T/N : Another information… Alberto uses “boku” and Marx uses “ore”, Christina and Anna use “watas.h.i.+”~! Actually I’ve been wanting to tell you guys this since last last chapter, but I forgot… (｡・ ω

Anyway, this chapter is a bit short but, I dedicated it to our cute tomboyish princess, Anna! Enjoy!!!

Translator : KuRuuRuu

UNEDITED

The tea party of Klüger House was held at a s.p.a.cious garden, giving it a feeling of a small banquet. The line up of the partic.i.p.ants looked as if every prominent n.o.ble sons and daughters had come, and within it Christina’s friends were also included. Although it was fun for Christina to talk with her friends, but she got concerned about Anna who came late in accompanying Alberto, and decided to spend time together with her.

Having come just barely before the start of the party, Anna didn’t see any of the unfolding foolish exchange between Alberto and Marx, as well as didn’t hear any of Marx and Irene’s queer conversation.

“……Are you alright, Anna-sama? You look pale”

Cladded in a pale pink dress, Anna whose face looked so pale kept on looking at the ground from the beginning of the party. Even her appearance when she came late to Alberto seemed to show how much emotional strength it took for her to just partic.i.p.ate in this tea party.

As even both of the Royal siblings had come to the party, naturally, Anna’s friends were also partic.i.p.ating in this luxurious tea party of Klüger House. The girls looked like they were enjoying their conversation with Anna, but then the composure in her speech and conduct seemed about to crumble, thus Christina cut in and took her out from the surging crowd just like what an older sister would do.

“I’m alright, onee-sama…… See, there’s nothing wrong with me, right……?”

“……”

Christina just smiled sweetly.

The princess who was normally br.i.m.m.i.n.g with confidence and always had a bright smile on her face when she talked to people, now hung her head while speaking with a pallid face; no matter how one looked at it, it was strange indeed.

Even Alberto also noticed Anna’s restlessness. Nevertheless, as the tea party had just begun, there was an endless crowd of guests who came to give a greeting to him, hence he could only sometimes s.h.i.+fted his attention to their way, and as the guests came his smile was crumbling.

If it was the usual, Christina would normally be by his side, but since Anna’s state was so unusual right now, it couldn’t be helped.

“I, I will spend time with my friends, so onee-sama please feel free to go to onii-sama’s side……”

As the princess, she understood that situation quite well, therefore she tried to drive Christina away.

Christina lowered her eyebrows, and placed her hand on her cheek.

── This is troubling.

Marchioness Klüger’s tea party had an extremely liberal style. Strolling around the vast garden while enjoying the tea was fine, and sitting in the tea room that was decorated with blooming flowers beforehand was also fine; it was that kind of style. People were walking here and there, that it was hard to understand who was who anymore.

That was also one of the reason for her behavior right now.

Christina understood. Anna was simply not wanting to see Irene’s figure, who surely was intimately spending time together with Marx.

── I was like that too.

The appearance of Alberto intimately spending time with Clara, even if that was just a misunderstanding, she still did not want to see ‘that’.

──For such a young girl like Anna-sama, it is just too cruel……

Anna’s figure overlapped with Christina’s former self in her mind,  and it slightly moved her to tears.

By the way, the age of thirteen meant that she would soon enter the rank of the ladies and become a true lady through and through, thus typically such kind of her would not be called as a young girl at all. However, for Christina who had always watched over Anna since they were children, no matter how much time had pa.s.sed, Anna would always ended up as a young princess in her eyes.

Rather, Irene is not Marx’s girlfriend, you see, was what Christina really wanted to tell her. However, since she had seen Irene’s face which seemed to show that she had her own circ.u.mstances, Christina couldn’t tell that sentence so easily. Marx’s attempt in sealing her mouth, was quite real after all.

Christina grasped one of Anna’s hand. Feeling the warmth of people, Anna’s shoulder quivered in a  startle. She bit her lips, and hung her head even lower than before.

“Anna-sama…… You must be strong”

Christina hardened her heart and said it softly.

Being a princess meant she’s an existence the public always looked up to. There were also times when no matter how painful it was, she had to firmly raised her head.

Perhaps, that was the occasions related with politics and was not something like romance or the likes, however for this time, let’s treat it as the same. Otherwise, somebody might eventually take notice oF and called out to them both, and if by chance that person was to be someone with good intuition, from Anna’s att.i.tude and line of sight, her feelings of love would be quickly found out. If that were to happen, all kinds of gossip would form in the blink of an eye. For the bored aristocrats, gossips were clearly their favorite meals.

Wholeheartedly not wanting her precious future sister-in-law to have a hard time, Christina took a peek at Anna’s face.

Being looked at with a strong gaze, Anna’s eyes, while blurred with tears, stared back blankly.

“Onee-sama……?”

“Anna-sama. Though you are surely be bewildered by that first feeling you have, but to keep your composure no matter what happened is what a Royalty should do. Please, hold yourself together once more, and raise your head”

“……”

Anna blinked repeatedly, and her cheeks faintly blushed. Miserably lowering her eyebrows, her lips trembled.

“Di……did you notice it, onee-sama……? Umm……onee-sama…… I……, I am, you see……? About Marx……”

With gaze that implied her feeling of wanting to rely on her, her voice trembled, as it seemed she almost spilled everything, Christina fl.u.s.teredly put strength into her hand that was grabbing Anna’s hand.

“──Anna-sama. Since this is in front of public, let us talk about this slowly some other time? Right now, please be strong, and just think about how to properly spend time as the princess. Okay?”

Christina brought her face close to Anna, and said it in a soft voice as if to emphasize that it should not be heard by others; as she did so, Anna returned to have the expression of someone that understood the current situation. She who had been so emotional and had even teared up, desperately blinked to dry the tears in her eyes. The lovable figure of trying her best to do so was so heartbreaking, it again made Christina be moved to tears.

After somehow managing to keep herself together, Anna took a deep breath. While taking the breath, she looked upwards and raised her head, but then her body stiffened.

Christina who was watching over Anna, noticed the shadow casted on top of Anna and turned around.

The one who appeared in front of Anna was, the one who had finished greeting the lined up guests, it was Alberto.

Wrapped in an elegant silver suit, he brushed up the bangs that was covering his eyes. The kind brother who had been worried about his little sister all the time during the greetings, looked over his sister’s face and frowned. He indifferently wiped the tears on his sister’s eye with his thumb, and then asked puzzlingly.

“What are you crying about, Anna. Do you have a stomachache or something?”

──Aah……

Inside her mind, Christina lamented about her lover’s who asked such thing without reading the mood, and quietly averted her eyes. If it was with Christina, those words were something that would have never be chosen.

The young Anna immediately raised her eyebrows and flared up.

“Oh dear, Onii-sama, what a wonderful manner of speaking it is. I clearly understand now how you managed to entrance every lady with your wonderful choice of words……”

“……What are you being mad about. If you feel sick, just say it. It’s just a tea party. It’s fine even if you don’t push yourself”

Alberto ignored his sister’s anger, then s.h.i.+fted his gaze towards the surroundings. He was searching for the maid that Anna brought along with her. The maid had withdrawn herself when Anna started talking with her friends.

Since the start of the party, it had not even been thirty minutes. To let her go home without finis.h.i.+ng the greeting with the partic.i.p.ating guest, won’t it be conspicuous──?

When she was hesitating whether to interject Alberto’s decision or not, suddenly a voice called out from behind.

“Oh dear, for the most sparkling people in Noin Kingdom to be all here, what happened?”

The cheerful voice that called out belonged to the one who held the tea party and the one Christina greeted first, it was Marchioness Klüger herself.

Golden hair and azure eyes, Marchioness Klüger’s bright red lips drew an arc and calmly called them three.

“Come on. The tea party has just begun! Let’s chat together!”

Stretching out her hands, the Marchioness invited them towards the seats where on top of Marx and Irene who had already seated, there was also a lineup of ladies who came from what could be said as the top of the prominent n.o.ble houses.

Although Christina was not the one concerned herself, even she went pale. She lowered her gaze and tried to peek, and there, Anna was desperately trying to show a smile. The edge of her lips is twitching──.

“Yes, thank you very much. Certainly”

Alberto smiled and responded in a friendly manner, then turned towards Anna.

“How about you, Anna. If your stomach hurts, just go home”

Christina secretly lamented in her mind. Although it’s still good that you are worrying about your little sister, but why is there no option other than [her stomach hurts].

“I am the very image of health itself, you see……っ“

Perhaps she remembered that humiliation as a lady. Anna sharply glared at her brother, while the one being glared, her brother, just casually stroked his sister’s head.

“Is that so. If it gets painful just tell me. Don’t trouble onee-sama[1], okay?”

After taking a glimpse at Christina and Anna’s hands which were still holding each other’s until now, Alberto went towards the tea room.

Anna tightly clutched her palm, and then declared in a small voice.

“Onee-sama……I,  will not lose…… っ“

“……That’s the spirit, Anna-sama……”

Though she no longer knew of what to do in order to compete. However, as long as she cheered up, that’s okay.

The brother and sister who were hard to understand whether they had a good or a bad relations.h.i.+p, today too, they made a hard to understand exchange, and went towards the tearoom.

 [1]It refers to Christina, because Anna calls Christina as onee-sama, Alberto uses the same way of calling when he talks to Anna↵