Whether or not a delegation from the Kingdom of Lohen would arrive, or whether they would continue to send messages of interest to meet Dorothea.
Those things were outside of her interests.
What Dorothea is most concerned about right now is the murder case that still remains unfinished.
And her family knew it too.
Everyone was on edge day after day, wondering if they would go out again and fall for the Prince's trick and end up visiting the wrong place.
“Aunt, the tea is empty.”
"I see."
Diana's face was extremely white after having already consumed three cups of tea, two slices of cake, three scones, a glass of juice, and a savory drink made from ground grains.
Her stomach was already full, but Dorothea, who had been eating snacks even harder than Diana, looked the same as before.
“Can you stop getting up now?”
Diana stiffened when asked to end tea time.
The Marchioness, who had been dealing with her granddaughter all morning, was resting in her room due to fatigue, and her sons were exhausted from dealing with her all yesterday.
Dorothea, who began to destroy each and every member of the household under surveillance, had already tied half of them to the bed in three days.
If you add Diana here, the majority of the family members will surrender to Dorothea.
Unlike the opposite sex who was trying to hold on somehow, Diana was already falling apart.
'I can't hold on any longer.'
It was as if the tea had already filled her throat, and the sweet taste did not disappear from my mouth.
Aiden appeared in front of her as she silently screamed and stretched out his chest as if telling her to trust only him.
“Tbea, how about watching this youngest uncle train in the training hall?”
Diana sent her to him, feeling like she was grasping at straws, but there was no way Aiden could be Dorothea's match.
Aiden, who entered the training ground with his nephew, lay down on the large training ground in a few hours, let alone half a day.
While lying down and breathing heavily, he shouted fiercely.
“If you want to get out of my sight, you will have to step on me! Kkuuk!”
Dorothea lightly lifted her foot and jumped over him.
As she was about to leave the training ground, the person who blocked her path was none other than her father, Ben.
“Thea”
The girl's wincing eyes turned to Wood, who was standing next to Ben with his arms crossed.
Even without saying it, it was obvious who had brought him here and urged him to stand in Dorothea's way.
The only way he came up with was to call her father.
'That's foolish.'
Even if it was true that she was weak to Ben, it wasn't difficult for her to carry out what she had decided to do.
There are countless ways to escape from this mansion without being noticed by anyone.
Likewise, if she had really made up her mind, she could have returned quietly without being caught by the security forces.
However, the reason she ‘did’ show herself to people was because it was the right time.
"Dad."
“I don’t know about anything else, but meeting the Prince outside..."
What Dorothea held out in front of Ben, who was looking quite determined, was an invitation with a luxurious pink pattern.
"This is...?”
“It was sent by a young lady I met at the ballroom. They’re having a tea party and they’re going to invite me.”
“...!”
“I wanted to say that, but everyone said no before I even opened my mouth.”
Of course, Ben thought she would go to the scene of the murder or find the Prince.
Ben, with a dumbfounded expression, looked at the invitation carefully with his still slightly wary eyes.
The seal stamped at the bottom, as well as the neat handwriting written on high-quality paper, were neat and elegant, as if they were written by the young lady herself.
Dear Miss Dorothea Highclere,
It was an extremely ordinary message, saying that she was disappointed with the brief greeting she shared with her on the day of the prom, and asking her to brighten the occasion by attending the tea party if it was okay.
'A day like this for my child too.'
Since the only children of the same age group in the mansion were boys, her father, who had always wanted her to hang out with other girls her own age, was heartbroken.
Wood, who was next to him, received the invitation with suspicious eyes and looked at it carefully several times, but in the end, he could not find any flaws.
He looked at Dorothea, who was smiling somewhat strangely, with mischievous eyes.
“I sent a reply saying I would attend, and thankfully, Viscount Germain himself said he would send a carriage. And he said he would personally see us off at the end of the event.”
At Dorothea's added words, Ben shook off the doubts that were still lingering in the back of his mind.
Then he decided to truly embrace the opportunity to have his daughter's first same-sex friend.
“The Viscount Germain. He is a man of faith.”
Coming from a family with a long history, this generation's Viscount was also not well received.
The Marquis, who had heard that Viscount was not only outstanding in business due to his resourcefulness, but also quite envied by the people of the territory, graciously allowed Dorothea to go out thanks to the other person's sincerity in offering to personally send a carriage.
***
The greenhouse where the tea party was held was clearly decorated with carefully designed tea.
The flowers and trees, which are difficult to maintain, came together exquisitely to create a wonderful scenery.
The girls sitting around the old-fashioned table in the corner spotted her and looked at her expectantly.
“Come here, young lady. Welcome.”
The girl who greeted Dorothea with a wide smile had glossy black hair and soft maroon eyes and had a strangely mature and friendly aura compared to her age.
Dorothea remembered the girl who had spoken to her at the table where the cherry cake was delicious and responded to the other person's greeting.
"Thank you for the invitation."
“Thank you for accepting the invitation.”
Dorothea smiled at Valerie's elegant response.
The eyes of the other ladies sitting at the table turned to Dorothea.
From her clothes to the accessories she was wearing, the pouch she was holding, her hairstyle, and even her complexion, Dorothea was dissected piece by piece by meticulous and keen gaze.
As she moved closer to the table, exclamations came from all around her.
Dorothea realized that the attention that had been focused on her just a moment ago was now focused behind her, so she turned her head and opened her mouth.
“Good job, Freed. You can go and rest.”
The knight, as beautiful as a doll, stubbornly stayed where he was, pretending not to have heard her.
The blue eyes with thick eyelashes were as refreshing as the autumn sky, but at the same time, they had an atmosphere that made him unapproachable, like a winter lake.
"Sorry. My escort is a bit stubborn. If it’s not inconvenient, can he stay here?”
"Sure. However much."
Valerie, who was staring at the other person unusually, quickly regained her pace.
Then, as if staring intently at the knight was a lie, she naturally turned her head and resumed the conversation that had been paused for a while.
The ladies' attention, which had been focused on Freed, melted back into conversation thanks to Valerie's skillful facilitation.
There was no special story.
What they are learning at the mansion these days, what is trending in the imperial capital, and some other gossip circulating among nobles were brought up as topics.
“By the way, did you hear the news that a delegation from the Kingdom of Rohen will be visiting the empire soon?”
“I heard that the 2nd Prince is planning to entertain the delegation. He is someone who is trusted by Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.”
“I heard the delegation is showing great interest in Miss Dorothea.”
Dorothea, the person involved, tilted her head as she sipped her tea as if this was her first time hearing this news.
One of the ladies lowered her voice.
“I heard that the people of Lohen Kingdom are rough and difficult to communicate with. They're rude and reckless.”
“I heard they specifically mentioned in their letter that they would like Miss Dorothea to join them.”
The gaze fell on her again.
Some people were secretly laughing, some had worried eyes, and some were just looking at her curiously.
Among them, there was a young lady who had no sense.
“There is no need to worry! Miss Dorothea has His Highness the 7th Prince.”
She was wearing a bright yellow dress and was looking at Dorothea with sparkling eyes.
It was as if she was admiring a Princess from a fairy tale book.
She never thought Luke would come out of here.
In the mind of the chubby-cheeked lady, Luke would become a handsome Prince who protects the Princess.
And some people were offended by those tactless words.
It was the young lady who had been participating in the conversation just a moment ago.
She was pretty, with red hair and sharp eyes, and was dressed with great care from head to toe.
“Why is His Highness the 7th Prince being mentioned now?”
The girl in the yellow dress flinched at her uncomfortable voice, rolled her eyes, and responded in a low voice.
“Every time Miss Dorothea was in trouble, His Highness stepped forward to help her.”
“Isn’t it natural for a Prince to help a lost child without her parents in sight? It’s a different story when the Prince steps forward to protect a noble lady in front of a delegation.”
The audience became quiet.
There were probably no people here who did not know how Dorothea came to visit as a Marquis and the relationship she had with the 7th Prince.
However, it was different to say it so openly as if you were doing a good thing to a poor child.
That is tantamount to disparaging Dorothea's 'old past and origins'.
The young lady who was wheezing raised her chin as if she had done nothing wrong.
“Thinking like that is an insult to His Highness the Prince. If you knew him, he would understand better than anyone else what is important for the empire.”
While everyone was watching, not knowing what to do, Valerie, who was looking embarrassed, frowned and was about to say something to her.
“You might look at it that way. The 7th Prince’s patriotism is certainly great.”
Dorothea, who had been just listening with a faint smile on her face, opened her mouth.
She added, gently pushing the empty plate forward.
“He would focus on his job regardless of whether I get into trouble.”
The triumphant young lady shrugged her shoulders and held back the corners of her mouth that were trying hard to raise them.
Everyone seemed surprised to see Dorothea ignoring the comments that openly disparaged her without any reaction.
“Of course, I don’t think Miss Dorothea will be in trouble in the first place. It’s all just an assumption.”
Dorothea stared at the other person, who spoke in a much softer voice as if she were giving her a bottle of medicine.
Judging by the ladies around her looking at her with embarrassed expressions, she seemed to be the daughter of a powerful family.
But Dorothea didn't remember seeing that face at Edwin's ball.
Perhaps she is not particularly close to the Marquis or is the daughter of a family belonging to a different faction.
'She doesn't really look like a fan of Luke.'
The reactions of the ladies towards the heroes of the empire, who are called demons of the battlefield, are roughly divided into two categories.
Some admire the loyal and courageous Prince, and those who are oppressed and fearful of the intimidation of the murderous demon.
Of course, many more ladies feared him for cutting down people and loathed him, calling him a barbarian.
Judging from the tone of voice, it didn't seem like she was really out for Luke.
However, it seemed that Dorothea was not pleased with the situation where she was receiving too much attention.
As if her guess was correct, the Lady's mouth, which had begun to open, gradually became lighter.
“By the way, the necklace Miss Dorothea is wearing doesn’t seem to match the dress.”
Dorothea listened to her in silence, fiddling with the cross around her neck.
“Looking at it, the necklace string has faded, and the design itself is very monotonous. A mass-produced type is commonly seen on the streets...”
“I’m sorry, but it’s not a mass-produced type.”
While the proud woman was continuing her words, someone's words flew like an arrow.
Everyone gasped at the man's soft voice.
The heavy sound of military boots hitting the greenhouse ground gradually got closer.
The 7th Prince appeared, looked at the ladies sitting around the table, and spoke calmly.
“That necklace was left to me by my mother. It’s a gift I gave her as a result of meeting Lady Highclere.”
"Ah...”
The Prince's eyes scanned the audience and finally stopped on the red-haired lady.
She faced the raw, animal-like gray eyes and began to tremble without saying anything.
The corners of his mouth drew an arc.
“After staying on the battlefield, I thought that the royal guards were boring, but that’s not necessarily true.”
Facing those arrogant eyes, she was so tired that she couldn't even breathe.
A slow voice pronounced a death sentence.
“There was a lady who dared to insult the temple and the royal family at the same time and spit at the Marquis’ golden jade leaf. Isn’t she such an amazing person?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the lady who had been arguing with Dorothea slipped from her seat and collapsed on the floor.
Even though he was pushing the young lady who was shedding tears, the Prince's cold eyes did not show a single trace of pity or guilt.
'Why does that person come here and mess around again?'
She loses her appetite.
Dorothea, who did not really care whether the Prince came or not, pushed away the second plate she had just emptied and then slowly reached for the third plate.
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