Chapter 84. Competition for partners2020.11.21.
“Mabel. What are you doing here?”
Suddenly, a dark shadow fell over me. When I looked up, Oscar was looking back and forth between Aidan and me. hot. The fact that I was spying on the confession scene was somehow hard to treat casually.
“Yes. I came to see the Oscars.”
“Did you come to see me?”
Oscar smiled softly. It was me who was even more flustered at the fact that I didn’t seem to be doing anything for someone who had just been confessed to.
‘Have I become dull from receiving too much?’
If so, I could agree. Well, with that face, high status, and excellent swordsmanship skills, he must have been popular.
“Have you eaten Oscar?”
“Eat… no, I didn’t eat. why?”
“I brought a packed lunch to give you an Oscar. let’s eat together! You can’t go hungry.”
When I went back to the gymnasium, the knights dressed in formal clothes welcomed me, unlike before, who had taken off their upper clothes.
“Welcome, Your Majesty.”
“Why don’t you go and see Dalian while you’re here?”
“Wouldn’t it be me if you sparred? haha. Otherwise, I will guide you to the gymnasium!”
He was distracted by the knights handing over one word at a time.
‘Ahhh.’
My eyes are spinning round and round! While I was trying to answer each word with difficulty, a hand came out from behind and pulled me in.
“Why are you dealing with Mabel? Just ignore it.”
“huh? But…”
“Let’s go eat.”
Oscar took my hand and led me. Then the knights began to hum loudly.
“meal?”
“What meal?”
“Your Highness, come with us soon-”
Shuuk-! A dagger that flew out of nowhere grazed the cheek of the knight who was talking in a puzzled way. When I turned my head in surprise, Oscar was smiling brightly.
“what?”
“No, no.”
Somehow the atmosphere became awkward. I fidgeted with Oscar’s fingers and looked back and forth between the knights and the guy.
‘Something seems unfamiliar.’
After all, you’re out of our Oscar Knights! As Oscar’s only younger brother, I wasn’t the type to just let it go. Who am I?
‘Almighty solver Mabel!’
I looked up at the knights with bright eyes.
“Kyungs! Would you like to eat with us?”
“…?!”
As if the knights had heard something they shouldn’t have heard, everyone took a few steps back with their eyes wide open.
“why. … no?”
“I don’t like poetry. You are a glorious family!”
“Hey man. The glory of the family….”
“The fall…!”
I was watching the conversation of the knights who couldn’t speak with interest, but Oscar pulled his hand and called me. It was a face full of displeasure.
“Mabel. Let’s just eat together, okay?”
“But I want to eat with everyone…”
Oscar kicked the ground with the tip of his shoe, wearing a particularly weak ‘spleen look’. Then Oscar stroked my head with a puzzled face.
“Other people will be uncomfortable too.”
“Anyway, the chef makes too many of us, so we can’t eat them all by ourselves…”
“Mabel…”
“It tastes better if we all eat together…”
I looked up at Oscar with longing eyes. In the end, it was Oscar who lost my sleepiness. Oscar sighed and nodded.
“okay. let’s eat together.”
“and!”
Preparation was instantaneous. On the wide stretched rug, a packed lunch prepared by the chef of the imperial family was spread out. The awkwardly gathered knights picked up sandwiches one by one and murmured.
“Every time Her Highness does that… it’s scary.”
“you also? me too.”
“It’s like a different person.”
Everyone looked at Oscar and said something and said something, but didn’t say anything easily. The more I did, the more my heart became weary.
‘Can not help it. I have to take care of the country too.’
I eagerly fed Oscar his lunch.
“Oscar, eat this.”
“huh.”
“Drink both of these!”
“huh. it’s good.”
“Eat some fruit!”
While I was taking the Oscar, I sneaked a sandwich to Aidan, who was sitting next to me, and looked at the reaction of the knights. They made a face that they saw something they couldn’t see this time.
“As expected, His Majesty.” “To think
you tamed
those two beasts…”
Are Oscar and Aidan so scary even though they are very young? Aidan thinks he can. Anyway, I finished my meal by handing out words to the knights. I thought the amount was very large, but it ran out quickly after sharing with more than 10 people. It was a friendly picnic in its own way. It seems like we’ve gotten a little closer.
“I ate well, Your Majesty!”
“Fifty heeik to play again next time…!”
The glorious family knight laughed and talked, then became contemplative.
“…?”
I looked around for something, but all I saw was a grinning Oscar. When the knights returned to training, the surroundings quickly became quiet.
“Are you going to keep training Oscar?”
“no. I have a mission now, so I’m going to go out.”
“mission?”
“huh. I need to investigate the guild.”
“Guild…”
Our eyes met Aidan’s across the street. He shook his head slightly. I was avoiding my dad’s guild investigation, but it was hard to stop Oscar from going directly. It’s not a guild that can be easily investigated just because Oscar investigates it, but it still couldn’t be messed with.
‘It’s embarrassing, but I can’t help it.’
This is the sacrifice of a cow for the great. I clenched my fists and fought resolutely.
“Let’s play!”
“huh?”
“Don’t go, play with me!”
“Mabel…?”
“I want to play with Oscar! huh? Let’s play. Let’s play!”
When I, which I usually don’t do, started to play in groups, Oscar scratched his cheek as if he was embarrassed. And I saw a fleeting look of anguish on his face. I hugged Oscar’s waist and clung to him like a cicada on an old tree.
“I won’t let you go until you say you want to play with me.”
“But Mabel’s mission has to go.”
“I will cry if I go away.”
“That doesn’t work.”
Oscar rebuked me in a worried voice.
‘Eh?’
But somehow, if it seems to be mixed with laughter, is it my imagination…? When I slightly raised my head, Oscar smiled broadly.
“…Oscar?”
“If Mabel wants to play with me like that, why not go?”
“Are you really not going?”
“huh.”
Oscar’s reaction was too bland to say that he was embarrassed to say it. why do you look so happy But in the end, the purpose was achieved, so I decided to just skip it.
‘Anyway, today is also a success in defending the guild!’
***
Preparations for the sudden tea party went smoothly. Helping with the party was my close friend Emily. Emily expressed her intention to attend and gave various advice. Befitting a lady at the center of the social world, she was up to date on the tea party.
“It’s fashionable these days to put flowers on the table.”
“What flowers do you usually decorate?”
In response to my question, Emily took a piece of paper and a pen, wrote out the list, and handed it to me.
“Thank you, Emily. I will refer to it.”
It felt strange to see Emily giving advice casually, feeling like an older sister.
‘It can’t work.’
Repeating Duke Donovan’s advice to keep my distance from the Javier family, I struggled to shake off any intimacy.
“By the way, Your Majesty. Is it true that you sent an invitation to the tea party to the Countess Deverill?”
“Is that a rumor?”
Emily laughed and put the teacup down.
“Your Majesty is the center of attention.”
“The center of the topic…?”
“Everyone admires Your Majesty. Didn’t you know?”
“I didn’t know.”
“The dress that His Majesty wore in a swordsmanship competition is trending among young ladies these days.”
I had so many things to do that I didn’t show my face except for big events, so I was living a life that was far from the fashion of the social world. However, I was somehow too ashamed to be the center of fashion.
“Everyone is wondering whether Countess Deverill will attend Her Majesty’s tea party.”
“Would you like to come?”
“well. He doesn’t come out of the mansion very often, so he probably won’t come.”
Emily’s thoughts were the same as mine. After chatting about the tea party for a while, Emily asked me.
“So, Your Majesty. Have you decided on a partner for the tea party?”
“partner?”
“yes. You need a partner to escort you.”
“Should I decide from now on…?”
Oscar? dad? Or to Aidan? But no matter who you choose, the rest will surely be pissed off… I’ve run into an unexpected difficulty!
***
‘Partner!’
When rumors spread that Mabel was considering a partner for the Tea Party, great tension rose within the castle. Esteban Oscar Aidan, a strong candidate, and even Lisandro and his family’s peers began to look for opportunities.
“I really want to be the partner of His Majesty the Emperor.”
“But my life is too precious…”
Esteban muttered bloodily as the young children agonized between desire and death.
“Not specifying a special period of Mabel contact ban. 100 times the fine if you contact me in the next week.”
“I’d say it’s 100 times better….”
“Announce that you’ll die anyway.”
At the same time, Esteban expected in his heart. Since Mabel often visits her office these days, she thought there was a high possibility that she would ask her to go to a tea party with her.
“I don’t want to go to the kids’ party, but if Mabel wants it, I have to go.”
“Haa…”
Gustav, watching the scene, quietly sighed.
‘Of course I won’t be able to be your partner, so I’ll be the one dying.’
Gustav thought that Mabel would choose Oscar as a partner. Oscar thought so too.
“What should I wear?”
Oscar, already thinking about what to wear to the tea party, waited for Mabel to ask her to go with him. But day after day and day after day, Mabel didn’t say a word about her partner. Oscar was a bit worried. Haven’t you been through this before?
‘I took Aidan to the tea party held by Emily Javier the other day.’
Will he take Aidan with him this time as well? When I was living with anxiety every day like that, the family meal time was fast approaching. It was a place where all the leading candidates aiming for Mabel’s partner would gather. Esteban Oscar and the escorts Lisandro and Aidan. Esteban asked insinuatingly while handing Mabel her portion of dessert.
“Cute Mabel. Are the preparations for the tea party going well?”
“cellar? Ugh.”
Mabel nodded as she munched the cake in her mouth. Oscar nervously wiped Mabel’s mouth.
“That… Have you decided on a partner?”
There was great tension. Well well. Mabel was still eating her cake, so she couldn’t answer. The men held their breath and waited for Mabel to open his mouth. Soon, Mabel swallowed the cake in one gulp.
“No, I haven’t decided yet…”
“Dad is free.”
“…!”
Esteban struck first, and Oscar clenched his fist. Oscar also quickly opened his mouth.
“Mabel. My dad is tall, so I’ll escort him better.”
Esteban glared at Oscar at his son’s sudden kidney attack.
‘It’s shameful.’
Oscar did not lose and met the father’s gaze.
‘Even if I try to suppress it with power, it’s useless.’
Pajijik-.
“How do you do your Oscar job and attend the tea party?”
“It seems that the father has been negligent in his political affairs lately. Besides, everyone would be uncomfortable if the father went to the children’s tea party. It’s right for me to go because I’m the same age as you.”
“I don’t know. Surprisingly, there are many children who like me. Wouldn’t it be nice to play? And it’s not just children who attend. Oscar, stick to your mission.”
“I am already doing my best in my mission.”
“Isn’t the result insignificant to say so?”
“I heard that even the emperor couldn’t stop the evil from drinking solo recently.”
Mabel, who was listening to the rich man’s war of nerves, opened her mouth.
‘Dad and brother are in front of me…’
Aidan turned his head at the scene he couldn’t bear to open his eyes. Moments later, Mabel sullenly put down her fork.
“I want to go alone…”
The rich man who had been arguing with Mabel’s bomb declaration suddenly stood up at the same time.
“Me Mabel!”
“Why!”
“We’re fighting…”
At Mabel’s words, Oscar and Esteban met eyes. It was time for a truce.
“What are you talking about, Mabel? We get along very well.”
“That’s right, Mabel. fighting I didn’t fight.”
However, Mabel had already pouted. Mabel replied bluntly.
“I do not need.”
“…!!”
So the two men were abandoned.
***
The place where I held the tea party was a fairly large garden next to the eastern villa. As the host of the party, I came to the party in advance and checked things.
[Mabel. How do I look? Is it cool?]
He followed me around excitedly, saying that Yang would also attend today. A small corolla was placed on the horn, and they were proud of it, saying, “Isn’t it cool?”
‘It’s cute rather than cool…’
[I hate it when it’s cute!]
‘No, it’s cool!’
[Isn’t that right?]
Yang grunted and rubbed her body against her leg. I spurred the completion of the inspection, being careful not to think that I was cute even by mistake.
“your majesty. The guests have arrived.”
At the words of the nanny, I adjusted my clothes and went out to greet the guests.
“Thank you for inviting me, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you for accepting Jim’s invitation. Have fun and go.”
Since it was a tea party aimed at Mrs. Deverill, not only young young ladies but also many elderly high-minded wives from society attended.
‘I think all the people I invited came?’
To a certain extent, it seemed that everyone had attended. It was time for me to return to the party.
“You have Countess Deverill!”
“…!”
I opened my eyes wide at the unexpected guest.
‘I thought you wouldn’t come?!’
Breaking everyone’s expectations that she would not attend, Countess Deverill took a heavy step.
