Chapter 7
Chapter 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Young Ladies' Tea Party
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Lize."
"Yes, Young Lady."
"...Never mind. Carry on."
"Yes."
Every time Lize touched my clothes or hair, or washed my body for me, I honestly wanted to run away, but there was nothing I could do as a noble.
No, maybe it was just that I wasn't the type who was good at dolling myself up, and putting on lipstick was about the most ladylike thing I could manage. Of course, it was also convenient...
That was why, as always today, I had no choice but to let Lize bathe and dress me. With young ladies from other noble houses coming over, it would be a problem to go out unadorned, straight from bed.
"Young Lady, how would you like your hair done a little later?"
"Hmm... just leave it down. We're not meeting any adults, so it might be better to keep it casual."
"Understood."
From childhood, doing makeup and getting dressed up like this had always felt awkward. Of course, it was better now than when I'd first started.
"Niesista, Riang, Bellatov, Haien, and Gerald..."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, just... it's been a while since I've met girls from other houses."
"You are a girl too, Young Lady."
"That's true, but I don't really spend time with people my age, do I?"
"That's certainly the case."
Truth be told, this was one of the reasons tea parties felt like such a hassle.
I'd been a boy before, and no one really wanted to get tangled up with our house anyway. Naturally, I didn't meet people from other families.
Especially not peers. Adult nobles were something I occasionally ran into for business reasons, but even that was rare.
"Ha... what a pain..."
"Didn't you prepare this yourself, Young Lady?"
"Still a pain is a pain."
"Young Lady, how is the water temperature?"
"It's fine. You know better than I do, Lize."
"Even so, it might not be to your liking."
"You're so good at your job, Lize."
She might have ended up as my exclusive maid by chance, but Lize really suited me.
She was honestly the easiest person in the household to deal with, and her age being close to mine made it even better.
"Close your eyes for a bit; do whatever you think is best."
"Yes."
Even letting her handle the bath for me had become routine.
Separate from makeup, this part was honestly convenient. I just had to sit still while she soaped up my arms, washed me, and applied beneficial skincare—pure luxury.
It wasn't like I felt zero embarrassment, but Lize was my age anyway.
I wasn't some pervert who'd get incredibly shy or blush around a girl in her early teens.
Anyway, Lize washed me thoroughly and we stepped out of the bathroom. After that, she naturally dried me off, took me to my room, helped me into a dress, and did my makeup.
...Being a noble was pretty damn convenient.
"Lize, any special notes on the young ladies coming today?"
"Aside from the Haien house sending two young ladies instead of one, nothing comes to mind."
"Twins, right? Not sure on the details, but that hardly counts as special."
Anyway, I was getting my makeup done. Just a light layer of powder and a bit of eyeliner...
Frankly, with my looks, I wondered if makeup was even necessary. Unlike William, my face was honestly beautiful.
It was the kind of appearance I could confidently call pretty myself. Even those who badmouthed our house couldn't deny my looks.
Of course, it was a bit creepy when adult noblemen talked about my appearance.
"Ha, what a pain."
"If you're too tired, should we reschedule?"
"Huh? No, it's just a hassle. No real problems. Besides... we've been preparing this tea party with the butler for a while."
It was a hassle, but it had to be done.
Truth be told, I'd rather spend time with Rozalin than have a tea party, but the plans, preparations, and invitations were all set. Backing out now would cause its own issues.
Makeup done, preparations complete.
The maids in the garden were probably finished by now too.
"Shall we go?"
It'd be weird for the host to arrive late.
I wonder what Rozalin's up to right now. We live in the same house, but it's so big we don't run into each other much, which is a shame.
*
All the young ladies had gathered. Well, "young ladies" was putting it nicely—they were just little girls to my eyes.
We exchanged greetings, then they devoured the tea, sweet cookies, pudding, and other desserts while chattering away among themselves.
"Ha ha..."
"Emily, want some of this?"
"Cookies? You think it's cookie time right now? Nobles like us shouldn't eat common stuff like cookies—we need luxurious rarities like pudding!"
"Then don't eat any, Emily. I'll have them all."
"W-what?"
"It's delicious, and no reason not to. These aren't cheap low-grade cookies anyway."
"Eek...!"
The Haien twins were the ones making a racket over cookies and pudding.
"Seriously, aren't you two being too loud?"
Across from them, glaring at the noisy twins, was the young lady from the Niesista house.
"Hng..."
Bellatov was asleep...
"Ha ha! Ella! No need to be so prickly!"
"Quiet."
Riang was grinning broadly at Niesista.
And the last one, from the Gerald house...
"H-hot...! S-so hot..."
She'd mindlessly sipped her tea and was now blowing on it frantically.
Ha... haha... total chaos already. I already wanted to bolt.
Sticking to quiet business talks with adults and building connections later when grown up might be less hassle, even if tiring. Just sitting here was draining my energy.
"Everyone?"
But I had to do what needed doing today.
I didn't plan to just call them over and do nothing, so I held back.
"Thank you all so much for coming to the tea party today. It's nothing extravagant, but I wanted to build good connections with you all."
I flashed a sweet smile and laid my intentions bare.
I want to build ties with you and your houses.
We're a rootless house with just money, but we want to rise higher.
They were just kids anyway, and not from truly great houses—no counts or dukes, just barons and viscounts.
I figured being upfront would be more effective than hiding motives and acting shady.
"The tea and desserts today, and the gifts for all of you—they're tokens from my house."
"Hmm..."
"Ah..."
The young ladies reacted to my words.
Riang, who'd been pestering Niesista noisily, and the sleeping Bellatov. The Haien twins, Niesista, and Gerald all turned to look at me.
"Miss Leonhardt."
"Yes?"
"Do you think the Leonhardt viscount house is on the same level as us barons?"
"Hmm... pretty much."
Niesista spoke with a slightly venomous expression and tone. It was a shame she took my goodwill the wrong way, but actually, it was good.
Truth be told, today's main target was Niesista.
Barons outranked viscounts, and the Leonhardt house lacked proper roots, authority, or power—we only had the mansion and lands bought with money.
"We're still a house lacking roots, authority, and power compared to a great house like Niesista."
The Niesista house was fairly successful. They'd long used their fertile soil to grow excellent wheat and barley, supplying other regions.
That had made them reasonably wealthy, and for a baron's house, they enjoyed surprisingly high regard from central nobles. Relatively speaking, of course.
Considering that, they seemed better than us—mocked everywhere from center to frontier. That's why I'd invited them, and anticipated this reaction.
"But if your house befriends ours, it could solve some of the problems facing Niesista."
"What?"
I'd invited Niesista's young lady, Ella Niesista, knowing her personality and her house's situation to some extent.
Ella Niesista was still very young. Among the gathered nobles, hers was a decent, authoritative house, but she was the least mature in character. She thought being from a baron's house made her amazing, overflowing with confidence and arrogance that she showed in her actions.
But lately, Niesista couldn't keep up with rising crop demand—their external shipments were up, but internal supplies were dwindling.
And that kind of problem... money could solve it.
"Our house will buy the land around your family's fields. We'll help convert it to farmland, buy crops from elsewhere for your territory's needs in the meantime, and supply them to you."
"What do you..."
"Here are the documents. Details on your family's fields and surrounding land, the cost to purchase it, and to convert it to farmland. We can fully support this. What do you say?"
"Uh... wha...?"
Ella Niesista looked flustered at my sudden proposal. She took pride in being noble and brimmed with confidence, but she was still just a 10-year-old girl.
She wouldn't be used to this, probably just played freely in peace and fun every day. She likely knew little of business or her house's operations.
"This is a matter between houses, so it might be hard for you to decide. Take it back and discuss with Baron Niesista."
Naturally, a 10-year-old couldn't decide such things. Especially not Ella, just the cute daughter, not even an heir yet.
It was simple: Tell your dad. You can't make these calls anyway.
"How about it?"
"U-ugh... Frankly, just because you say it doesn't make it real...! B-but! Fine! I'll mention it once! I don't know how Father will take your proposal!"
"Yes, that's more than enough for us."
I smiled brightly at Ella Niesista.
Easy.
That wrapped up the Niesista discussion quickly. Why was the Riang young lady next to her staring at me so much, though?
Hmm... I'd planned to talk properly with each one here today anyway, so no issue.
More than that, once this little tea party ended, I wanted to unwind over dinner with Rozalin. Chatting politics with kids like this was no fun.