"You look a little exhausted, your grace. Are you sure you still want to attend?"
"I spent the night writing up invitations. I cannot miss the tea party I organized myself. I will take my time to rest before the banquet"
"But your grace, even makeup cannot cover those thick circles"
"Try your best, Dana. I believe in you"
"Your grace!"
Natalia chuckled, letting the maid do her job. Once she was done, she stood to leave the room, faltering because she felt light headed. She hadn't closed her eyes since the night before, afraid that her husband might suddenly decide to fulfill his marital duties. She used that time to write up invitations for the tea party and plan it for late afternoon.
"Your grace! Please sit down for a bit! I beg you!"
"Alright"
The tea party was to be held in the Queen's garden after Natalia obtained permission quite quickly. The servants moved fast, organizing somewhere for the noble ladies that were to attend. The weather was bright and it was the perfect day for a tea party.
"It's been so long since we held one. I'm so excited to attend and talk with the other ladies" Lady Borisque gushed, holding on to Natalia's left arm. Her right arm was in the hands of another one of her friends and she smiled as they led her to the garden. She was pleased to see that all the ladies she invited were there, especially Adelie Grayson and Princess Alana.
"I want to thank you lovely ladies for honoring my invitation for this tea party. Since we're in the midst of a banquet, I thought it would be good for us ladies to come today and discuss important matters. The foreign princesses here too need to have a proper high society welcome, no? I trust all the ladies that are the representative of high society would do well to give good insights to how our wonderful society functions. Then ladies, I hope you can enjoy today" she smiled, taking her seat at the head of the table. The other ladies sat as they were strategically placed and somehow, Alana ended up on her left side and Adelie on her right.
"Your welcome speech is as eloquent as always, your grace. The debate society has missed your presence"
"I gave them a good recommendation, didn't I, Lady Freya?"
"Of course. I would always appreciate the recommendation. I am grateful that you think so highly of me"
Natalia was an honorary member of the Debate Society of the Kingdom of Ducroft since she was a woman. Her eloquence made the men blush from shame and she had always pushed the agenda for the freedom of women. If she had support, she would've gotten what she wished for but the women of the kingdom were too frightened to reach for more than they had. She was more than glad to meet someone like Lady Freya that agreed with her goals of making women more independent.
"I knew the Grand Duchess was an amazing person but I'm shocked by the extent. The Debate Society is hard for men to enter, occupied by the top scholars in the country and your grace is an honorary member?" Adelie said, her eyes shining with what appeared to be worship.
"There isn't much a woman can do in this kingdom so I strive to reach the top. Thanks to that seat, managing a business is so much easier"
"Yes. It's thanks to the Grand Duchess that we can have a certain degree of financial freedom. These days, divorced women don't have to suffer too much" Lady Freya added with an air of gratitude.
"So the Grand Duchess is really an admirable person" the Princess of Berinda spoke up, smiling.
"I think so as well. To invite us to a tea party just to acclimate us into high society, we really can't thank the Grand Duchess enough" the princess of Polivia said with a bright smile. She was a person with a blinding aura as opposed to the sullen yet elegant lady beside her.
"I will thank your highnesses for accepting my invitation on such short notice. Tea parties can be quite boring if they are done too often but in times like this, they are extremely important. Since your highnesses have chosen to come to the kingdom like this, then I will do my best to help you out"
There were some that had a vague idea of what the real intention of the tea party was. Inviting all the eligible, single noble ladies to a tea party to socialize was highly suspicious but the prize was incredibly tempting. There wasn't a single person that would refuse to marry Sebastian Adamantine. The Grand Duchess was the key to his heart so they couldn't refuse her intention.
"Grand Duchess, we've heard so much about the Southwest and the Forest of Damnation. Since you've lived there for a while now, can you tell us how it is?"
"Yes! Is the Castle on the Edge really as frightening as they say it is?"
"I heard the Castle has dragons crawling around it!"
"Calm down ladies. It's not really a frightening place. It just had bad weather but the land is prosperous mainly because of the forest of damnation. I've never been there before since it's dangerous but the town of Traisen is really a sight to see. It has various noble houses that are as good as the capital and I was so fortunate to find a La Borisque boutique there"
"If it has a La Borisque boutique, maybe it's not that frightening" the ladies pondered, murmuring among themselves.
"The place isn't that frightening. Right, Princess Ariana?"
Everyone turned to the princess. It was frightening to be put on the spot like that but she had to reply to the curious ladies.
"The Grand Duchess is right. It's not frightening once you can get used to the general outlook"
"So the princess has visited her grace already? That's not fair! I wanted to visit your grace too. May I come?!"
"Of course. You ladies are welcome to visit any time" Natalia smiled.
"Then, may I come as well, your grace?" Adelie asked, silencing the other ladies. Alana, who knew Adelie's true nature and the other ladies, who knew she was a newcomer to high society, wondered what Natalia's answer would be. They fully expected her to refuse.
"The saintess candidate is always welcome in our home. It would be good to have the saintess bless our home and our marriage" she smiled.
"Then I'll thank your grace in advance"
The foreign princesses who weren't aware of the full situation, could tell there was a shift in the atmosphere. Rather than carelessly intrude on the conversation, everyone decided to watch and see the results of the tea party.