19 — Incoming Visitors from Our Southern Neighbors

“It looks like work is going to be busy for a while. I’ll be coming home late a lot. I might even have to stay all night once in a while.”

One night, after my tea party at the palace...

While we were eating dinner in the dining room as usual, Mr. Fisalis said all that with an unusually meek look on his face. Things were finally dying down after his transfer, so there must have been something really big coming up.

“Alright.”

“The truth is, the crown prince of Aurantia, the country down south of us, is paying us a visit.”

“Oh my!”

I had intentionally not asked for details because his previous post involved a lot of classified intel, but he gave me them anyway. He was really skirting the limit of what he could tell me here. That incident where I thought he might have had a mistress must’ve struck home.

But the country down south, huh? I haven’t heard anything about them since the war ended. Actually, this might be the first time I’ve ever heard the country’s actual name.

“Apparently, he wants to hold a ceremony to celebrate the end of the war and discuss how things will be going forward, so the palace is in a rush to get ready.”

Security and stuff must be tough when someone from a different country is coming to visit. Since Mr. Fisalis is kind of in the Royal Guard, I imagined he’d probably be busy with planning and giving directions.

But wait, didn’t he tell me his new station would involve doing mostly the same thing as his old one? Is he really just the security detail?

“Will you be on guard duty too?”

His Special Ops position was a leadership role, wasn’t it? Although I didn’t know if it’d be the same thing this time or not.

“No, mainly I’m going to be giving orders in the Captain’s place. When he’s out in public, I’ll be back giving directions. When he’s present, I’ll be in public, guarding His Majesty. That’s about it.”

Oh, so he really is going to be guarding people out in public. So that’s about it—I understand now.

“Sounds like it’ll be tough. Please take care of yourself.”

“I hate that it means that I won’t have time to relax with you for a while, but I can’t do anything about it. I’ll do my best to get some time off ASAP.”

“You REALLY don’t need to rush!! And what would you even do to get off work early!?”

Mr. Fisalis, please stop randomly spouting nonsense.

The next morning he really was busy, just like he’d said. I barely ever saw him in the manor.

“Master told me that he would be late, and that you should not wait up for him.”

“’Kaaaay. Wait, then tonight...”

“...You can eat your dinner in the servants’ dining hall.”

“Woo! It’s been so long!”

And after having that conversation with Rohtas one night...

“Master has already eaten and left for the palace.”

“Oh, okay. Then I can have my breakfast in the servant’s...”

“Your in-laws are still staying in the cottage, so you cannot.”

“Sniffle...” I tried turning on the crocodile tears, but...

“Those are too obvious. The answer is still no.”

“Damn.” Didn’t work on him, huh?

My days of having that same conversation with the servants every morning continued.

And it wasn’t just Mr. Fisalis who was busy—my in-laws were too. Father Fisalis often received a summons from the king and was hauled off to the palace. It was always the same chamberlain abducting him with a smile. Mother Fisalis occasionally accompanied them, but she was also often invited to tea.

I was the only one acting like everything was normal... No one was making me do anything, but it still felt uncomfortable. Was it really alright for me to be carrying on like nothing has changed?

But there still wasn’t a good reason for me to suddenly start participating in high society, so I did what I could do! Which was, of course, doing my best at cleaning and doing the laundry.

Vi, the lowly maid, wearing her uniform with her hair in braids, has been hard at work since the morning!

“It’s my job as Mr. Fisalis’s wife to keep the atmosphere comfortable so he can relax a little when he comes home exhausted! The flowers are beautiful today, aren’t they? Just looking at them makes me feel better.”

“Madam...”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Dahlia?”

“Nothing.”

Why are you wiping the tears from your eyes? Did I say something weird?

Really, I was much more at ease without Mr. Fisalis and my in-laws at home.

And so, while I was back to living like I used to right after getting married, an invitation for tea from Miss Verbena arrived.

“Wow, she actually did invite me. I thought she was just being polite.” I mean, yes, she did say she’d invite me, but I didn’t take her seriously. I also didn’t think an invitation would show up so quickly.

“The event will be held the day after tomorrow,” Rohtas confirmed.

“Alright. Kind of sudden, but it’s not like I have any plans, so... any time is fine.”

I might be free time-wise, but I’d need to be prepared. I was nervous, since it was my first time having a tea party at someone else’s home.

Wait! But what if all of the other guests are people I don’t know!?

Just when I was starting to get a bit gloomy about who could be there, Rohtas immediately reassured me. “In addition to you, all of the other guests are ladies that you are familiar with, like Lady Sanguinneah and Lady Nastersham.”

Did he read my mind!? Well, that’s fine. Thank goodness I’ll know everyone. “That’s wonderful! I was wondering what I would do if I didn’t know anyone.”

Good job, Miss Verbena! I was relieved that the guest list was so friendly to me. This wasn’t really something to brag about, but I could count the people I knew on one hand. Fufufu!

The day of the tea party.

In the carriage on the way to the Argenteia manor, I was worrying about whether I’d be able to understand what Miss Verbena was trying to say or if I’d put my foot in my mouth. Celosia wouldn’t be there to translate, after all.

As I worried and fidgeted all by myself, we pulled up to the Argenteia manor. There to greet me were the servants and... Miss Verbena herself!? Wait, the daughter of a duke is coming to greet me!? I’m so sorry!

“Thank you ever so much for inviting me today, Miss Argenteia,” I said, giving a lady’s greeting to Miss Verbena for coming all the way to welcome me.

“Oh, you don’t have to address me so formally. Just Verbena is fine. I’ll be calling you Miss Viola, anyway,” she replied immediately.

Woo, I understood her without Celosia’s translation!

...That’s not something I should be excited about, right?

She had a slightly stiff smile, just as usual. She was looking away and blushing a bit... Was she embarrassed? But she’s trying so hard!

I was so happy.

“Alright, Miss Verbena!” I said with the best smile I could muster. Really, I wanted her to call me Vi, but that was probably aiming a little high.

As she showed me to my seat, I saw that Miss Iris and the others were already there, chatting about the gardens. The weather was wonderful today—just right for a tea party. A pleasant breeze blew through the seats set up in the garden, while the river sparkled brightly—a completely different color than it was at night. Now that I thought about it, this was the first time I’d been there during the day.

Miss Verbena, Miss Iris, Miss Nastersham, Miss Krokusse, Miss Columbine, and myself sat around the table. Just having everyone there was comforting.

“Good day to you, Miss Iris, everyone.”

“Good day to you too, Miss Viola. Thank goodness the weather is nice today.”

“Really!”

Once Miss Verbena and I sat down, the tea and sweets were brought out. The treats from the palace chefs were really good, so I was excited to see what we’d have here today. Ah, I already took my usual medicine, of course!

“I had them brew up some foreign tea that we just received the other day. Please enjoy,” said Miss Verbena, offering us some unusual green-colored tea.

I’ve never seen tea like this! It’s such a pretty jade color! I wonder where it came from? This is a first~

While I was inwardly squealing about the color and smell of my first cup...

“Oh, this is that rare ‘green tea,’ isn’t it? Of course the Argenteia family managed to get some for us!”

“The balance between tart and sweet sure is addictive, isn’t it?”

“We purchased it from a merchant who visited Rozhe recently.”

Gotta hand it to the first-class aristocrats here—they already knew about this tea and are having a lively chat about it. But I see... so this is called green tea. Okay, got that memorized. I’ll bring it up with Rohtas when I get home.

Oh, since this was actually my first time ever drinking green tea, I just listened and nodded along, of course.

The sudden appearance of the unusual tea was exactly what we needed. The atmosphere was relaxed, and after that we chatted about the weather, trends in Rozhe’s high society, our outfits, all kinds of things. Then, the topic turned to the party the other day.

“The evening party here a few days ago was quite enjoyable.”

“So many young people came, after all.”

“Were you able to meet anyone?”

“Ugh, it’s really hard to do. I’m so jealous of you, Miss Viola.”

The ladies all asked each other about their encounters.

Oh, that’s right. I’m the only one here who’s married. “Aha~ Hahaha...” I’ll just give them a non-committal smile, here!

“Sir Corydalis Pulcherrima was wonderful, wasn’t he~”

“He’s good at his job, and he’s not exactly less attractive than Duke Fisalis, isn’t he?”

“Oh, but Miss Nastersham’s younger brother was wonderful as well.”

“Huh? My brother? Hmm, you really think so?”

And so on. As the girls’ talk about attractive men went on...

“Speaking of men, it seems that the crown prince of Aurantia will be paying us a visit soon,” said Miss Verbena casually. The prime minister’s daughter sure knows her stuff!

“It seems so, yes.”

“The palace and the knights have all been incredibly busy, too.”

“I’d heard that it was both the crown prince and the princess coming.”

“When are they arriving? Um...”

Miss Iris and the ladies all have pretty normal answers. Hm? Do they all know about the Aurantians coming? Since I’d heard it straight from Mr. Fisalis, I’d thought it was some kind of top secret thing. I didn’t want to risk saying something I shouldn’t, so I just sat back and listened.

Watching our reactions, Miss Verbena continued, “My older brother told me that their princess is marrying into Flür, to celebrate the end of the war and as proof of our countries’ friendship. But our crown prince is only five years old, while their princess is twenty. Since the age gap is too large, she’ll be marrying an appropriate highly ranked noble.”

She got her info from her brother, huh. She really knows a lot. Mr. Fisalis had only told me the crown prince was here to hold a commemorative ceremony for the end of the war and to talk about the future, so this was all news to me.

“That’s true. Our crown prince is the only male in the royal family at the moment.”

“Then who will she marry?”

The others must not have known either, because they were all surprised too. They brought up names, discussing who would or wouldn’t be appropriate.

“Duke Fisalis would be the likeliest groom, but he already has his lovely wife, Miss Viola, so he’s absolutely out of the question. Which would leave Sir Celosia, wouldn’t it? Sir Calatheas already has a fiancée, after all,” said Miss Iris, looking at Miss Verbena.

“Calatheas is the heir, after all. But it’s also possible their engagement could be annulled, since they aren’t married yet,” responded Miss Verbena nonchalantly, sipping her tea.

Wait, that feels like the ugly side of politics, y’know? And the others are all nodding in understanding... I feel like I’ve gotten a good look at what the aristocracy is really like. Uwah, scary~! Top-class nobility is terrifying! Since I’d never been familiar with the political side of things, I was kind of put off.

“Luckily, my brother Celosia has no fiancée, so I’m thinking he’ll be chosen. His Majesty wouldn’t be so cruel as to break someone’s engagement off for a political marriage,” she corrected herself.

I didn’t really know His Majesty, so I just nodded along again. Secretly relieved to know that the king wasn’t one to give cruel orders, I lifted my teacup to my lips.

“Actually, the Aurantians had first wanted the princess to marry Duke Fisalis,” Miss Verbena said with a frown.

“Whaaaaat!?”

“Huh!?” I nearly spit my tea out in shock when she mentioned his name. I’d accidentally let out a really embarrassing yelp, too. By Duke Fisalis, they mean my Mr. Fisalis, right!? I didn’t know anything about that! He never mentioned it! I sat there, frozen, teacup still in hand.

“I mean, I know I brought him up as the ideal candidate, but I was just saying that. I didn’t know they really...” Miss Iris and the others were just as surprised as I was.

I looked confused, wondering why his name would have come up in marriage talks.

“The message said that the princess had fallen in love with him at first sight during the post-war talks. It seems they didn’t know he was married.”

“That’s not surprising. He was there for work, so he wouldn’t really announce that he was already married for no reason,” Miss Iris chimed in. The others nodded too.

I see. Marriage talks for Mr. Fisalis, huh? And with a princess from another country?

During the lull in conversation:

Clink.

The tiny click of porcelain on porcelain rang out. In my shock, I’d made a sound putting my teacup back on the saucer.

Oh no, that was rude. I need to stay calm and composed at all times! I’m okay! I’m not shaking!

It was a small sound, but everyone realized at once, looking at me.

“You didn’t know, Miss Viola...?” Miss Verbena looked up at me awkwardly.

“Ah, no, I didn’t. Mr. Fisalis has been so busy with work, I haven’t seen him much.” Oh no, I feel even more humiliated now that they’re all worried! Mr. Fisalis, you need to tell me important things like this! If Miss Verbena could just let it slip at a private tea party, it can’t be that much of a secret, right? It’s not like you haven’t nearly leaked a whole bunch of other classified stuff! This is much more important! Is it because you didn’t want to tell me you wanted a divorce? Did you want to marry a foreign princess instead after confessing to me like that?

I put on a smile that would have looked stiff from a mile away.

“Miss Viola, you’ve gone pale. Are you alright?” Miss Krokusse asked worriedly.

I’m smiling! This is a smile, right? “I-I’m absolutely fine! Ohohoho!” I tried laughing this time.

“Your laugh sounds so strained! You don’t have to force yourself to smile!” Miss Columbine said, stopping me.

The tea party’s friendly mood had turned awkward.

Oh no. This is my fault, isn’t it? I need to laugh it off like I’m okay!

...Ah, but they just saw through my fake smile. I panicked, not able to take it anymore.

“I-It’s fine, though! I was told that His Majesty immediately rejected the idea, and Duke Fisalis tried to rip up the letter! And His Majesty even sent a rushed reply saying ‘Duke Fisalis is married, so you absolutely must marry someone else’ to Aurantia!” Miss Verbena frantically continued.

“It’s the Duke we’re talking about here! Even if His Majesty ordered it, he would absolutely NEVER divorce you!”

“That’s right! Instead, you two should show that princess how much you love each other!”

“If she sees how you two are together, she’ll understand that there’s no way she could get between you.”

“Let’s destroy her completely!”

The girls forcibly pumped themselves up to try to support me. Though the last one there wasn’t exactly a peaceful plan...

“No no no no no! Destroying her is a bit much! I’m fine, so please, calm down! And the idea was already rejected, right? The princess must have given up on him already.”

But Mr. Fisalis, you can’t go around ripping up important diplomatic messages! Everyone else stopped him though, right? That’s good!

No matter what happened, though, why didn’t he tell me about the marriage proposal? He hated the idea enough to try to destroy important documents, didn’t he? I wish I’d heard it straight from his mouth rather than someone else’s.

Did he keep it a secret because he felt guilty about something? What if despite everyone saying it would never happen, the proposal was actually going through on the sly? That’d definitely end in divorce.

I mean, in the beginning, we had a contract marriage with no feelings involved. But being with him and seeing his gentle side has really started making my heart race, so... I can’t exactly say I don’t feel anything anymore.

And back in Le Pied, I told him as much, didn’t I? Just that I loved him like family, of course, but he was still happy.

Ah! Maybe he thinks I’d tell him not to worry and to go marry her? Maybe he doesn’t trust me as much as I think he does?

Ah, geez, I don’t know what to think anymore. What’s gonna happen now?

To be continued