Na-Isekai Ako
Chapter 64: Tea Was Spilled. Literally and Figuratively.

Chapter 64: Tea Was Spilled. Literally and Figuratively.

Katherine absentmindedly stirred her tea, the silver spoon clinking softly against the porcelain cup. The elegant sitting room was bathed in golden afternoon light, the delicate scent of floral tea mingling with the subtle fragrance of fresh pastries laid out before them. Across from her, Princess Laura tilted her head, her warm brown eyes filled with curiosity.

"You look troubled," Laura mused, resting her chin on her hand. "You’ve barely even touched your cake, and that is a rare and terrible crime."

Katherine blinked at her, then down at the untouched slice of honey-glazed sponge cake on her plate. Normally, she’d have devoured it by now, but her thoughts had been an absolute mess all morning. She sighed, setting her spoon down with a small clatter.

"I’m just... thinking."

"Dangerous," Lady Camille teased, sipping her tea gracefully. "What’s on your mind?"

Katherine hesitated, eyes flickering to the three other ladies seated around the table. Lady Rosea, ever poised and elegant, observed her with calm interest. Lady Shaya, the shyest of the group, fidgeted slightly, as if hesitant to pry but equally curious. Laura, of course, simply waited, her patient smile urging Katherine to speak.

She inhaled. Then exhaled. Should she tell them? It wasn’t as if it was a secret forever, but the entire situation was so ridiculous that she could already hear Laura laughing about it for the next month.

"I might be... hypothetically engaged."

Silence.

Then—

Camille gasped. Rosea’s teacup paused midair. Shaya’s eyes widened. Laura, on the other hand—

"You WHAT?!"

Katherine flinched as Laura practically choked on air, leaning forward so aggressively that she nearly knocked over the sugar bowl.

"Not real!" Katherine hurried to clarify. "It’s fake! It’s just an arrangement."

Laura squinted. "An arrangement? With whom?"

Katherine groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Lord Adolfo."

More silence. Then Camille let out an uncharacteristically undignified wheeze.

"Oh, this is the best gossip of the season," Laura declared, smacking the table in delight. "How did I not know about this? Why am I only hearing about it now? Tell me everything."

Katherine groaned. "There’s nothing much to tell! It’s just... politics."

Rosea raised an eyebrow. "It’s never ’just politics.’"

"Okay, fine," Katherine admitted. "I needed an excuse to visit the Northern Kingdom. And Adolfo, being his insufferable, overachieving self, decided the best way to do that was to slap a ’fiancée’ label on me and drown me in so many gifts that I could start a luxury boutique."

Shaya, who had been listening in stunned silence, finally whispered, "That’s... very extravagant."

"Tell me about it." Katherine rolled her eyes. "I opened my wardrobe this morning and nearly suffocated under an avalanche of silk."

Camille giggled. "Well, at least he has good taste."

"Good taste and a very loose definition of ’a few essentials,’" Katherine muttered, shaking her head. "Anyway, I wasn’t sure if I should tell you all, but I figured you’d find out eventually."

Laura smirked, mischief twinkling in her eyes. "Oh, I will be bringing this up at every possible opportunity."

Katherine groaned. "I knew it."

"Ladies," Rosea interjected smoothly, redirecting the conversation before Laura could continue her teasing, "we should prepare. The other guests will be arriving soon."

Katherine took the chance to breathe, sipping her now-cooling tea. The event was meant to be a simple afternoon gathering among noble ladies—a chance to gossip, network, and enjoy an assortment of fine desserts. Unfortunately, she already had a feeling that things wouldn’t stay pleasant for long.

Her suspicions were confirmed the moment Lady Cleimore entered the room.

The air seemed to shift as Cleimore, followed closely by Lady Beaumont and another girl Katherine didn’t recognize, made her way toward their group. The moment Cleimore’s gaze landed on Katherine, her smile tightened into something far less friendly.

"Lady Katherine," Cleimore said with feigned sweetness. "How lovely to see you here."

Katherine gave her an equally polite smile. "Lady Cleimore."

Cleimore’s eyes flicked over to Laura before settling back on Katherine. "I heard an interesting rumor recently."

"Oh?" Katherine feigned innocence, though she already knew where this was going.

"Something about you and Lord Adolfo?" Cleimore’s voice was carefully measured, but the glint in her eyes was sharp. "Surely, it’s just idle gossip."

Katherine opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Laura—bless her soul—tilted her head with an air of regal authority. "Oh, it’s no rumor."

Cleimore visibly stiffened. "Pardon?"

Laura smiled, bright and unbothered. "Katherine and Adolfo are engaged. Isn’t that wonderful?"

There was a sharp intake of breath from Cleimore’s companions. Even Cleimore herself had to take a second to process the information. Then, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I see."

Katherine braced herself for whatever was coming next.

"So," Cleimore continued, her tone falsely light, "how exactly did this engagement come about? I don’t recall any official announcements."

Laura, still smiling, took a slow sip of her tea. "It was a private matter."

"Convenient," Cleimore murmured, her gaze darkening. "And yet, rather sudden, wouldn’t you say?"

"Some things are just meant to be," Rosea interjected smoothly, her voice laced with quiet amusement.

Katherine almost wanted to thank her, but Cleimore wasn’t finished. She turned to her companion, placing a dainty hand on her arm. "Lady Seraphina, don’t you think it’s fascinating?"

A familiar girl—Seraphina—smirked. "Oh, certainly. Especially considering Lord Adolfo’s... reputation."

Katherine’s fingers twitched. Ah. So she was one of those admirers. She remembered this lady from her previous class who openly mocked her for not knowing magic history as a noble.

Lady Beaumont, who had been silent until now, giggled behind her fan. "It’s just so unusual, you see. Lord Adolfo has always been so selective with his company."

Laura’s expression turned cool. "Are you suggesting my friend is unworthy?"

Katherine barely managed to hold back a smirk. Ah, here we go.

Cleimore’s smile faltered for half a second before she regained her composure. "Oh, of course not. I simply mean that it’s surprising. Many have admired Lord Adolfo for years."

"Admired," Laura echoed. "Yet he chose Katherine."

Silence.

Cleimore’s expression darkened, but she couldn’t argue without outright insulting Katherine in front of the princess. Instead, she forced another smile. "Of course."

This was going to be a very interesting engagement.

Katherine took a slow sip of her tea, watching as Lady Cleimore’s false smile barely concealed the irritation simmering underneath. She had clearly been expecting Katherine to squirm, to falter under the weight of her thinly veiled insults. Unfortunately for her, Katherine had survived far worse.

Still, the tension in the room thickened as Cleimore and her companions exchanged knowing glances. The other noble ladies in the room, though pretending to be engrossed in their own conversations, were clearly eavesdropping, eager to witness the spectacle unfolding before them. Then, in a tone dripping with mock sympathy, Seraphina sighed.

"I suppose it makes sense," she mused. "Lord Adolfo has always had... peculiar tastes. Though one would think a man of his status would choose someone more—how shall I put it—befitting of him."

Lady Beaumont giggled behind her fan. "Indeed. If it were Princess Laura, for instance, no one would be questioning it."

The room fell into an uneasy silence. Katherine barely blinked, but she felt Laura shift beside her. Oh no.

Laura set her teacup down with a soft clink and tilted her head. "Pardon?"

Cleimore smiled, falsely sweet. "I simply mean that Lord Adolfo and Your Highness would make a far more... expected match."

Laura’s expression remained pleasant, but there was a certain sharpness in her gaze now. "Expected by whom?"

The ladies hesitated before Seraphina spoke again, her tone light but pointed. "Well, if it were you, Princess, no one would dare object."

Laura’s lips curled into a smirk, the kind that sent chills down Katherine’s spine. "That’s because they know better than to waste my time with nonsense."

Lady Beaumont’s smile faltered. "You don’t mean to say you dislike Lord Adolfo?"

Laura shrugged. "Oh, I absolutely do."

Katherine coughed into her tea.

Cleimore’s eyes widened slightly. "But surely—"

"Surely nothing," Laura cut in smoothly. "I have no interest in him. And I certainly have no interest in entertaining whatever ridiculous fantasy you all have concocted about how my engagement prospects affect Lady Katherine’s."

Katherine would have cheered if she weren’t currently focused on not bursting into laughter.

Cleimore’s expression tightened. "It’s just that Lady Katherine seems so... reliant on you."

Seraphina hummed, tilting her head. "Yes, running to the princess for protection. Isn’t that a bit—"

"Oh, just say it," Katherine interrupted, setting her cup down with a bit more force than necessary. "Go on, call me lowly for ’hiding behind’ Laura. Let’s just get it over with so I can go back to drinking my tea."

Seraphina blinked, surprised by her directness, but Cleimore recovered quickly. "Well, if you insist."

Katherine sighed dramatically, leaning back in her chair. Here we go.

I’ve seen enough K-dramas to know this script. A few sharp jabs, a trembling heroine, and then—bam!—the male lead swoops in to defend her honor. Except my ’fiancé’ is MIA, and my best shot at a savior is the princess who just admitted she wouldn’t touch the guy with a ten-foot pole. Lovely.

Katherine picked up her teacup and took a long, slow sip.

I could respond with dignity. I could stand up and deliver some refined, well-thought-out rebuttal. Or... I could just sip my tea and let Laura tear them apart with words.

Laura smiled, sensing her cue. "You must be awfully bored to be so obsessed with Lady Katherine’s personal affairs. Maybe you should spend less time gossiping and more time improving your own standing. Or would that be too difficult?"

Cleimore stiffened. Beaumont gasped softly. Seraphina flushed with barely restrained fury.

"That was unnecessary," Cleimore hissed.

"No," Laura said sweetly. "What’s unnecessary is this conversation. But do feel free to continue embarrassing yourselves."

Cleimore’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she clearly knew better than to push further. With a final, forced smile, she turned on her heel. "Come, ladies. We have more important matters to attend to."

With that, they swept out of the room, the tension leaving with them. The other noble ladies, who had been watching with rapt attention, quickly turned away, whispering among themselves as they pretended to resume their conversations.

Camille giggled, shaking her head. "That was thoroughly entertaining."

Rosea, who had been quiet through most of the exchange, finally spoke. "You should know, Katherine... people have been gossiping about a large delivery of gifts sent by Adolfo’s attendant."

Katherine blinked. "What?"

Rosea nodded. "No one knew who the gifts were for, but there were rumors that they were for you since people see you hang out with him."

Shaya hesitated. "Is that why those ladies were so upset?"

Rosea sipped her tea. "Most likely."

Katherine groaned. "Great. I am getting attention effortlessly."

Laura waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, let them be bitter. It’s not your fault Adolfo decided to spoil you senseless."

Camille grinned. "Besides, if you ever do start a boutique, I expect a discount."

Katherine groaned again, but this time, she was smiling. "I hate all of you."

Laura smirked. "No, you don’t."

And, well... she wasn’t wrong.

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