Chapter 7

The tea party the following week was able to conclude smoothly and without incident, contrary to expectations.

This was because Remia, who had adorned herself with ribbons to the point of being in poor taste, stayed by Julian’s side throughout the event, drinking tea in the seat next to him. She clung to his arm from time to time, sticking to Julian like glue.

To put it bluntly, the surrounding guests were quite taken aback. The second son of a marquis family, wearing thick glasses that obscured his face, had the daughter of a duke, dressed in a tasteless dress, clinging to him tightly and not letting go.

The attendant maid assigned to the queen, who had secretly followed, quickly lost interest in Remia, just as we had anticipated. The other young nobles also did not come near us.

"Isn’t this a bit over the top?"

"No, it’s better to be thorough when you do it."

Julian, with a full smile, had Remia’s arm wrapped around his. Remia, who seemed to find the reactions of the surrounding guests amusing, clung to Julian as he instructed. Thanks to this, Julian was in such high spirits that it seemed as if he had a flower blooming on his back. For me, who only knew the previously gloomy Julian, his relaxed and affectionate expression was both amusing and very heartwarming.

Robiana, for her part, initially clung to the prince, but upon realizing his lack of interest, quickly shifted her target to a more attractive young noble. This tea party likely ruined the reputation of our ducal family, but that was precisely our goal. If we could avoid troublesome marriage proposals, the reputation of the ducal family didn’t matter.

The only issue was that Robiana had set her sights on a lower-ranking noble’s son, whom she had fallen for at first sight. I secretly checked on the young nobles who might become her targets, similar to the previous Julian, and planned to take steps to ensure my father didn’t make unreasonable demands. However, at nine years old, it was beyond my capabilities, so I intended to delegate the task to the butler, Robert. Thanks to my previous knowledge, I knew he was a trustworthy servant. Robert seemed to have already noticed my father’s incompetence and was already favorably disposed towards me. If I explained Robiana’s capricious behavior properly, he would likely persuade my father and handle the situation effectively.

◇◇◇

"It seems to have worked out well..."

Later, it was announced that the fiancée of Prince Remyl was the ducal family’s Henrietta. It appears that Remia was successfully removed from the list of potential fiancées. I had thought that a betrothal to Robiana was also possible, but that didn’t happen.

I can only hope for Henrietta’s happiness in her future relationship with the prince. I wish the prince would be sincere and not repeat the same mistakes as with Remia. If the prince were to do something similar again, I would not hesitate to act.

"Is this acceptable?"

"About Prince Remyl?"

"Yes... Wasn’t the man who prepared the poison for Remia that man?"

In front of Remia, Julian hides his rather extreme nature. I can sense his murderous intent, as if he would cut off the prince’s head at a moment’s notice if his sister wished it. Despite his current appearance as an adorable eight-year-old child, Julian is a seasoned warrior with the skills of a royal guard. Although his body is still developing, his technique already surpasses that of his instructors. If he were to seriously challenge the prince, he could likely take his life with ease. The guards would never expect such a small child to target the prince’s life.

"The revenge on the prince is not what Remia desires."

"Remia...?"

"Yes. Remia said that she also bears some responsibility for the prince’s change of heart. She had been so focused on her studies that she rarely had the opportunity to converse with him."

"But that’s..."

"Yes, the prince is also at fault. However, Remia seems to think that she should have taken more initiative."

Since the time loop reset, Remia has calmly reflected on her relationship with the prince and reached this conclusion. Personally, I believe the prince is entirely at fault, but Remia has her own thoughts. She understands the pressure the prince feels as a royal and thinks it’s understandable that he sought comfort. However, she has no intention of forgiving or admiring him; she simply doesn’t want to be involved with him. I will respect Remia’s will. Moreover, from the letters I’ve read from the attendants, it seems the prince felt responsible for Remia’s death, even though he didn’t suspect that Robiana had orchestrated it. That’s why he repeatedly asked me to support Robiana.

"More importantly, Julian, what will you do?"

"If Lord Felix allows it, I would like to propose to Remia."

"…You won’t be able to have children, you know?"

"I don’t mind. My wish is to be by Remia’s side for the rest of my life."

"Understood. I’ll try to persuade my father."

"Thank you."

One month later, with the help of the butler Robert and the attendants, we were able to arrange the engagement between Remia and Julian. My father, who was initially reluctant about the engagement to his second son, Julian, eventually agreed when he learned that the tea party incident had become public knowledge and that Julian was set to inherit his mother’s baronial estate. Convincing Remia was more challenging. She refused Julian’s proposal on the grounds that they couldn’t have children. Despite Julian’s insistence that it didn’t matter, Remia was firm in her decision. Myself and Julian had to work hard to persuade her. In the end, the engagement was conditional: "Until Julian finds someone else he likes..." However, Julian firmly stated that he would never like anyone other than Remia, and even years after the engagement, they are a well-matched couple in everyone’s eyes.

However, this peaceful harmony lasted only until Robiana entered the academy.