The Wicked Woman's Tea Party -6- Liquor Brews the Courage to Speak
Liquor creates the courage to speak. Sometimes that courage becomes the key to spitting out the grudges lingering in one's heart, and other times, it turns into a disaster that invites anger. Hanna's words carried both elements: the key to a feeling she couldn't share with others, and a bullet of jealousy that might upset Yuria if she heard it.
Yuria, who had listened to Hanna, bit her lip hard and fell silent.
'I'm not that nice.'
'...'
Yuria fully understood what Hanna meant. Even if she was called an oblivious fool, it wasn't that bad. She grasped the implication: 'If it's a half-hearted feeling, let it fade away.' Hanna's story had kindly explained it all.
Yuria had a lot she wanted to say. She wanted to tell her that she was past the wavering phase, that her feelings were no longer half-hearted. But the drunken Hanna didn't give her a chance, pouring out her true heart without pause.
"I'm not as nice as the butler. Maybe it's because I'm a rough girl, but if I think someone's in the way, I just cut ties."
Like Senior Ruin, Hanna muttered the end of her sentence softly, then stared straight at Yuria's face.
"I know this might be overstepping. But I felt like I had to say it to you, Senior."
"..."
"I liked the butler first."
Hanna said it straight to Yuria, who had frozen like ice. There was such a thing as order.
"I don't know what the butler means to you, Senior."
"..."
"You're similar to me in some ways, but different in others. I know it's a complicated relationship. That's why I can't figure it out—what your feelings really are."
Hanna shrugged as she spoke about her own situation, admitting she was just a coward who couldn't confess her love either.
"The butler's an idiot, after all."
Yuria knew that too. How much of a fool Ricardo was. And she could understand why Hanna had these doubts. So far, she'd only shown her negative side.
She didn't deny that her habit of avoiding the topic or changing the subject whenever Ricardo came up must have looked negative to Hanna.
Hanna continued toward Yuria.
"I'm not clueless about you either, Senior. I heard from the academy what the butler said to you and what happened."
But.
"I can't help but take the butler's side. If you still harbor bad feelings toward him, I can't help but hate you, Senior."
"I want to be a good person to the butler, who has no one in this world on his side..."
"He's the most special person in the world to me, so I might sound arrogant, but I wanted to say it."
Hanna knew her words were aggressive toward Yuria. She knew it would be hard for Yuria to accept her taking Ricardo's side despite knowing their tangled relationship.
Having finally dragged out the words buried inside her, Hanna let out a light breath and emptied her glass.
Yuria, who had quietly listened, let out a heavy sigh and spoke.
"Why do you like Ricardo?"
To Yuria's fundamental question, Hanna gave a small smile and answered.
"Me?"
"Because he picked me up when I wanted to die from how hard it was...? Maybe because he's the benefactor who shone light into my life, which was about to wither like a wilted flower."
Thinking of that horribly painful time, Hanna gripped her glass tightly.
"Because he's the one who gave light to someone like me, who was about to live a pathetic life no one knew about and no one would remember. That's why I like him."
Hanna knew it too. Even from the fragments she'd heard, it was natural for Yuria to hate and dislike Ricardo.
If she were in Yuria's shoes, she couldn't have easily said to forgive and like him either.
But.
"He's the first person who told me I was useful."
For real.
"He reached out to me, whom I'd ignored, and gifted me a miracle. I know it sounds selfish..."
Hanna borrowed the alcohol's courage to say it.
"I really like the butler."
Yuria, clenching her fists, lowered her head and spoke to Hanna in a trembling voice.
"Is that all?"
To Yuria's question, Hanna smiled brightly and replied.
"No."
"..."
"The butler's handsome, so I like him. Kinder and more handsome than any man in the world, so I like him. Too superficial?"
Yuria nodded lightly. She could understand Hanna's simple but certain reason, so she nodded. She'd fallen for that Ricardo too.
That's why she could answer without fear of Hanna's warning. Even if all misunderstandings were cleared, or even if they weren't, Yuria couldn't give up on that man any more than Hanna could.
Even if misunderstood. Even if the misunderstanding couldn't be resolved.
Maybe she liked Ricardo after all. With conviction, Yuria said.
"You asked me how I feel about Ricardo."
Yuria spoke while watching Ricardo bustling between tables with plates full in both hands.
"Whoa! The hot dog's longer than my arm!"
"I put some effort into it."
"Ooooooh!"
"I'm the same as you."
He was a fool who'd hurt her, but she still liked him. Realizing that hurt came from something done for her sake made her like him even more, and above all, because he was handsomer than anyone, Yuria couldn't let go of these feelings.
"I like Ricardo too. So much that every other man in the world looks like squid compared to him."
"What...?"
"What else? Someone just like you, hooked on Ricardo through the nose."
Yuria smirked as she watched Ricardo approach with plates.
"Too superficial?"
"Pfft..."
Ricardo, who had arrived before they knew it, set down the side dishes on Yuria and Hanna's table, voicing his worry with a smile: 'Why are you drinking so much?'
Yuria mouthed silently to Hanna.
'That's why you can't help but like him.'
At that moment, Shartia, who couldn't fit into the party and sat alone, was sipping liquor in the corner.
Gom.
"Don't eat that."
Goom.
The only flaw was that her companion was a bear. But Shartia, sitting face-to-face with Gomtang and enjoying drinks, grinned widely and was having a great time.
She liked this kind of daily life. It wasn't because she had no close friends. She just preferred being alone and had gone to a spot without people.
Absolutely not because of Gomtang. She didn't think the smelly beast was cute at all.
"Lady Shartia. Side dishes here..."
"Kyak!"
Ricardo, bringing the side dishes, tilted his head with question marks at the princess drinking while sitting on the floor.
"What are you doing on the floor? There are so many tables."
"Ah... well."
Shartia, sitting on the floor, glanced nervously at Gomtang, who was planted firmly with its butt on the ground, and bit her lip.
It was weird for the empire's princess to sit on the floor showing such an unprincess-like side.
'I should stand up.'
'I need to act with imperial dignity, elegantly.'
Goom.
Unable to flee from the fluffy creature right in front of her, Shartia agonized for a while before sighing deeply and lifting her hand from the floor.
"Just staying here."
Ricardo smiled, placed food in front of Gomtang across from Shartia, and gave a small smile.
"Gomtang's super cute, right?"
"..."
"Our Gomtang loves having hands put in its mouth. Though if you go too deep, it might bite, but it likes it because it feels like meat."
Gooooom!
Ricardo squatted in front of Gomtang and extended his hand. Gomtang naturally sniffed and licked Ricardo's hand, then started gnawing on it with a growl.
"Amazing, huh?"
"Yeah. Won't it draw blood?"
"Gomtang's not that dumb."
Shartia, grinning, buried her face between her knees and smiled.
"Cute."
Shartia liked this peaceful daily life. For the first time, she felt this place—where she could laugh without worry, unlike the imperial palace that scorned her as a powerless, talentless princess—was good.
The day everyone departed. Watching people board carriages after the eventful tea party, the Young Lady wore a sulky expression.
"We didn't do pillow fights."
"We can do it next time."
The Young Lady regretted not getting drunk enough for pillow fights. She'd practiced her swings before the tea party and waved her hand wistfully, unable to show them off.
"Bye."
As they left with lingering regrets, we cheerfully wrapped up the tea party and exchanged goodbyes.
"Thank you for enjoying it."
"It was fun. Call us again next time."
"This kind of tea party is nice too."
"Gomtang..."
Gom.
"..."
I looked at Shartia, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and asked.
"Are you crying?"
"Ah... No!"
"Come over if you're bored."
I gave her a kind smile and said to Shartia.
"I'll serve you for 10 gold per hour."
And so, the Young Lady's first tea party grandly concluded by turning Gomtang into a wallet butler.