031
“Miss Naeri.”
“Ah, yes.”
At Lord Winchester’s call, I finally tore my gaze away from Daniel’s drawing. The tea must’ve finished steeping, as a gentle floral scent had begun to spread throughout the room.
“I visited the Imperial Palace today and received an invitation from His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Oh, did you?”
It seemed another event had been added to his schedule. I responded appropriately while taking out the teacups I had prepared.
“So please keep the evening of the 15th open.”
“Pardon?”
I paused mid-motion as I was about to place a teacup in front of him.
“I’m going too?”
“His Highness said he wanted to meet you.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Yes.”
Was he curious about who his tutor’s wife was? Come to think of it, I had never once wondered who my teachers were married to during all my 16 years of schooling.
Well, I suppose it’s different when it’s a one-on-one tutor.
“And also, Her Highness the Princess.”
There’s a princess? She was never mentioned in the story. Even after coming here, I didn’t know she existed. Hm… maybe she’s in internal medicine? So ordinary and unremarkable that she fades into the background?
No way. How could a princess lack presence? Her very birth is presence itself.
“And Her Majesty the Empress.”
Her Majesty, too? Why did this feel like it was escalating?
“His Majesty the Emperor will also be joining us for dinner.”
“His Majesty the Emperor too?”
Why? I’m not that kind of person. I’m quiet, ordinary, and as unnoticeable as any background character. Why am I having dinner with all these dazzling royal figures?
“That’s right.”
Unlike me, blinking in shock, Lord Winchester remained utterly calm. It really seemed like he was just casually inviting me to a meal at the palace. I mean, is that place some kind of famous restaurant? Well, I’m sure the food is good.
“Will Daniel be coming too?”
“No. It’s a dinner where alcohol will be served.”
Too bad! I could have introduced Daniel’s cuteness to the dazzling royals! Then maybe, if Daniel ever found himself in trouble, the royal family could be a reliable ally.
Like, say, when that damn ex-husband’s family harasses him, or when he remarries the new male lead of the Benz family.
‘Well, no helping it. I’ll have to go and charm them myself!’
It was definitely a burdensome occasion, but once I thought of it as something that could benefit Daniel’s future, my motivation flared up.
“Miss Naeri?”
“Yes, Lord Winchester?”
“You may give me the cup now.”
“What? Oh! Right!”
Only then did I realize I was still holding the teacup meant for him. I quickly placed it in front of him, and Lord Winchester picked up the teapot to pour the tea. A delicate scent of acacia filled the room even more.
“This is…”
Lord Winchester hesitated as he reached for the teacup’s handle. His gaze fell on the clover flower tied around it.
“It’s white clover. Daniel and I have been practicing making flower rings lately.”
Daniel’s nails, which had once been bitten down to the quick with no white tips in sight, had grown out considerably. Though he hadn’t completely broken the nail-biting habit, it was much improved.
Seeing his nails grow gave me reassurance that his anxiety was lessening.
“It turned out so pretty I couldn’t throw it away.”
He had managed to poke a hole in the stem without breaking it, but tying a knot was still difficult for him. I’d suggested we practice with ribbon first, and brought back the broken clover he couldn’t use—tying it to the teacup myself.
“If it’s inconvenient, I can take it off. You have big hands, Lord Winchester. It might get in your way.”
“It’s fine.”
As I stepped closer, Lord Winchester lifted the cup by the side, not the handle, and brought it to his lips.
The image of the very manly Lord Winchester holding a teacup decorated with a cute clover flower was oddly mismatched—and yet somehow suited him.
“You seem to like children very much, Miss Naeri.”
“Most people do. They’re cute.”
“You like cute things?”
“Who doesn’t?”
“And handsome things?”
“No one hates those either.”
“But you seem to prefer cute over handsome.”
…That sounded like a loaded comment.
I quickly darted my eyes toward Lord Winchester to gauge his expression. He looked down, seemingly focused on enjoying his tea with elegance, rather than doubting the sincerity of someone who had confessed to liking him.
“That’s not true. I really love handsome things.”
“Is that so?”
“Handsome is the best! Just looking at it gives me a thrill! It’s perfection!”
I even gave a proud thumbs-up for emphasis.
“……”
Lord Winchester turned to look at me silently. I raised the corners of my mouth in the brightest smile I could manage.
…Does he believe me?
* * *
Shopping! I needed to go shopping!
No matter what, I was now Countess Winchester! I’d been invited to the Imperial Palace, no less! To dine with the Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince, and Princess! I couldn’t show up in the modest dress I wore back when I was just a baron’s daughter.
The only suitably glamorous dress in my wardrobe was my wedding gown—and I had enough common sense not to wear that.
“Welcome!”
As I entered the women’s boutique, a smiling clerk greeted me politely.
“Is there a specific style you’re looking for?”
“I need a dress and shoes that are moderately glamorous, appropriate for a formal occasion, subtly expensive-looking—but actually affordable.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You have something like that, right?”
“Um…”
The clerk looked flustered, but her professional smile never wavered.
“Why don’t you have a look around first?”
She gestured toward a section full of elaborate dresses.
Let’s see. This one’s too fancy, this one wouldn’t suit me, this color is odd, and this one…
“Did you hear the rumor?”
While I was sorting through dresses, I heard a familiar voice. I looked up to see a group of well-dressed women chatting as they browsed. When did they get here?
I might’ve known some of them, but I was too busy to care. I turned back to continue my search.
Yellow? Red? No, I’m not some villainous mistress—I can’t wear red to the palace.
Green, then? No, with brown hair, green just looks too plain and dull. I already lack presence as it is.
Alright, blue it is. Or maybe a safe sky blue. No, was that yellow one better?
“Everyone be careful. You never know when that thieving little Baroness Formoz might be eyeing your things.”
Wait a second… that voice?
Whipping my head around, I spotted a familiar face among the group of ladies—Countess Aitley, shaking her head as if disgusted.
“Just recently, she even tried to approach our horseback riding instructor.”
What? Daniel had only ridden a horse around the yard once!
“She even seems to have her eyes on my child’s violin tutor.”
What? I never even thought about violin lessons!
Stunned by such baseless gossip, I approached the group. Pretending to browse nearby dresses, I eavesdropped. No one seemed to notice me.
“Now that I think about it, she’s rather pitiful. Grew up in a poor baron’s household with no education, and suddenly she’s a countess. She doesn’t know what to do, so she copies other countesses like me.”
…What the hell?
“Oh my, that does make sense.”
How can someone agree with such nonsense?
“She should know her place. A crow shouldn’t try to follow a stork. She’ll only tear her legs trying.”
Countess Aitley even clicked her tongue as she shook her head.
“Does a crow really need to follow a stork? Crows are much cuter, after all.”
I slipped into their conversation subtly.
“Oh please~ What good is being cute?”
Countess Aitley responded naturally, not realizing it was me who had spoken. None of them noticed I’d joined the conversation.
That’s the power of being an extra—fitting in anywhere without drawing attention.
Let me know if you’d like a summarized version or have the next chapter ready for translation!
Do you like this personality?
window.__oai_logHTML?window.__oai_logHTML():window.__oai_SSR_HTML=window.__oai_SSR_HTML||Date.now();requestAnimationFrame((function(){window.__oai_logTTI?window.__oai_logTTI():window.__oai_SSR_TTI=window.__oai_SSR_TTI||Date.now()}))
Hahah the way she just naturally slips into the convo 😂