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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The Scandalous Tea Party
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The day before the tea party, my excellent aide Dalia came to inform me.
"Representative Cynthia, a large number of guests have sent in their cancellations."
Due to the scandal that had been widely reported, more and more people were starting to cancel their attendance.
"Excluding the siblings, there are a total of eight people still planning to attend."
They were all people eager to win the bid for the Knox project.
There was profit at stake, but these were people who valued loyalty.
Still, it was far fewer than expected. What if an article came out saying, "Cynthia Princess Has No Friends..."?
I'd have no face left to show to the servants who had prepared so diligently for a large crowd.
Dalia asked in a cautious tone.
"But... there's that major announcement we've been secretly preparing, isn't there?"
I nodded while gazing at the letter envelope stamped with the Media royal seal.
"No helping it. We'll just have to proceed. The misunderstanding will clear up anyway, and people who recognize the truth will come forward."
The long-awaited day of the tea party arrived.
Cynthia wore a light blue dress reminiscent of a snowy dawn, her silver hair neatly braided and pinned up in a tidy style, as she greeted the guests.
Helen, who had just arrived, smiled warmly at Cynthia.
"Cynthia. For your first social event, I was worried there wouldn't be enough people."
Helen added with a pretentious smile.
"As your sister, how could I just stand by? I invited some refined acquaintances to elevate the level of your party."
Dalia, grasping Helen's intentions, flinched and glanced at Cynthia.
In high society, attending a party uninvited was a grave breach of etiquette, but guests brought by family were an exception.
Cynthia blinked her large eyes, lost in thought.
'No matter how carefully I screen them, if Helen drags in her squad of critics made up of her own acquaintances, it'll be pointless.'
"Sister, thank you."
Thanks for the great idea! I'll use it next time!
Helen's self-invited guests began arriving one after another, and with the orchestra's performance, the tea party commenced.
The current attendees were either people who didn't care what kind of person I was or those who had rushed over excitedly to mock me, now socially dead.
I had to use utmost concentration to distinguish friend from foe.
"Giggle! Not bothered at all by such fabricated articles. As expected! The princess possesses a resilient spirit!"
"Princess, are you alright...? To get caught in such a scandal right when Karos Queensguard announced his engagement..."
Those rejoicing in my misfortune were the latter type.
You could tell if you looked closely at the content. They were indirectly insulting me under the pretense of concern.
Of course, I had already heard about Karos Queensguard's engagement.
As the tea party I had diligently prepared continued, people's gazes followed between Masera and me as if confirming something, accompanied by subtle looks of condemnation.
My backers, the Lecanosa Duchess and my aunts, were in Media and couldn't attend the tea party. If they had been here, they would've beaten everyone up.
"Did you fail to properly gauge the number of attendees? The desserts feel insufficient."
"She doesn't have much experience hosting tea parties. We have to forgive her inexperience."
Finally, the nitpickers had appeared.
The day before, due to the mass cancellations, we had hastily scaled down, but Helen had brought an unexpected number of people, creating yet another variable.
'But my kitchen team is excellent.'
"Just trust us!"
I recalled the kitchen staff's resolute faces, as if they were heading off to war.
True to my expectations, the servants began serving new desserts.
"Hm? Francia desserts."
People's eyes widened at the desserts so beautiful they seemed a pity to eat.
"Just because they look fancy doesn't mean they can match the taste of the originals from the homeland."
But those who tasted them ended up clamping their mouths shut.
Then, the ladies seated with Valeria began chattering loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"Did you see the story in the marriage magazine about the 'sister-in-law who tried to follow on the honeymoon'?"
"Heavens, hopeless. Someone like that should have her head shaved and sent to a convent."
Shaving heads is for nuns, isn't it? And that's the kind of story you'd find in tales of love and war!
Despite the murmurs, Karos Queensguard silently sipped his tea without a word.
'That madman! He's turned me into the "burdensome little sister obsessed with her brother" to save his own skin.'
I hope he gets married soon and goes off to live happily ever after somewhere else.
No matter what the gloaters said, I was someone who pressed on with my own path.
"Everyone, please pay attention."
I drew all eyes with a resolute voice.
Though the scandal had overshadowed it... there had been a purpose in hosting this tea party.
"I've started a charity organization to help war victims in need. If you're interested in donations or volunteering, please let me know."
Mary and Ginny, wearing blue sashes diagonally across their chests, began handing out the informational flyers they had made themselves.
A few who read the flyers looked at me with eyes that saw a hypocritical pretender.
"Haha. This must be for image laundering—er, recovery, right?"
Valeria's friend openly jabbed at me.
It was something I'd been preparing all along, but the timing had turned out so poorly.
"War victims? They're just people desperate to snag compensation money."
Someone even crossed the line with their words.
If you have no intention of helping, just keep your mouth shut.
"The person who just said that, please stand up."
At my pointing him out, the man who had crossed the line winked and rose from his seat.
I continued brightly.
"Now that you're up, head home! I don't want to waste desserts."
Everyone froze in place, faces filled with bewilderment.
The man scowled and protested.
"Ignoring others' opinions and arbitrarily kicking them out—what an utterly disagreeable act!"
But I continued smiling innocently.
"It's my party in my house, so my feelings come first. Your feelings are none of my concern. Anyone who agrees with what he said should go home too."
"What rudeness toward guests who made the time to come..."
"You weren't invited by me anyway, were you?"
Explanation and persuasion → boring and pretentious.
Then die! → quick resolution.
Such were my thoughts, but I decided to settle it peacefully by evicting them.
My reputation was already ruined anyway, so whether I smacked them or kicked them out, it wouldn't matter. Those who stayed despite that would be true friends.
At that moment, an officer's wife raised her hand brightly.
"I'm interested in volunteering. It's a good cause."
Starting with her, a few with sound thinking raised their hands.
Major Rodriguez, who had taken leave to attend, was among them.
"That's right. God always said we should live helping others."
"I've been doing donations and volunteer work for a long time."
They were all precious people who had responded to my invitation despite the rumors.
I compiled a list of those who wished to participate.
"Anyone else?"
Of the eight invitees, two were gone, leaving six. It was a small number, but I was thrilled that it wasn't zero.
"Thank you for becoming the foundation's first family."
With my words of gratitude, Mary and Ginny handed out gifts to those who had signed up for volunteering.
"This is... heavens."
The officer's wife, who opened the small case, widened her eyes.
People who had been peeking curiously jumped in surprise.
Inside the case was a rose diamond platinum watch.
The officer's wife, who received the watch, asked cautiously.
"But what's this engraving? International Alliance Foundation?"
I looked at the crowd engulfed in shock and surprise.
"It's the foundation founded by the Media Crown Princess to help war victims. I've been put in charge of the Lutemia branch."
I shrugged and added.
"That watch is a commemorative item for the foundation's launch and a gift from the Media royal family."
Silence fell among the people who had laid eyes on a historic watch that money couldn't buy.
