TSMMT Ch 87

The Tea Party

Leonie's shawl looked marvelous. Fabric bearing a rainbow sheen was exceptionally rare. Once the daughter of an influential house draped it over herself, the noble ladies began trying on the shawls one by one.

Dianna offered a pink shawl to Saruvia with a gentle smile. She accepted it with a pale face.

How foolish.

She locked eyes with Saruvia. Dianna knew she would pull a stunt like this because she had humiliated her in the same manner in the past life.

In truth, the scheme had worked brilliantly in the past life. Back then, Saruvia convinced Dianna to dress in extravagant clothing. Dianna had even harbored both remorse and gratitude toward her.

Dianna never suspected Saruvia of malice back then. After all, as the queen of a nation, establishing dominance during a first meeting felt vital. When she attended the tea party Saruvia organized, shock gripped her upon seeing the guests dressed in simple attire.

Watching the cold expressions on the noblewomen's faces, Dianna had forced herself to act unbothered. She hated even remembering how that tea party fell apart. Some left early, others mocked her openly, and some observed her in silence.

Saruvia later offered weeping apologies, claiming her own ambition was excessive and that the nobles had conspired to humiliate Dianna.

Fooled by that flawless performance, Dianna believed her words. Only after losing virtually all her authority did she realize things had gone wrong from the very beginning. She learned far too late that everything was Saruvia's manipulation.

She had been so foolish.

Dianna back then was far too naive. Even in that extreme situation, she assumed people would naturally extend goodwill toward her.

Yet most people sought only to steal her position, busy mocking her. Thus, she resolved never to trust people again.

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A long time after Logaple and Leonie stormed out after spilling their angry words, Mable came to see Dianna.

[Mable] "Lady Levian is plotting something."

When Mable—a woman tied to Dianna through a bitter past life—quietly reported this, she studied her with a puzzled expression.

[Mable] "According to Eidel, Lady Levian sent out invitations instructing guests to wear casual attire."

[Dianna] "……Thank you."

Why is she telling me this? Why warn me?

Right then, Mable spoke.

[Mable] "Ah, Lise asked if Your Majesty actually prefers extravagant ruby earrings."

[Dianna] "I prefer pearls over rubies. I dislike such extravagant things."

Mable quietly muttered, "As I thought," at those words. Dianna couldn't tell what Mable was thinking.

After gathering her thoughts for a while, Mable finally spoke.

[Mable] "Beware of Lady Levian. She is driving wedges between everyone."

[Dianna] "……"

Dianna already knew. Despite that, Mable whispered to her as if sharing a massive secret, acting like a loyal confidante.

[Mable] "Those who serve Your Majesty are quick-witted, so we are conducting ourselves properly. Please trust us with this matter."

Dianna couldn't comprehend the discrepancy between her past life and the present. Why was Mable treating her with such kindness?

[Dianna] "Why are you doing this for me?"

[Mable] "Pardon?"

[Dianna] "Mable, I have nothing to bestow upon you. I possess less power than a baron here. Would it not be better for you to side with Lady Levian?"

A crack appeared in Mable's rigid composure. She spoke with an expression that showed complete confusion at Dianna's words.

[Mable] "Though it stems from His Majesty's royal command, I was ordered to ensure not a single flaw occurs in serving the Queen."

[Dianna] "……"

[Mable] "Although I don't possess the desperate resolve of a knight ready to lay down my life, I know who my true master is."

Mable's face flushed red, as if she felt insulted instead.

This was the first discrepancy Dianna distinctly realized between her past life and the present. Mable, who used to look at her with cold eyes and occasionally cause her trouble, was now openly declaring herself to be her person.

[Dianna] "I am sorry. I didn't intend to insult you. I…… assumed you and the others hated me. After all, considering my family line……"

Mable gestured a frantic denial.

[Mable] "Personal likes and dislikes don't exist regarding the master I serve! Furthermore……"

Mable let out a sigh. She gathered her thoughts for a moment before finally speaking.

[Mable] "Furthermore, Your Majesty, do you recall what occurred regarding the flower crown before the wedding?"

[Dianna] "Huh?"

Dianna had forgotten about it. Just as she barely managed to recall the incident, Mable spoke quietly.

[Mable] "You entrusted the handling of that matter to me."

[Dianna] "……"

[Mable] "Failing to manage the situation properly was a crime punishable by death. Yet Your Majesty naturally chose not to hold me accountable. Because Your Majesty made that decision, His Majesty respected it as well. My life was saved that day."

[Dianna] "……"

[Mable] "Why would I refuse to serve the person who showed me such mercy?"

Dianna stared at Mable with a rigid expression. Only then did she realize her own foolishness, finally understanding why this discrepancy existed.

This life was bound to differ from her past life because she had acted differently. Though she still ended up doing things she never wanted, she had clearly chosen a different path in the small details.

Both in her past life and the present, she married Guiscard. Unlike in her past life, Dianna put on the dress obediently. Because of that, Mable didn't strip her clothes by force, so she never slapped Mable's cheek. She didn't scream at the maids, demanding whether everyone in the Lodbrog Kingdom was impolite. Just as when Mirva served her, Dianna didn't punish the maids who slandered her.

Following her natural temperament, Dianna treated those serving her with gentleness and accepted their greetings. The same applied to Logaple. Dianna didn't flee, and because Logaple survived, he harbored goodwill toward her and treated her well as a matter of course.

She would surely be betrayed again eventually. Dianna knew that despair all too well. Even so, she wanted to take a small step forward.

When there was something she wished to protect, she didn't want to be a helpless victim. Thus, she resolved to do what she could.

Saruvia would attempt to humiliate her using the same scheme. That was how Dianna came up with the shawls. Simple items, yet merely draping them over oneself made a person look glamorous.

Extravagant shawls became all the rage in Lodbrog as winter deepened. Silk with a rainbow sheen, in particular, was a trend that had once swept Panborough—one so popular that demand far outstripped supply.

Producing silk with a rainbow sheen required a specific blend of dyes. While the method itself was simple, it demanded skilled craftsmanship, and she knew someone who possessed that technique.

Craftsmen from Panborough had migrated to Lodbrog and operated clothing businesses, making it easy to contact them.

Dianna checked the budget allocated to her. The amount was surprisingly large. She poured that budget generously into crafting the shawls, and they were finished just in time.

[Dianna] "This is a small gift I prepared to foster friendship with all of you."

The noble ladies realized that the shawls presented to them matched the one she wore. Once they draped them on, their appearance became quite glamorous, just like hers. Draping the shawls alone transformed the atmosphere. As the ladies discussed the shawls, the rigid tension dissolved.

Afterward, Dianna sat between Saruvia and Leonie to sip her tea. Saruvia sat silently with a rigid face, while Leonie supported Dianna from her side.

In any case, Saruvia had created this gathering to drive a wedge between Dianna and the noblewomen.

Having no hidden motives of her own, Dianna listened attentively to their words. Whether from Panborough or Lodbrog, people naturally develop goodwill toward anyone who listens to them attentively.

The noble ladies, whom Dianna expected to mock her openly, treated her with unexpected courtesy and addressed her playfully.

[Lady] "So, Your Majesty, when might we hear good news?"

[Lady] "Word has it that His Majesty never leaves Your Majesty's side."

They burst into playful laughter at Dianna's surprised expression. Right then—

[Islag] "Can Her Majesty, hailing from Panborough, actually handle the bloodline of a hero?"

Dianna looked at the woman who made that remark. It was Duchess Islag. She maintained a hostile attitude toward Dianna, standing as one of the few nobles who refused her gift.

[Islag] "The people of Panborough are far too weak."

Because Dianna anticipated such an attack, she merely smiled with effortless composure.

[Saruvia] "D-don't say such things! How could you speak such an insult!"

Saruvia finally spoke up. Duchess Islag wore a cold smile.

[Islag] "Lady Levian can perform the spear dance, can she not? Is Your Majesty strong enough to protect yourself?"

At the remark stabbing at Panborough's weakness, the noble ladies exchanged glances. In Lodbrog, a woman was expected not to be merely weak and constantly reliant on help.

In truth, Dianna still failed to comprehend this view of womanhood. Yet she knew she lagged behind none of them. Therefore, holding her chin high with an amused expression, she spoke sweetly.

[Dianna] "Has every woman in Lodbrog severed the neck of a monster?"

[Islag] "Pardon?"

[Lady] "What on earth do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"

Dianna spoke while sipping her tea.

[Dianna] "I am the one who hunted an Echidna alongside His Majesty in our childhood."

At her declaration, the noblewomen exchanged cautious glances.

Killed an Echidna? In her childhood? Is such a thing possible? It might be for the King, but that woman……

[Islag] "Your boast is far too extreme."

Duchess Islag spoke coldly. Dianna widened her eyes.

[Dianna] "You may send a letter to His Majesty this instant to verify the truth. You know full well that His Majesty is not one to tell a lie merely for the honor of his queen, do you not?"

Dianna smiled elegantly and sipped her tea. The noblewomen looked at one another.

Dianna Brienne was by no means weak, and she knew how to repay their provocations in kind.

Those who had attended the audience ceremony held differing assessments of the Queen: she looked far too gloomy, she appeared dark, or one could never tell what she was thinking. Yet a single consensus existed among them all.

She is no easy target.

Those participating in the tea party felt the same way. Some remained wary of Dianna Brienne, some mocked her, and some judged her impression unfavorably.

However, it was clear that she was no mere helpless woman from a fallen kingdom.

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