62. The First Friend I Made (3)
62. The First Friend I Made (3)
[Chapter 62] - The First Friend Made (3)
'What kind of situation is this...'
I entered the room I was guided to by Lady Serina, and with nowhere to look, I just stared at the wine glass in my hand. I was told there was a story to tell, so I just expected to drink, but that wasn't it at all. Immediately after arriving in the room—
*
"Would you mind changing into a negligee? You must be uncomfortable in that dress, right?"
With a bright smile, Lady Serina lent me a 'negligee'. It was sleeveless with a deep neckline. It was made of silk, not transparent enough to see through completely, but still a nightgown that didn't quite cover everything.
I frowned, looking at the negligee Lady Serina handed me. I came because she said let's drink, and suddenly she tells me to change into a nightgown? When I looked at Lady Serina with an expression of disbelief, she chuckled, unfolded the negligee in her hands, and showed it to me.
"We'll be drinking on the bed, not at a table, so it would be troublesome if you spilled wine on your dress."
"On the bed?"
"Uh... didn't you know?"
Know? As I tilted my head, Lady Serina tilted hers as well. After a moment of confusion, Lady Serina's eyes went wide as if she realized what the situation was, and she continued.
"Ah... Your Majesty the Queen hasn't shown your face in high society lately. So you wouldn't know the 'lingo' that's been going around recently among women about drinking 'in the room'... I made a mistake for a moment."
"'Lingo', you say?"
"Hmm... well, how should I explain this... It's nothing that big."
Lady Serina stroked her chin, pondering what to say, then looked at me with a bright smile. 'Lingo' among ladies... I suppose it's typical of the gloomy high society, and even the way she looked at me seemed to carry a somewhat sinister atmosphere.
"The 'lingo' about drinking in the room literally means having a drinking party together. Instead, it means drinking 'in a room' where you can be more comfortable than usual and not worry about other people's eyes. So, most of the time, it's a 'secret tea party for ladies' that's become popular lately where we have a drinking party while wearing negligees, comfortably on the bed, without worrying about others."
"I, is that so...? But, to suddenly wear such a see-through negligee..."
"That... I apologize. The negligees in our mansion are all made of such materials... If Your Majesty the Queen is uncomfortable, it's fine to drink at a table as usual, but..."
I glanced at the negligee Lady Serina was holding once more. No matter how I looked at it, the semi-transparent negligee seemed too embarrassing to wear in front of others. Such a negligee is something I'd only wear in my own room; I'd never shown it to anyone other than the Princess I sleep with.
Judging by Lady Serina's story, the lingo 'drinking in the room' seemed to be an invitation to a 'pajama party' for ladies. Sitting on a bed in pajamas and chatting. Isn't the gathering I was invited to just a social meeting like a pajama party?
It was easy to refuse the negligee Lady Serina offered. After all, I am the 'Queen'. But wouldn't refusing here be the same as saying, 'I don't want to? I'm going to keep my clothes on' after being invited to a pajama party? Wouldn't that make me someone who can't read the room?
I was trying hard to step into high society these days anyway. Since the Princess was also stepping into the children's social scene, I thought it would be good if I could become the Princess's backer in high society. Even though I'm the one who leaves the royal castle when the Princess turns 18...
'Anyway... wouldn't I become someone who can't read the room if I refuse here for no reason? Lady Serina is a figure with some influence in high society, after all. And there's the young countess next to her. Wouldn't it be more profitable to accept than to refuse here? Or is it?'
Perhaps the thoughts of a drunk person aren't very deep, but I thought hard with my alcohol-soaked brain, but it was just like a hamster on a wheel. Not knowing which was the right answer, I just stood there—
"...I apologize. My lack of thought seems to have made Your Majesty the Queen uncomfortable."
"W, wait...!"
Lady Serina turned her head with a dejected expression. That look was so sorrowful that I stopped her without realizing it. Once I called out to her, I felt like I had no backup plan. I didn't even know why I stopped her. My mouth had just opened before my brain could catch up.
"Really, is this normal in high society these days? I think I understand what kind of heart you used the 'lingo' with, Lady. However, even if it is to build friendships, wearing only underwear is..."
"I think I understand what Your Majesty the Queen is thinking. Even if it's just among women, you must think it's inappropriate to face each other wearing only a piece of cloth like this. Furthermore, since we have only met twice, it is natural for you to think so."
I nodded slightly. My drunken head wasn't working properly anymore, and I sympathized enough with Lady Serina's words. It felt like she was saying what I had only thought but couldn't say out loud.
"Actually, I don't know if all the other ladies use this 'lingo'. Even if I have influence in high society, I am not on good terms with every lady."
"Is that so...?"
"However, the ladies of the 'tea party' I joined all use this 'lingo' to build friendships in this way. On the bed where the distance between us has narrowed, if we take off our stifling dresses and talk, we sometimes reveal our inner thoughts. Things we couldn't tell others, a little more easily."
Lady Serina, who had covered herself with the negligee, moved gently as she continued her story. The swaying negligee gave the illusion that she was wearing it. Judging by her story, the use of 'lingo' really was a 'pajama party' in this world.
"Well... if we reveal our inner thoughts too much, we sometimes do other things, too."
"Hmm? What did you say?"
"No. I didn't say anything."
She definitely said something... did I mishear? It was such a small, mumbling voice that I couldn't guess what she said. Eventually, Lady Serina, making a slightly tearful sound, glanced at me and bowed her head.
"I just... thought Your Majesty the Queen seemed to have many worries... so I used this lingo so you could speak a little more comfortably..."
"......"
I always had many worries. I didn't think I'd shown it, though... And since she said she did it thinking of me like that, it was even less of a mood to refuse. In the end, I squeezed my eyes shut and reluctantly held out my hand to her.
"Give it to me."
"Your Majesty the Queen... you don't have to force yourself..."
It was useless to say that now. No, she was the one who made me unable to refuse by acting tearful in the first place! I took the negligee from Lady Serina's hand as if snatching it, and let out a small sigh.
"...I'll be back soon, so wait. As you said, I have many worries. If I wear this, maybe my mouth will loosen up."
I strode into what looked like a dressing room and let out a sigh so Lady Serina and the countess wouldn't hear. It was too late to regret it. After all, it was my choice to wear this. I only intended to drink, but what could possibly happen...
-What could possibly happen? From what I can see, that lady really seems to be worried about you?
"Really? I feel anxious for some reason..."
I sighed again at the inexplicable frustration, and started taking off the dress I was wearing, struggling. I tried to reach my arms behind my back to unzip the zipper on the back—
'Oh, right. The dress I wore today was the type that you can't take off unless someone else takes it off for you.'
The dress I wore today was the result of the maids' efforts to dress me up for going outside the castle for the first time in a while. Maybe that's why it was much more stifling than usual, and I couldn't take it off without someone else's help.
No matter how hard I tried to grab the zipper, the zipper in the ambiguous area in the middle of my back wouldn't reach my hand. Even if I rubbed my back against the wall, it just hurt, and the zipper wouldn't go down.
"Phew... is there really no other way...?"
I really hate it, I really don't want to call them, but in this situation, the choice I can make is...
"Lady... could you help me take off the dress...? I'll put it on by myself..."
"O, of course! Your Majesty the Queen!"
It was only to borrow the hands of Lady Serina or the countess. Seeing my state, the lady was startled and ran over, then chuckled and grabbed the zipper that had no intention of going down. Then, she carefully pulled it down and even helped me change.
I clearly said I would change clothes by myself...
*
And currently, I was busy sipping wine on the bed. Well... I was so distracted that I didn't notice, but I wasn't the only one wearing a negligee here.
The lady, and the young countess. They were sitting in front of me wearing thin negligees that looked just like mine, talking to each other. The room was dark, so I couldn't see clearly, but I could tell what state the lady and the countess in front of me were in.
This is why I have nowhere to look. What? The heart becomes comfortable as you take off the stifling dress? The distance becomes closer as you get on the narrow bed together? Not at all. Rather, I had no choice but to squeeze my eyes shut at the mental distance that had grown further than before.
Even if I drank, the alcohol seemed to fly away due to the embarrassment. Then, suddenly, I wondered who started this kind of drinking party. Usually, nobles are extremely reluctant to take off their clothes in front of others...
I sipped the wine in my hand and asked the lady sitting right in front of me.
"Come to think of it... who started this kind of secret drinking party first? You said, surely, that this kind of drinking party was created recently."
"Ah, it's someone whose name Your Majesty the Queen also knows. She's not from our country... I heard it started at a secret social club run by a lady I recently became close with personally."
"Secret social club...? Someone I know...?"
Is there a foreigner I know...? The moment that thought crossed my mind, one name flashed through my head. A foreigner, and a lady who started a business jointly with Countess Serina.
"Lady Elise Sergio...?"
"No. It's the same surname, but a different lady. Originally, wasn't there a lady who was invited to the Princess's first tea party?"
"Come to think of it... Lady Elise Sergio, who is family, attended due to personal circumstances. Her name was definitely..."
As I recalled the name, Lady Serina looked at me with a bright smile, as if that was the correct answer. Does this mean that someone who isn't even a noble dug into our country's high society and even created a trend like this?
"It's a lingo that started at the secret social club hosted by Lady Catherine Sergio, the businesswoman I invested in. I am also attending as a member of that place."