/
But then.
“What are you two doing that’s so fun?”
Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager spoke to us with a friendly face.
What! When did Empress Dowager arrive?!
Startled, I was google-eyed.
Then, someone spoke up as she chuckled to herself.
“Flower bracelets and rings, I made a lot of them when I was younger.”
It was the Empress.
The children, Sienna, and I kneeled and greeted the two of them.
“I see you, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and Your Majesty, the Empress.”
“Wow, Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager
and Her Majesty, the Empress.”
The children followed my example, greeting both of them, but their faces were rather tense.
The Empress lightly waved her hand.
“There’s no need to greet us like that. “Please be at ease, everyone.”
The children snuck glances at each other but were still nervous for some time.
“Look at this! These flowers are pretty!”
“Aren’t the  flowers I picked even prettier?”
Every child was completely immersed in their own world.
It was comforting to hear the children’s laughter all around me.
I was watching over them, my eyes like a hawk’s. But as soon as I saw a child start to stumble, I jumped up in fright.
“Kids, look ahead when you run. If you don’t, you’ll trip!”
Meanwhile, I could feel two pairs of eyes looking at me.
When I turned around slightly, Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager, was looking at me with a warm gaze.
“Charlize takes great care of children.”
“It’s just
I think children should grow up receiving lots of love. Of course, they are cute too.”
I had answered without much thought, and yet somehow the Empress and the Empress Dowager’s expressions became ones of pity.
Hey, why are they staring at me like that?
As I tilted my head, Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager, subtly changed the subject.
“Come to think of it, will you make a flower bracelet for me too?”
“Sure.”
Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager gently extended her arm.
I quickly made a flower bracelet and placed it around her wrist.
Then, the Empress intervened in the conversation, her sparkling eyes full of enthusiasm.
“Let’s make flower rings! One for you and one for me.”
“Oh, flower rings?”
“Yes! I’ll make one for you, Charlize.”
The Empress and I made flower rings for each other and put them on our fingers.
After making flower bracelets for a while, I came to my senses

“What?”
I was a bit perplexed.
It was because the children were sitting right before me in a circle, each of them eagerly sticking their arms out.
“I want to wear the same ring as my sister!”
“Me too!”
The children dangled their hands, quickly waving them back and forth.
When I saw that, I felt a tidal wave of cuteness wash over me and a pinch of sadness at the same time.
They’re endearing, but how will I make one for all of them?

But I can’t turn down those expectant eyes.
“All right. Let’s all have rings together!”
I smiled and plucked some more shamrock flowers.
But then.
Is Sienna stealthily reaching out to me?
“I’d like one too
.please.”
Not just anyone else, but her too?
Well.
With a puzzled expression on my face, I glanced sideways at the cluster of shamrock flowers on the garden floor.
‘All those flowers
will they all be gone by today?’
A breeze blew by, and the shamrock flowers swayed in the wind like they were teasing me.
***
The atmosphere at the spring tea party was consistently light-hearted.
Having the highest-ranking guests actively participate in our tea party was a great virtue.
The children, the Empress, the Empress Dowager, and Sienna were all enjoying the tea party with joyful expressions.
“Kyahaha, look at this!”
“Sister Charlize, I made this!” A child purred.
The children clung to Charlize’s arms and squealed.
On the other hand, there were dozens of aristocratic eyes watching her.
“I thought it would just be a spring tea party, I didn’t expect the orphans who lost their parents in the northern subjugation to be invited.”
“Lady Charlize truly is thoughtful of others, I noticed it from the previous memorial service.”
“That’s right, I never thought she would be so considerate.”
The gaze of the aristocrats looking at Charlize was rather gentle, unlike before.
However, there was one person who didn’t quite like the light-hearted atmosphere.
It was Lady Bennet.
‘Just what is this banquet all for? To give compliment after compliment to that girl, Charlize?!’
Lady Bennet was peeved, sitting upright in her seat, her face contorted with irritation.
A quiet conversation followed.
“Aside from that, Lady Charlize is taking splendid care of those children.”
“I concur. Is it me or does that remind me of something from the past?”
“Something from the past?”
“Oh, what could that be?”
The lady who first spoke seemed to hesitate for a moment before cautiously speaking again.
“Lady Charlize doesn’t have a family, doesn’t she?”
“Ah
”
.The aristocrats’ expressions become quite solemn.
Having experienced the same pain herself, Lady Charlize understood the pain felt by the children better than anyone.
A sharp voice broke the silence.
“Well, there are a lot of things she hasn’t learned from her family, resulting in her coming up with such a shallow idea.”
Lady Bennet squinted her eyes and sneered.
“I don’t understand why the orphanage kids were invited in the first place. They’re noisy and frankly, annoying. Are they not?”
“Please, Lady Bennet. Lower your voice. The children might hear
”
“I’m asking that you listen. Those kids should also know about this. How can those orphans ever think of attending a tea party like this?”
Lady Bennet raised her voice and shouted.
“At this rate, Viscountess Antes’s status will plummet!”
For a moment, the tea party’s atmosphere fell silent.
‘What is this frigid atmosphere?’
Lady Bennet narrowed her brows and lifted her head.
At the same time, a cold voice pierced Lady Bennet’s ears.
“Lady Bennet doesn’t seem to know who the host of this banquet is.”
Charlize, who suddenly came closer, was glaring at Lady Bennet with a sharp gaze.
Behind Charlize were the huddled children, who were staring at her in a scared daze.
Charlize repressed her anger and retorted.
“No one forced Lady Bennet to attend the tea party, so why bother these kids?”
“Do you think I came here because I wanted to?”
Lady Bennet sprang up from her seat.
“Don’t get me wrong. If it weren’t for Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress being here, I wouldn’t have come to this place!”
Charlize narrowed her eyes.
Well, I can understand why Lady Bennet is so desperate.
Even now, Lady Bennet’s situation is precarious, in more ways than one.
She’s lost her popularity in society and has long since been despised by the Empress, whom she saw as her only friend.
As a result, Lady Bennet grew more attached to the Empress.
The only way to turn around her current predicament was to have the Empress’s favor.
“So you’re at this tea party because of me?”
Suddenly, another sharp voice interjected into the conversation.
It was the Empress.
Lady Bennet, who was always lively when it came to Charlize, stiffened her shoulders.
“Then shouldn’t you have made an effort to impress me?”
“Y-Your Majesty!”
A teary-eyed Lady Bennet continued speaking in a tantrum.
“What do you mean? I attended this demeaning, low-class event just to meet the two of you, Your Majesties.”
“What are you getting at? Are you asking me to be proud of you?”
There was scorn in the Empress’s eyes.
“Are you aware that what you said was disrespectful to Viscountess Antes?”
Lady Bennet gasped.
She was so busy degrading Charlize at every chance that she completely forgot that the organizer of this tea party was Sienna.
The Empress looked at her relative with a pitiful gaze, shaking her head.
“Why do you always disappoint me?”
“N-No I
”
“If you didn’t want to come so badly, you shouldn’t have come in the first place. Why attend and ruin the atmosphere everyone’s enjoying?”
Faced with the Empress’s words again, Lady Bennet couldn’t move her lips.
Just as the Empress was about to rebuke her.
A loud cry came from afar, much to Lady Bennet’s fortune.
“The puppet show will begin shortly! If you’d like to see a puppet show, please come this way!”
“
that’s enough. The more I say, the more will fall on deaf ears,” concluded the Empress.
The Empress frowned, turning to Charlize.
“There’s a puppet show. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Come on, kids.”
Charlize led the children and walked with them to where the show would start.
Lady Bennet bit her lip, wearing a face of resentment for not being acknowledged.
***
The colorfully decorated puppet resembled a toy.
“Whoa, look at that!”
“Pretty
”
The children were mesmerized, unable to take their eyes off the puppet.
As the show went on, Charlize looked around.
The Empress Dowager, who was seated next to Sienna, motioned for Charlize to sit with her and the Empress.
“Come here.”
So Charlize took a seat next to the Empress Dowager.
At the same time, the children’s eyes lit up.
“Scoot a bit; I’ll sit next to you!”
“No, get out of the way!”