Chapter 38 - It Doesn’t Make Sense (1/2)
Chapter 38 – It Doesn’t Make Sense
“So when is a good time?”
“When are you free?”
“As you know, the Count does nothing but work in the Imperial Palace. If you tell me a good date, I’ll tell my husband about the vacation.”
“Ah, so how about around the middle of autumn. The weather is cool then.”
“Autumn is good.”
As the two women made polite conversation, I stared at Dorothea. She seemed disinterested in the adult conversation and was immersed in sipping her tea. Surprisingly, she really seemed to like it.
‘I hope she doesn’t make an unreasonable demand for tea leaves.’
Countess Cornohen then turned to her daughter.
“You must like that tea a lot, Roth,” she said, making the same observation as I did.
“Yes, Mother,” Dorothea replied with a child-like smile. “I’ve never had such delicious tea in my life.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes. It’s so good that I want to drink it at home.”
No way…
I stared at Dorothea with an uneasy look, and she lifted her eyes towards me.
“Marie, if you don’t mind, can you give me some of these tea leaves?” she asked me, ignoring the unpleasant expression on my face.
“Ah…”
Why were my ominous premonitions never wrong? I inwardly gave a bitter smile. Dorothea still hadn’t changed, but that was alright. This allowed me to hate her even more without any guilt. I looked at Dorothea without a change in my expression.
“No,” I said tersely.
I would share my tea with my friends, but we were not friends—I was her stooge. There was no reason to concede my gift to her.
Dorothea looked taken aback by my answer, while Countess Cornohen, who was sitting beside her, silently glared daggers. One might mistake her expression for self-consciousness, but no, she was definitely glaring at me. It was when I looked at her that the hostility in her gaze was clear.
“I’m sorry, Roth,” I said. “I would if these were any other tea leaves, but this was given to me by the Crown Prince. In the worst-case situation, I may get in trouble for profanity against the imperial family.
“Marie, but it’s really delicious,” Dorothea begged.
“Then I’ll talk to His Highness. I’ll tell him that you really wanted the tea leaves he gave me.” I smiled brightly at Dorothea as if she were anything else other than my enemy, and she gave me a disbelieving stare. Actually, I should be the one making that expression.
Countess Cornohen intervened in our conversation. “She’s not asking for much, Lady Maristella. Just a little bit,” she implored.
“I would still feel guilty,” I said to her with a smile. “I was just about to go and thank His Highness. I hesitated because I worried about what other people would think…but it would be no problem to visit and tell him that Roth also wants the tea leaves he gave me.”
“…”
“Would that work, Roth?” I asked Dorothea calmly, but when I looked at her, she had an unsmiling look on her face. Countess Bellafleur wore an identical expression. She was upset somehow, but she was careful not to fully let it show.
“Y-yes,” Dorothea said stiffly.
“I won’t keep you waiting too long. Countess Cornohen, I’ll come to see you with the tea leaves soon.”
“But that would be too troublesome. You can send a servant—” she began, but I interrupted her with a shake of my head.
“No,” I said, effectively cutting her off. Countess Cornohen’s expression twisted into something unreadable.
“Roth and I are friends. It’s worth the trouble to do it as a friend.”
“…Very well. Do as you please,” she said finally.
“I will,” I said, slowly smiling, then glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost dinnertime. “Time flies quickly. It’s already dinnertime,” I said with my gaze still fixed on the clock.
It was about time for the Cornohens to leave now. Countess Cornohen seemed to catch the implication in my words, but Dorothea did not.
“May I stay for dinner, Countess Bellafleur?” Dorothea said excitedly.
“Of course,” Countess Bellafleur replied, but then Countess Cornohen’s voice interrupted.
“Roth,” she said sternly. I watched to see how this would play out. “That is impolite. We should be going back now.”
In fact, Dorothea’s words and actions earlier were far ruder than inviting herself over for dinner, but Countess Cornohen seemed oblivious to that. Or perhaps her standard of “impolite” went back and forth like a rubber band. I personally bet on the latter.
“But Mother—” Dorothea protested.
“Roth,” Countess Cornohen said sharply this time, and Countess Bellafleur, upon seeing the situation, spoke carefully.
“It’s fine, Countess. She may stay for dinner.”
Countess Cornohen shook her head. “I’m sorry, but my husband will arrive home soon.” She stood, and Dorothea was forced to follow suit in face of her mother’s strong conviction. I rose from my seat to see them off, while Countess Cornohen acknowledged Countess Bellafleur politely.
“We’ll take our leave, Countess Bellafleur. We’ve kept you for too long. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“Not at all. As you said, we have a good relationship.” Countess Bellafleur smiled gently and addressed Dorothea in a warm voice. “Please visit us again.”
“Yes, Countess.”
“Then let’s go,” Countess Cornohen said, then left the living room with Dorothea.
After I heard them leave, I collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion like a puppet who had its strings cut. I blew out a long sigh, and Countess Bellafleur looked at me questioningly.
“What happened with Countess Cornohen?” she asked.
“Nothing, Mother,” I lied easily. “Nothing happened.”
“…Really?” she said doubtfully. Her stare made me feel guilty, but I made myself lie again.
“Yes, Mother. She just asked me to be close to Dorothea just as always.”