“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“… Yeah?”
“The cups look heavy.”
Obviously, two sets of tea cups could not be heavy. And even if they were heavy, how could they get help from their master? Mielle’s maid appeared behind the two bewildered maids.
“Give them to me. I will bring them.”
“Eh, Mrs. Emma?”
The maids with the refreshments turned pale because she was not the kind to do such a thing. Nevertheless, they were unable to refuse their master’s and Emma’s instructions, and the refreshments soon fell into their hands.
“Miss, shall we go in?”
“… Yes.”
Mielle, who swallowed hard, entered the lounge with her maid. There was a man sitting there, for whom she longed constantly.
“Mr. Oscar.”
“… Lady Mielle?”
He looked quite surprised at Mielle, who showed up with tea tray herself.
‘What kind of aristocratic lady does that, foregoing her maids and servants?’
Mielle, who claimed she did chores, seemed to say that she didn’t care about such things. In truth, she was just wondering why he had come to see Aria.
“It’s been a long time, Mr. Oscar. How have you been?”
“How have you been?”
“I have been busy learning embroidery.”
“I see.”
His eyes followed Mielle’s little hands, which laid the tea cups on the table clumsily. There was a touch of uneasiness to her, so her maid, Emma, set the teacups right and poured the tea.
Mielle smiled like a flower and said, “Can I talk to you until my sister comes?”
Oscar couldn’t refuse Mielle’s presence, so he nodded silently and said, “Sure.”
Mielle sat elegantly opposite of him and drank the tea Emma had prepared, even though the tea had been prepared for Aria’s share.
“I think you’re a little thin.”
“I was busy.”
“Oh, you are having exams soon, aren’t you? Come to think of it, it’s a busy time for the academy.”
“Yes.”
“But, I guess you’ve got some important business since you are visiting the Roscent mansion not on a weekend, but on a weekday.”
“… I could say so.”
There was a small tremor in the cup held by Mielle. After halting her speech for a moment and drinking some tea, Mielle noticed something in the hands of the servant waiting behind him.
It was a bouquet of lilies. They had to be for Aria since he had not handed them over to her.
‘Is it a birthday present? Why?’
Pure lilies didn’t match such a dirty person. She was the only one who could really receive lilies.
Mielle closed her eyes once and then opened them. Having been taught to be noble since birth, she knew how to keep her elegance under any circumstance. Even if this was a situation where someone she loved had prepared a bouquet for someone else.
“You’re very sweet. I guess you’re here because it’s my sister’s birthday. Unfortunately, the party is already over. I was not invited, so I just gave her a present.”
So, Mielle reproached Aria with great aloofness. She didn’t feign injury, simply emphasizing Aria’s fault.
“Of course, she didn’t invite me because she thought I wasn’t feeling well. Actually, it wasn’t like that. It’s my fault that I didn’t properly inform her, but I do feel sorry.”
Oscar’s eyes were briefly shaken by Mielle’s words.
Mielle noticed Oscar take a moment to think and smiled. Aria was already rumored to be a wicked woman, so she seemed to think he would acknowledge that Aria had not invited her.
Excessive criticism was venomous, so Mielle, who aptly faked Aria’s story, changed the subject. She kept talking like a little lark at him, who returned half-thoughtless, brief answers to her.
“Your vacation will start soon, right? I hope Mr. Oscar will graduate soon as well.”
‘That way, we’ll be able to see each other often,’ Mielle added with a deafening voice in her mind. Though inaudible, he nodded quietly and affirmatively.
“… Yes.”
“So, I think the academy’s vacation is always about the same time as my birthday. My brother, Cain, always brings me a present.”
Mielle laughed like a fresh flower, perhaps even thinking of his brother.
“Well, Mr. Oscar, if you have time… Would you like to come to my birthday party?” Mielle, appearing nervous as if the question was difficult to say, asked in a very low voice.
So far, he hadn’t attended her parties because he had been busy, so he had simply sent a gift. Since he was visiting Aria on her birthday, he had to visit Mielle on hers. And secondly, though there had been no contact so far, the engagement of the two was being discussed within their families.
Thinking that way, Oscar nodded quietly.
“All right, let’s set a date.”
“Wow, I’m glad! Then, I’ll send you an invitation!”
Mielle, smiling, expressed her joy while wondering what to do. She had come down angry at the fact that he had come to visit Aria, but she had gained an unexpected boon.
Of course, she still didn’t know why he had come to visit Aria, but since he said he would also attend her birthday party, which he had not attended, she thought it was not because he was fond of Aria that he was visiting her.
There must have been something really important to be done. But, that was a matter to be found out later.
“It always snows on my birthday, and I hope it snows again this time.”
“Oh, it’s midwinter, so it’ll be very pretty.”
Mielle, who enjoyed a bit more of the chat with Oscar before Aria arrived, left the lounge with a soft smile as Aria entered while looking embarrassed.
Mielle had the demeanor of a victor. Still, Aria, who could not express her disdain, asked Oscar with an expression that meant she didn’t know anything, “Did… did I interrupt? Shall I come back in a little while?”
“No, please sit down.”
Oscar beckoned her to sit on the chair opposite of him, the spot where Mielle had been sitting until just now.
‘What did they talk about?’
Mielle must have had a very satisfying conversation since she saw her smiling away even though Mielle knew he had come to visit Aria.
‘Shouldn’t I have changed clothes?’ It was too late, but she regretted it. Aria sat down, and soon, a new teacup was placed in front of her.
When she became thirsty and took a sip of the tea, she felt a sweet and soft taste of honey and milk tea.
He greeted Aria first in a very gentlemanly manner, “How have you been? Since it’s getting cold, it’s probably not easy to walk around.”
“Yes, I’ve been well. How have you been, Mr. Oscar?”
He stopped short of holding his teacup when he saw Aria’s smiling face. That was because she had put on her most seductive and charming smile.
It looked unbecoming, even though she had turned fifteen and was closer to adulthood after her birthday. Nevertheless, it was a very natural and fascinating smile, one he had lost himself to in the dining hall before. The atmosphere changed dramatically, as if it was not the same place where he had chatted with Mielle.
Oscar, who looked at Aria for a moment, hurriedly lowered his eyes and stared at the teacup.
His answer became short and slow, “… Yeah.”
“I’m wearing the hairpin sent by Mr. Oscar. How about it? Does it look good?”
He couldn’t help but look up at her question. It the exact hairpin he had presented her, so he had to check it out and say a word of praise.
He had no choice but to lift his eyes fixed to the teacup and look at Aria.
“… You look very good.”
“Thank you for giving me this precious gift. It’s so pretty that I want to wear it every day.”
Oscar’s heart throbbed again as she smiled sweetly with her eyes. Her seductive smile, which was not easily found among the nobles, and her young age played a part in that.
Even though he was not interested in beauty and appearance, he couldn’t stand in the face of absolute, experienced temptation and beauty stoically. He averted his gaze again, and the initiative of the conversation fell to Aria in a flash.
“Did you not like the brooch I sent you? I thought it would match you well…”
“No, I loved it very much. It’s just too much, so it’s a little burdensome.”
“Oh, I see. You are the first person I’ve given a gift to, so unknowingly…”
Although that was the first gift she had given to someone not in the Roscent family since joining the Roscents, Aria did not have to add such a useless explanation.
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