It's a beautiful sunny day. The sun is warm and the breeze is cool.

--It couldn't be a more perfect day for a garden party.

Red Rose, are you sure this is the right setting?
Let's see, ......, change the tablecloths here and there.
Okay.
Madam Red Rose, the kitchen reports that the baked goods are ready. May I bring them in?
Cookies and madeleines are fine. Tell them to wait a little longer for the cakes. They'll taste better if they're served last minute.
Yes, sir.
Center table's all set.
I'm coming.

But you're busy. I knew that being in charge meant that I would have to give all the instructions on the day of the event to the Red Rose herself, and I knew that I would be busy as hell. We started preparing as soon as the sun came up, and it's just before noon now. It's about time to hurry up.

--In preparing for the garden party, Deanna had been thoroughly instructed by Laia and the three others on everything from the preparations for the noon tea ceremony to the day's proceedings.

The first is that the venue must be set up on the day of the event (apparently, it is a rule to invite guests to an "everyday" place).
One, the food to be prepared is mainly baked sweets. (It is said that the main purpose of a tea ceremony is to have a cup of tea after lunch while enjoying conversation.
One, decide on the seating arrangements in advance and show the guests around (chairs are essential to enjoy tea and conversation in an elegant way).

My overall impression of ...... was that it was a hassle.

What's wrong with bringing in chairs and tables the day before?
Some people may be hungry, so you can prepare a simple meal for them.
Wouldn't it be boring if the seats were set from the beginning?

Yolanda scolded me for accidentally saying such a thing. I'm not sure what to say. Ria and Yolanda are older than me, and although they are different in type, they are both dependable older sisters.

The two reliable older sisters and the natural but sharp-tongued Leticia. The concept of the garden party proposed by the three of them was to have a party-style tea party where everyone could talk casually while enjoying flowers and sweets.
If you make it a formal tea party, you will have to prepare chairs. In other words, the guests would not move from the first seat they were seated in, and even if they were seated with political opponents, no serious conflict would be expected. Most of them will end up talking about the weather and the garden. And that's not good enough.
In order for His Majesty to be aware of the connection between the outer court and the inner court, it is necessary for the two sides of the family with different positions and their families to get involved with each other. In order to achieve this, the girls dared to skip the formalities of a tea ceremony, and came up with a format in which there were no chairs, only tables for cups, and the participants could walk freely in the garden.

With this idea in mind, the preparations for the event began in earnest, and lasted three weeks. It was three weeks since we started preparing for the event.　What's the point? Deanna was in a state of "sleep?

Renovating the spring garden into an autumn garden.
Procuring the necessary supplies.
Liaising with the relevant parties.
Sending out invitations and confirming participants.
Deciding the menu for the day.
Preparing a map of the venue.
...... and other et cetera et cetera.

For all of this, it was necessary for the Red Rose to give instructions. Raia and the others took care of the part of making the plan for the garden party, but we must not let them know that. Under the direction of the Red Rose, the preparations proceeded at a furious pace. It is an aside that the chief lady was unexpectedly useless, and extra work was added.

--But... But we finally made it this far. We pushed through the impossible, the reckless, and finally... We made it to the day of the garden party. Just one more step. It's finally over.

The fruit tower on the large table in the center and the fruit snacks around it. A variety of confections made from colorful fruits were placed on the table. I nodded my head in approval.

I've brought you some baked goods!
"Cookies over there and over there. The tarts are over here. Put the madeleines and financiers on the other side.

At Deanna's instruction, the maids holding up their plates moved in unison. They placed the plates with the baked goods on the tables and adjusted the angles to make them neatly arranged. As you would expect from the ladies of the royal court, their attention to beauty is not half-baked.

This time, all the tables were round tables. One large round table for the fruit table in the center, six medium round tables for baked goods, and a dozen small round tables for tea cups by the chairs for resting. On each of these tables, which were exquisitely arranged to add a touch of glamour to the garden without spoiling the scenery, were small glass vases of various colors, each one exquisitely decorated with flowers and plants. The workmanship of the vases and the lovely flowers accentuated each other's charm and contributed to the presentation of the place.
The baked sweets were deliberately placed on the table separately for each type, so that the guests would have to walk around the garden even if they did not want to. It would be extremely impolite not to eat all the food served at a garden party invited by the king, and if you wanted to spend your time in peace, you would have to visit at least seven tables. The name of the game is "No wallflowers, everyone is the star! strategy. Incidentally, it was Leticia who named it.

"Dear Diana, we need to get ready .......

As I was looking around the garden to make sure everything was in order, Rita came sneaking up on me. The sun is about to pass right above us. At this rate, Diana won't have time to change her clothes.

All right. --Oh, Mia, have the cakes delivered in half an hour. And take care of the trick.


Thank you, Your Highness.
Yes, have you been in touch with His Majesty?　By the way, I heard that you had something to say to me this morning before the garden party.
Yes, I did. Yes, but I haven't heard any details about the time since then. Would you like me to check?
Please. If you need anything, send anyone to my room. Also, since the ladies' rooms are being treated as hosts this time, make sure the room attendants and maids of honor are all present by the time the gates open at the latest.
"Of course.
And, uh, ......
"Dear Diana.

Rita's voice was 40% disgusted and 60% angry. I turned around and saw Rita with a smile on her face and no smile in her eyes.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. It's not even a joke that the Red Rose is not ready in time.

Rita dragged Deanna back into the room.











In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find out more about it by visiting our website. It's good manners not to dress too fancy for a tea party. The dress and makeup are much more modest than the usual "Red Rose".

Is this how it is?
"Well, it's only a tea party.
You can't go wrong with a formal dress. You are beautiful enough in formal wear during the day, but at night, Diana has a different aura.
...... It's just that my face is best suited to the flamboyant attire of a night party, isn't it? You don't have to tell me that I look 30 percent worse in nightclub attire.

Not powerful enough?　I asked, and Rita shook her head. You're more beautiful than anyone else," she said, though that was probably just the maidservant's greed.

I have a few more minutes.　Would you like me to make you some tea?
"No, thank you. I'm going to have to drink a lot of tea anyway.
That's true.

I think I'm going to fall asleep. I barely slept last night.

And then there was a knock at the door. "Dear Diana," says Yuri's voice.

"What's wrong?　Come in.
"Yes.

Yuri came in, looking confused.

What's going on?
No, ......, there's a man out front who wants to see you.
Who is it?
Well...
Hi, Deanna!　How are you?

The intruder jumped in, completely ignoring the significance of her role as an intermediary. I almost screamed, but Yuri stepped forward before I could.

"Mr. Gracie!　I told you to wait over there.
I told you to wait there.
It's a nuisance to suddenly request an audience with the Red Rose before the garden party, without first informing her of your busy schedule!　And then to enter the room without permission?
"Why do I need your permission to enter Diana's room? If you're wary of men, that's understandable, but I'm a woman, and I know Deanna.
I'm going to have to wait until I can confirm that.

I'm not sure what to do.

I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

Dear Deanna...
"Yes, I know. I'm sorry, Yuri.

I really know this person.

I've never done anything wrong, but for some reason I feel the need to apologize. ...... It's a good idea to take a look at the web site and see if you can find any useful information.

...... No way.
I'm really sorry. Most of the people I know are unorthodox.
Oh, that's awful. I can pretend to be a lady if I want to.

I don't think it's a good idea to keep Yuri in contact with this person any longer. Mainly for Yuri's mental health.

Yuri, I don't need you here anymore, please help me with the garden.
"...... Thank you.

Yuri must have sensed her concern, because she left without saying much. When the three of us were alone in the room, Rita was the first to speak.

"...... Chris-sama, Yuri-san is a serious royal courtesan, please don't just charge into the room when you first meet her.
I'm sure he'll be fine if it's someone he doesn't see very often. It's a good idea to get used to her as soon as possible, since you'll be spending time with her every day from now on.



I can't wear a cat all the time," she laughs, "but I am a woman. Even though she is dressed in an elegant knight's uniform, has a sword at her waist, and her reddish-gold hair is tied up at her side, she definitely does not look like a man. She may be short, but her body shape is that of a woman, and above all, her face is too pretty.

It's hard to believe that she is four years older than Deanna, but her name is Krystle Gracie. Her nickname is Chris. She is the sister of the current Baron Gracie, and as she says, she is a close friend of Deanna.
The reason is...

"First of all, long time no see, sister-in-law Chris. I'm glad to see you're doing well.

--No one in the society knows this, but she's actually Edward's fiancée. It's not unusual to have a relationship with your future sister-in-law. However, she ...... also has a special situation, and doesn't show up at social gatherings very often.

"Yeah, long time no see. It's been more than six months since I've seen you, and you seemed to be busy at the first ball of the season.
"Yes. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say hello.
No, no, no. It's okay. You're the Red Rose now, you can't help it.
...... So, why is your sister-in-law in the palace again?　And dressed like that.

It's tailored for a woman, but Chris's clothes look like those of a knight. She even wore a sword, which clearly made her stand out in the palace.

To Deanna's question, the wild sister-in-law answered proudly.

I'm the head of the Knights of the Kingsguard, who are in charge of guarding the palace.
"......?

I've never heard of that.
I've never heard of that." Deanna tilted her head in the face of Chris's smiling face.