“Uh-oh. Welcome, Ms. Estella. I’m so glad you accepted the invitation.”

“I am, indeed, honored to be here.”

Estella curtsied with an impeccable posture. Across from her, the hostess of this tea party, Lady Maria, narrowed her eyes. She scrutinized Estella’s clothes and jewelry very closely. Of course, this is only for a moment, and as soon as Estella straightens her slightly bent knees, Maria’s gentle smile returns.

“Please make yourself at home. Mary, escort the young lady to her seat.”

The maid bowed and stepped forward to guide her. As soon as Estella turned around, she erased the smile that had appeared on her lips. She had expected to be scrutinized from the moment she entered, but it was certainly no easy task. Just the thought of a similar mental battle continuing throughout this occasion made her slightly weary.

“You may take this seat.”

The maid, called Mary, gently led the way and stepped aside. Estella took her seat and surveyed her surroundings. There were three women, including herself, seated around a round table with five chairs. She wasn’t exactly at the head of the table, but she wasn’t relegated to the back either. It was clear that the host had thought about how to treat her first guests.

There was nothing arbitrary about Estella’s unexpected arrival for tea in her dress. She had been forced to scrounge up a few invitations despite her reluctance at Diego’s urging to attend pre-engagement social gatherings.

One of the invitees, Lady Maria, was the eldest daughter of the Count of Casas and had a reputation as a socialite. But what really convinced her to attend was Madame Laura’s comment that the free-flowing atmosphere would make it easy for her to make her first appearance.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of changing rooms and getting dressed, the deadline for the invitation was fast approaching. Since she had already confirmed her attendance, Estella had gone out despite the turmoil in the house, as staying in the mansion would not have solved anything.

Last night, Diego didn’t respond to Estella’s words. He’d left early in the morning, claiming to be busy with work, and she’d naturally lost the opportunity to consider his intentions.

Since he hadn’t indicated his intentions in any direction, she couldn’t make a move. She could only hope that Diego would try to pretend it never happened, because that’s one of the worst things you can do when faced with a problem.

And that’s exactly what young Cedric had done. As he sent off Estella on her way out the door, it was business as usual. He even went so far as to mock her, claiming she had drawn lines on a pumpkin with great enthusiasm. Instead of scolding him, Estella ruffled his bangs and climbed into the carriage. It wasn’t hard for her to respond, since Cedric had pretended to be unaffected, but it wasn’t pleasant to see a child who was already so used to acting.

“Lady Estella of the House of Montiel, is that correct?”

Estella turned her head at the question from the next seat. A plain-looking young woman was looking at her curiously. Estella answered coolly.

“Yes, do you know me?”

“Oh, of course I do, there was no one more conspicuous than you at the last royal ball, and you are engaged to be married to Diego, aren’t you?”

The question was asked casually, but Estella realized that the other woman was looking for confirmation. She naturally affirmed.

“Yes, that’s correct. We can’t consider ourselves officially engaged yet, as the engagement ceremony is still some time away.”

“Do you happen to know when the engagement ceremony is scheduled?”

“Before that, may I ask for the lady to introduce herself?”

Estella interrupted with a soft but firm tone. It was an amicable interruption, but it didn’t mask the fact that her manners were being challenged. The lady’s face flushed as she turned to Estella.

“Oh, look at me. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Bianca, of Viscount Brantel.”

“Pleased to meet you, Lady Bianca.”

Estella spoke with a gentle smile. Bianca was secretly taken aback by her refined demeanor. She had complained about being forced to associate with a woman who didn’t meet her standards due to the name of the Berta family, but now that she faced Estella, she realized that she was a more pleasant person than she had expected. The rustic country girl they had discussed and imagined, the one who would engage in gossip with her friends, was nowhere to be found. After all, the woman chosen by the distinguished Berta family’s nobleman couldn’t be lacking in refinement.

Bianca leaned over to Estella to say something more. Every empty seat was filled. When she was satisfied that all the guests were seated, Lady Maria stepped forward. She clapped her hands together twice to get their attention.

“Let me begin by thanking you all for coming and honoring us. Today’s tea is a flavored black tea from the Marco region, and I’ve prepared some food to go along with it. I hope you’ll enjoy both the taste and the smell.”

Maria smiled wryly as she spoke. As if on cue, the maids arrived with silver plates of food. Maria glanced over to make sure everything was going according to plan, but her gaze soon settled on Estella.

Maria was well-informed, so she already knew that Estella had only accepted a handful of invitations. With the addition of rarity following its controversial nature, it was impossible for the rumor not to spread. As soon as Estella confirmed her attendance, Maria told her friends, and today’s gathering was packed. Even the young people who had declined the invitation came in late, but there weren’t enough seats to go around.

A controversial figure has the power to boost the host’s morale simply by their presence. In return, Maria decided to fulfill her responsibility as host to Estella. Maria approached Estella and lowered her voice as she asked.

“We’d like to introduce Lady Estella to everyone, do you mind?”

When an unfamiliar face showed up at a social gathering, the host would often take the initiative to introduce them. It’s easy for a newcomer to feel left out when a group has already formed. Estella nodded at the unexpected kindness. With Estella’s confirmation, Maria spoke up.

“The honored guest here is Miss Estella Margaret Montiel, eldest daughter of Baron Montiel. She’s traveled a long way to be here. I’d appreciate it if you could do a little to make your stay enjoyable.”

Maria finished graciously and patted Estella on the shoulder. Naturally, all eyes were on her.

Her presence was already well-known in social circles. It was a long-standing mystery in aristocratic circles that Diego had not yet settled down at the prime age of twenty-six. Some said that the nobleman of the Berta family had high aspirations and could not find a satisfactory mate, others suspected his unconventional sexuality, and yet here he was, suddenly announcing his intention to marry a woman they had never seen before. It was hard not to be intrigued.

As soon as Maria left, the young ladies at the table all expressed interest in Estella. Estella could see the kindness in their eyes, as they were all curious but not pressing for information in her presence. They seemed to be trying to figure out how to elicit her story in a civilized way.

“Miss Estella, I understand you’re from the north, so can you tell us about your hometown? We’re all from the central part of the country.”

“How should I explain……. Well, for starters, it’s not as fun as the capital, it’s more of an old-fashioned, quiet neighborhood, and we have long cold days, so outdoor tea parties are out of the question at this time of year.”

“Oh, but isn’t a tea party in a greenhouse in cold weather just as charming?”

The lady who sat to her left chimed in with a smile. Her positive disposition was commendable, but her narrow view of everything in terms of the capital city was evident. In Estella’s hometown, such luxuries were unthinkingly greedy for anything other than the upkeep of the region. But instead of reminding him of that fact, Estella simply nodded in agreement.

“That’s right. Although flowers blooming in nature are more to my taste, sometimes I miss my hometown.”

“Oh, don’t feel lonely like that. We’re all Estella’s new friends here.”

The lady who sat across from her said sympathetically. She assumed that Estella’s expression of longing was due to the absence of a friend.

Naturally, Estella recalled the gathering of her hometown, which she had been banned from after the fall of Montiel. She had no friends to miss in the first place, but it occurred to her that she had just made new acquaintances for the ceremony. There was no need for her to correct any misconceptions that might benefit her. Regardless of the process, she had effectively fulfilled Diego’s orders. It was a triumph achieved within just 30 minutes of entering this place. Estella, pressing her hand to her heart, spoke with a touch of emotion.

“Well, you’re all so nice…….”

“So, if we’re friends, we can talk about each other’s potential marriage partners, right?”

“…….”

No, it seemed that in the capital, ‘let’s be friends’ was a euphemism for ‘let’s casually pry for information’. The lady who had asked the question blinked nervously at Estella.

Estella couldn’t help but giggle at how cute it was. It was a blatant question, but the playful tone made it seem less rude. The other ladies chimed in, ‘Oh, Miss Liliana. You’re in such a hurry.’ but they weren’t actively trying to discourage her. After all, they needed someone to take the reins.

“Of course, as long as we’re friends, that is, and I’m very much looking forward to our new friendship.”

Estella smiled brightly. Just then, the maid came back with a pot of tea and poured them each a cup. Feeling a need for sugar, Estella grabbed a bite-sized cookie. It was buttery and delicious.

The first person to speak to Estella was Bianca, the young lady struck again.

“What kind of person is Mr Diego? As you know, we have no idea how he treats his significant other.”

“Ah, he is truly a perfect gentleman.”

Estella sighed as she spoke. If Diego were playing the role of a love-struck fool, Estella could also play the part of an equally enchanting Cinderella. Estella savored her tea slowly, trying to heighten the atmosphere.

“For example, in what way…?”

The lady asked breathlessly. Estella stifled a laugh. Maybe it was just her imagination that was intimidated by the capital’s social scene.

After all, she had gained a lot of experience by remembering her past life. Estella herself was on the older end of the unmarried spectrum, and the girls in front of her now were almost sixteen to eighteen years old. With all these eyes on her, she felt like she was on her high school teaching practicum. They were just like kids at that age, right down to their love interests.

“First of all, he’s very sweet. He never fails to surprise me with unexpected gifts and events.”

Estella explained, with some truth in her words. Even if those ‘unexpected events’ were usually far from romance.

The clueless young ladies looked at her curiously.

“Do you remember any of them?”

“Sure. I’ll probably never forget the moment he proposed to me.”

Estella relived the moment when Diego held out the ring. This time, her voice was actually quite sincere.

“It was an evening when the sunset colored the entire world. There was no loud music or extravagant words. However, the moment he knelt down before me and sincerely expressed his feelings, oh, I felt like I could cry.”

Estella said in a dreamy tone. Naturally, everyone’s interest was piqued.

“He asked me to marry him in all seriousness, and I said yes, and then Diego put a ring on my finger with an affectionate smile.”

As she said this, Estella put her hand on her cheek. It was a subtle way of showing off the engagement ring on her left hand. All eyes were immediately drawn to her ring finger.

“Surely, is the ring you received back then…… the one you’re wearing now?”

“Yes, it is. Diego told me that it has been in the Bertaga family for generations.”

Estella smiled shyly as she said that. She wasn’t much for small talk, but there was nothing the girl couldn’t handle.

It was then that another voice broke into the conversation.

“What do you find so interesting to talk about?”

Estella lifted her gaze to look in the direction of the voice, where a woman with mesmerizing red tresses stood. She was beautiful, with gorgeous features that drew the eye. However, the upturned corners of her eyes made her seem less than friendly.