queen Dowager feels, I haven't asked her about such things either.
Is that why?
"So... I'm worried. Whether I am raising that child well... Whether I, as a stepmother, can make the Princess happy..."
Standing in front of parents who have children, it felt like my lips had become loose. Was it that I hoped I might be able to get some empathy from the ladies for the anxieties I had felt so far? I couldn't stop the anxiety that kept leaking out of my mouth.
As I poured out my anxiety, the ladies looked at me with wide, slightly surprised eyes. Wondering if I had made a slip of the tongue, I smiled bitterly and asked the ladies.
"...Why? Did I say something strange?"
"No... It's just that I thought that Your Majesty the Queen also has the same worries as people like us..."
Hehe, at the sight of the ladies chuckling, I tilted my head. They laughed, saying that whether one is a Queen or just a lady, life is the same for everyone, and I couldn't help but chuckle too.
"We also always have those worries, Your Majesty the Queen. Whether we are raising our children well... Whether the child will go down the wrong path because I taught them wrong..."
One lady smiled bitterly and began to pour out her own worries, saying she had the same worries as me. Everyone looked like they were experts at raising children, but their worries were no different from mine.
"Your Majesty the Queen. If I may dare to speak... I am also a daughter who was raised by a stepmother, not a biological mother."
Lady Sergio, who was sitting next to me, wrapped her hands around mine and smiled bitterly. It was as if she was encouraging me, and normally I would have shaken off Lady Sergio's hand that was holding mine, but...
"That is why I can tell you. There is no big difference between a biological mother and a stepmother in raising a child. The person who cares for the child with love is the true mother."
"Lady Sergio..."
"It may be presumptuous of me, but... surely, the Princess must think the same way. So please do not belittle yourself by saying things like 'just a stepmother.' The one who is most hurt by that thought of Your Majesty the Queen is none other than the Princess."
I couldn't say anything to that. It was because I could feel it in the touch of Lady Sergio's hand stroking the back of my hand. For some reason, my chest felt tight, and I felt like I was going to choke up.
Feeling a little bit of empathy, I smiled bitterly and looked at the ladies. I don't really like these kinds of gatherings, but I thought that making such gatherings occasionally wouldn't be bad.
Lady Sergio, who had been stroking my hand, smiled brightly to change the mood that had settled, and began to tell her own story a little more.
"Though it's a problem that they get along too well. I still haven't been able to grow out of being a mama's girl, so it's a big problem? Sometimes I come to places far away like this, but... even now, I can't stand it because I want to see my mother, you know?"
"To think there is a daughter who thinks of her mother like you... At this point, I envy your mother."
"Hehe, because she's the person I love the most. This much is basic, right? Surely, the Princess will also grow up to be a devoted daughter like me."
The words 'What about your husband...?' came to mind, but I didn't say anything and just smiled. Well... it's a good thing for families to get along well. As I was continuing the tea party, laughing and chatting with the ladies and hearing tips on raising children-
Clang-!!
A sharp sound of something hitting a tray came from where the children were. When everyone turned their heads in surprise to look, I had no choice but to jump up in surprise and run to the Princess.
"W-what is that...!"