“I did not expect the Duke’s wife to send me a letter. How surprised I was when I first saw the letter stamped with the seal of the Kristen Duchy. Hoho. The scent of this tea is quite aromatic.”
“Haha... I’m sorry for sending you a letter out of the blue, Lady Jasmine.”
“Oh my, what is there to be sorry about? It is an honour for me.”
“It makes me feel at ease when you say that.”
As soon as she heard Noel, there was a person that came to mind. It was no other than Duchess Javan Jasmine.
She is also the only noble Lady with whom I got acquainted…
Above all, Irene was convinced that she was a party fanatic, so she must be familiar with organising a tea party.
“It’s nothing special, but I wanted to ask Lady Jasmine for a favour. That is why I prepared a meeting like this.”
“It’s exciting to know that Duchess Kristen requires my help. What may it be?”
“I want to host a tea party this time, but I need some help from you, Lady Jasmine.”
Javan’s eyes became round, perhaps because she did not expect Irene to seek advice on hosting a party. Despite being surprised, she quickly regained her composure and spoke elegantly.
“Why do you want to ask me for advice? The Duchess can organise the party however you please.”
At Lady Jasmine’s sudden question, Irene’s pupils wavered for a moment but instantly returned to their original stillness.
“That...it is because Lady Jasmine, you love parties more than anyone else.”
“...Pardon?”
Duchess Jasmine was embarrassed by Irene’s completely unexpected remark.
“What’s with that all of a sudden….”
“I attended your parties only twice, but every time I felt how much Lady Jasmine loved to party. That was why I enjoyed the party to its fullest, and naturally, it imprinted a deep impression on me. You see, I am not very well-versed when it comes to formalities as such. Thus, I could use some help from a specialist from the likes of Lady Jasmine here. I’m sure I will be able to learn a lot from you, a person who possesses an incredible wealth of experience at hosting parties and bears a great passion for them.”
“....”
At Irene’s words, Lady Jasmine’s expression became strange. Her head drooped. Irene sneaked a glance at her. Belatedly, she added, wondering if she was in trouble because she could not find the right way to refuse.
“But if you don’t like it, you can reject….”
“Very well.”
“Pardon?”
Irene was interrupted. Duchess Jasmine raised her head and exclaimed.
“Very well. I will gladly accept your request. Until now, no one has ever evaluated my love for parties so honestly and highly. Everyone thought I was pathetic and urged me to get married. But as Duchess Kristen has said, I love parties. I love them so much, to the point that no man could catch my eyes.”
“I, I see.”
“I shall do my best to help you prepare for your tea party. To make it the best tea party that will never fade from one’s memory.”
Her purple eyes flared up with ambition and strong will. At the sight of the fired-up Duchess, Irene shed a little cold sweat.
Anyway, it could somewhat be considered that she had overcome this hurdle.
♔♔♔
Lady Jasmine’s love for parties was much more extreme than pure interest. First, she put effort into enhancing Irene’s knowledge about parties. Thanks to this, Irene had to listen to her party lectures all day long.
“Irene, you’re here... are you okay?”
Noel, who had just come out of the bathroom, looked at the weary Irene worriedly.
“It’s fine. It’s just that trying to understand the history of the party’s evolution from the beginning of the empire to the present day is a little dizzy, so….” Irene replied, cracking a stiff smile.
“...must you do this?”
“It is better than being ignorant. Also, I can apply the information I know in the preparation. It’s okay. It’s fun. I don’t mind.”
She was sincere. It was gratifying to acquire new knowledge; it felt like her shallow mind was being filled.
“Irene, please sit down for a moment.”
Irene was puzzled by Noel’s words but still sat down obediently regardless. Then he approached and stood behind her.
“Noel, what…ah.”
The moment Irene was about to ask about his odd behaviour, the light pressure on her scalp forced a soft moan from her lips.
“It’s a scalp massage. It’s good for getting rid of headaches and clearing the mind.”
“Oh, that…Ah.”
It was difficult to finish her words. A strange feeling accompanied Noel’s fingers encircling her scalp. It was a different sensation from that of Louiselle’s foot massage.
“Are you alright?”
“It’s nice, but…you don’t have to do this….”
“It’s no big deal. I’m glad that you find it nice.”
“Oh.…”
Noel pressed her scalp, circling keenly. Perhaps he was relieved to hear that Irene was comfortable. The places where his fingertips touched seemed to melt. In no time, Irene relaxed her body and unwittingly leaned her head on his stomach. Noel’s movement instantly paused, but soon he began massaging again. Irene was not aware of her back against him, but his facial expression of massaging was complicated, unlike when Noel first started. The more he massaged, the more strength was drained from her body. Irene leaned her head on him with a little more weight. At that moment…