It was the day of the tea party that Gwen had planned and I naturally came just in time for others to arrive as well. Those who had only appeared half an hour after I came were surprised to see me sitting there and conversing with the other present ladies.

Seeing their confused expressions which are not even hidden from me made me feel perplexed. What? Am I not allowed to be punctual? Is it that shocking?

All the ladies present are of high stature and all came from reputable families. Most of them are daughters of dukes and counts. Seeing these women, I could only praise Gwen for successfully bringing them together like this.

Well, knowing that the invitation came from the future duchess of House Ethalion, of course, everyone will not waste this opportunity to make connections with her. Surprisingly, Chiwa is also here.

I glanced at Gwen with an ambiguous expression which she only ignored.

Hey, you sneaky woman, didn't you dislike her? Why did you invite her to your party?

It's no secret that the daughter of the Hua family follows Rosamunde and is loyal to her. Everyone else thinks that she's just clinging to her because of Rosamunde's status but I don't think so. In my eyes, she really regards Rosamunde as a friend. Maybe that was the case in the beginning but people change, you know.

Anyways, the tea party was in full swing. Almost everyone keeps buttering up Gwen and is trying to be on her good side. Praising her tastes in whatever stuff they could think of. Praising her brother who is a vice-captain in the royal knights. Praising her future husband. Praising thirteen generations of her family from past and future. All that pretentious stuff that I am so used to by now.

And then the conversation switched towards gossip. And this is when the true faces of these women are revealed.

"I heard that Lady Hua is getting married?

"

I was contentedly sipping tea beside Gwen when someone suddenly brought that question out loud.

Chiwa is getting married? Oh?

My eyes went to the flustered woman who was taken aback by the sudden attention from everyone else. I can't blame her. One minute, the others were just gossiping about other people, and then the next minute, the spotlight was put on her.

Judging from her shocked expression, I could already tell that 'the question' was supposed to be a secret. But come on, what is secret in the nobility? Every dirt can be dug and every secret can be pulled out in the open. Nothing gets passed in the ears of the nobles in the social circle who are more rabid than dogs. They are like starving vultures eyeing for any piece of meat they could bite on.

Have I heard this news before? My maids probably informed me of this when they updated me on what I missed from the time I was stuck in the tower. And it probably slipped off my mind. I don't know...

"Is it true, Lady Hua?

"

All eyes were on her now and Chiwa, who is not used to being the center of the attention, awkwardly sat there with a wistful expression. I glanced at the other ladies and observed their reactions. Some of them looked genuinely curious, some seemed indifferent, and some just straight-up looked like they would bite her if she didn't answer soon.

How thirsty…

Women of the nobility really are scary.

There was a considerably long pause. The table was silent, except for the soft sounds of cups hitting the saucers as Gwen and I ignored the tense atmosphere and continued drinking tea. Don't get me wrong, I am curious too but I'm not that eager to get an answer.

"I heard Lady Hua is marrying Viscount Ravies and that there is no engagement at all.

"

"The widower?

"

"But don't they own big inns in the capital?

"

"The Ravies's may not be prominent but they are rich. Lady Hua is lucky.

"

Hey, she hasn't confirmed it yet, and here they are assuming things already.

But well, her silence is tantamount to saying yes which means the rumor is true because she didn't deny any of it anyway.

Chiwa could only give a crooked smile that showed how uncomfortable she was and didn't say anything.

"Ah, but still, isn't Count Ravies fifteen years older than Lady Hua?

"

"And he was already married once too.

"

"But older men are more charming, don't you agree?

"

Hmm… I don't know about that...

"Fifteen years is still a big gap. I would never even think of marrying that old.

"

"Eh~ But Count Ravies is a handsome man. Who cares if he is old?

"

"Lady Hua truly is fortunate to be wedded to such a catch.

"

The chattering went on like that, and the atmosphere hanging overhead felt strange. The words from these women sounded so ambiguous that you won't understand whether they are mocking her or not. Either way, Chiwa looked unhappy.

If the marriage is true, she is probably unwilling but can't refute it. It's probably only for political reasons, who knows.

Whatever the reason, this conversation is really upsetting her.

What to do? I'm also bored now. Maybe I should shift the topic to something else?

Before I could, Gwen had come to the rescue and diverted the topic, successfully ending Chiwa's suffering. My friend has really grown… Such a reliable woman!

Anyways, the tea party didn't have any stagnant moments because these women loved talking so much they could come up with another subject on the spot. Sometimes the topic would shift on me which is weird, by the way. Yeah, weird, because they kept trying to oil me up and dig some personal intel.

These women are even so eager to know who I would be betrothed to and have kept pestering me if I have already a fiance or a prospective one. Why do they like talking about marriage so much?

"Maybe the marquis is still looking for excellent men for you, Lady Nadia.

"

"Lady Nadia is peerless so of course, the marquis must not choose blindly.

"

Blablabla Ahhh this is why I hate gatherings.

Gwen had snorted at the side, amused as she watched me get exasperated from the constant barrage of questions. I was fine when they weren't talking about me but that's not the case now.

I just wish I could go home already because I hate socializing. If it weren't because of Gwen, I wouldn't have come.

Seriously, I never attended any invitations for tea parties, soirees, and the likes of other people. This is actually my second? Third? Tea party. The first one would be from years ago.

Just being around nobles exhausts me. Actually, yeah. Now that I'm thinking about it. I'm really tired today. My limbs are heavy and I feel sluggish. It's cold too. I have been feeling cold for some time now and those around me do not.

What the hell is wrong with me?