Ethella gazed at the closed doorway.
There was no way she could sense anything beyond the thick door, but somehow it felt as though Conrad was still standing there—constantly looking at her door.
"My Lady, please come and eat."
Veronica called from behind, but Ethella shook her head. She felt sorry for the chef, but she was so unsettled that she couldn't finish even the light salad and soup.
It was a story they both knew—but neither could bring themselves to address it.
How had she come to have such an awkward relationship with Conrad?
Her family, whom she had loved most, had been perfect. No—strike that word. 'Perfect.'
Ethella swallowed a bitter feeling and looked at the wall. The portrait hanging in her room—where neither her father nor her brothers could enter—had been taken from the family portrait in the living room.
Now she could see that her sister in that portrait wasn't smiling because she felt awkward and nervous.
And there wasn't much Ethella could do for her right now.
Ethella looked at Veronica, letting out a light sigh.
"Veronica, how far did we get?"
"We were on how to hold a teacup... but you already know all the social etiquette."
Veronica, the daughter of a vassal of the Madeleine duchy, was quite familiar with high society—unlike Ethella. However, even though Ethella had never appeared in social circles, she had already mastered the manners Veronica had spent years learning.
Veronica hesitated before continuing.
"More importantly, it seems the Little Duke knows you're entering the social world. Are you truly going to attend tea parties officially from now on?"
Ethella chuckled and glanced at her desk. The letters piled there were all tea party invitations.
"Now that he knows, I should attend even more confidently. What I learned in lessons may differ in practice, so I plan to attend a light tea party first."
---