51 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
“Yeah, another cup of tea, please.”
Alisha said with a bright smile.
Alisha wasn't stingy with her smiles.
In the past, she rarely smiled and found it difficult, but recently, she clearly knew when to smile and did so reliably.
Regardless of necessity, she spread smiles that made others comfortable when talking to friendly people.
But she rarely smiled so much that her eyes crinkled like now.
She always had a kind face when asking for tea, but it wasn't like this.
Seeing her face beaming like a puppy who had found its owner, Daisy swallowed the words she was about to say.
“Yes, my lady.”
The twelve-month ring that the Empress had sent to Alisha was no less than the sheet music Alisha had sent to the Empress.
Alisha had already sent very rare sheet music to the Empress when she went to greet her in the Imperial Concubine.
But what was useful then had its purpose, and what was useful today had its purpose.
Daisy handed over the tea and said,
“You should get ready now.”
Alisha's face, which had been drinking the hot tea with a beaming smile, froze for a moment.
She forgot to carefully hold the teacup and blow on it before drinking, and instead, she gulped down the tea with a stiff face.
Daisy had added freshly boiled water, so the tea was very hot.
“……”
Alisha, who had drunk the hot tea, was silent.
“Is it too hot? Shall I get you some cold water?”
Daisy poured cold water and handed it to her.
Alisha took the cold water and drank it first.
“Thank you.”
Alisha's face, which had emptied the cold water in one go, was devoid of vitality.
She looked a little sulky and even a bit rough.
“I'll go ahead and prepare.”
Daisy handed her another glass of cold water and respectfully stepped back.
“Haa……”
Left alone, Alisha let out a long sigh.
It was the day to go to the Marquis Reine's banquet in Baden.
For some reason, she had a bad feeling.
Bad premonitions never fail.
“Lady Alisha. It is an honor to meet you.”
The brown hair with sparse blonde streaks was a characteristic of the Barker family.
Edward Barker had dark brown roots and more prominent blonde hair towards the ends.
He showed off his well-maintained blonde hair and smiled.
“Sir Edward. The honor is all mine.”
Alisha returned a polite smile to Edward as she greeted him.
The face she turned to the side after the greeting was coldly frozen.
Marquis Valdemar Reine sent a leisurely smile to his daughter, who was glaring at him.
“Alisha. A family banquet is good, but since we have the opportunity, how about we look at some paintings together? I've invited a precious artist, so I hope you have a good time.”
The Marquis Reine spoke smoothly without batting an eye.
He subtly gestured for her to look ahead.
Edward Barker's mother and young sister were standing in front of Alisha.
Edward Barker's father was a brother to Gregory Barker's father, who had almost become Alisha's fiancé.
Edward Barker's father was the third son of the late Count Barker and did not receive a title, becoming a common nobleman.
Currently, the Barker family's power in the Imperial Capital was considerable.
The Count's brothers and nephews became common nobles after the late Count's death, but they all acquired the status of baronet or hereditary knight.
However, among the Barker family, no one other than the Count held a title.
Some people held more than a dozen titles, but even for nobles, having a title was not easy.
“Mrs. Barker, it's a pleasure to meet you. Giselle, nice to meet you.”
In response to Alisha's greeting, Mrs. Barker and young Giselle returned the greeting.
Unlike Alisha, who simply nodded her head, the two respectfully bowed to Alisha, who held the title of Lady.
The nobility was a society where the top and bottom were divided by trivial titles.
Marquis Reine watched Alisha being greeted by Mrs. Barker and Giselle with a satisfied face.
What he had prepared was not just that.
Two men were standing behind Mrs. Barker and Giselle as they stepped aside.
Although their titles would be higher in the future, Edward's position, backed by the Barker family, was currently higher.
The two were silently arguing.
“Sir Albert.”
Alisha didn't wait for the hesitating men.
“……Lady Alisha.”
The man who reminded Alisha of her past self.
The man whose every answer was a beat slow.
Albert McMahon reluctantly stepped forward at Alisha's call and greeted her.
It wasn't much of a greeting.
“I've often heard about your father, Count McMahon, from my father.”
“……Yes.”
At this time, Albert McMahon was even slower to speak and less responsive than when they had met in the past.
Alisha wasn't bothered by it, as she had expected it.
“I heard you have a hobby of gardening, Sir Albert?”
“Yes. Does the Lady also like plants?”
Albert showed an immediate reaction for the first time.
“No. I don't have a talent for gardening.”
“But how did you know I have a gardening hobby…….”
Albert was not only slow to speak but also tended to trail off.
“Harry told me.”
Alisha smiled brightly and made the lie sound like the truth.
“……?”
Harry was taken aback, but Alisha didn't care.
“Ah, I see.”
Albert easily accepted it.
Seeing him, Alisha realized anew that she had gone back in time.
In the past, she found the other person's slow reactions difficult and frustrating, but now she felt sorry for him and wanted to help.
“Sir Joachim. You are my father's riding friend. I've heard a lot about you.”
“Lady Alisha. I've also heard a lot about you.”
It was a model time of exchanging platitudes.
Alisha didn't like that Marquis Reine was wasting his passion on introducing unnecessary friends, but she didn't dislike this time entirely.
She was also satisfied with the smooth flow without any unusual remarks so far.
Even in a small gathering, making unusual remarks and actions in noble society meant jumping into the middle of a whirlpool.
Alisha did well in being introduced to and greeting her 'ex' prospective partners.
She was also doing quite well in pretending to be a good father and daughter in front of Marquis Reine and the guests, who were pretending to be friendly.
“Lady Alisha.”
Just when Alisha thought she had finished greeting everyone, a man standing in the corner stepped forward.
Alisha felt a momentary dizziness.
“……You are the son of the Gick family, aren't you?”
Pierre Gick looked at Alisha with a shy face.
The man with short, dark brown hair and sun-tanned skin was the largest here.
Nevertheless, he was so shy that he made people smile.
“I didn't think you would know me. I am Pierre Gick. I am currently a trainee preparing to become a knight.”
“You are preparing to become a knight. I hope I have the opportunity to see Sir Pierre's swordsmanship.”
Alisha was speaking, but she felt a little out of it.
Alisha's eyes briefly swept over Pierre, her conversation partner, and then moved to Harry, who was standing by the wall, and then to her father, who was standing next to him.
“Well, now that we've finished greeting each other, shall we have a light meal?”
Marquis Reine said softly to the people gathered in the drawing room.
At the same time, he completely ignored the purple eyes that were staring at him as if to pierce his cheek.
Pierre Gick.
Alisha couldn't regain her composure easily.
Preparing to become a knight? You?
It was absurd.
The son of Count Gick.
Pierre Gick.
It was in the past, but in the present, he had married Josefina Lirin.
And Pierre Gick was Josefina Lirin's murderer.
Murderer, Pushy Gick.
Alisha almost asked Pierre Gick, "Did you really push someone down the stairs because you thought you couldn't win a sword fight in a marital spat?"
The situation had changed, and the son of Count Gick, who would have been betrothed and married to Josefina, was here.
It felt like the past and present were mixed up.
“My dear, Alisha.”
“Father.”
Alisha was still staring intently at Marquis Reine.
“Yes.”
The Marquis welcomed Alisha, who had come home after a long time.
“Father, you are the most resourceful nobleman I know. I'm insulting you.”
Alisha looked up at the Marquis and said without wavering.
Even in the midst of chaos, she didn't forget what she wanted to say.
Alisha's words were not empty.
Marquis Reine had carefully selected and invited unmarried men who were among the best matches near the Imperial Capital.
Harry and the Marquis's servants anxiously watched Alisha, who was provoking her father with a smiling face.
“Thank you for the compliment. I've prepared the lamb you like. Let's go.”
Marquis Reine said calmly, spreading the same smooth smile as Alisha.
The Marquis told Alisha that she had come home after a long time and urged her to walk.
He didn't forget to mention that Marene had worked hard to decorate the house for her.
Alisha followed the Marquis, who was taking her to the dining room.
The purple eyes looking at the Marquis were overflowing with annoyance.
On the other hand, the Marquis's gaze towards Alisha was only warm.
To those who didn't know them well, they would look like a carefree daughter and a benevolent father.
Harry anxiously followed behind Alisha, who seemed about to explode at any moment, and her father, who might unleash a reprimand at any time.
He just hoped that the dinner would end well.
Marquis Reine's banquet proceeded flawlessly with a meticulous composition.
Introduction of the invited artist with light snacks and drinks.
As the artist gave a long self-introduction and a short story, the plates were filled on the table.
Dining while listening to and discussing the latest news from the art world and ateliers.
Sharing stories about paintings and sculptures they each knew, asking questions to the artist, and then the main meal.
Introduction of the artist's paintings while eating dessert after finishing the meal.
Explanation of the artist's paintings, questions and answers about the paintings. Introduction of other styles of paintings. Introduction of similar styles of paintings.
As they shared words and followed stories while eating, they naturally learned about the members of the table.
Time passed smoothly.
After finishing all the meals, people looked around the gallery.
They looked at the paintings that today's artist had personally arranged and exchanged light words.
In addition to the invited artist, colleagues from the Baden Art Academy, to which the artist belonged, also strolled through the gallery and talked about the paintings.
Alisha's mood was extremely uncomfortable in front of the beautiful paintings.
The more she looked at the eye-catching paintings, the worse she felt.
Every time she felt that she didn't dislike this moment, she could clearly understand her father Marquis Reine's intentions.
The Marquis was teaching Alisha how to lead a social banquet.
She realized her father's cunningness every time the time passed pleasantly.
Harry approached Alisha, who was enjoying the elegant paintings alone.
Before Harry, several people had approached, but they didn't speak to her and stepped back when Alisha only looked at the paintings.
Alisha, who had been frozen like a statue, turned her gaze to the side.
“Harry.”
“Alisha.”
Harry answered Alisha's call with a call.
Harry also turned his gaze and looked at Alisha.
“Brother.”
“Tell me, sister.”
For convenience, Alisha decided to distinguish the time before falling into hell as the 1st life.
From the time she returned from hell, it was the 2nd life.
In the 1st life, Marquis Reine, for some whim, had designated Harry as the next Marquis Reine, leaving aside his eldest son, Felix, whom he had raised as his successor.