I Would Like To Live A Different Life If I Could Go Back In Time - Episode 23

The next day, I was polished up by the maids from the morning and then taken to the count’s carriage.

Even though the weather is so nice, my heart feels cloudy.

It looks like it’s about to start pouring any moment now!

It’s all splashy!

Today’s royal tea party, hosted by the royal family, is attended by His Highness Randolph, and young ladies and gentlemen of the same age have been invited.

It is officially a tea party for nobles of the same generation to socialize, but I think it was actually held to identify His Highness’s fiancée behind the scenes.

If you cause any trouble here, you’ll be immediately disqualified.

However, just being a spoiled young lady would tarnish the family’s honor. I think a young lady who is harmless and doesn’t stand out as someone unfit to be a queen is the way to avoid bringing shame to the family.

I don’t really care if the reputation of the count’s family declines, but my pride won’t allow me to engage in actions that would tarnish that reputation.

How to navigate through it skillfully.

In my prediction, those with higher ranks will be seated closer to His Highness.

Since the purpose is exchange, I think the seats are not assigned because there will be seat changes.

Even though it’s a count’s rank, there shouldn’t be any problem sitting at a distant seat. While I was thinking about strategies for today’s tea party, it seems the carriage sadly but safely arrived at the castle.

When the carriage door opened, a knight was waiting there, bowing. It seemed he was there to escort me. I was guided to the castle courtyard while being escorted.

…It’s nostalgic.

This garden.

The garden I always looked at when I used to go to the castle for queen training.

Thinking that I’ve come here again makes my heart ache.

Since then, I haven’t had any seizures. Actually, I cast a spell in the carriage to increase my mental resilience so that I wouldn’t have any seizures.

Even though I had fought for years in my dreams and my fear had been hardened, I was still scared thinking about what would happen if I ever came out.

Usually, I don’t have any episodes, and I don’t think about it, but when I do remember, it still leaves me with unpleasant feelings.

I think going home immediately after collapsing from a seizure is the best course of action, but I feel like people’s perceptions will change, and our family’s reputation will suffer, making it hard for me to forgive myself.

When I stepped into the courtyard, there were already many people gathered.

They are seated around the seat where His Highness is expected to sit, mostly people I have met in the past.

Since they are all in the same S class, they seem to have a good relationship. Ignoring those people, I sit in the farthest seat among the count’s seats.

This time, the venue was not round tables, but long tables connected together, arranged in a square shape with three rows vertically and four rows horizontally.

This is roughly the middle of the seating area. I think it’s a good idea.

A seat where one has no chance to interact with His Highness.

The baronial seat is the farthest away, but it’s at the edge. If I, an earl, were to sit in the baronial seat, it would feel completely out of place.

Well, I could have sat down anytime because I could leave for my illness, but…

But there’s a possibility that His Highness will come over under the pretext of greeting. The reason the venue is arranged this way is probably because meeting His Highness is prioritized for high-ranking nobles, and the layout is designed to avoid involving baron ranks.

“May I sit next to you?”

The one who called out to me was Lord Yorland. He was the son of an earl.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Internally, it’s a storm of tongue-clicking.

“Yorland, you, as His Highness’s aide, should not be here.”

I try to say it gently, but he doesn’t seem to care.

“Thank you for your concern. Since Odilon is by your side and the knights are guarding you from behind, there is no problem if I don’t accompany you.”

I didn’t even say “go ahead,” but he smiled and sat next to me. Once he sat down, there was no helping it.

“Oh, one of the fiancées who is usually by Prince Randolph’s side is missing. I wonder if something happened?”

I casually spoke what I was thinking.

“Ah, it seems that Miss Clara has come down with a fever and had to miss it on short notice. Instead, her younger sister is attending in her place.”

“I see.”

Hmm. It’s rare for Miss Clara to catch a cold.