*a few days later *
''No matter how many I visit, this garden always seems to amaze me, your excellency.''
''You speak correctly countess. It almost seems like I am in the imperial palace.''
''Well, here was originally a palace bestowed by his late majesty. It is understandable how the garden appears comparable to the ones in the imperial palace.''
''Even the tea is amazing. Your excellency, you don't mind us madams stealing some valuables do you?''
Following these flattery words from different madams adorn in the finest gowns and jewelry, a chuckle came from a particular madam seated at the head of the rectangular table.
''You jest a lot, madams. We are in the presence of her highness, the queen.'' Her words pointed out to a presence on her side.
''Your highness, please do tell the madams that this old garden of mine does not fit to be on the same pedestal as the gardens of the imperial palace.''
''….You also jest a lot, your excellency.'' A pleasant voice followed after a short silence. ''How can I compare two wonderful gardens when they each have their sense of beauty?''
''Your highness speaks correctly.''
''But I still feel the imperial gardens are the best.''
''Her highness probably does not want to let the feelings of her excellency down.''
''Her highness is so kind to her excellency.''
''Don't you know that her highness and her excellency treat each other like aunty and niece?''
''How I wish I had this kind of closeness with own niece….''
The voices of the other madams followed after the other. Each of their words complimented the Archduchess as a good elder and the queen as a filial junior.
However, these madams also knew that the queen and archduchess shared no blood, yet they were being compared to a close aunt and niece.
All of their words were just because of their one aim. To have a close relationship with the imperial family.
Either with the Archduchess, the only elder that was alive within the imperial family, whom the emperor also respected as an aunt.
Or with the queen who was very active in the nobility, rumored to be the favored wife of the emperor.
''You have such a glib tongue, your highness.'' The madam, also the Archduchess, gave a warm smile, feeling a sense of pleasure in her heart. Even the queen had to be careful of not making her feel sad in the slightest.
'You're getting smarter. I'll give you that.' The Archduchess thought back to the first tea party with the queen, and now.
The same queen who did not know the culture of the nobility sat here adorned in the finest jewelry and gown, speaking like she was a true noble deep from her bones.
''Your excellency, is her majesty still feeling under the weather?'' A voice from one of the madams brought the Archduchess from her thoughts.
''Is her majesty still ill?''
''I heard the lake was quite deep.''
''But her highness is right here, isn't she?'' The other madams echoed their thoughts one after the other, feeling very curious why the empress would miss a tea party of the Archduchess when it had never happened in the past.
''Well…I haven't received her majesty's reply.'' Even the Archduchess was quite puzzled with the empress's behavior. Just like the queen, the empress was not one to miss any of her tea parties and gatherings. Before this day, she had been expecting a reply from the empress by now.
'Did something happen in the imperial palace? No…I would have been aware with the amount of servants I bribed over there.' The Archduchess wondered, feeling a little sense of crisis.
'When I see her next time, I would scold her for refusing my tea party.' That thought made the Archduchess's mood lighter. No one would ever rebuke her for scolding the empress as the only elder in the imperial family.
''Perhaps her majesty is occupied with something important. She is the empress, the wife of his majesty.''
Immediately after those words, there was a strange silence in the garden. All eyes landed on the young lady bearing much resemblance to the Archduchess. As though clueless about her words and the attention on her, the young lady placed her teacup after taking a sip and blankly looked at the pink-haired woman directly opposite her gaze.
''Am I wrong, your highness?''
''You are certainly not wrong, Young lady Windsor. Truth to be told, her majesty's fever was more severe than mine, but I did hear from the head maid that her majesty was getting better.''
''Yet she missed my mother's tea party for the first time? Well…who are we to guess her majesty's mind?'' Eyeing the innocent smile on the queen's face, Young lady Windsor took her gaze back and calmly returned to her tea as though she was not responsible for the strange silence in the garden.
''Haha…Young lady Windsor is right. Her majesty must be busy.''
''Her majesty is also filial like her highness.''
''Perhaps her majesty did not send a reply because she did not want worry the mind of her excellency.''
''Being an empress is also not easy.'' The madams quickly spoke some flattery words to dissolve the awkwardness. The Young lady Windsor was also related to the imperial family as the daughter of the late Archduke. They couldn't say she was wrong when she was absolutely right.
Besides, she was also the daughter of the Archduchess. Mother and daughter could not be fighting…right?
'Renee…!' If not for the presence of the madams, Archduchess Windsor would have loved to yell at her daughter for indirectly slapping her in the face. How could her tea party be less important? She was the only elder of the imperial family respected by both emperor and empress and even the queen!
Her tea party was also crowned one of the best in the nobility, and many nobles had also fawned over her for invitations just to get closer to the imperial family.
No matter what, her tea party and less important had never gone together!
''It seems Renee got a bit defensive for her majesty. Renee always loved brag to her friends how close she was to her majesty.'' The Archduchess also said a few words to disperse the awkwardness as the host of the tea party. No matter what, her tea party must always be successful even if the empress was surprisingly not here to boost the popularity.
''Your highness, please forgive my daughter. I really don't know who she takes after in getting so defensive on behalf of someone else. Even I as her mother don't have this privilege.'' Archduchess Windsor pleaded as though she felt clueless on her daughter's behavior.
The queen was someone that she must never be an enemy with. Even if the queen had a lowly background, it did not change that she was a wife to the emperor and a favored one at that according to her spies.
Unlike the empress, the queen held the true power in the imperial palace. Her appearance was just a disguise to many who always thought she was a harmless lady, unable to match the empress who apparently held no power in the imperial palace and over the emperor.
How someone unimportant like the queen hold the emperor's heart for six years now, despite having a beauty like the empress with a very influential background?
The Archduchess had known never to underestimate the queen for she had come a long way to be this noble and powerful.
''I am perfectly fine and normal, mother.'' Unfortunately for the Archduchess, her daughter did not understand her hidden efforts.
''Renee!''
''Hmph!''
''Your excellency, I am not blaming Young lady Windsor. If I were to guess who she took after, it would be his late excellency, the Archduke. His majesty had told stories of how his excellency had protected his late majesty.''
''Your highness speaks correctly.''
''I did hear about that.''
''So Young lady Windsor takes after his late excellency.''
''It is fair to his late excellency since Young lady Windsor's appearance takes after her excellency.''
''Perhaps the heir's character takes after her late excellency.''
''His appearance does take after his late excellency.''
''I've always heard of his handsome appearance from my daughters.''
''It might be so, your highness.'' Hearing the discussions amongst the madam, Archduchess Windsor was grateful that the topic had shifted away from the empress. She had the queen to thank on this one.
'I'll have to deal with Renee…' The Archduchess glanced at her unruly daughter who evidently did not show remorse for almost destroying her tea party. If not for the queen's quick thinking, her tea party might have ended in failure which would be a stain to her name.
'I'll also have to watch her.' At the same time, the Archduchess couldn't resist looking back at the queen smiling at the chatting madams. The fact that the queen thought of her using her husband's name to clear was quite smart and scary.
How deep was the queen's mind? She must order her spies to watch the queen more closely than the empress.
''Your excellency…'' A voice took her attention, and the Archduchess was quick to notice the black and white uniform of a maid coming towards in an unstable state.
''What is it?'' With a subtle frown, Archduchess Windsor mentally noted to discipline the maid for behaving in such way. This act had disrupted the recovery atmosphere of the tea party. Anyone could tell that something was wrong, and Archduchess Windsor was not one to publicize the problems within her family.
''Her majesty….'' Before the maid could reach her and complete her words, another voice overwhelmed her in an amusing tone.
''Forgive this empress for arriving late, Archduchess Windsor. This empress didn't expect to be quite busy in the imperial palace.''
>Enjoy!<