fluvia 92: Fluvia and Orsella and Iressa

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Chapter 92: Fluvia and Orsella and Iressa

At this point, the tea party has been broken, although a normal party break is more of a dead silence than an actual storm off, and I think it’s not recoverable at this point, so I just exchange glances with the royal maid in charge and clap my hands lightly.

“Well, it seems that this is a good place to stop our mock tea party for today. My, it was good that it’s just a mock tea party, or things would have gotten quite difficult.”

Let’s emphasize that again – this is a ‘mock’ tea party, so it’s fine.

Well, it’s not ‘fine,’ but there’s no point in pursuing Birenna Tishra about it.

“Tyrabeth.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

Tyrabeth presented the box she had in her hands to one of the royal maids before taking her position behind Brother and me.

“We’ve brought crumpets from the L’orange Rouge, so let’s all stop being so formal and take a break. Things are going to get busy for all of us soon, after all.”

“Crumpets? With jam and cream?”

Violette-chan looked excited.

“Rather than that…!”

Brother stood up suddenly, breaking the still-tense atmosphere as his chair was shoved back with a clatter.

“Prince Anthony, I challenge you to a duel-! To relieve some stress!”

Prince Anthony smiled thinly as he stood up.

“Good timing, I have a lot of stress to relieve as well-!”

“I… will come as well!”

Although Prince Alex is less interested in swordfighting, compared to Brother and Prince Anthony, he wasn’t about to be the only boy left in this group of girls.

“…! Ah, then, please excuse us.”

Prince Anthony remembers his duties as a host, and even though the tea party was now over, he made sure to at least bid us goodbye.

Brother… well, he did well to sit through Young Lady Birenna’s rantings without exploding, even though I had to hold his sleeve under the table for most of it, so I’ll let it pass that he just ran off without excusing himself.

Prince Alex laughs, bowing to the ladies as he excuses himself before walking briskly after the two.

“Haa… boys, right, Violette?”

“Haa… boys…”

Violette-chan imitated me and tilted her head, hand on her cheek.

“…Um, Young Lady Fluvia…”

“Fluvia is fine, Young Lady Iressa. Is it alright if I call you Iressa?”

“Um, yes…”

Well, when told that by a noble of a higher status than you it’s more of a demand than a request, but it can’t be helped for now.

I also got permission from Young Lady Orsella to just call her Orsella.

“Fluvia, um, when I said … about the lace … um, I didn’t mean…”

Ah… ah, that’s true, what sparked Young Lady Birenna’s ranting was when Iressa asked about my role in lace making, wasn’t it?

I put my arms around Violette-chan as she plops into my lap, hugging her as she settled in, swinging her legs.

She only has older brothers in her family, so she got attached to me.

“Fufu, don’t worry about it. Rather, I suppose I should tell you what is actually going on, or else you could end up mistaking a lot of things like Young Lady Birenna.”

Aah… Orsella and Iressa have matching looks of unease when I said that.

Whew, be proud, be proud… it’s really tough to brag, isn’t it?

“Yes, it’s true that I thought up of lace and knitting, and I do design dresses.”

Iressa and Orsella’s eyes widened, and Orsella leaned forward eagerly.

“Th-then, the Golden Orchid as well…?”

Ah… Mother’s dress for the Saluting the Sun festival.

“Yes, that one was mine, but I did collaborate with Miss Kimberly. I’d say we each had 50% of the input in the design.”

“My~!”

Osella clapped her hands excitedly.

“So, yes, if you’re asking me whether I played a large role in the development of lace and fashion in the Dellarose Earldom, the answer is yes. However…”

Oh?

Orsella tilted her head curiously, while Iressa’s eyes sharpened.

Violette-chan? She’s stuffing her mouth with crumpets… oh dear, it’s all sticky.

“Even if I’m the one who came up with lace, what the Dellarose Earldom is now producing is something that I would never be able to replicate by myself.”

“Even though you came up with it?”

Orsella held her hand to her mouth in shock.

“Yes. All I did was show them how you could make patterns with thread using needles and bobbin, but I was only 5-years-old at the time, wasn’t I? It wasn’t particularly good lace at all. Rather, I’m quite proud of our people in the Dellarose Earldom, who took such a simple idea from a clumsy 5-year-old and transformed it into what you see today.”

“I see… so that’s how it is.”

Iressa seems to have understood something.

I laugh.

“Yes, some of those rumors are quite absurd, aren’t they? Well, that’s how things are. I laid a foundation, and our people built a grand tower; for the Earl’s House and his citizens, isn’t that how it should be? Rather, if someone is actually going around selling ‘lace made by Fluvia Dellarose,’ then I believe there should be some arrests being made.”

“Then what about the rumors about Young Lord Fedor? Are they also exaggerated?”

Iressa asked.

“Those …”

Honestly, they really seem like they would be, don’t they?

“… Perhaps it’s better to see it for yourself. Violette, let’s go watch Brother Fedor and Prince Anthony~!”

“-! A picnic?”

“I suppose so~. Ah, excuse my unreasonable request when you’ve already prepared everything, but mightn’t we move the tea and crumpets to the side of the training fields? Tyrabeth, if you would help them…”

“Of course, Young Lady Fluvia, it’s no trouble at all.”

The royal maids bowed neatly and began organizing the leftovers of the tea party onto cart as we left.

It seems to use the new magic technology that is a little like a hovercraft but somewhat more impressive, so they will be able to navigate the steps with it more easily.

It eats up magic crystals fairly quickly so the cart still has wheels to move with most of the time.

It’s way too luxurious; in my opinion, this sort of thing needs to undergo a few more iterations before they could be able to call it a product.

I still think a ramp would be more practical, or even an elevator-style lift, but the development of this sort of thing could produce valuable data and ideas for the future, so I think there’s some worth in it.

Anyway, it’s the Ministry of Magic’s magitech laboratory that’s working on it, so it’s not like it has anything to do with me.

Taking Violette-chan by the hand, I chatted with Orsella and Iressa as we walked to the training field.

Like, what did Iressa’s father do to gain nobility, how is the weather in the Gladston Viscounty, that kind of thing.

As I thought … unlike Orsella, Iressa isn’t that interested in clothing or fashion, but she is interested in how they came to be.

These two are good girls, and I can’t help but think about how the family’s influence becomes obvious in their children.

Viscount Gladstone’s territory is like a seaside resort, complete with some gorgeous sights and luscious foliage, but the true nature of the sea cliff mines is a dungeon.

Pirates also covet their wealth from time to time, and although they wouldn’t dare touch the Viscounty directly, the navy of the Gladstone Viscounty is vital in keeping the sea trade routes open.

And by all that I mean… even if Orsella and the rest of the Gladston House tend to have the aura of rich people going to a southern island for vacation, that is elegant and cheerful, they are people used to danger and hardship.

The Gladston House motto is ‘The sea gives and the sea takes away.’

With such an outlook on life, even if Viscount Gladston dotes on his sons and daughters, I don’t doubt he raised them to be disciplined and self-aware.

As for Iressa, her father became an Honorary Baron from his position as a researcher in the Ministry of Magic’s alchemy- er, now it’s alchemistry department.

Unlike our nearly strict ‘science’ in the Dellarose Earldom, the alchemistry in other places mix a lot of magic into their research.

I hope our people eventually do it as well, but it can’t be helped that my influence would turn things out that way…

I should reflect on getting too involved.

Anyway, Honorary Baron Harlow devised a magichemical that can detect blood, no matter how thin the trace, as long as the blood is a few weeks fresh.

It’s even capable of detecting blood in liquids, let alone on materials and objects.

Thanks to his discovery, many criminal cases could be solved or investigated much more easily.

Adventurers and Hunters have even started using a little of it in order to track down bleeding prey or monsters in order to find their dens.

It’s expensive, though, so it’s still used preciously.

Honorary Baron Harlow was given his title thanks to his discovery, since it was such a momentous innovation.

A commoner, although with a high status for a commoner, becoming a noble … well, there are those foolish people who like to flaunt their newly gained titles around, but since getting an Honorary noble title is usually based on achievements it’s rare, so I don’t think it’s surprising that Iressa is at least aware of her position, even if she’s a bit rough around the edges as a noble.

But, I mean seriously, they’re two 8-year-old girls with a lot of pressure being put onto them, but they’re holding up well.

Or maybe Young Lady Birenna was just too much of a foil, so everyone looks good compared to her.

Thanks to Tyrabeth’s work, the royal maids merely prepared a blanket, the tea set, and plates for the crumpets without having to bring a table and chair set over.

We girls happily sat on the blanket, having a ‘tea party’ like children used to do in Japan.

As for the boys…

“Haah-!”

“Ei-! Dammit!”

“Too slow, too slow-!”

… As I thought, it turned into a 2v1.

The Princes versus Brother; that’s the only way they can have an even match, after all.

Like this, it’s difficult to tell whether Brother or the Princes will win.

And just saying, the Princes are quite good at swordsmanship for 8-year-old boys.

Orsella blinks in surprise, saying,

“… Y-young Lord Fedor is quite strong, isn’t he?”

“Hehe, Brother Fedor is really strong! He can even fight Brother Neil one on one-!”

Violette-chan’s Brother Neil is the Duke’s second eldest son, who is 17 years old.

We don’t see the Duke and his family all that often, but it was often enough that Brother has had one or two duels with the Duke’s sons.

As we sit and watch the boys fighting, while eating crumpets and chatting, I can’t help but notice Iressa’s interest in them.

“Iressa, could it be that you’re interested in swordsmanship?”

I ask.

“Eh-? Um.. that’s…”

She’s definitely interested~ – swayed by Violette-chan and I, Orsella also exchanges glances with us with that sort of meaning behind it.

“If it’s after their duel, I’m sure they won’t mind if you join them,”

I say, but Iressa looks quite conflicted.

“No… that’s … it’s not very ladylike, so for a noble it’s…”

“Mm? There are a lot of noble ladies who practice swordsmanship, though? Quite a few even enlist in the military.”

Orsella says.

There are quite a few female swashbucklers from the Gladston Viscounty.

“That’s true, but they aren’t really noble ladies… I mean…”

Fumu. That’s true, the women who choose more vigorous ways of life tend to eventually abandon their nobility in favor of their achievements or aspirations, but it’s not like all of them do so.

“Is it something your father insists on?”

I asked.

“That’s … no, not really, but… I’m sure he wants me to marry into nobility, so…”

Aah…

Iressa seems to be sensitive to others’ feelings, so I’m sure it’s not just her misunderstanding – or at least it’s not completely her misunderstanding.

From the Honorary Baron’s point of view, no, simply from a parent’s point of view, he must be worrying a lot about his children’s future.

An Honorary title isn’t passed on to others, so what can he do to let his daughter continue this lifestyle in the future – these kinds of worries are only natural, and they might not even be his main worries for his daughter, but his preference for hoping Iressa will marry into a good family, possibly nobility, probably comes across.

“…Does Iressa like swordsmanship?”

Orsella asks.

“That’s … well, yes. I don’t know if I’m any good at it, though.”

Iressa admitted.

“I think you should tell your father, then. I don’t know if he wants you to be an elegant lady or not, but won’t you regret it if you don’t?”

“Orsella’s right. I think the father who wants you to live a good life will want to hear what you want as well. It’s not to late to learn what he really thinks about if you want to become a swordsman, at least.”

Hopefully he isn’t the type of man who’s just hoping to push his daughter into nobility.

Iressa quietly thinks a little.

“… Isn’t it vulgar, a woman wanting to become a swordsman?”

Ah … although it’s not uncommon for women to become warriors, certainly, a woman who’s a fighter loses the ‘delicate flower’ image that’s associated with noble women.

And there is certainly some bias among nobles against wanting their daughters to be swordsmen.

I smile gently at Iressa.

“… I don’t know about that, but my Mother is certainly an excellent lady, but I think my aunt, Captain Brigida, is an excellent woman as well.”

“I see…”

Iressa watches the Princes and Brother with a complicated look.

I understand.

It’s difficult to balance your own dreams with the expectations of your parents sometimes.

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