Chapter 13
“A treasure island? That sounds amazing! Did you go with them as well, my lady?”
“Not to the one that was just discovered, but I often joined them on other trips.”
“Wow, that’s incredible!”
At Erika’s words, Freya exclaimed in awe, her voice full of envy.
Travel, and not just anywhere, but exploring the unknown? To Freya, that made Erika seem truly remarkable.
“Do you like traveling?”
Seeing Freya show genuine interest in her for the first time, Erika asked with a delighted expression.
Up until now, this tea party had been filled only with endless talk about jewelry and dresses, which bored her to no end. Freya’s interest in the treasure island was a refreshing change.
Freya nodded vigorously, her voice practically trembling with excitement.
“I’m crazy about it!”
“I like it too.”
Erika chuckled aloud at Freya’s dramatic response.
Crazy about it, huh? Who would’ve thought a noble lady would say something like that.
And since Freya was the young lady everyone had been talking about lately, Erika found her all the more fascinating.
Just as Freya and Erika were about to dive into a lively discussion about the treasure island, Maria cut in.
“The scale of the treasures offered to the Imperial Family must’ve been enormous. After all, your family was granted a countship.”
“Well, I don’t know the exact details of what was offered.”
Erika’s expression soured slightly. She knew exactly what Maria was implying.
At first, she’d been excited to attend this gathering, but it hadn’t taken her long to realize the true reason she was invited here.
No matter what the conversation was about, if Erika tried to join in, the topic would shift in the blink of an eye.
Once or twice could have been coincidence, but it had been that way consistently—at least until Rachel Edmore had arrived.
Even when she first mentioned the treasure island, no one had reacted. And now, the moment Freya showed interest, Maria had jumped in, pretending to care. Transparent.
When Erika answered indifferently, Maria chirped again with forced cheer.
“Well, I suppose it’s hard to know everything our parents are involved in.”
“Yes.”
Erika kept her answer short, then turned to Freya.
“You should come visit our estate sometime. My father has collected plenty of maps and notes from his travels.”
“Really? You mean it?”
Freya’s eyes lit up at Erika’s invitation.
She had made the offer first! Freya was already thrilled at the thought of visiting Frederin Castle.
“Of course.”
Erika smiled brightly as she replied.
Freya clasped Erika’s hands tightly with both of her own, her expression suddenly serious as she pressed her again.
“You can’t go back on your word. I’ll really come, you know?”
“Yes, just let me know when it’s convenient for you.”
“Then how about next—”
Freya eagerly began to set a date when Maria’s sour voice rang out beside them.
“Ha! What’s with this tea? Mei! Do I really have to lose my appetite over a cup of tea?!”
“S-sorry, my lady. I’ll bring a fresh one right away.”
Was it because she disliked seeing Freya and Erika getting along so well? Maria deliberately raised her voice and berated the maid beside her.
Even though she had been drinking the very same tea without complaint earlier, the maid could only bow repeatedly and leave with the cup.
Thanks to that, the cheerful mood deflated. Freya was at a loss for words.
Everyone was now tiptoeing around Maria’s foul temper.
As more eyes turned toward her, Maria doubled down, blaming the tea again.
“Honestly, I thought the new blend would be better, but this is awful. Ptooey.”
Freya’s voice came out stiff.
“What’s your problem?”
“What are you talking about? I don’t have a problem. You’re just being oversensitive. Careful, that’s bad for your skin, you know.”
Maria pretended to be fine while subtly insulting Freya. And Freya, knowing full well what she was doing, scowled.
Maria was basically insulting people to their faces under the guise of refinement, all the while thinking she was being classy. She had no idea how disgraceful she actually looked.
Freya’s earlier excitement at meeting Erika had already faded. She no longer felt like humoring Maria and called her out directly.
“Ask anyone here—was that really just about the tea, or were you throwing a tantrum? Who’s being oversensitive and trying to pin it on me?”
Freya’s blunt remark made Maria bristle and tremble with fury. She clearly hadn’t expected to be confronted so directly. Usually, nobles danced around with indirect words.
But after a moment, Maria snapped, shouting.
“Fine, yes, I am upset! What’s wrong with you? Are you out of your mind? Get a grip!”
“Watch your mouth.”
Freya’s expression hardened as she warned her.
But Maria, unable to stomach Freya’s defiance, fumed even harder.
“Watch my mouth? You need to watch your behavior! I’m the hostess of this tea party, not some nobody’s daughter!”
Maria pointed accusingly at Erika.
Freya glared at her. It was pathetic—Maria was upset with her, yet she was taking it out on Erika instead. How far did they have to bend to suit Maria’s whims?
Freya felt something snap inside her. Now was the moment to settle this.
If Maria was going to raise her voice, then she would too. There was no turning back.
“Ha! You’re such a rotten brat!”
Freya suddenly shouted, louder than usual, and shot to her feet.
Maria, looking flabbergasted, sprang up as well.
“W-what?!”
Her voice was shrill, as if she’d just heard the most outrageous thing. The young ladies, including Shuko and the trembling Lena, rushed to stop them.
Erika, however, remained seated, watching with an amused expression.
“P-please, stop, Freya.”
“Maria, calm down.”
She looked like she was enjoying the drama. Compared to the haughty smiles from earlier, this felt far more genuine.
Well, nobles or not, a fight was a fight. Erika smirked as though she were watching a street brawl.
Maria, emboldened by the girls around her trying to restrain Freya, strode forward. She was ready to give Freya a good scolding.
“You dare—aaagh!”
But instead of a lecture, Maria screamed.
All the girls widened their eyes in shock, staring at the two.
Even Erika looked surprised at Freya’s unexpected move.
“Gasp!”
“Oh my goodness…”
It was because Freya had grabbed Maria by the hair.
“Let go! Let go of me!”
“Nope.”
With a bright smile, Freya clutched Maria’s beautifully styled hair and shook her head side to side.
The young ladies around them could only gasp in horror. Freya had never acted like this before, so everyone was stunned.
But Freya didn’t care. She shook Maria roughly, her anger boiling over.
‘So you think staying quiet makes me a pushover, huh? Always lecturing me like you’re better than me!’
Her suppressed resentment had finally exploded. She’d lost control.
“This lunatic!” Maria shrieked.
“Yeah, go ahead, see what happens when you mess with a lunatic! Maybe then you’ll learn not to provoke one!”
Freya’s voice turned cold and threatening. Maria, furious, flailed her hands.
“Let gooo!”
“I’ll let go when I feel like it!”
Freya easily dodged Maria’s desperate swipes.
Maria, smaller than most of her peers, couldn’t even reach Freya’s head. She pinched and hit, trying to pry her hand away, but Freya wouldn’t budge.
“S-someone, get the butler!”
Seeing the situation escalate, Shuko screamed. She reached for the bell rope, but Freya shot her a glare.
Shuko froze, terrified, and withdrew her hand.
Maria soon began wailing, begging for mercy. But Freya only tightened her grip and shook harder, making her cries grow louder.
At last, Freya released her by throwing her down to the floor.
“Uwaaaaah!”
Maria collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably. She had never expected Freya to actually grab her hair and was utterly shocked.
Her hair was in total disarray, and the tea party itself was ruined.
Her scalp ached and burned. Freya had pulled so hard that she was left holding a fistful of Maria’s hair.
Still fuming, Freya glared down at her.
“Don’t ever show up in front of me again. I’ve had enough of your nonsense.”
“S-she’s really lost her mind…” Maria bawled even harder at Freya’s words.
But Freya ignored her, calmly gathering her belongings. She was done with this gathering.
“I’m quitting this group. You can all carry on without me.”
“Freya!”
Shuko shrieked in alarm.
The other young ladies stood up in shock at her declaration, calling after her.
Some even rushed to follow, but Freya didn’t look back once.
Even after she left, Maria couldn’t stop crying. Between sobs, she began cursing Freya bitterly.
