The Sleeping Devil

Wrapped in a delicate lavender dress, my hair elegantly woven into a half-up style, I stood at the entrance of the greenhouse. With only a blue ribbon as a hair ornament, the age-appropriate and charming attire added a touch of color to my somewhat subdued appearance.

Just a few days ago, it felt like I had just finished the baptism ceremony, but now the day of the tea party had arrived. I currently wore a smile so wide that my cheeks were starting to ache. Beside me stood Dior, her lustrous crimson hair elegantly pulled up, in high spirits. We were welcoming the nobles invited to the tea party. As one pair finished their greetings and moved on, another pair quickly took their place.

"...!"

Most of the guests froze momentarily at the entrance. Then, as if nothing had happened, they resumed moving and made their way towards us.

"On this auspicious day, we extend our joyous greetings for Lady Sheriel's birthday. We are grateful to the Earth God and Lord Dior for the honor of being invited to this debut tea party---"

While receiving similar formal greetings, Dior exchanged words with the guests and introduced me.

"Thank you for coming. This is my daughter, Sheriel."

Observing Dior's responses, I gauged which pattern of greeting to follow and offered a simple self-introduction.

All the mothers we invited today were those who had children around my age. While their parents chatted with Dior, the well-behaved children standing beside them became potential friends for me.

The adults, despite maintaining a certain degree of composure, had somewhat similar reactions. Surprisingly, it was the children who saw me differently, depending on the person.

"My name is Giselle. This greenhouse is so lovely, it's my first time here! I would be delighted if we could be friends."

"The pleasure is mine, Giselle."

Giselle, a mid-ranking noble who had finished the baptism ceremony a little earlier than me, greeted me cutely with a beaming smile, without showing any concern about my hair color. Somehow, the older they were, the more they seemed perplexed by my hair color. After exchanging greetings with one after another, I ingrained their titles, ranks, and house affiliations in my head. Once everyone had entered the venue, we, the hosts, also entered.

In this world as well, there are four seasons, and right now, it's the beginning of winter when the outside landscape becomes somewhat desolate. Nobles with greenhouses are few, making a tea party surrounded by colorful flowers in this season a kind of ultimate luxury. In the center of the greenhouse, a large table had been set up, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a lavish garden wedding.

As Dior and I entered together, the chatter abruptly hushed. After a brief greeting from Dior, the real tea party was finally beginning.

"Dior-sama, I was truly surprised. The luster of your hair, the porcelain-like quality of your skin -- what kind of beauty regimen have you been trying?"

"Oh yes, I was equally astonished and lost for words. One would think there's a goddess of beauty beside the Six Deities, wouldn't they?"

Dior's cheerful mood seemed to stem from more than just her fondness for tea parties. She elegantly raised the corners of her mouth and directed her gaze toward each noble, sending them compliments.

"If there's a goddess of beauty, it must be Sheriel. She manages everything--my hair, my skin, even my meals and fragrances."

"Well! Could it be that Lady Dior is using products from the company managed by Lady Sheriel?"

Suppressing the desire to say that my mother was the true goddess of beauty, I smiled and gracefully received the collective attention. Through our company, we sold high-quality essential oils and perfumed waters, as well as pleasantly fragrant soaps made from plant oils, which we could now procure in limited quantities. However, since there was no bathing culture, we hadn't yet spread the practice of partial bathing or hair washing, like Dior did. She had mentioned washing her hair in a basin a couple of times a month, so I had thought of introducing hair washing products, but our soap production couldn't keep up, so we were only using them ourselves.

"That company isn't operated by me, you know. She started it two years ago. There are still products she hasn't released to the company, but eventually---"

Dior smiled significantly, her gaze shifting towards me as if urging me to continue.

"Yes, it might take a little more time, but I'd be delighted if everyone could use them."

"Although we are operating on a small scale, we are consistently low on stock. Once we can secure a regular production cycle, a full-scale launch would certainly be feasible."

People's reactions varied--some leaned forward with interest, hoping to benefit from Dior's beauty, while others observed the situation calmly. Among the invited children, there were several boys as well. They seemed entirely disinterested in the beauty conversation, focusing on the confections in front of them.

"We've also prepared some new sweets for today. Please enjoy them without hesitation."

Dior delicately placed a small cookie into her mouth. Since these cookies were only recently completed, Dior hadn't introduced them at any previous tea parties. Although I could recall the accurate measurements by retracing my memory for the recipe, the quality of the flour or the oven temperature seemed to be different. The cookies weren't baking as I intended, so I had Cork look into it for a while. Some adults who seemed to have experience with meringue and other pastries reached for the cookies as if they were waiting eagerly.

"The sweetness is more subdued compared to meringue. It has a scent similar to bread and melts delightfully. It's very delicious."

"I've been looking forward to Lady Dior's tea party for some time now. I can't believe we get to try these new treats."

The reception seemed quite favorable, which was a relief. Even the boys were nibbling on the confections, their eyes sparkling.

As the atmosphere started to liven up, the girls were moved to a round table a little away from the long one. It was a good distance--close enough for my eyes to reach them but far enough that I couldn't catch detailed conversations.

From here, since I was the host, even though it was only children, I couldn't be careless. An upper-level noble's daughter from a neighboring territory was seated to my right. In contrast, the upper-level nobles from our territory were seated on the opposite side, and twelve girls had gathered.

"Miss Sheriel possesses various talents. In our domain, I couldn't imagine an aristocrat running a business while still in her preschool years."

Alicia, with her vibrant aqua-colored, slightly wavy hair, took the lead.

She was a prominent noble from the relatively friendly territory of Lorrance, the lord's daughter. She was likely invited because her age and status were similar to mine.

While adding "miss" after someone's name indicated a lower status or that they hadn't undergone baptism, calling me "Miss Sheriel" with the same rank and age was a clear declaration of looking down on me.

Although I felt like saying something like "Are you serious?", I was dizzy from their conversation. Alicia was certainly a suitable candidate for Alphonse's engagement. It was a near jump-scare to hear Alphonse's name, which was tied to my death, come up, but for a noble to speak so openly was a bit excessive and the content seemed soap opera-esque, especially considering they were children. I couldn't figure out what was the right course of action for a moment.

Alicia flicked her hair with a slight air of irritation, silencing the girls when her words were getting too much.

"It's true that I'm being considered as his highness's engagement candidate. However, the same goes for Miss Sheriel, I believe."

"No, I haven't heard any such thing, so don't worry."

Actually, I would rather not have any such prospects. Besides, why was I engaged in that dream, even though there are many capable noble daughters? Alicia seems to be of the same mind, and even if a lover named Maria appeared at some point, Alicia would probably find a way to handle it.

"Well, Miss Sheriel! I think if you ask Alicia-sama, there might be some hope. Don't give up."

"That's right, we all have some chances."

Oh, so they're already strategizing for a mistress route at this age? Alicia, with her tsundere eyes, had a dignified air, but everyone seemed to want to get close to her not only out of admiration but also to forge a path to becoming a mistress.

In the Orausteria Kingdom, there was a system for mistresses. It was somewhat like the ancient European noble system where mistresses' children didn't inherit, but the fundamental reasons were entirely different. Since men having multiple mistresses would lead to jealousy and power struggles, the kingdom wanted to prevent the accumulation of impurities. To achieve the position that was somewhat akin to that, you needed to be favored by the main wife. That's probably why they were trying to get close to the daughters who seemed like they could become queens in the future.

"Everyone seems to be a little confused, but Miss Sheriel is under divine protection. Is it the water attribute, same as me?"

"Yes... that's correct."

It's not entirely true, but I do have some water attribute, so please overlook this small lie.

Since these noble daughters seemed to have concluded there was no magic in my hair color, they were concerned about my future marriage. It's meddling, really. I'm not just concerned about getting married--I'm fighting for my life.

Although I thought it was unreasonable to be angry about things I hadn't communicated, Alicia kindly explained. Maybe she's not such a bad kid after all.

"I think Lady Sheriel's hair is very beautiful."

Giselle, who had been silent until now, looked at me with her hands clasped in front of her chest, her cheeks tinged with red. Even from her initial nonchalant greeting, I could tell that she wasn't bothered by my hair color, which made me happy. I definitely have to invite her to the upcoming tea party that I'm hosting. The daughters who hadn't directly touched on the topic of color were now looking at me with wide-eyed surprise.

"Thank you. Giselle's young leaf-colored hair is lovely as well, especially when combined with the color of your eyes. It's like a spring fairy."

Giselle let out a cute "Oh my," her voice resembling a whisper, and looked up at me with both hands supporting her beet-red face. She was truly adorable. I've never actually seen a fairy, but I imagine they might look a bit like a shrunken Giselle with wings. Perhaps influenced by Giselle, the other children's cheeks were slightly flushed too.

"Y-Yes, that's right. Lady Sheriel is the princess of the Beriard Marquisate. I'm sure it must be quite difficult to choose a marriage partner. U-Um, I also think Lady Sheriel is very beautiful..."

Several girls who had been rather quiet suddenly raised their voices one after another. It seems they were just hesitant to engage with me before. Some of them seemed to have mustered the courage to compliment me, and like Giselle, Shamal, who was also a mid-level noble, blushed, her voice getting gradually quieter. It probably took quite some courage to voice opinions to those who were higher-ranking.

"It makes me feel embarrassed to receive praise from someone as delicate as Lady Shamal."

Shamal managed to say "De-Delicate..." and then lowered her gaze, falling silent. It seemed she had exhausted her energy by chatting with the older girls earlier.

Feeling the atmosphere shift a bit, I decided to ask openly.

"Are all of you aiming to become mistresses? I learned that in the kingdom, love marriages are encouraged."

"Of course, marrying the one you admire is wonderful too, but if there's a possibility, I think many of us would like to aim for it."

"That's true. It's also good for the family's sake, and there's a chance of becoming the queen mother... Ah, but I don't wish for anything like that."

I hurriedly explained to Alicia, likely because she has already designated herself as the future queen. The reason they all burned with such enthusiasm probably had a lot to do with Alphonse's presence. Alphonse's mother wasn't the queen but rather a mistress. Normally, she wouldn't have had succession rights and should have been raised as a retainer, but since the first prince born from the queen died of an incurable disease shortly after his birth, Alphonse, who was born soon after, inherited the succession rights as the second prince as a special case.

"Even without that, it's a position one dreams of at least once."

"Yes, indeed. I really want to experience living in the royal palace."

Hearing this, it might seem like the dream of a cute girl longing to become a princess, but the content is entirely unchildlike. Why do these young girls aspire to become mistresses? Yet, it's a noble aspiration, aiming to raise their family's status and support the king and queen in their roles. They have much more noble intentions than I do.

"Has Alicia-sama ever met His Highness Alphonse?"

I thought I might try to delve into what Alphonse was like as a child. It doesn't concern me now, but I would like to know at least the level of danger.

"I've met him a few times. I'm invited to tea parties at the royal palace as well."

"What kind of person is he?"

"Oh my, so Lady Sheriel is curious too. His Highness has golden hair and a very well-structured face... and he's quite energetic."

Oh dear, something seems a bit off. It's not so much the bashfulness of a love-struck maiden, but more like an answer with a hint of hesitance. I had a bad feeling and decided not to ask any further. Best not to pry into things that could make a situation awkward. I've already had enough experience with that.

But it seems it was too late. The adult's table seemed to stir slightly, and when I looked at Mary, Dior's maid was already whispering something to her. Mary's face lit up, and she immediately whispered to me.

"His Highness Alphonse has arrived."

This can't be true, please spare me.

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