I was astonished and answered quickly. "No, Lady Odeletta. My sister hasn't arrived here yet."
"Are you sure?" Odeletta asked.
"Why are you asking?" Dorothea grumbled, and Odeletta replied in confusion.
"I still don't understand."
"What's there to not understand—!"
"Well, Lady Maristella is not your younger sister, so why do you decide whether she should talk to me? Why should I seek permission from you, when you're not part of Lady Maristella's family?"
"That's obvious," Dorothea said haughtily. "It's because Marie is my friend."
"But even if she were your younger sister, you can't freely limit the behavior of Lady Maristella, who is an adult. Even less so with friends," Odeletta pointed out.
Dorothea's expression turned sour. "Lady Odeletta, aren't you speaking too harshly?"
"I don't know which parts are too harsh, Lady Dorothea. Even a friend has boundaries they want to protect. And I asked Lady Maristella, not you. I think you were mistaken."
"I beg your pardon?" Dorothea sputtered.
"I don't think you heard me, so I'll say it again. You are mistaken, Lady Dorothea. You do not own Lady Maristella," Lady Odeletta firmly concluded, then she turned towards me. The gentle look that she directed at me was surprisingly different from when she looked at Dorothea. I was flustered at the sudden change in her eyes, but I didn't dislike it and I smiled lightly.
"Lady Maristella, it's up to you to decide. If you don't like me, you can reject me."
Of course I liked Odeletta better than Dorothea. Unlike Dorothea, who made my stomach boil once she opened her mouth, Odeletta's words pierced my heart. What's more, I also wanted to talk to Odeletta; however, I needed to carry out my plan I set up earlier. What if I was unlucky and the Crown Prince and Dorothea fell in love while I was talking to Odeletta?
However, I did not worry long. If I remembered the story correctly, the pair fell in love when the sun was about to set. Presently, it was still daylight when it was very bright. Even if I wasn't next to Dorothea, I wouldn't have to worry for now.
After I made my decision, I smiled and nodded.
"That's right, Lady Odeletta. I agree with you."
Odeletta's face brightened at my positive response. "Thank you for saying that, Lady Maristella," she said cheerfully. "Would you like to go over there and talk? It's a little noisy there."
"I don't mind. We can do whatever you like."
"Wait a minute, Marie! Are you leaving me?" Dorothea grabbed my arm, and I turned around and smiled casually as her.
"It would be rude for me to refuse her, Roth. I also want to talk to Lady Odeletta," I said.
"But you said you'd stay with me. You promised me earlier!
"I'll be right back. I promise."
"That's different from what you said earlier!"
"I didn't know the situation would turn out like this. Can't you be understanding?" Finally, I said the phrase that Dorothea loved the most. "I thought I was your best friend."
"…"
Dorothea was rendered speechless when I used her words on her. I smiled.
"Well, I'll be back." I deliberately turned to Odeletta with a friendly look. "Let's go, Lady Odeletta?"
***
I was a little worried because this situation was unplanned. What if it didn't go the way that I wanted to? However, I didn't want to reveal my anxieties to Odeletta, so I wore the most nonchalant expression I could.
"Thank you for telling me that you wanted to talk first, Lady Odeletta. I didn't expect this to happen." I added a smile at the end, and Odeletta responded with a similar warm expression that was completely different from when she was interacting with Dorothea.
"I'm glad you think so, Lady Maristella. Actually, I had something to return to you."
Something to return? I tilted my head in puzzlement, and Odeletta pulled out something and held it out to me. It was a white handkerchief, a plain white thing save for black embroidery on the edge. Looking closely, I saw that it was initialed "M.J.B."
I quickly noticed the meaning—Maristella Janice La Bellafleur.
'So this is Maristella's handkerchief.'
The question was, why in the world was Maristella's handkerchief in Odeletta's hand? I accepted the handkerchief as casually as possible.
"Thank you, Lady Odeletta. I forgot about it," I murmured.
Actually, it wasn't that I forgot—I didn't know.
Lady Odeletta shook her head, looking like a cute dog. "Not at all, Lady Maristella. It always bothered me because I couldn't bring it back to you quickly after I owed you last time. I'm so glad I can give it back now."
For what reason did I lend it to her? That wasn't in the novel. I wanted to ask, but I decided to press my lips shut. She might discover that I wasn't the real Maristella. Fortunately, however, Odeletta explained it first, ending my curiosity.
"I was so embarrassed when I spilled durian soup at the Baxter mansion tea party. I didn't bring a handkerchief. But everyone was worried that their handkerchief would get dirty, so no one lent one to me. I…I was a little hurt at that time."
Ah, so is that what happened? That was the first I've heard of this. The novel never mentioned a tea party at the Baxter mansion. However, I smiled and pretended to go along.
"Yes. That's right."
"At the time, you gave me your handkerchief without hesitation. I was very touched. Thank you so much," Lady Odeletta said with sparkling eyes.
"It wasn't that much. Don't worry about it," I reassured her, feeling heartbroken as I did so. It felt strange that I had done a good deed to my favorite character. If that happened, I could understand why Odeletta favored me now. It was a bit ridiculous that noble daughters would avoid getting their handkerchiefs dirty to that degree. It was just a handkerchief.
Odeletta bowed her head in confession. "But actually, before that, I…I was prejudiced against you. I'm sorry for that."
"Prejudiced?" I asked.
"Ah…" Odeletta said with a blush. "Because you're always with Lady Dorothea…I can't help but notice that she dislikes me. She's always outspoken and looks down on me…"
"Haha…" I laughed nervously. I was embarrassed, but I didn't know what to say.
"But somehow, you always go along with Lady Cornohen. I thought that you would not like me much."
No! Absolutely not! I vigorously shook my head in denial. "No, Lady Odeletta. I never thought that. You have me wrong."
"Oh really? I'm glad you said that," Odeletta said, clinging her hands together as if she were pleased with my words. She looked so cute that I almost hugged her like I did Martina. Fortunately, I was aware enough to remember my manners and restrain myself.
"But I have a question…" Odeletta ventured carefully.
"Please ask."
"Why do you stay around a person like Lady Cornohen?"
"…"
Oh, Lady Odeletta. That's something I'm really curious about too. Frankly speaking, I didn't know why either, as the novel never included such a thing. Why would Maristella become friends with a girl like Dorothea, even to the point where she acted like she would offer up her liver, gallbladder, and everything to her? If I knew the reason, I might try to understand Maristella, but for now, I wasn't inclined to think of her as a mutual friend.
However, I still had to answer, so I just said, "The relationship between my family and the Cornohens has been around since my great-grandfather. So naturally we are friends." That was the most sensible answer I could think of. However, it hurt my pride to lie and say that I liked Dorothea.
"Oh, I see." Fortunately, Dorothea seemed to believe my answer. "So is there a deep connection between the Cornohen and Bellafleur families? That would be the case if the relationship was passed down since your great-grandfather, right?"
That was a rather straightforward question, and I was a little embarrassed. Why was she asking about a relationship between the families? However, I couldn't act like I didn't know anything.
"It seems like it," I said vaguely.
"Oh…" But Odeletta looked unsatisfied, as if she were expecting something else and then was suddenly disappointed. To give an analogy, she had the face of a child who just heard that Santa Claus couldn't make it for Christmas.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No, it's not like that…"
"Your expression doesn't look good."
"Well…" Odeletta briefly hesitated. "Would it be possible for me to be close to you?"
…What?