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“Oh, Lord Norcourt is here too!”
Tatiana smiled brightly at the former duke, recognizing him.
Lord Norcourt nodded curtly.
“Well… What brings you here?”
“Oh, we went out for a walk. We were getting bored just sitting around.”
Tatiana gestured with her eyes towards the back.
The children could be seen in the distance. They were looking in this direction with curious eyes, or more precisely, they were looking at Siegfried.
‘Well, I guess that’s inevitable.’
Lord Norcourt glanced briefly at Siegfried.
Siegfried was generally regarded as one of the three heroes who saved humanity, and his fame had soared to the sky. Moreover, there was a recent reason that made the three heroes even more admired.
‘Was it called a comic biography?’
The image of Elizabeth and Wolfren reading the comic biography suddenly came to mind.
The strong figure of Siegfried depicted on the cover.
To Lord Norcourt, he was just a resentful son who drove a nail into his father’s heart. But seeing the sparkling eyes of the children towards Siegfried…
‘Maybe… Siegfried did the right thing.’
Meanwhile, Siegfried looked down at Tatiana with a questioning gaze.
“Tatiana, why aren’t you wearing a shawl if it’s so chilly out?”
“Oh, well.”
Tatiana glanced sideways at the Young Lady Ghiberti.
Then she answered with a strange smile.
“I gave it as a gift to Countess Ilmaz’s daughter.”
“Why?”
“Well, tea splashed on Lady Ilmaz’s  dress. It seemed like she had really bad luck.”
For a moment, Countess Ghiberti’s shoulders stiffened.
‘Bad luck.’
It was just an ordinary phrase, but it seemed as if the countess had reacted to those words.
Tatiana worriedly continued speaking.
“I told her to use my shawl to cover the stain, but I’m still concerned that the young lady’s dress is unusable.”
“Oh no, this is troublesome.”
“Yes. They say that stains from tea on silk are not easily removed even after several washes.”
Tatiana let out a sigh.
“It must be burdensome to fit a new dress – what should we do?”
Then she continued talking as if she wanted to be heard.
“I was lucky to have met good fathers and didn’t have that kind of problem, but the baroness’s situation is probably different….”
“Pr-Princess!”
At the same time, Young Lady Ghiberti burst into the conversation.
‘What’s wrong with her all of a sudden?’
The countess looked bewildered. Well, her granddaughter’s face had turned pale blue without her realizing it.
“I… I will…” Young Lady Ghiberti gritted her teeth and opened her mouth. “I will compensate.”
What is she saying now?
For a moment, Countess Ghiberti’s eyes widened.
Does she know how much a dress costs to casually say things like that?
“Lizbeth, wait a minute…….”
The Countess of Ghiberti tried to quickly salvage the situation, but Tatiana’s words were faster.
“Really?”
Tatiana looked back at the baroness’s daughter with twinkling eyes.
Baroness Ilmaz’s expression also brightened as if a lantern had been turned on.
“I must have been mistaken. The lady of Ilmaz is a lucky lady, just like me.”
“…….”
The countess clenched her teeth.
Tatiana could not help but roll her eyes.
Whether she said it or not, Tatiana’s brows curved beautifully.
“Well then, we’ll continue our walk! Dad, don’t be mad at the Lord. Got it?”
After giving her solemn request once again, Tatiana hurriedly ran towards the other ladies.
And with that, the household quieted again.
Once again, Siegfried and Lord Norcourt remained silent.
“…….”
“…….”
Unable to break the silence, the Countess of Ghiberti quietly stepped back.
It was too difficult for her to reconcile the two of them right now.
It seemed that more time was needed…
“W-Well, then,” she began awkwardly.
The two men looked at the countess simultaneously. Their gaze seemed to ask, “Are you still here?”
The countess forced a smile, pressing her lips together.
“Please continue your conversation. I should go greet other guests.”
And so, with brisk steps, the Countess of Ghiberti disappeared.
Only Siegfried and Lord Norcourt were left.
Lord Norcourt, who cleared his throat a couple of times, muttered to himself.
“My, my, the child is incredibly cute.”
“……”
Taken aback by the unexpected words, Siegfried turned to his father with a surprised expression. Then he replied in a softened voice.
“……It’s not just because she’s my daughter, but she truly is adorable.”
“She appears that way to me as well.”
Lord Norcourt smiled faintly.
“Moreover, she speaks fluently and articulately. I quite like that she seems clever.”
At those words, Siegfried felt a lump forming in his chest.
It reminded him of when he first met Tatiana at the Demon Castle.
The child who had been beaten and battered for a long time, always cautious and hesitant whenever facing the three heroes.
She was too scared to even utter a word properly.
That was how she used to be.
When did she grow up to speak so confidently…..
“So, the Tower Master and the High Priest care about her a lot?”
“Yes, they do.”
Even though Siegfried had already established himself as the legal father, they still coveted the position.
Siegfried looked somewhat disgruntled.
Turning to his son, the former duke spoke frankly.
“There was a time when you…… were like your daughter.”
‘What?’
Siegfried doubted his ears.
Lord Norcourt looked off into the distance of the garden and muttered quietly.
“I remember the little guy squirming about trying to hold a real sword somehow.”
“…….”
His father’s face, immersed in memories, was incredibly gentle.
That expression was unfamiliar. But to be honest….
‘I don’t hate it.’
Siegfried leaned back on the bench and looked up at the sky. The blindingly blue sky mirrored the color of Tatiana’s eyes.
‘What is Tatiana doing right now?’
The thought made Siegfried smile.
It’s been so long since they’ve been separated that he’s already thinking about her.
Is this how a father worries about his daughter?
As he thought this, Siegfried glanced sideways at Lord Norcourt.
‘Come to think of it, …… my father said he had something to tell me.’
But he didn’t want to disturb this rare peaceful atmosphere.
‘I’ll ask him later.’
Siegfried relaxed a little. He’d never felt so comfortable being alone with his father…….
It seemed like it was the first time.
* * *
At that moment.
“Did you all see the Duke of Orleans earlier?”
“Of course, he was so handsome!”
The ladies were sparkling with excitement, their eyes shining brightly.
“Princess, I envy you so much.”
“You’ll always be able to be by the duke’s side, won’t you?”
The fantasy about Siegfried was so great that it even reached me, and I received envious glances.
‘Is, is it really that great?’
Of course, I know the three heroes are incredibly popular…….
I just awkwardly smiled.
Well, it was quite a cheerful atmosphere.
Until someone’s voice interrupted it.
“Shouldn’t we start planning the next teatime appointment soon?”
“…….”
“…….”
It was Lady Ghiberti.
The joyful atmosphere instantly sank as if cold water had been poured on it.
‘We were all having a pleasant conversation. Did we really need to interrupt the flow of the conversation now?’
‘We can talk about it later.’
Each lady had a displeased expression, but they couldn’t express their dissatisfaction to Lady Ghiberti.
Regardless, Lady Ghiberti glanced over at me.
“The next turn will be the princess’s.”
So far, so good.
It was a rule that the newcomer would host the next tea party.
However.
“I’d like to schedule the next tea party in two days, what do you think, Princess?”
“What? Two days later?”
“Isn’t that too soon?”
The ladies looked at Lady Ghiberti, more surprised than I was.
Usually, when preparing for a party like this, they would give about a week of preparation time. Even though it was a children’s tea party, there were still many details to take care of.
But Lady Ghiberti didn’t bat an eye at the reaction.
“Also, if I may cautiously suggest, how about holding this tea party outside?”
And then she added words that seemed to be considerate of me.
“It would give a much more unique feeling. What do you think, Princess?”
“…….”
“…….”
The ladies became visibly uneasy.
It was understandable since there were many factors to consider when hosting a gathering outside, such as weather and insects. Overall, it was much more demanding than hosting something indoors.
The only suitable outdoor locations for holding a tea party would be the greenhouse or the garden…..
“However, places like the greenhouse or the garden seem too common.”
Blocking off even those locations, Lady Ghiberti smiled brightly.
Her intention to make me uncomfortable was blatantly obvious.