Chapter 88

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It was back when Mary’s pigtails were still firmly curled.

Despite being an extremely ordinary tea party, Mary was seated next to Patrick, and the other guests were praising them, saying things like “how well they match” and “how beautiful they are.” For Mary, it was just a boring time.

Even so, as a young lady of the Albert family, she had to put on a smile and say things like “Oh, how dreadful” and pretend to be amused. She sighed inwardly, feeling utterly exasperated, and swayed the cat’s tail she was wearing.

Why do I have to listen to this flattery when the weather is so nice and the breeze is so pleasant? On a day like this, I should be taking a walk and eating korokke outside.

She thought this, but of course, she couldn’t say it or show it in her attitude. So, Mary decided to hold a solo word chain game in her head. Just as she was doing this, something caught her eye in the corner of her vision.

What was it? She glanced around.

But there was nothing out of the ordinary. The tea party was still in full swing with flattery. Everyone was trying their best to impress, now that the ladies of the Albert and Dice families were both present.

Whenever the lady of the Albert family said something like “the tea is delicious,” everyone would agree and praise her taste. When the lady of the Dice family admired a flower, everyone would rush to offer her a bloom and praise the beauty of nature. The young ladies and gentlemen would then send compliments like “how well they match” to the young people who caught their mothers’ eyes.

It was a boring scene, but for a moment, something seemed to have flown by, very close to her shoulder.

What was it? Mary peered at her shoulder and was surprised to see a small, red ladybug nestled in the depths of her curled hair.

---

After a while, Mary called out Patrick’s name during the tea party, where flattery continued to fly.

She whispered it so that no one else could hear. Fortunately, everyone was busy flattering the lady of the Albert family, so no one noticed. However, Patrick, who was sitting next to her, heard her—though he was also bored, he maintained a calm demeanor, occasionally nodding and smiling at the conversation.

“What is it, Mary?”

“Patrick, look inside my drill.”

Patrick’s head was filled with question marks.

It was understandable, given that she was asking him to look inside her drill during a tea party.

Of course, he knew what a drill was. He was familiar with Mary’s pigtails from her usual interactions with Addy. —In fact, Patrick also called her hairstyle a drill in his head, though he never said it out loud.

But what did she mean by “look inside”? Besides, Mary had several drills, and he didn’t know which one she meant. When he looked at her questioningly, Mary subtly pointed to her shoulder.

“The right front drill.”

“The right front... Oh, this one?”

It seemed to be the pigtail on the right side of her face. Patrick leaned in to look... and let out a muffled sound.

Deep within the tightly curled silver hair, a small, red ladybug was perched.

It was just a coincidence that it had flown over and landed in her hair, which was common in the spring. However, because it was inside her drill, it gave the impression that it had been sucked in. More than that, it looked as if it was struggling to escape from the drill, like a worm in quicksand, but in this case, a drill.

“Mary, this is...”

“A trapping accident.”

“Mmm...”

Patrick, who was about to laugh, let out another muffled sound and then started coughing loudly.

Of course, it was just because he was trying to suppress his laughter. Despite this, Mary calmly patted his back and asked, “Are you okay?”

Of course, the ladybug was still trapped in the drill, caught in the silver spiral and unable to escape.

“Mary, why did you tell me about this...”

“I told Addy earlier.”

“I see, that explains why he suddenly went to get more cake. He ran away.”

Patrick glared at where Addy had fled, imagining him rolling around in the staff cafeteria, laughing.

Unlike Addy, who could easily make an excuse and leave, Patrick, as the heir of the Dice family, couldn’t leave the tea party so easily. Especially now that the conversation had shifted to the head of the Dice family, he had to listen to, or at least pretend to listen to, the same old stories that he had heard countless times.

So, to divert his attention and gaze from Mary’s drill and the trapped ladybug, he turned away. Of course, Mary knew what he was thinking and, at every opportunity,

“It’s at the eight-ken mark now.”

or

“It’s falling.”

She would provide a running commentary.

Each time, Patrick would tremble and envy Addy, who had sent a maid over.

---

Suddenly, Mary let out a small “Oh” and called out Patrick’s name in a whisper. Fortunately, no one noticed their conversation, and even if they did, they would have just thought it was a charming exchange between two beautiful people. It was convenient that way, even if it was boring.

But how could anyone think they were having a pleasant conversation when one was providing a running commentary on a trapping accident and the other was trying to suppress laughter?

“Hey, Patrick, look inside my left front drill.”

“Please, no more...”

Despite his weak protest, Patrick leaned in to look at the left pigtail.

There, he found another small, red ladybug.

“Tragedy, again.”

“Ugh...”

Patrick quickly covered his mouth and started coughing. He pulled out a high-quality handkerchief from his chest and covered his mouth. The others looked at him with concern, but he raised a hand and calmly said, “Excuse me,” showing his usual composure.

“Mary, are you releasing some kind of pheromone that attracts ladybugs?”

“Excuse me, a young lady of the Albert family wouldn’t release such a thing. It just means that ladybugs and humans are the same.”

Mary looked around the tea party.

Some were praising the lady of the Albert family’s attire, others were flattering her by admiring the garden, and still others were praising the lady of the Dice family’s spring-like, vibrant outfit and her excellent son’s promising future. Everyone was trying their best to impress the Albert and Dice families.

As she observed this, Mary sighed and said,

“Ladybugs and humans, we all get wrapped up in the long things.”

At that moment, the ladybugs flew out of her drills, and Patrick, who had reached his limit, stood up and ran after Addy.

---

“Here’s a paper cup. Miss, were you drinking something? I could have prepared tea for you if you had said so.”

“No, Addy, don’t pick it up.”

“...Why not? I can prepare it now.”

“It’s a string phone.”

“A string phone?”

“A string phone.”

“...Who are you talking to?”

“Miss Parfait.”

“Huh, Miss Parfait... from the neighboring country!!”

---

“Oh, the string stretches so far... In this ridiculous toy box world, I have to say, ‘That’s absurd.’”

“...Oh, Miss Parfait seems to have something to say. Addy, set up the string phone for her.”

“We can already hear her without the string phone.”

“She can receive but not send. Hurry up, she’ll cry if you keep her waiting.”

“She’s already crying... but never mind. Hello, Miss Parfait?”

*(´；ω；) Good afternoon, Addy-sama.*

“(She’s crying) It’s been a while. What’s the matter? Is the next volume being released?”

*(((´；ω；))) Don’t get ahead of me! Don’t get ahead of me!*

“So, *The Young Lady of the Albert Family Wishes for Decline 2* will be released on August 1st.”

“Yes. I’ll put the string phone away here. ...Hmm?”

―(´；ω；) For more details, please see the activity report on June 26, 2015.―

“Again, directly into my mind!”

“Oh, Miss Parfait seems to have forgotten to tell you.”

“I don’t need the string phone, really.”