“A bazaar?”
Odelia tilted her head.
"Yes. I'm selling unused items at a low price and donating the proceeds to an orphanage."
Then, as she had been speaking nervously to Odelia, she spoke again.
"Lady Odelia might not be able to attend. You're on the verge of something you don't use."
At those words, Judith finally exploded.
"Hey, you bitch, won't you shut your mouth?!"
Judith, who had shouted out, covered her mouth in an exasperated manner, but the atmosphere had already become cold in an instant.
But at that moment, Odelia broke the silence and burst into laughter. She burst into laughter so loudly that the sound of her laughter reverberated, embarrassing those around her even more.
Judith's face turned pale, and she looked at Odelia with tearful eyes, thinking, 'Oh, I'm ruined...'
Odelia said without stopping her laughter.
"Was the nanny who looked after Lady Herdel perhaps from the southern region?"
"Uh... Uh...? Oh, that's right! How did you know?"
The nanny who raised Judith was quite foul-mouthed and would often impart to Herdel the rules of life, not the tips. 'Miss, if someone makes you angry, just yell at them like this~ But don't yell at them outwardly, or you'll be in big trouble~.'
Odelia burst out laughing again.
"I had a colleague who came up from the south. You spoke exactly like him, so for a moment I thought you were him. He used to curse just like that. He'd even say, 'Hey, you punk!'"
The unexpectedly harsh words were hurled at the crowd, startling them. But when Odelia smiled brightly, the atmosphere lightened again. Some snickered and covered their mouths with their fans, and soon laughter spread again.
Odelia looked at Judith with a bright smile.
"It seems like you had a cheerful nanny. To hear such words coming from such a beautiful person. That's a charm of a twist in itself. I also know a few curse words. If I ever get the chance to show them off, I'd love to."
At those words, some people perked up their ears.
"Are there any other curses? What are they?"
Odelia, with a nonchalant expression, continued to spout off a string of profanities. Those listening, their faces hardening, turned to terrified expressions and asked,
"What, what does that mean...?"
Odelia smiled calmly.
"You'd be even more surprised if I explained the meaning to you. But just remember them one by one. When those harassing men show up, just say a few words to them and they'll run away with their tails tied up."
Laughter spread again at that witty answer.
Judith pursed her lips tightly, then looked at Odelia with a face filled with emotion.
This warmth in passing off one's own mistakes as humor and the sense to change the mood in an instant!
Odelia did not know at this time that from that day on, Judith would come to Odelia's house as often as Cedric.
***
After the tea party, Odelia returned to the mansion, gripped by an inexplicable sense of tension from the moment she stepped out of the carriage. As soon as the familiar front door opened, the first person she saw was...
"Your Highness?"
Inside the mansion, Calix sat on the sofa, comfortably dressed. With an open newspaper and a half-empty cup of tea, the atmosphere suggested he had been waiting for Odelia's return.
Embarrassed, Odelia opened her mouth awkwardly.
"Why are you still here...?"
Then Calix slowly raised his head and looked at her with a mischievous smile.
"Can't I stay? I was just planning to stay here today."
And he added, resting his chin on one hand.
"...Do you want me to go?”
Odelia hesitated for a moment and then shook her head slightly.
“...Not really.”
As she answered softly, the past of the Crown Prince and Empress, which she had just heard, flashed through her mind. A heavy heaviness filled her chest.
Odelia cast a cautious glance towards Calix.
"...By any chance..."
There was a pause. Learning something and confirming it with the person involved were two separate matters. Odelia forced a smile and began a different topic.
"I've decided to attend the bazaar hosted by Lady Herdel. But... I'm not sure if I should donate some of my unused items."
Calix stared at her silently for a while. With a strange expression, as if he neither believed her words nor doubted them.
"I'll change my clothes and come down."
Odelia nodded as if that was all she had said and went up the stairs.
As Calix watched her back as she trudged up the stairs, he noticed Odelia's shoulders slumping slightly.
'What...? Why do you look so down?'
To keep her spirits up, he brought cake and a ring. He'd even specifically requested the royal chef to make it even more delicious than usual, and the ladies of high society couldn't possibly ignore it. He'd also noticed she was wearing a ring earlier, and Calix was lost in thought.
A while later, Odelia changed clothes and came back downstairs, looking noticeably withered. The hand holding her teacup felt weak, and the corners of her eyes and mouth, usually bright and upturned, were drooping.
It was concerning to see a woman who always exuded bright energy and never seemed discouraged, so dispirited after just a few hours of tea. But considering her pride, he couldn't ask her outright if she'd been ignored.
Calix quietly put down his teacup, looked at Odelia thoughtfully, and finally opened his mouth.
"You were talking about the bazaar earlier, right? Are you having trouble deciding what to put out?"
Odelia nodded weakly and answered.
"Yes..."
Calix frowned slightly, as if he didn't like it.
"If you don't have anything to give, then don't give it."
Odelia listened intermittently and answered again listlessly.
"Yes..."
"..."
"..."
There was a moment of silence. Odelia's eyes widened.
"...Yes?!"
All previous thoughts flew away.
"Yes. Now that you've answered, does that mean the problem is solved?"
Because Calix spoke so refreshingly as if this was the end of the story, Odelia kept on going with a flustered expression.
"No, what is that, what kind of nonsense are you talking about..."
Then Calix shrugged.
“You already said you would do that earlier.”
Odelia was at a loss for words and was unable to answer, but soon lowered her head and muttered.
"I'm sorry. I was just distracted for a moment."
Only then did Calix chuckle and stroke the back of Odelia's head.
As Odelia blinked in confusion, Calix spoke nonchalantly.
"...It seemed like your mind was elsewhere."
Odelia grumbled, hastily running her hand through her hair.
"Your Highness... I am not a boy, how can I have my hair like this?"
Calix stared silently at Odelia, who was fiddling with her hair. Without realizing it, his gaze drifted to the golden hair flowing between his fingers, then to Odelia's pouting lips.
He felt like he'd unknowingly sent her a too-obvious gaze. He looked away and tried to sound indifferent.
"Didn't you say that's how you let go when your thoughts pile up??"
Ah, only then did Odelia remember that she had said something like that before, when she had mistaken Calix for a boy soldier.
'Oh! What are you doing?!'
'Hey, buddy. You seem to think a lot, so I'll give you a little talk. Be thankful to your older sister.'
Odelia, who had been hesitating in embarrassment, quietly opened her mouth.
“Do you remember what happened back then?”
"It's only natural. You were the first and last person to pat my head."
Odelia's emotions were complicated again, and she often played with the ends of her long hair.
"Your Highness, you have a secret ulterior motive."
All of them laughed as if they were dumbfounded, and Odelia looked at that laughter and then quickly lowered her gaze again.
Were you engaged to Her Majesty the Empress? Did you once love him?
She wanted to ask that question, but she doubted whether asking would make her worthy of hearing the answer.
Odelia decided not to ask Calix about the Empress.
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