Chapter 44
Mari stared in disbelief at the thick stack of paper Clarissa had shoved in front of her.
Even after blinking several times, the contents didn’t change.
If anything, the densely packed text became even more firmly imprinted in Mari’s mind.
“Lady Clarissa… this is…”
For once, Mari forgot her usual resolve to nod obediently at Clarissa’s words. She asked with a rather dumbfounded expression.
Clarissa lightly shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, the debutante ball went off without a hitch. Shouldn’t we try a proper social gathering for a change?”
“But this is far too many people. Our household doesn’t have space to accommodate…”
The guest list Clarissa handed over numbered at least a hundred, probably more.
Even for the famously large Lisette household, accommodating that many guests would be difficult.
And yet, this so-called “small” tea party was all Clarissa was planning.
As if remembering this fact, Clarissa continued lightly, leaving Mari no chance to speak:
“Exactly, there isn’t.”
Her sly smile made Mari suspicious.
“But you don’t need to worry about that.”
Even if told not to worry, Mari couldn’t help it—this would be impossible.
Since Clarissa was the host, all responsibility for the party would fall on her and, by extension, on Mari.
Mari had no desire to lose her job over something like this.
Even though her mistress was unusually capricious, always ready to make unreasonable demands or issue threats…
‘Wait, why am I even working here?’
Mari finally realized she wasn’t in a proper working environment—but it was already too late.
Clarissa, with her face full of mischief and playful intent, continued:
“Anyway, nobody’s coming.”
“Excuse me?”
Mari’s jaw dropped.
Her eyes darted around, unsteady, but Clarissa clapped her hands sharply, giving a command:
“Come on, stop standing there like a fool—start moving your hands!”
Before Mari could think anything else, she hurried to obey Clarissa’s orders.
Despite everything, she was commendably diligent, working tirelessly to do her part.
‘Maybe I’ll give her a day off after this?’
When dealing with people, the right balance of carrot and stick was essential.
Since it was about time for some idle thoughts, this seemed like a good plan.
Clarissa, thinking of her slightly dim but loyal maid, took a bite of one of the bizarrely shaped cookies she had made.
Crunch. The bitter taste hit her tongue immediately, and she frowned.
It seemed the surface had been fine, but the inside was completely burnt.
Clarissa set aside the half-eaten cookie and rested her chin in her hand, gazing out the window.
Small black-and-red birds were chirping energetically in the trees, oblivious to the fact someone was watching them.
They flapped their wings and used their beaks to dust off one another.
The scene reminded Clarissa of someone, and she let out a soft laugh.
“Go ahead and do whatever you like. I’ll pretend to play along.”
To cut to the chase, Clarissa’s prediction proved correct.
Even at the scheduled time, no carriages—nor even a single ant—passed by the Lisette estate.
Mari, who had been fussing over the impracticality of having at least two chairs per table, could do nothing but stand blankly, feeling the spring breeze on her face.
Clarissa, utterly peaceful, basked in the noon sun. She plucked a single fresh grape from the table and popped it into her mouth.
Mmm, delicious.
Just as she was about to conclude her solitary tea party, Eclea came running into view.
Eclea alternated her gaze between her beloved daughter and the empty party hall, her voice trembling as she asked:
“Clarissa, what on earth is… this?”
“Oh, Mother, you came?”
Clarissa responded cheerfully.
Though she looked genuinely excited, Eclea only saw her daughter as a poor girl stood up to be stood up.
“Clarissa, I’ve endured so far because you told me to stay put, but this is something I cannot ignore.”
She buried her face in a handkerchief, voicing her frustration.
“Not only do you do something so outrageous… no, this isn’t the time for that. Those insolent people—immediately…”
Despite her calm demeanor, Eclea was still a Lisette by birth.
At that moment, she was ready to put everything she had built on the line to crush anyone threatening her beloved daughter.
“It’s okay, Mother. Even this is fun.”
“Risa?”
Clarissa gently restrained her mother. Not only that, she couldn’t suppress her giggles, snickering quietly.
“Who else would get to have such a special experience but me?”
Clarissa smiled, refusing to wipe the expression from her face.
“Just trust me a little. I’ll show you something far more fun.”
Later that afternoon, Mari came running quickly to Clarissa, clutching a white envelope in her hands.
“Lady Clarissa! It’s here, it arrived!”
“Mari, slow down.”
While Mari, out of breath, struggled to calm herself, Clarissa maintained a rare calm demeanor, soothing her.
Yet Mari couldn’t hide her excitement and shouted again:
“The invitation really came!”
“I know that. So, who’s it from?”
Clarissa replied nonchalantly, as if it were no surprise.
Mari, thrilled by her mistress’s casual attitude, let her words spill without the decorum expected of a maid from a prestigious household.
“It’s the young lady you mentioned earlier, Clarissa. By the way, it’s amazing… how did you find out?”
Clarissa seemed to enjoy Mari’s excitement. She raised the corners of her mouth and shrugged lightly.
“Well, I have a reliable source of information.”
<Do they know it’s the Duke’s chocolate?>
Clarissa swallowed the world-class secret in her mind, but couldn’t hide her amusement, giggling quietly.
After a while, Clarissa finally turned her attention to Mari, who still looked dumbfounded.
“When is it?”
“Just a moment.”
Mari stiffened her shoulders, nodded determinedly, and carefully peeled off the red seal from the white envelope.
The soft scent of flowers reached her nose, and the premium paper unfolded in her hands.
“Lady Clarissa von Lisette is invited to a dinner party. Date and time: …”
Mari’s lips froze mid-speech, her eyes blinking rapidly, as she folded and unfolded the paper several times.
Clarissa understood immediately.
“Ah, this evening?”
Mari snapped her head up.
“How did you know?”
“I told you.”
She had a reliable source.
Mari, finally realizing her mistress was no mere spirit, nodded and prepared herself mentally for her role.
“How rude, informing us on the same day. It’s like they don’t want us to come.”
“It’s fine.”
“But…”
“You can wear the same dress from the tea party, and just do a simple hair arrangement.”
Clarissa waved off Mari’s pout with a flick of her hand and rose with graceful ease.
“You can handle it, right?”
“Of course, but…”
Mari still looked displeased, yet Clarissa unusually acted generously that day.
Her golden eyes sparkled with delight.
Watching the setting sun, she spoke like an excited child:
“Alright, alright, let’s go have some fun.”
