Chapter 36: Tea Party at the Palace
A few weeks ago, the Marchioness of Durenburg had suggested to Esica that she host a tea party in the palace gardens.
Icar had previously given permission for guests to hold parties at the palace.
Yet no one had taken the initiative to actually host one.
It wasn’t until Esica began preparing the tea party herself that she understood why the other guests had avoided it.
“This is ridiculously troublesome.”
At first, she had thought all she had to do was invite the nobles and serve tea and desserts. After all, the palace staff would handle all the cooking and serving; all she had to do was smile and chat pleasantly with her guests.
But experiencing it firsthand proved otherwise.
It was, in some ways, as labor-intensive as preparing for a wedding.
From selecting the guests to deciding which teas and desserts to serve, choosing teapots and decorative flowers for the tables, there were countless details to manage.
For Esica, who had been “possessed” for less than a year, this was a formidable challenge.
Her previous home, the Duchy of Duglik, was in a quiet rural village, and she had never hosted anything like a tea party before.
“Now that Icar has even given me permission, there’s no way to cancel it.”
Just as she was wondering how she would handle everything alone, the Marchioness of Durenburg offered to help her.
“Your Highness, shall we finalize the guest assignments as they are?”
Esica stared at the parchment for a long moment before responding.
“Yes, that sounds best.”
She had no choice but to follow the Marchioness’s advice.
Still, she wanted to appear thoughtful, so every time the Marchioness asked her opinion, Esica made a show of deliberating carefully.
“Then next… we should select the flowers for the tables and surrounding decorations.”
The Marchioness instructed a maid to fetch sample flowers.
“I’ll just pop by the powder room for a moment,” the Princess of Salty said.
“Oh, of course,” the Marchioness replied.
But the moment Esica rose and turned toward the palace, the Marchioness’s cheerful smile darkened.
“No matter how much the King of Salty favors her… this is too much.”
There were far too many things to teach her.
Even when asked whether she should seat her natural rivals, Count Galt and Count Jenkins, at the same table as an experiment, the Princess’s decision after a long pause was:
“That seems best.”
The Marchioness could hardly believe it.
She soothed her frustration with some cooled tea, but then an idea struck her, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“No, this means it will be easier to influence her once she becomes Empress.”
In that case, her and her husband’s position would be even stronger than before.
The Marchioness of Durenburg smiled at the thought and began planning her next moves.
Meanwhile, Esica had her own thoughts.
How could she host the tea party comfortably and successfully?
Having spent the last few days cooped up in the garden with the Marchioness of Durenburg for tea party preparations, she felt stifled.
She glanced at the maid trailing behind her.
“Once we choose the flowers for decoration, is that the end of today’s schedule?”
“You’ll need to select which merchant stall to purchase the flowers from, negotiate quantities and prices… and so on,” the maid rattled off the remaining tasks.
Esica widened her eyes in despair but quickly reconsidered.
“No, this is actually a win-win.”
She was glad to have someone to handle the tedious tasks, and the Marchioness of Durenburg would earn credit for helping with the tea party.
It was certain the Marchioness would demand a suitable reward afterward. No wonder a woman reputed to be haughty was willing to play maid.
“Ah… I feel a bit dizzy.”
The maid jumped at the sight of Esica clutching her forehead and swaying slightly.
“Your Highness! Are you all right?”
Esica glanced toward the Marchioness of Durenburg. She was looking at her, as if noticing the maid’s concern.
Esica deliberately relaxed her posture a little.
The maid quickly supported her as if she might collapse.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
“Maybe I’ve been in the sun too long,” Esica murmured.
“Why don’t you go inside and rest for now? What if you faint?” the maid fretted, stamping her foot. Esica allowed herself a quiet, satisfied smile.
“Yes, that sounds good. Please inform the Marchioness,” she said.
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Although she was supposed to visit three merchant stalls today, Esica decided to delegate the tedious tasks to the Marchioness of Durenburg.
After all, a good manager hires someone smarter than themselves to handle the work. Assigning capable people to the right places is the mark of a competent leader.
By that standard, she felt confident she could manage the empire effectively.
On the day of the tea party, the palace gardens were meticulously arranged, with dozens of tables set in neat rows.
On each white lace tablecloth were colorful cookies, cakes, and fruit tarts arranged invitingly.
The noblewomen invited to the Princess of Salty’s tea party gathered around the round tables in small groups, chatting quietly.
“Do you think the rumors going around are true?” one noblewoman asked.
The noblewoman across from her lowered her voice.
“Are you referring to the rumor that someone has recently become close to His Majesty?”
The noblewomen exchanged knowing glances.
Soon, their attention shifted to the table in the center of the rows.
The Princess of Salty, dressed in a pale yellow off-shoulder dress, laughed sweetly, clearly enjoying herself.
“It seems there was a reason His Majesty invited the guests to the garden,” one noblewoman said, partially hiding her mouth with a fan, and the others fell into their own thoughts.
Who would become Bashker’s next Empress had been a topic of interest among nobles since Icar ascended the throne.
Yet the Emperor had never caused a scandal.
At one point, it seemed Count Webber had been close to the Emperor, drawing attention briefly, but once proven to be baseless, interest in her quickly faded.
Rumors even circulated that the young Emperor was uninterested in women.
Those whispers lost traction after a handsome young noble tried to approach him subtly and was harshly reprimanded.
Meanwhile, the Emperor’s dance with the young lady from Paradium at a palace ball had been the talk of the town… for a short time.
Then new rumors spread among the palace staff.
Reports surfaced that the Emperor and the Princess of Salty had been seen meeting secretly in the palace garden.
With the rumors rampant, invitations to the palace tea party finally arrived for the nobles.
The host was Princess Adria of Salty.
Unlike small tea parties held by ordinary noble families, Princess Adria’s party was grand.
She had invited a significant number of influential nobles to the palace.
Whereas inviting guests to a noble’s home required the head of the family’s permission, the palace belonged to the Emperor, lending weight to her invitations.
The rumors gained credibility: the tale of a beautiful princess held as a hostage and the handsome young Emperor’s romance.
“Oh my… look over there,” one noblewoman said, pointing toward a section hidden by bushes.
“What is it?” others at the table asked, following her gesture.
“…!”
There was Emperor Icar, and he wasn’t alone.
The noblewomen quickly covered their mouths in shock and fell into thought, pondering which side to support to benefit their families.
“Something feels off.”
Esica, laughing at the witty remarks of the Marquis of Saltz at her table, noticed the strange atmosphere and glanced around.
All the noblewomen at the outer tables were staring in the same direction.
Esica quietly instructed her maid to find out what was happening.
“Your Highness…”
The maid returned quickly with news whispered into Esica’s ear.
Esica’s smile faded as the maid spoke.
“…What?”
“Was it today?”
Icar muttered casually while flipping through documents.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Will you attend the tea party?”
“Why would I?”
He quickly signed the documents handed by Duhan and moved on to the next pile.
“There hasn’t been a significant social gathering at the palace for some time. It seems the nobles were eager for the fake princess’s tea party,” Duhan explained.
Icar understood. The nobles were always interested in the royal family’s every action.
This wasn’t just because royal statements directly affected their own gains.
The Bashkers were drawn to the strong, and the strongest royal ascended the throne. Even though titles and wealth now carried some influence, the Bashker temperament couldn’t be erased entirely.
Hence, they held both awe and fantasy toward the Emperor.
If there had been an Empress, she would have hosted guests in the palace to satisfy some of their desires.
But unfortunately, Icar had no Empress managing internal affairs.
Thus, he saw no reason to stop the fake princess from inviting guests herself.
“So, you want to say, ‘Bring an Empress quickly,’ huh?”
Icar spoke bluntly, still looking at the documents, while Duhan massaged his tense trapezius muscles.
“No, not exactly…” Duhan stammered.
“Tired, Duhan?” Icar finally looked up. Duhan stiffened and shook his head.
“No, Your Majesty!”
Icar returned his gaze to the documents.
Perhaps he secretly hoped Reneve would fulfill that role.
But unlike other guests who actively sought connections with Bashker nobles, Reneve had never attended any social gatherings.
“Probably because she doesn’t see the need to befriend Bashker nobles.”
If Reneve didn’t wish to mingle with the nobles, Icar saw no reason to force it.
Yet a hollow feeling remained, as if reminded that she would eventually leave.
Feeling stifled, Icar set down the quill he had been playfully tossing moments ago.
“How’s the tea party situation?”
Duhan, tense, replied, “Yes, Your Majesty! All the nobles on the invitation list have confirmed attendance, and the atmosphere seems quite favorable.”
Of course. Even if this was a tea party hosted with the help of foreign royalty, no one could refuse an invitation bearing the imperial seal.
“Who’s attending?”
Duhan quickly handed Icar the guest list.
Icar’s lips twisted slightly as he scanned the names.
