READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 21
Chapter: 21
This was my first social gathering. I had attended tea parties before, but nothing as posh as this.
All by myself, without Rize. I just entered the mansion where the gathering was being held.
“Hmm…”
There were more nobles in the main hall than I expected. I wasn’t sure who they were, but I was quietly surveying the scene.
Everyone in the hall was probably nobility, and my goal was to make a good impression on Camelia and Leonhardt.
Naturally, I needed to size things up.
“The eldest daughter of the Roseaki Family…”
In the center of the gathering, I spotted a red-haired lady.
The lady mentioned in the documents William provided, Grace Roseaki. She looked just like her description said.
I recognized her right away with those striking red hair and dark eyes, not to mention her slightly sharp gaze.
And with all those people surrounding her, there was no mistaking it was Grace Roseaki.
“Hmm… This will be tough.”
Ideally, I wanted to build a connection with the Roseaki Family, but it seemed incredibly difficult.
I couldn’t see myself wading through that crowd to make an impression.
“Should I just play it cool?”
I deliberately nestled myself in a corner, scanning the surroundings.
Seeing as I didn’t know anyone and I wasn’t here just to socialize, I had no interest in striking up conversations with random nobles.
Of course, if they were rich and could benefit Leonhardt and me… that’s a different story, right?
“Excuse me…”
“?”
“Did you come here alone…? You’ve been by yourself for a while now…”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, as I stood still, a young lady approached me. Given her dress, she was probably a noble lady.
She looked older than me, likely in her early to mid-teens… maybe a bit older than Rize.
Since she didn’t appear in the documents William provided, I wasn’t particularly interested in her. I was just curious as to why she suddenly decided to speak to me.
“Um… would it be okay if I sat next to you for a bit…? I ended up here by chance, and I don’t know anyone…”
“I wasn’t planning to move around much… but if you want to stay beside me, that’s fine.”
I just blurted that out.
I had no intention of being particularly active at the moment.
By the way, why did this girl decide to talk to me? I had no idea who she was, and I figured she was in the same boat.
I wasn’t particularly interested, but her sudden approach piqued my curiosity.
Usually, people at these social events rush to fawn over Grace Roseaki like the fools they are. Of course, I wasn’t doing that either.
Could this girl be in the same predicament as me?
“Uh, what’s your name…?”
“Camelia. Camelia Leonhardt.”
“Oh…! You’re from the Southern… family, right?”
“Yes, it’s a small family in the south.”
She was definitely much more timid than I expected for someone who initiated a conversation.
Normally, the ones who start a conversation are more active and outgoing, right…? I’m not quite sure, but it felt like she was more shy than anything else.
Maybe that’s why she reached out to me.
There was a definite age gap between us. At least younger peers would find it easier to strike up a conversation.
“What about you, young lady? What’s your name?”
“I’m! Uh… Karen. Karen…”
“I see! So, you’re the first person to talk to me since I came here… I’ve actually never attended one of these gatherings before.”
“Oh…! So that’s why you… were here alone?”
“Yeah. I do know one person, but I haven’t run into them yet.”
Despite her incredibly introverted demeanor, I found her way of talking to be somewhat charming.
I didn’t know her family name, but she was probably noble too, so I decided to keep chatting with her.
Though she didn’t seem to realize it, when I started talking to her, her mouth curved into a slight smile, meaning at least she didn’t dislike it.
So, I was quietly chatting with Karen as the gathering buzzed noisily around us.
“Leonhardt young lady must have taken some time to arrive. Was the trip from the south to the east long?”
“It did take a bit, but it wasn’t more than a week. And I didn’t travel alone.”
“I see…”
Karen seemed… nice.
She didn’t seem bad at all. Honestly, she looked like someone who couldn’t possibly do anything wrong because she was too shy to!
We had a pleasant conversation, and I didn’t feel uncomfortable with her at all.
After all, I was here to build connections with other noble families, so spending time talking to Karen was just fine.
In fact, the nobles William mentioned had already grouped up and were chatting amongst themselves… which made me feel awkward about joining in.
I decided it was better not to push my way into that group. Leonhardt had a bad image, and better to avoid complicating things even further.
“Did you have a long journey, Karen?”
“Me? Well, uh…”
As I looked at Karen, I caught a glimpse of Grace Roseaki.
It wasn’t an exact match, but both had striking red hair, so maybe that was why.
Of course, there was a clear difference in the sharpness of their eyes. Still, there was a similar vibe.
“I did have a bit of a journey, but I live fairly close to the East.”
“I see… I’m envious. I just had to sit in the carriage the whole time, and my back hurt, not to mention my backside…”
“Ah, I see…”
At least she didn’t seem from any family in the south or west.
Continuing our casual chat, we suddenly fell into a brief silence.
The reason was…
“You! What are you doing here all alone?!”
“Ah! Lady Niecista, it’s been a while.”
“When you arrive, you should announce yourself! What are you doing standing here all alone?!”
“I was just chatting with Karen here. Oh, Karen! This is Lady Niecista from the southern family…”
“I’m Ella Niecista!”
Ella came up to me, having spotted me while she was strolling through the hall.
To be honest, I had seen Ella but hadn’t greeted her since she was busy talking to the other nobles. Now I was left wondering if I should have said hello…
Did I miss an opportunity? She seemed a bit upset.
“When did you arrive? I didn’t see you come in…”
“Um… about 30 minutes ago?”
I answered vaguely. Luckily, it didn’t seem like Ella noticed I had been standing in one place the entire time.
I gestured with one eye closed to Karen to play along. I had actually been around longer than 30 minutes, but I figured it would be a hassle if Ella found out.
“Hmm… Is that so? But what about this lady beside you…?”
“Her name is Karen!”
“Karen…? Hmm… That doesn’t sound familiar. Which family do you belong to…?”
…Wow, she’s really blunt.
I hadn’t even asked, and Ella went right for it. Well, I guess it makes sense since we were in a gathering of nobles.
In these circles, family names hold more weight than personal names.
“…I’m Karen Roseaki of the Roseaki Family…”
“…Excuse me?”
“…?”
And Karen’s answer was enough to shock me.
I hadn’t expected her to be from the Roseaki Family. The documents only mentioned Grace Roseaki as the only daughter of that family, and I hadn’t heard anything about more daughters from the info I gathered.
Sure, her hair was similar to Grace Roseaki’s, but still…
“Really… from the Roseaki Family…?”
“Y-Yes… really. This is my first time at a social gathering… but it’s true…”
“………”
…Wait, why is a Roseaki noble lady here?
I couldn’t understand why she was here. It could be advantageous for me, but still, it made no sense.
While Grace Roseaki was dazzling everyone across the room, why was Karen…?
No matter how I looked at it, even if this was her first time in such a social setting…
“Karen?”
Breaking the awkward silence, I called out to her first.
“Y-Yes!”
“Would you like to go grab a drink over there with me?”
I smiled and said that.
“Hey! Where are you trying to go all of a sudden?!”
“Huh? I just want to have a drink, that’s all. I overheard some noble ladies talking about how delicious the orange drink is.”
I said that and reached for Karen’s hand, beginning to walk.
I truly just wanted to grab a drink with Karen.
In reality, I didn’t have any other motives behind it. I wasn’t about to ignore an opportunity that practically landed in my lap.
“Oh, do you happen to dislike orange?”
“N-No! It’s just… this is my first time doing this…”
“But, uh, how should I address you? Should I continue with ‘Karen,’ or should I call you ‘Lady Roseaki’…?”
I asked Karen that, but there’s no way I’d ever call her ‘Lady Roseaki.’
In fact, I thought that would be a negative factor.
I might have a bit of a darker side, but I would never let that show outwardly. Instead, I felt it was more appropriate to treat Karen as a cute and bright Camelia while keeping my true intentions hidden.
The fact that I was younger than Karen worked to my advantage. Besides, considering I still looked childlike at 8, there was no way she could treat me harshly.
She would definitely see me as a young noble girl who had come from far away and didn’t know much yet.
“Roseaki…”
“Would it be okay if I called you ‘Sister Karen’?”
I beamed brightly, just like when Rosalyn used to smile down at me.
Although Rosalyn looked down at me while doing so, I had to look up at Karen.