NOVGO.NET Chapter 2342: The Promised Tea Party ⑪
At the core of the matter, the young ladies already knew to some extent what kind of person Kaito was from Eris, and they were aware that he was gentle-hearted. As for the irregular participant, Kuromueina, she too was famous for her mild and kind nature. In fact, during the tea party she wore a gentle smile, answering each young lady’s self-introduction with a few warm words. Combined with Cornelia setting the tone with her introduction at the start, the sequence of introductions went smoothly.
Six of them had already finished introducing themselves, leaving only two…… and since the order was based on family rank, it was inevitable that the very last person would be the one with the lowest standing among the nobles gathered at this tea party…… the fourth daughter of Baron Ritch, Lady Marie Ritch.
(……I’m so terribly nervous. I still don’t understand why I was invited here…… Our family is barely above commoners with just a bit of land, and I’m the fourth daughter…… I’ve studied etiquette, yes, but this is my very first formal tea party…… I’ve only ever greeted Lady Eris-sama once before…… I’m not even someone who deserves to be spoken to by people of such rank…… No, I know it isn’t a mistake, I confirmed the invitation many times, but still……)
Marie was born into a Barony with a modestly long history, though their domain was very small. She was undoubtedly a noblewoman, but as the fourth daughter of a poor baron, she had never lived a lifestyle befitting nobility. Simply being on the terrace of the marquis’ estate already made her feel as though she had stepped into a world far above her own.
That said, there were others of comparatively lower standing, such as the third daughter of a Viscount, but that family, despite its Viscount title, was quite wealthy. Unlike the Ritch family, who carried the name of nobility without the means, their resources were on an entirely different level.
In fact, the dress Marie wore today had been borrowed from her elder sister. While the other young ladies, following Eris’ advice, had deliberately chosen elegant but restrained gowns suited to the tea party, Marie’s outfit stood out for its clearly inferior quality.
(W- Why was someone like me, from such a powerless family, invited to a tea party where even the renowned Miyama Kaito-sama would attend, and together with the U- U- U- Underworld King herself?! Father, Mother…… Marie might very well lose her head today for some terrible lapse in decorum!)
Incidentally, the true reason Marie had been invited was her kind personality and the fact that…… having not lived in a particularly aristocratic manner, her values were closer to those of ordinary citizens. With Kaito’s nature in mind, Eris had thought it best to include someone with such a perspective.
Even so, the sense of being out of place was overwhelming. Feeling that way, Marie rose when her turn came, and gave a respectful bow.
[I am the fourth daughter of the Ritch Barony, my name is Marie Ritch. Honestly, our family’s standing as nobles is very low, we’re practically half farmers. This is my first time attending such a splendid tea party, and I must admit I am quite nervous. I may fall short in many ways, but I ask for your kind regards.][Pleased to meet you.]
[Likewise. By the way, since you said your family is half farmers, do you grow any crops yourselves?]
Kaito and Kuromueina both responded to Marie’s greeting with warm smiles, and then Kuromueina followed up, curious about Marie’s mention of farming.
[Ah, yes. Our family runs a ripple orchard of fairly decent size.]
[Really? Ripple is actually my favorite fruit, out of all fruits, it’s the one I like best.]
[Is that so? Then, if it pleases you, Miyama Kaito-sama, I’d be happy to send you some.]
[Eh? Really? If that’s the case, I’ll gladly buy them properly.]
[No, no. Since I’ve been given the honor of meeting you like this, please allow me to offer them as a gift, in commemoration. I can guarantee their taste.]
[In that case, I’ll gratefully accept your kindness.]
For Marie, it was truly just a small, casual exchange. The Ritch Barony owned a large ripple orchard passed down for generations, and every year they harvested more than enough to have a surplus. Since Kaito said he liked ripples, she thought she would simply give him some. It was really no more than that.
And yet, this became the turning point for Marie Ritch, the fourth daughter of the so-called “poor Barony”. What seemed like a trivial gift would later bring her household tremendous wealth, while earning her great merit…… and countless bouts of stomachaches along the way.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [Another victim of stomachaches has appeared…… What move would’ve even been the right one here?]
? ? ? : [It’s a tough call, but perhaps just having him buy them normally would’ve been best. By offering them as a gift instead, it basically guaranteed that later on Kaito-san would deliver a “return gift”, which, of course, means a straight body-blow to the stomach……]
Serious-senpai : [Is our protagonist some kind of minefield aimed at people’s stomachs or something?]