* * *

Though Luna had thought there wouldn’t be much to do, she was very busy while preparing for the party.

She greeted the mansion’s servants and built rapport with them, and prepared to start digging into the stone mines she had purchased. The party was prepared by the butler.

Perhaps because it was a mansion where the owner hadn’t stayed for a long time, the servants took care of tasks even before Luna gave any instructions. Thanks to this, Luna was able to focus on her main tasks without any interruptions.

“Miss Luna, I apologize for bothering you since morning. I’ve selected companies based on the conditions you mentioned. Personally, I think this one might be suitable.”

In the morning, Luna received the documents from lawyer Royer.

They were companies that would mine the stone. The conditions were that the company should be reasonably sized, have been in operation for a long time, and never have been the subject of scandal.

After reviewing Royer’s documents, Luna handed them back with a response.

“Then, can you contact them? And please send this letter to my father’s secretary, Tein.”

Since there was no communication about which mansion they had settled in, the destination was the Antares Merchant Guild. They would surely pass it on if it was sent there.

“Understood. I’ll take care of it immediately.”

Royer was now practically Luna’s secretary, handling all the tasks she asked him to do.

As Royer gathered the documents and the letter, Luna stood up from her seat, ready for breakfast. 

“Speaking of which, I heard that Emma will be in charge of the main meals starting today.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to eating Emma’s cooking again. You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve missed it in just a few days.”

“I feel the same. Emma is the best chef.”

They chatted as they went downstairs, where they ran into Laura. She was also heading to the dining room. When they arrived, Emma, seeing the three of them, looked a bit flustered.

“Emma, what’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing! I’ll bring your meal right away! Please wait a moment!”

Why did she react that way? Was there a mistake because it’s her first day?

While waiting for the meal, it wasn’t long before Emma served it.

Was the head chef always the one to serve? There were several servants assigned to the dining room, but for some reason, only Emma was rushing around serving the food.

“Then, I’ll get going now, Miss. The kitchen is so big, and I’m not yet used to it. So I’m a bit worried about the taste. Even if it tastes a bit different than usual, please understand. You know, right?”

“If you’re worried about that, it’s like the sky is falling.”

It seemed that she had a lot to do since it was her first day. As a head chef, she was supposed to focus on the cooking.

With Luna’s permission, Emma quickly left the dining room. Luna was about to start eating when Laura, who tasted the food first, tilted her head as if something was strange.

“Hmm? Something’s off… It doesn’t taste like what Emma makes. The flavor is completely different from what we’ve had before. Ah! I’m not saying it’s tasteless, but… something’s missing?”

Royer also had the same reaction.

“To be honest, I feel the same. The rich flavor feels a bit lacking. But it does have a taste. I’m not saying it’s tasteless.”

Upon hearing this, Luna quickly tasted the food and indeed, it didn’t feel like Emma’s cooking. It tasted a bit unfamiliar.

“Um… I feel the same, but let’s pretend we don’t notice. She’s not used to it yet. Let’s not complain and just eat until she adjusts. She’ll eventually get back to her usual taste.”

Luna, worried that Emma might get hurt if they complained about the strange taste, suggested they pretend not to notice. Given how concerned Emma was about the flavor, she would undoubtedly be hurt.

Laura and Royer agreed without objection.

“I understand. It’s not tasteless, just a bit unfamiliar.”

“Same for me. I usually eat anything. Although, I do love Emma’s cooking the most.”

The three decided to overlook Emma’s mistake and resumed eating. They even agreed to say the taste was fine if Emma asked later, but such a situation never arose.

* * *

The next day, Luna, who woke up early, began dressing with Laura’s help.

They refined her skin texture, corrected the tone, added color to her eyes and lips, and finished her makeup. Afterward, she changed into a dress she had chosen the previous night.

Although it seemed simple, it took a significant amount of time because of the effort put in.

As Luna pondered whether to tie her hair or not, Laura, watching her, involuntarily exclaimed.

“I always think this, but you look stunning with elaborate makeup.”

“So, I have a face that needs makeup?”

“No! That’s not what I meant. Every time you wear makeup, there’s this unapproachable and regal aura about you.”

“So without makeup, I’m just plain and easy to approach?”

“N-no! That’s not what I meant!”

Seeing Laura struggling with her words, Luna stifled a laugh.

“I get it. You’re saying I look better with makeup on, implying my bare face isn’t that great.”

“It’s not!”

Teasing the distressed Laura, in the midst of their joy, a servant knocked on the door. 

“My lady, a guest has arrived.”

Upon hearing this, Luna immediately left the room.

“So soon? Who has come?”

“It’s Lady Rosemary.”

Of course. Who else would come this early?

There was still an hour left before the start of the party, and Rosemary was already exchanging greetings with the butler on the first floor.

The butler, who always appeared expressionless to Luna, seemed to be smiling for some reason. Luna, thinking it might be because they’ve known each other for a long time, called out to Rosemary.

“Lady Rosemary, you’ve come early.”

“Lady Luna!”

With that, Rosemary approached Luna with sparkling eyes.

“I have something to present to you, which is why I came this early.”

“Something?”

“Yes. I’d very much like for you to wear it.”

Wear? Rosemary gestured to the maid behind her. The maid then handed over a small box.

“What’s this?”

“Open it.”

Upon opening the box, inside was a red hair ribbon with a ruby in the center and gloves intricately crafted with diamonds.

“Isn’t it beautiful? I prepared it in celebration of our first party.”

Rosemary herself had the red hair ribbon tied in her hair and wore the diamond-decorated gloves.

So, this was the intention.

“They’re identical to what the young lady is wearing.”

It was a matching accessory set for them to wear to the party together.

“Yes. It would have been nice if we wore matching dresses, but I thought that might be too burdensome for you at the outset. So I prepared the hair decoration and gloves first.”

“…”

It was already quite a lot to take in, but the idea of matching dresses too passed through Luna’s mind.

“Your hair is as dark as the night sky; the red will surely suit you well.”

Luna didn’t respond, and Rosemary spoke again. Her pleading eyes were the icing on the cake.

Well, alright. It’s just a hair ribbon and gloves after all.

Luna didn’t know why Rosemary went to such lengths, but she could oblige that much. She was also thankful for the thoughtful gift.

“Thank you. I’ll accept them with gratitude. Laura, can you tie my hair using this ribbon?”

“Yes.”

Using the ribbon from Rosemary, Laura styled Luna’s hair.

“How does it look?”

“My goodness, it’s absolutely beautiful.”

Rosemary, who had been watching eagerly, complimented Luna.

It was hard to feel anything but joy when a truly beautiful person calls you beautiful. Luna smiled in return.

As the atmosphere grew warmer, a carriage passed through the main gate.

Rosemary, recognizing the emblem on the carriage through the window, informed Luna about a familiar noble lady.

“It’s Lady Karen of Viscount Irenol. We’re of the same age. She’s a patient soul, always enduring my endless chatter.”

Seems she knew she was noisy, yet didn’t restrain herself. Both Antes and Rosemary were shameless, it seemed.

Of course, Rosemary’s cuteness was forgivable.

“Lady Rosemary! It’s been a while.”

Emerging from the carriage, Karen wasn’t alone. She was accompanied by another finely dressed noble lady.

Upon seeing an uninvited guest, Rosemary asked Karen with a somewhat cold smile.

“Lady Karen, long time no see. Who might this be?”

“Ah, I’m sorry I couldn’t speak earlier. My schedule has been a bit tight, so I didn’t have much time. Today, since you said you would introduce a new friend, I also came with my longtime friend. I came a bit early to check if that might make you uncomfortable.”

Karen explained in detail, gesturing towards her friend. The noble young lady, who was her friend, introduced herself with a bright smile.

“I’m Flory from the Viscount Flora. I attended the party even though I thought I might be a bother. If you’re uncomfortable, please let me know.”

Having finished her greetings, Flory’s gaze shifted from Rosemary to Luna and then instantly froze.

To think they would meet in a place like this. Luna, too, was surprised, but given their changed circumstances, she responded with a smile.

“We’ve met before.”

“You know each other?”

Rosemary asked, to which Luna replied with a smile:

“Yes, we’ve seen each other a few times. Lady Flora visited my mansion, and we’ve bumped into each other at a boutique. We played an interesting game there too, didn’t we?”

“You visited her mansion? And played a game at a boutique? So, you two are quite close?”

Hearing about the mansion she hadn’t been to, Rosemary asked with a hint of jealousy. Luna smiled ambiguously.

“Well, should we call that being close, or how should we phrase it?”

What closeness? It was a deep-seated animosity. Especially if she was Seira’s friend, who had stormed into the mansion wearing a hat adorned with fresh flowers.

They say you meet your enemies on a narrow bridge. What to do? Should we reveal our past encounters and tell each other to leave, or not?

Perhaps because of their last meeting, where they walked from the boutique all the way to the mansion, Flory couldn’t help but glare at Luna with sharp eyes.

After some thought, Luna made up her mind and opened her mouth:

“We’ve met before and since you’ve come from afar, I can’t ask you to leave. Welcome. I hope you have a good day.”

Let’s see how long she can keep up that act. Flory still owed two favors from their previous bet.