Chapter 4: The Tea Party

The day of the tea party with Florence-san had arrived.

“This is Florence-san’s mansion… incredible.”

Arriving with Siana in front of the Florence ducal residence, I was astonished by the mansion’s grandeur. Of course, it wasn’t just the size; the exterior was also intricately designed. The spacious garden was filled with countless beautiful flowers in bloom. I’ve seen various people’s mansions before, but this one is by far the most beautiful.

“Does Master enjoy this kind of mansion?”

“Yeah. Especially when the garden is full of flowers—it feels soothing, so I like it.”

“I see… That will be useful for future reference.”

Future…? Maybe she means doing something similar with the garden at the Rodell earldom. The size difference makes it seem challenging, but with effort, it might be possible.

As I was thinking about this, the gate in front of us opened. From it emerged Florence-san, greeting us with her usual calm expression.

“Lux Rodell-sama, thank you for taking the time to visit my residence today.”

Florence-san’s attire today was a dress that wasn’t overly revealing. As expected, that highly revealing dress must be reserved for specific occasions.

“Thank you for inviting us. I look forward to today.”

“Yes, I look forward to it as well.”

Then, Florence-san shifted her gaze from me to Siana.

“Is this person Lux Rodell-sama’s maid?”

“Yes… Oh, I’m sorry, was it rude to bring her without asking? If it’s an inconvenience, I can send her back to the mansion right away.”

Siana had said she wanted to come along, but I forgot to confirm if it was all right. Despite my words, Florence-san responded with her usual calm expression.

“It’s not an inconvenience at all. It’s only natural to feel concerned when your Master is invited to a tea party by someone from a ducal family with whom you have little connection… isn’t that right?”

When Florence-san asked, Siana nodded and said, “Yes. I didn’t want to intrude on the two of you, but I couldn’t help worrying about Master…”

“That’s perfectly fine. Please, join us for the tea party. May I have your name?”

“I am Siana, a maid in service to Master.”

“Siana-san, I see. Once again, I am Floria Florence. It’s a pleasure to meet you today.”

After introducing herself, Florence-san gave a gentle smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“Shall we go, then?”

Siana responded energetically, and we followed Florence-san’s lead through the gate. We were guided to the left side of the garden, near the centre, along a path that led to the mansion, with the garden split on either side.  Two chairs were placed around a white round table, surrounded by countless flowers. It was the perfect spot for a tea party. A teapot and sweets were already prepared on the table.

“My apologies. I only prepared chairs for two, so I’ll have one brought for Siana-san right away,” Florence-san said with a hint of regret.

“No! As a maid, I cannot possibly sit at the same table as you two. I’ll stand behind Master!”

“Is that so… Very well.”

Siana stood behind me as I sat across from Florence-san.

Looking around, I said, “Florence-san, your mansion is truly beautiful.”

“My family puts great effort into architecture and landscaping, so I’m delighted to hear you say that. Honestly, I sometimes feel this mansion is too beautiful for someone like me.”

“Is that so? For someone as beautiful as Florence-san—”

It’s a fitting place, I was about to say, when Siana, standing behind me, suddenly covered my mouth.

Siana…!?

Surprised, I heard Siana whisper in my ear.

Master, I think it’s best to refrain from making comments that praise women.

W-Why?

I can’t explain the reason, but please avoid praising any woman other than me.

S-So it’s okay to praise you, Siana?

You can praise me all day if you like.

O-Okay, I understand.

I didn’t quite get it, but since there seemed to be a reason, I decided to follow Siana’s advice for now. After apologizing briefly to Florence-san for keeping her waiting while she looked at us curiously, we started chatting again, this time more enjoyably.

During the conversation, Florence-san suddenly asked, “Lux Rodell-sama, do you have someone special in your heart?”

Someone special… Like a crush or a fiancée, perhaps?

“Not at the moment.”

When I answered honestly, Florence-san smiled at me and said, “I see. Then, hypothetically, if I were to propose an engagement to you, what would you do?”

The moment Florence-san asked that question, I felt an overwhelming sense of menace from behind me. Reflexively, I turned around. But there was nothing there that could be emitting such a menace. Only Siana, smiling gently at me, stood there.

“Master, is something wrong?”

“N-No, it’s nothing.”

Siana didn’t seem to sense anything, so maybe it was my imagination…? Convincing myself of that, I turned back to Florence-san.

“Sorry, um… You asked what I’d do if you proposed an engagement, right?”

“Yes.”

The moment Florence-san replied with her gentle, calm expression, I felt that overwhelming menace from behind me again. But when I turned around, all I saw was—

“Master? Is something the matter?”

Siana, smiling gently at me, as before.

“No… Sorry for doing that twice.”

The menace was so intense it didn’t feel like my imagination, but… maybe there’s no point in dwelling on it. Thinking that, I faced Florence-san again and continued the conversation.

“Since we’ve only recently met, I don’t think we know each other well enough yet. So, while it would be an honor, I’d likely have to put any engagement proposal on hold.”

“I see… Then, Lux Rodell-sama, what criteria do you use to determine whether you truly know someone or not?”

“Things like their personality, their way of thinking, their likes and dislikes… I think it comes down to understanding and sharing various preferences.”

“That’s a wonderful perspective.”

“It’s not that big a deal… What about you, Florence-san? What’s your perspective?”

“I…” Florence-san paused, seeming to think for a moment. Then, with a faint smile, less warm than usual, and eyes that seemed to gaze somewhere far away, she said, “I believe the day when we can truly say we understand each other will never come.”

“…”

Those were heavy words coming from the usually gentle and calm Florence-san. It showed how seriously she was taking our conversation.

“May I ask why?”

“No matter how much time we spend together or live under the same roof, we can never fully understand another person. Only you can truly know yourself.”

After answering, Florence-san briefly glanced behind me. But she quickly returned her gaze to me.

“That’s why I don’t judge based on whether we understand each other. I judge based on whether someone is deceiving others about who they are… or not.”

“Deceiving or not deceiving…”

“Of course, small lies in daily life are sometimes necessary. But I don’t particularly like people who habitually deceive others about themselves.”

That’s… Florence-san’s criterion for judging others. Up until now, Florence-san had been speaking with a faint smile. But her following words came with her usual gentle, calm smile.

“Among all the people I’ve met, Lux Rodell-sama, I find you to be the most honest and pure-hearted. That’s why I’m so intrigued by you. I love beautiful things—whether they’re buildings, flowers, or people.”

As she said this, she glanced behind me again for a moment. “On the other hand, I don’t think highly of someone near such a person who deceives others and lacks a pure heart.”

“…”

Listening to her, I felt like I understood Florence-san a little better. But—

“I think… lying or deceiving is fine as long as it doesn’t hurt others,” I shared my honest feelings after hearing her perspective.

“Even if it’s for selfish reasons?”

“Yes. I think being able to go that far for something you want is beautiful in its own way.”

Hearing my words, Florence-san’s eyes widened in surprise. After a moment, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled gently. “To call something beautiful simply because you find it beautiful, regardless of others’ opinions—Lux Rodell-sama, you truly are wonderful.”

“N-No, it’s not that… But thank you.”

After enjoying more casual conversation, Florence-san glanced at the clock and said, “Shall we call it a day?”

“Yes, sounds good.”

We stood up from our chairs and faced each other.

“Thank you for a truly enjoyable and meaningful time.”

“I had a lot of fun too! Thank you so much!”

As I thanked Florence-san, who spoke in her gentle tone, we headed toward the gate where the carriage awaited.

“Florence-san, see you at school!”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

After exchanging farewells, as I was about to board the carriage, Florence-san called out from behind me in her beautiful voice. “Lux-sama… May I have the pleasure of your company again someday, like today?”

“Of course! I’m already looking forward to it!”

Hearing her call me just “Lux-sama” made me so happy that I couldn’t help but turn around. Florence-san was giving me a genuinely delighted expression. As the carriage started moving, I looked back toward the mansion and saw Florence-san waving lightly at me. Naturally, I waved back.

I felt like I grew much closer to Florence-san today, which made me incredibly happy. I’m already excited for the next time I get to spend time with her.

While I was filled with these joyful thoughts in the carriage, Siana, sitting beside me, seemed lost in thought the entire time.

Arriving at the Rodell earldom, we stepped out of the carriage and headed toward the mansion. It was the same during the carriage ride, but…

“…”

Even now, walking through the mansion’s corridors, Siana still seemed deep in thought. As her master and someone who cares about her, I couldn’t just ignore it.

“Siana, is something troubling you?”

When I asked, Siana’s eyes widened in surprise, and she said loudly, “No! I’m not troubled at all!”

“Really…? You’ve seemed lost in thought since we were in the carriage…”

“T-That’s just… I was thinking about what to buy for tomorrow’s shopping! I’m sorry for worrying you!”

“I see… Well, if that’s all, it’s fine, but…”

By then, we’d reached the door to my room.

“Then, Master, I’ll take my leave.”

“Yeah. Don’t overthink things, okay?”

“Yes! Thank you for your concern!”

After bowing and speaking energetically, Siana walked off down the corridor.

Could she really be that deep in thought over shopping…? I had my doubts, but decided it wasn’t good to distrust Siana and returned to my room to start studying as usual.

◇

Back in her room, Siana’s bright smile, usually directed at Lux, vanished completely. The moment she was alone, Violet, cloaked in a black hood, appeared beside her.

“You seem to be in quite a bad mood.”

“Lux-kun got closer to another woman besides me. How could I be in a good mood?”

“…Indeed.”

Having witnessed the entire tea party, Violet nodded in agreement. Siana sat in a chair, her voice laced with anger. “That woman, getting so close to Lux-kun in just one tea party…”

“She also seemed to have noticed that Ojou-sama is more than just a maid.”

“Yes, she glanced at me several times. And to think, that woman even brought up engagement with Lux-kun, even if it was hypothetical…!”

“Let me remind you, she is the daughter of a ducal family central to this nation and hasn’t committed any wrongdoing, so we cannot deal with her as easily as we did with Marquis Zaden.”

“I know that.”

As Violet said, eliminating Florence would be just as difficult as eliminating Zaden. Still, to Siana, she remained an obstacle.

“What a troublesome opponent…”

“Indeed.”

Nodding, Violet continued, “There’s no need to rush. We can simply use our unique advantages to bring Ojou-sama and Rodell-sama closer.”

“Our unique advantages?”

“Me.”

“…You’re right. That’s definitely a significant advantage.”

“For Ojou-sama’s goal, I will dedicate everything I have.”

“I’m counting on you. By the way, the other day, Lux-kun said something like, ‘Felisiana-sama doesn’t even spare a thought for someone like me.’”

“If that’s the case, perhaps it’s time for a bolder move.”

“Yes. That’s why, on the next holiday… I’ll visit this mansion as the Third Princess, Felisiana.”