Chapter 36: Chapter 36

“Was someone you know passing by? You looked like you were waving toward the hunting grounds… Miss Maria.”

Ah, Maria.

I clenched my fists tightly in anxiety.

The ladies at the tea party fell silent in an instant.

Of course, it wasn’t completely quiet—there were still the nearby shouts of, “Bring more arrows here!” and “A beater’s been injured, fetch a stretcher!” But anyone perceptive enough would notice that this silence carried more than a little curiosity.

Maria, however, smiled brightly as if she were completely oblivious to any malice.

“It seemed like my friend passed by.”

“A friend? Does Miss Maria have any friends in the capital?”

“A friend from the Meyer estate, someone I grew up with like a sibling. They managed to get a job at today’s hunting tournament.”

Maria spoke without a hint of embarrassment. But the Countess’s lips curled into a sly smirk, making it painfully clear what her next source of mockery would be.

“Oh my, so they aren’t of a rank to participate in the hunt itself. While others gallop elegantly on their horses, your friend toils away in sweat. What a pity.”

“A pity? I’m delighted that I got to see them like this. And I’m grateful to the royal family for their generous wages, too.”

At the mention of wages, the Countess’s lips quivered with even more amusement. Her eyes scanned the room, as if seeking approval to turn this topic into public entertainment.

The younger ladies around her looked flustered, some offering awkward smiles and others avoiding eye contact entirely.

After all, the tea party belonged to the Countess, and she reveled in this moment as she spoke again.

“Wages? Why, this is the first time I’ve heard that word at a tea party. Isn’t it said that laborers place the utmost value on their wages?”

The moment those unpleasant words reached my ears, a revolutionary anthem played in my heart.

Do you hear the people sing? Who says kings and queens are born to rule? Unite, ye nations!

Not that I could talk—I was just another insufferable member of the landed class. Still, the Countess’s next words finally pushed me past my limit.

“Miss Maria, why not invite your hardworking friend to join us? We could serve them a cup of tea and hear stories of a life we’ve never experienced.”

Her syrupy voice was laced with mockery, and my fists clenched tighter without me even realizing. She was openly ridiculing now.

If Maria innocently responded with, “Really? I’ll bring them over!” it would be a complete disaster. She’d be branded as someone who didn’t know time or place.

Fortunately, Maria didn’t take the bait. She looked slightly flustered herself.

“Uh, Rick is working right now, so…”

“Surely, the opportunity to attend a tea party is more valuable than a mere wage, isn’t it? Miss Maria, you’re not suggesting you think like a laborer too, are you?”

At that point, I gave up on holding back.

If I’d possessed the personality of a proper villainess, I would have flipped the table right then and there. But alas, I was someone who had reincarnated into a quiet introvert.

Words would have to suffice.

“I’ll decline the invitation on Rick’s behalf.”

“…What? Doris, why are you answering for her?”

The Countess looked at me in surprise, as did everyone else.

Thanks to this, Maria had a chance to regain her composure and hide the anger that had flashed across her face.

I took a sip of tea and replied, “Rick is my friend as well. I’d rather not see him treated as a disruption to our tea time.”

“A disruption? Why, we only wish to hear his fascinating stories!”

“If you’re looking for someone to discuss labor with, I’d suggest turning around.”

The Countess reflexively turned her head and found herself facing a waiting maid. She flinched.

What, did you think they were decorations?

The maid looked startled too, as if silently asking, “Me? Tell stories?”

Clicking her tongue, the Countess changed the subject.

“By the way, Miss Doris. How did you come to know Miss Maria’s friend? I can’t imagine the Countess of Redfield facilitating such a connection.”

It seemed I was the new target.

I answered smoothly, “When I was injured, Maria and Rick visited me together. If a friend of my friend is also my friend, then why wouldn’t I befriend them?”

“But relations between men and women are different, aren’t they? Even a simple stroll together could spark rumors. Surely, you aren’t hoping for such rumors to spread, are you…?”

The Countess’s eyebrows waggled suggestively.

Oh, so you’re picking a bigger fight now?

I opened my mouth—

And put a cookie in it.

Someone far more articulate had decided to intervene.

“Oh? What kind of rumors would spread? I’d love an example,” said Natalie Redfield, her eyes gleaming.

The Countess was taken aback.

“Well, Miss Natalie. Surely, as a senior in society, you don’t need me to explain…”

“I know plenty. Like how most rumors start with the very people warning others to avoid them.”

“Now hold on, Miss Natalie!”

“Am I wrong? Or perhaps I’ve hit the nail on the head?” Natalie tilted her head innocently.

The Countess wasn’t about to back down so easily, though. She’d been entrenched in high society for at least a decade longer than Natalie.

“Ahem, not all rumors are negative, you know. They serve as valuable lessons for the young, warning them against taboo actions. Miss Natalie, if you care for your sister, you should advise her against rash behavior—”

“Not your place to say. Rick is my friend too.”

“…Excuse me?”

“When he visited Doris after her injury, I served him tea and we strolled through the garden. By your logic, there should already be some amusing rumors about me and Rick, shouldn’t there?”

“Miss Natalie!”

“Well then, what lesson do you think this situation teaches? Other than the ridiculous idea that a man from the provinces has somehow captivated three noblewomen.”

I hadn’t expected Natalie to step in and defend me by claiming Rick as her friend.

The Countess’s voice, trembling slightly, had noticeably softened.

“Miss Natalie. If I recall, just a few months ago, you were among those calling for your sister to receive proper guidance—”

“Ahem! Ahem!”

Natalie belatedly tried to cover my ears.

It’s fine. Everyone already knows my sister disliked me.

But now, everyone should also see that things have changed.

So, instead of Natalie, I opened my mouth.

“People and relationships can change as much as they like—without relying on rumors that hurt others.”

“Miss Doris! Are you accusing me of harming someone?”

Well, aren’t you?

This woman is shamelessly bold.

For someone as brazen and impervious as her, Natalie is definitely the better choice to handle the situation.

Natalie seemed to know this, too. Before I could even signal for help, she shot up from her seat.

“Natalie, where are you going? Sit down and educate your sister—”

“I’m going to fetch Rick Ray. I’ll be right back.”

“What? Wait! Why would you do that?”

“Why? Wasn’t it you who suggested inviting Rick earlier?”

“Well, I did say that, but…!”

It had clearly been a throwaway line meant to mock Maria. The Countess knew it, Maria knew it, and Natalie was pretending she didn’t.

“If just spending time with Rick causes unfavorable rumors about my sister and me, I wonder what kind of stories will surface when Rick joins us at the tea party. What narrative will you spin, I wonder?”

“I’m saying no such rumors exist! I was only offering a friendly warning. Wait, don’t go! How could you bring a commoner to a lady’s tea party—”

The Countess abruptly stopped mid-sentence, realizing that even she couldn’t justify what she was saying. She’d reached the point of contradicting herself.

If I pointed out her hypocrisy, she’d crumble like the typical one-dimensional antagonist from a romance novel.

But Natalie wasn’t one to settle for such a mundane conclusion.

She didn’t even bother responding, striding confidently toward the hunting grounds.

“Natalie! You—go and fetch her back!”

Panicking, the Countess waved at the maid behind her. But it was no use; the maid couldn’t physically stop Natalie, who outranked her. Instead, she ended up being dragged along after Natalie caught her mid-plea.

Natalie called out cheerfully, “The Countess sent a helper! Great, let’s go fetch him together!”

“Miladyyyy!”

Natalie didn’t listen to people weaker than her.

The Countess, looking utterly lost, eventually decided to intervene herself. She jumped to her feet.

“Stop right there, Natalie!”

Of course, Natalie didn’t listen to people stronger than her either.

Her steps only quickened. The Countess rushed to keep up.

Sigh…

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, I offered a silent observation:

Natalie had already made the first successful hunt of the day.

Maria looked visibly uneasy.

“What should we do? Do you think Natalie will really bring Rick here?”

“…Probably not.”

I remembered what Natalie had told me the day Maria and Rick visited after my injury.

‘Be cautious of Rick Ray. There’s something unsettling about him.’

She wasn’t the type to chat with a man she was wary of. She’d likely just return after thoroughly tormenting the Countess.@@novelbin@@

Though I didn’t explain my reasoning, Maria sighed in relief, her tension easing.

“If you say so, I’ll believe you. Oh, I was so worried.”

The other ladies also seemed to relax a bit.

But soon, an uncomfortable silence fell over the group.

With the party host gone, there was no one to lead the conversation. They’d already exhausted the usual small talk topics—weather, the hunting tournament—early in the tea party. After that, it had been a string of gossip and thinly veiled jabs.

Some ladies attempted to break the silence, but their words collided awkwardly.

“Please, go ahead.”

“No, no, you first. It’s nothing important…”

“No, really, I insist…”

And the silence returned.

Even drinking water felt like it might give me indigestion in this atmosphere.

The younger ladies began sneaking glances at me. As someone with three years of experience in society—and having spoken up earlier—they seemed to expect me to take charge and steer the conversation.

Sorry, but I’m not that kind of person. I’m an introvert, remember?

…Wait.

Suddenly, a memory from my past life surfaced.

‘The day the children’s library room imploded.’

Back when I worked at the library, a rookie librarian once hosted a program for young children. The problem was, she hadn’t accounted for the parents of the younger kids.

On the day of the program, a crowd of parents had lingered awkwardly outside the children’s room, waiting in the hallway.

‘Isn’t this situation… kind of similar?’

The hunting tournament was organized by men. Ladies were brought along to cheer at the start and finish, but were excluded from the main event.

The rookie librarian had scrambled to adjust the program to include the parents, but that was a lesson learned too late.

For the parents left stranded that day, we…

“Um, everyone.”