not your business

Chapter 14: The Aftermath of the Party and the Young Duchess

“Thank you for coming, Lady Marietta. It is an honour to be able to meet you.”

With an elegant smile, the young duchess Saphine offered Marietta tea.

The two found themselves in the duchess’ garden, a refreshing breeze blowing through the blooming roses around them sending a pleasant mood through the area. The garden was famous among the nobles for its garden parties, but today it hosted only a small tea party for two. Attendants lined the table with Oltaire’s most famous cakes and colorful canapes, and when Marietta tasted the vibrant amber tea, the sweet scent of roses spread throughout her senses, the delicacy making her innocently smile.

“Oh, how delicious. Is this a rose tea? There are so many fantastic things here in Oltaire, no?”

Saphine faltered against that cherubic expression.

“I want to thank you for your invitation to tea today. I am so happy that I am able to find a new friend in this country.”

Saphine’s cheeks twitched.

When did I declare I was your friend? No, the meaning behind that invitation was completely different! This is the place where I declare you my rival, you know?!

Ever since Marietta and Belvant’s “legendary dance”, their vicinity had grown dreadfully noisy, especially around Belvant.

It was a relatively common matter for nobles and their daughters to target the position of the bachelor general’s spouse. Belvant was quite persistent in ignoring them, and between the fear induced by the “Fierce God”s excessive strength, his nature of battling day after day, and the nigh perpetual sour look on his face, most of his partners found themselves overwhelmed by his intensity. Most who met him couldn’t pierce through his exterior to understand the man inside, and because everyone who met him withered back, the stories eventually swapped the blame and labeled Belvant a dreadful man.

Even so, when he danced with Marietta, his trademark ‘death glare’ disappeared from his eyes and brow, while the perpetual frown on his lips, the villainous defining feature of “Oltaire’s Fierce God”, became a tender smile for that woman. With that smile, he completely transformed into a young sir full of masculine charm.

It couldn’t be helped that everyone was talking about how Marietta had looked at Belvant, her gaze spellbound as she sweetly laughed; how Belvant, with a tight hold on her, returned the favor with a smile filled with love. The young ladies who saw Marietta sweetly cuddling up in his arms, struck by the ‘Marietta Effect’ as it were, felt their fear of Belvant disappear. Their hearts fluttered when the handsome general’s gallant figure entered their view.

The young women all at once thought.

There’s still time.

He can be snatched away.

Ah, the dreadfulness of Oltaire’s noble maidens.

After that evening party, Belvant’s life grew noisy as noble young ladies all unabashedly appealed to their parents to start a direct offensive against the general, but the amorous beauty, the famed Saphine, was unable to restrain herself and sent out an invitation for a tea party for two.

There are various negotiations I wish to make, after all.

The invitation had a sinister purpose behind it, but Marietta didn’t read too deeply into the letter and, saying “I wonder if we can become friends?”, she happily set out.

Saphine had a plan, and expected to go through with it immediately after her greeting, but-

Is this princess a natural airhead?