Chapter 66 — An Invitation to Tea
Chapter 66 — An Invitation to Tea
Translation: Godtl
Oh right. Lelia hesitated, remembering something, and asked.
"By the way, Kalix... broth...."
"Wait... hey, while you're in men's clothing, don't call me that. It gives me chills."
When Kalix became serious, Romeo held his stomach and laughed.
'...He told me to call him that. Does he think I want to?'
Lelia's pride as a former captain was quite hurt, but she held it in and said.
"Then should I call you 'big brother'?"
"...Big brother?"
Now that she said it, she realized belatedly.
Come to think of it, Kalix said he saw the childhood 'Leo' when looking at her.
Someone who looked exactly like the old 'Captain' calling him 'big brother'? That would put Lelia at a serious disadvantage.
"All right, call me big brother."
But before she could take back her words, Kalix agreed.
Lelia tightened her lips, trembling for a moment, before barely managing to say.
"By the way, about yesterday. May I ask why you took a walk with Princess Julianna...?"
"What? You took a walk with a woman? And a princess at that?"
At those words, Romeo reacted quickly. His eyes were full of mischief wanting to tease immediately.
"Ah."
Kalix's brow furrowed. He must have had a lot to say, as he quickly rambled on.
"Ah, yesterday, because of that woman, really.... She just suddenly followed me and started talking, asking to take a walk. Even when I refused, she kept following me, it was so annoying I thought I'd die. Since she's a princess, I couldn't even curse at her."
"...."
Lelia heard that and thought deeply.
'Why on earth did Julianna ask Kalix for a walk?'
She couldn't understand the reason at all.
The reason Lelia asked Kalix this question was entirely because of the sub-quest.
She had to help Lute's love confession somehow.
Lelia sighed deeply.
'There's not much time.'
It seemed better to find Lute first after dinner.
However, that wasn't necessary. After dinner, Lute came to Lelia's quarters first.
"Sorry for coming suddenly. But I couldn't help it."
Lute's face was slightly flushed.
'Yesterday, when I last saw him, he was glaring at me like he wanted to kill me.'
Now he was dealing with a smiling face again.
Lelia felt indifferent but forced a smile. A smile for the sake of the quest.
The two decided to talk while walking briefly around Lelia's quarters. After walking a bit, a small walking path appeared beyond the corridor.
They sat on a bench in front of a small fountain. Lute, who had been beating around the bush, got straight to the point as soon as he sat down.
"I have a favor to ask."
"...Is it an extension of the favor you mentioned yesterday?"
"That's right."
It was rather fortunate that Lute brought it up first. Lelia readily said she would help him.
"If there's anything I can do to help, I'll help with anything."
"Really? Now that I see it... you're quite a loyal person."
Lute made a moved expression, then brushed his mouth with his hand as if excited.
"What's the favor?"
Lelia asked.
Was he going to ask her to listen to how he would confess?
"Actually, Princess Julianna came to me earlier today."
"Did she?"
"Yes. She suddenly asked me if I was close with you."
"...."
Somehow she felt uneasy.
"So... I'm sorry to say this, but I said we were close."
"Do you believe that? We met for the first time yesterday...."
"Ah, yes. We met for the first time yesterday, but I said we got along well and shared a deep friendship... that's what I said."
"...."
Lelia looked at Lute with a strange expression.
What a funny guy...
Well, she understood. Lute was completely head over heels for Julianna, so he was a character who lost his reason in other aspects.
Perhaps sensing his own fault from Lelia's gaze, Lute confessed something else.
"Actually, I said we were close enough to become sworn brothers. I'm sorry."
"...?"
"Oh, anyway. After hearing that, Princess Julianna said her handmaids were interested in you."
"Me?"
"Yes. As I said, among noble ladies these days, men of your type are popular."
"...."
Ah, so that's it.
Lelia nodded, recalling the painting she had seen with Romeo earlier today.
Her heart was anxious. What should she do?
Romeo had said not to worry since there was no way she'd be discovered, but Lelia felt differently.
Her heart pounded loudly.
"So I said I would bring you along to Princess Julianna's tea party. This is my request."
"...."
To go to a tea party together?
Lelia furrowed her brow. Princess Julianna's tea party... a tea party that would surely have all those handmaids from yesterday.
'What if I get caught?'
Lelia bit her lip anxiously. Lute waited for Lelia's answer with an anxious face.
"When is the tea party?"
"In two days."
"...I understand."
"Really?!"
At Lelia's consent, Lute was overjoyed, standing up and pacing back and forth in front of her.
Then he said to Lelia.
"As I told Princess Julianna, I really want to become close friends with you like sworn brothers. There's no one in this world as loyal a man as you."
"...."
Lelia forced a smile looking at Lute chattering excitedly.
'It can't be helped.'
Only by helping Lute's love confession could she obtain the holy artifact and the system.
'Only then can I heal Kalix and confess the truth to my friends.'
Lelia explained to herself the reason why she absolutely had to do this and convinced herself. Otherwise, words of refusal might come out of her mouth right now.
'Sworn brothers.'
She had no intention of becoming friends, let alone sworn brothers, with Lute who had dared to use the word 'cripple' for her friend.
Originally, she was a woman, so becoming brothers was impossible anyway.
Lute might be the male protagonist of the original work, but being a protagonist didn't mean he was virtuous in every way from one to a hundred.
To Lelia, Lute already felt like a villain.
'Just wait until all the quests are over.'
Then, Lute suddenly became serious and asked.
"Before that, I have something to ask you man to man."
"...What is it?"
At those words, Lelia became tense. The phrase 'man to man' pricked her conscience greatly.
"You don't actually like Princess Julianna, right?"
"...."
"Because Princess Julianna is beautiful and charming to anyone who sees her. I don't want to see you as a rival."
Lelia sighed deeply.
"You don't need to worry about that."
At those words, Lute's expression brightened again.
After Lute left, Lelia hurriedly went to find Romeo and Kalix.
To ask if they could come with her to Julianna's tea party in two days.
But Romeo laughed, holding his stomach, saying"Go to a tea party?"
"Why don't you go and enjoy a day as a 'popular man'?"
He teased her with such words. This fact seemed hilarious to Romeo. The suggestion to come along was naturally refused.
There was no need to even mention Kalix.
"Um, big brother. Could you perhaps come with me to the tea party in two days...?"
"Tea what?"
"Tea party."
"What's that?"
"It's where Princess Julianna invites guests and serves tea... young nobles from high society..."
"Get out."
Kalix waved his hand dismissively without even listening to the full explanation. As soon as the words 'Princess Julianna' came out, his face scrunched up.
When Lelia didn't leave and hesitated, Kalix looked around to see if there was anything to throw.
Lelia returned to her quarters like she was fleeing, afraid a pillow might come flying.
The next day, afternoon.
Lelia was breaking into a cold sweat while talking with two people in Romeo's quarters.
This was because Kalix and Romeo were asking about 'Leo.'
Lelia gave them answers that appropriately mixed truth and falsehood.
Just then, fortunately someone came to visit, and seeing the visitor's face, it was someone she knew.
It was the employee from the boutique she had visited yesterday.
The employee also recognized Lelia and Romeo and greeted them politely. It seemed the alterations on the clothes purchased yesterday were complete.
"Where shall we place the purchased garments?"
Romeo signaled Lelia with his eyes, so she guided them to her quarters right next door.
The workers who came with the employee brought in a large number of trunks.
'But why does there seem to be more luggage than what we bought yesterday?'
Lelia felt bewildered looking at the enormous pile of trunks in front of the dressing room.
Once the workers left, Lelia hurriedly returned to Romeo's quarters.
Upon entering, she saw the boutique employee handing over something like a receipt and asking Romeo for his signature.
When Romeo signed, the employee bowed deeply.
"Please visit us again anytime. Ah! Or you may send word to the boutique. Then we will send our finest tailor directly to you."
After the employee left, Lelia spoke to Romeo.
"Lord Romeo, there are far more clothes than what we purchased yesterday. Could there be some mistake?"
When Lelia acted as if she would immediately follow the employee who had just left, Romeo waved his hand dismissively.
"No, it came correctly. I ordered additional garments in similar styles besides those."
"...Why, why?"
"Don't you normally need at least that many clothes?"
Romeo had a bewildered expression as if asking whether that was really a question.
Perhaps because he was still of a status receiving support from the imperial family, his spending was beyond imagination.
Lelia felt somehow like a petty commoner, so she coughed dryly and said she would gratefully accept them.
It wasn't that she had never held large sums of money herself.
She had made considerable money through business in her own way, so Romeo's spending wasn't that surprising. It was just that it had all been taken away by the 'pension lottery'...
Lelia sat casually on the sofa and drank the tea a servant had brought.
Kalix was lying on the opposite sofa like yesterday, and Romeo started reading a book.
Lelia kept glancing at the two of them.
'It feels like a dream.'
Her heart tickled at the peaceful scene before her eyes. These days, being able to see friends she had missed for so long every day made her very happy.
Of course, there were times when those friends were annoying.
'Griffith and Oscar must be doing well too, right?'
As she thought that and looked down at her teacup, her thoughts shattered like breaking glass.
'By the way, what should I do about tomorrow's tea party.'
Lelia tried to recall her experience attending Aunt Atias's tea party about one or two years ago.
She tried to remember how the male nobles who attended that party behaved and what they said, but it didn't properly come to mind.
'Well, it'll work out somehow. I'll just stay next to Lute.'
Still, it was fortunate.