At the Grantz Duke's mansion.
It was not the main building, but as soon as I entered the annex, I couldn't help but be surprised.
First of all, the dining room of the annex was filled with delicious smells.
Naturally, the table was laden with countless dishes.
However, the important thing was not the food.
"You're here."
Ellen.
"…"
Harriet.
"Ah, you're here…"
Adelia.
"Uh, um… So, you've come? Reinhardt."
Cliffman was there as well.
"What is all this…?"
Liana poked my side with her elbow, as I couldn't understand the situation.
"What do you think? We saw you looking down and thought we'd do something to cheer you up, so we decided to have a party."
The food looked delicious.
Judging by the fact that everyone was wearing aprons, it seemed like they had prepared the dishes themselves.
I looked upset, but I didn't tell them why.
So they tried to comfort me somehow, but they didn't know what to do, so they planned a surprise party.
This wouldn't solve any problems or ease my psychological anxiety about the issues I faced.
The more I saw them worrying about me, the more fearful I became of the future.
This was useless.
The better the present, the more I feared the future.
In fact, I didn't need this at all.
Because one day, I would long for this moment.
"Uh… Are you crying?"
Liana's trembling voice broke the silence, echoing throughout the dining room.
It sounded genuinely flustered, and the others stared at me with their mouths agape.
"What the hell are you talking about? What would make me cry?"
"Ah, no… You're really crying?"
Liana made a fuss, having misread the situation.
I was no child.
I was way past the age of shedding tears over something like this.
"I'm not crying!"
Why would I cry?
Just because they threw a surprise party for me?
How old do you think I am?
"…Here."
Ellen approached me and offered a tissue.
No, I wasn't crying, so why would I need this?
"I'm not crying, okay?"
I didn't cry.
I had no idea if something had come out of my eyes without my knowing.
It was something I didn't know.
"Alright, since you're not crying, here."
In the end,
I accepted the tissue Ellen offered.
"Damn…"
Somehow,
I felt defeated.
And then,
There was such a person.
Someone who cries without knowing why when others cry.
"Sniff…"
"Wait… Why are you crying?"
"Wah… I don't, don't know…"
Harriet suddenly started crying as well, and Liana was left dumbfounded for the second time.
"Here."
"Uh, uhm… Sniff…"
Ellen handed a tissue to Harriet as well.
I didn't cry, but Harriet did. I firmly believe that.
Of course, the children's thoughts might differ, but it's none of my business.
So, in the end, although it was a surprise party, a lavish feast was spread out before us. Naturally, it would be rude not to eat.
The atmosphere was far from that of a social gathering where musicians played and people danced.
It seemed clear that Liana disliked such events. It was hard to imagine Liana dressed up and dancing at a social party.
With her legs crossed, she seemed like she would give a cold stare to any man who approached her, as if to say "Get lost if you have no business here."
Of course, I wouldn't know for sure.
There was plenty of food prepared.
I knew from before that Ellen could cook well, but it was surprising to find out that Harriet, Adelia, and even Clifman had cooked as well.
"…Were you dragged into this?"
"…They said they needed more hands."
It seemed Liana had roped Clifman into it.
Had he become Liana's personal servant?
If he enjoyed it as a reward, that would be one thing, but if he was really forced into it against his will, wouldn't that be considered bullying?
No.
At this point, calling it bullying seems a bit absurd.
What I was curious about was who made what.
Om nom nom
I couldn't tell what Ellen had made since she was devouring everything in front of her.
Eek!
It was quite clear what Harriet had made. She watched me carefully as I reached for the food, her eyes filled with anticipation.
But it was quite surprising.
The cream pasta in front of me.
Judging by her watchful gaze, it seemed clear that Harriet had made it.
But honestly.
A character like her should definitely be terrible at cooking, right?
It looked fine, but I thought it might have sugar instead of salt or something like that.
In the end, not wanting to disappoint her, I closed my eyes and took a bite.
"How is it? How is it?"
Harriet eagerly asked me as soon as I had taken a bite.
What's going on?
Why is it just delicious?
It wasn't an extraordinary delicacy, but thinking that Harriet had made it, it felt even tastier due to the novelty.
"…Why is it good?"
At my words, Harriet furrowed her brow.
"What do you mean? If it's delicious, it's delicious. What's with the 'why is it good' question?"
"No, why do you know how to cook?"
"I just followed the recipe in the cookbook, you know?"
Ah.
So, if you strictly follow the recipe, it can't be tasteless, right?
She had approached cooking like a top student. In fact, considering that, it seemed almost impossible for Harriet to be bad at cooking.
And yet, for a first attempt, this level of skill was quite impressive. Wasn't this enough to say she had an incredible talent for cooking?
The dishes varied, but a pattern emerged.
The delicious ones were all made by Ellen.
The ones that were just fine were mostly made by Harriet.
"…"
"…"
There was indeed some horribly tasteless food.
"It's my first time... because it's my first time..."
"No, if it's your first time, it's only natural to be like this. Don't think you couldn't do it."
Adelia had taken the role of the cook. Well, she could hardly be called a cook. It was strange that Harriet, who was doing it for the first time, was good at it.
Cliffman seemed to have been in charge of various chores, starting with preparing the ingredients.
In the end, the bountiful meal came to a close.
"Anyway, thank you all."
I sincerely expressed my gratitude for the fact that they all went out of their way to do this, just to prevent me from being depressed.
The party was not over. Since we were visiting the Grantz Ducal House, we agreed to stay overnight in one of the many empty rooms.
I had plenty of time, as I wasn't particularly busy.
Even though it wasn't the main house, the annex was still the size of an average mansion.
Liana's intentions were obvious.
She was clearly planning to have a drink with the kids tonight. It wasn't the right time now, since it was daytime and there were servants around, but she was definitely waiting for the right moment.
Taking us to the annex was to avoid the gazes of the servants and family in the main house.
Of course, such a drinking session wouldn't happen until the evening.
"Still, I want to go somewhere fun during the winter break."
Liana lay on Cliffman's lap, trimming her nails and mumbling.
Cliffman was frozen, unable to do anything.
At a glance, it should have looked sweet and exciting.
But Liana seemed to think of him only as a pillow.
"Hey, you."
"Uh, uh, uh..."
With his face flushed, Cliffman stuttered when Liana looked up at him and called.
"Is there anywhere you want to go?"
"Me, me? Me?!"
"Well, I asked you, didn't I? Did I ask someone else?"
"Th-that, that's..."
"…Why are you so flustered?"
Liana laughed softly, looking up at Cliffman.
"Oh, did you think I meant just the two of us?"
"No, no?! No. No, no. Not. Not. That?"
"You're naughty. Why, do you want to go out just with me? Huh?"
"No, no! No way! I said no!"
"What? No? You don't want to right now?"
"Ah, no, not... not..."
"Do you want to? Go out just the two of us?"
"Pl-please... It's all my fault..."
With his face drained of color, Cliffman surrendered, and Liana laughed heartily. Harriet watched Liana with a dumbfounded expression. Harriet patted my shoulder and whispered.
"Sometimes, Liana can be... you know..."
"Malicious."
At my words, Harriet's eyes widened.
She seemed to want to disagree, but ultimately, she couldn't say anything, which made it seem like she strongly agreed.
Adelia couldn't bear to look at the scene, her face turning red, and she couldn't bring herself to watch any longer.
Om nom nom
Ellen was, for better or worse, preoccupied with macarons.
Despite her prank on Cliffman, it seemed that Liana genuinely wanted to go somewhere before the winter break ended.
Thus, a sudden discussion about where to go for the winter vacation took place.
What was amusing during the conversation was that Cliffman, who had a human seasickness, had the most reactions. Although most of them were stammering, he spoke the second most after Liana.
During the conversation, I wasn't sure if I could join them, so I stepped outside. Under the pretext of going for a walk.
Apparently, it was fine to roam freely since our visit had already been reported to Duke Grantz.
But, was I being too much?
When visiting a friend's house, isn't it polite to greet their parents at least?
Playing and having fun without saying a word, was it proof that I hadn't completely escaped from Confucian thought?
Although I felt guilty, I didn't step forward to greet Duke Grantz. That would be a ridiculous act.
I wandered around the mansion garden near the annex.
There were no flowers due to winter, and it was a well-maintained garden with neatly arranged shrubs.
The mere fact that they could have a mansion of this size on the main street made me feel once again how powerful and wealthy the Grantz family was.
And considering how they were supporting a daughter like Liana, who spent money like water, it was evident.
Come to think of it, almost all of our classmates with powerful backgrounds were in Class A.
Bertus de Gardias.
Liana de Grantz.
Harriet de Saint-Owan.
Heinrich von Schwarz.
Of course, Erich was a noble too, but not as powerful as them.
On the other hand, apart from Charlotte, Anna de Gerna was the only noble in Class B. Although she was more like a magician family, like Harriet.
Anyway.
After wandering here and there, I ended up at the Grantz family mansion.
If I had asked Liana to show me her house, she would have brought me there without hesitation, so it wasn't that difficult to reach.
As I walked through the winter garden,
I never expected to meet someone in a place like this. He was entering the mansion through the main gate, escorted by a servant.
"Um."
"...Ah."
"Reinhardt, I didn't expect to see you here."
The middle-aged man, slightly lifting his hat in greeting.
"Ah... It's been a while."
In this situation, at this place.
Why are you here?
I got goosebumps.
The Merchant Guild Master.
It was Owen de Getmora.
