After talking about other various things, the night continued to deepen, soon realizing that Jasmine has to go back to the Vanderwale estate.
Nera gave the command to lend Jasmine one carriage since she only rented one earlier. Jasmine refused multiple times, but the purple head stubbornly insisted, which Jasmine eventually accepted.
Jasmine bows down to Felya and Nera, her new friends in noble society.
"Again, I'm terribly sorry for ruining your tea party, Lady Ponterise."
With an apologetic look on her face, Nera raises her hands and waves them. "Ahhh, I told you, it's not your fault! It's that other woman..." She clicks her tongue.
"That's right. Don't needlessly blame yourself, Lady Jasmine." Felya adds as she lightly waves her fan.
Nera's rough but caring answer and Felya's elegant addition are enough to make Jasmine cry happily inside.
"Thank you so much." Jasmine grins, which is then copied by the other two's faces.
"You're welcome!"
***
Jasmine arrives at the Vanderwale estate, safe and sound then gives her thanks to the coachman from the Ponterise family.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go further inside, my lady?"
Jasmine nodded and the coach left her in front of the wide gate and walked through the long front yard of the estate. Skipping even, she let go of the glee she feels inside her chest, smiling to the guards and they allow her entry with a similar grin and a greeting.
"I'm home..." Jasmine whispers and sees multiple maids bow to her.
"Welcome back, my lady."
Jasmine smiles and lightly bows her head to the maids, out of habit she also says, "Thank you."
Not forgetting her previous life as a commoner, Jasmine would always treat the staff as equals, friends, and that made them smile. In return, ever since she entered the Vanderwale house, it became much livelier.
Especially for her bookworm brother.
After changing into her inside clothes, Jasmine runs straight to her older brother's room, barging in without warning.
"Jamie!"
"AH!" The young man shouts, letting go of the book he was reading, forming a scowl on his face. "You idiot! I told you not to come in here like that!"
Jasmine ignores his scolding and walks herself in any way.
"Guess what happened?" A huge grin on her face forms while she crosses her arms and sits down on the sofa in her brother's room.
Jamie sighs, picks up the fallen book, and places it on his desk. He puts his chin over his hand and looks at her. "What?"
"I said guess."
"Hmm, everything went well at the tea party?"
"No."
Jamie observes the cheerful beam his sister has and then raises his eyebrow. "Huh, I didn't know you enjoyed failed tea parties."
"I have a new friend!" Unable to wait while unintentionally ignoring his teasing, Jasmine jumps out of the sofa and closes her distance with her brother, then shakes his shoulders.
Rolling his eyes, Jamie pushes the excited woman away. "Good job then. You have one more person to annoy."
Jasmine frowns but expected this kind of reception. After crossing her arms, she put her two fingers up. "There's two actually."
"Two people to annoy."
"Whatever, I just wanted to tell you." Turning her back on him, Jasmine walks to his door.
"Wait, who are they?" Jamie asks.
As excitement rushes through her again, Jasmine smirks and faces her brother. "Lady Ponterise and Lady Ountry."
Jamie stares at her for a few seconds, then scoffs and crosses his arms. "Oh, Lady Ponterise, that idiot? Why would you be friends with her?"
Jasmine's mouth widens at her shock. "You asshole! She's a kind person!"
"She isn't kind to everyone and she's also an idiot. You didn't even deny it." Jamie mocks.
Jasmine can't take it anymore and stomps her way out of the room. "You're the idiot!"
Swiftly moves her feet to her room and crashes into the bed.
No matter how much Jasmine would deny it, he's right. Nera mi Ponterise is indeed an 'idiot' for the standards of this society. Shown on the length of her dark purple hair, barely reaching her shoulders.
'But that shouldn't matter when you're having friends!'
Hundred of people were helped by Jasmine, with the guidance of her adoptive father, and she will forever be thankful for his kind heart.
But unfortunately, Duke Ian de Vanderwale is a rare case for a noble. Most nobles in power are corrupt and evil. Even if the Emperor himself is just and kind to his people, he can't possibly remove everyone from power until there is sufficient evidence. Which these nobles are expertly hiding.
However, that rare case again showed up in the Ponterise family.
She briefly met with the head, Namilde mi Ponterise, before but other than that, she hasn't directly met any of the family members. When she received an invitation from their only daughter, she was ready to see what kind of family the sword of the Empire is.
With only a glimpse of the household, she knows these nobles are indeed nobles. They're a family of knights loyal to the Empire, after all.
Especially since Nera seems to be such a kind person. When Jasmine saw Nera stand up for her, she already saw a brave knight fighting for justice.
'Jamie is being the idiot here. 'Genius of the Century', my ass.'
"If you saw how Nera acted there, you would know she is someone I can start to trust..." Hugging her pillow tightly then huffs at her brother's rude comments about Nera.
But then, after a few seconds, she furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "...But since when did Jamie look down on people because of their hair length?"