[Day 17 of Daily Mission]
[Easy Level: Dayshift - 7 hours of duty in the Library of Capital City]
"Hey, mortal," a voice called from behind me. I turned from restocking a shelf of returned books to see a familiar face—one of the many who frequented our maid café, always accompanying that insufferable guy who has a weird kink.
"Hello, what can I do for you?" I asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.
"Can we talk for a bit?" she inquired, a sad expression on her face.
"I'm sorry, but I'm working right now," I said, and her face fell further, like a puppy who wasn't allowed to go for a walk. "But we can talk later, after my shift."
Her mood brightened instantly, her lips curling into a smile. "Okay. I'll see you over there," she said, pointing to a table by the tall window.
"Sounds good," I replied awkwardly, returning to my chores.
About an hour later, she came back to me. "I got bored of waiting," she said simply, handing me a small, folded paper. "I've already paid for the rest of your shift, so you don't have to worry about work."
I stared at her, then the paper, and then the paper again. This had to be something important. She'd just paid a large sum of money for my day. I told ate Clydelle I'll be leaving with the girl who paid for my work and that I'll be home before midnight.
"So… what's your deal?" I asked, feeling incredibly uncomfortable sitting in a fancy restaurant.
"That was quite rude, coming from someone whose day I just paid for," she said, a smirk playing on her lips. Her expression was both pleased and arrogant.
"Oh, well, I guess I should apologize… I'm sorry?" I offered.
"Pfft! You don't need to apologize. I'm the one who unexpectedly appeared and dragged you here, so… I apologize."
"Yeah?" I raised my right eyebrow, feeling slightly uneasy. "Can I at least ask your name again?"
She waved her hand to silence me as the waiter arrived. After ordering for both of us, she turned back to me with a small laugh. "It's quite surprising that I, a Lady of Freyr from the Marquess family, have known your name since the first day we met. But that's understandable; you're from the mortal world, so you know nothing."
"I sincerely apologize—"
"Quiet, stop it. I don't need your apology. Anyway, I am Princess Leonel Freyr, but you may drop the formalities and call me Leonel."
"Are you sure I can call you Leonel without a respectful title?"
"How is that any different from the way you address Daniel, who holds the same status as me?"
"Respect is earned, not demanded," I stated, surprising her with my boldness. "I cannot respect someone who has wronged me."
A pleased smile spread across her face. I knew she'd noticed that I had noticed it, too. "Then do you find me respectable? Didn't I also mock you?"
"But I think you're much better than him."
"Is that so?" she giggled, a playful light in her eyes. "I'd like to see you more often. I would like to make amends, I want you to attend my tea party this weekend." She handed me an invitation card.
"What should I wear?" I asked, holding the card.
"Hmm… Of course, you know nothing about that." She stood up and waved to the waiter to pay our bill.
"Uhh? Are you leaving already?"
"No," she said, handing the waiter a card. "You're coming with me. I'll buy you a nice dress for my tea party."
We hurried out of the restaurant and into a posh boutique. The owner greeted Leonel as if they were old friends.
"The dress you ordered will be delivered to your suite in the morning," the owner said, glancing at me. "Your new maid?"
Leonel giggled and pulled me in front of her. "She's also a tournament participant and a new acquaintance of mine. She'll be attending the tea party, so I'd like to buy her a dress."
"Oh, I see! With this rare beauty, she can't just be a maid. I apologize, young lady." The owner smiled and came over to examine me. "She has nice body proportions; it will be easy to design something for her."
"All right, Sari, go with her," Leonel said, letting go of my hand.
I followed the guy inside the dressing room, where he ordered me to take off some of my clothes so he could measure my body.
"Just as I thought, you have a beautiful body that fits my creations perfectly!" he exclaimed joyfully, or rather the pronouns of she/her suits the owner.
"Uhh, thanks…?"
"Pearl white looks best on you with this hair color, but yellow butter, lavender, crimson blood, and jet black are also great!" She walked in circles around me, deep in thought. "However, for Princess Leonel's tea party, I think a light shade of pink will do. It will satisfy the Lady's request, but you won't stand out too much. After all, we don't want the guest to outshine the host, do we?"
I simply nodded, and she proceeded to take my measurements.
"86-66-99 cm! And a height of 165 cm!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "Please, let me be your couturière!"
I was surprised by the sudden request. She was holding both of my hands, and I was at a loss for words. I was sure she'd be disappointed if I declined her offer.
"You can't have her," Leonel said, appearing suddenly in the doorway.
"Why not? She's perfect for my creations!" She protested.
"She's participating in the tournament. It will be difficult for her to visit your store frequently while carrying out their mission. You don't want your model looking exhausted, do you?"
"Ohh… Of course. That's a pity. Her beauty is rare and quite familiar, so it would be a fortune if she became my model. However, you are participating in a tournament that will be of great help in the impending war for our world's freedom... this is a bittersweet tale of fate," she said dramatically, gently squeezing my hands. "I wish for your safety, and I hope you can visit here again."
I smiled at her, grateful for her concern. "Thanks."
We left the boutique as soon as Leonel had paid for my dress. I also gave the owner my address.
"I'll see you this weekend at my house, and thank you for today," Leonel said as she rode a luxurious floating carriage. It had a crest I assumed was her family's.
[Day of the Tea Party at the Freyr's ]
[Greenhouse…]
"Are you ready?" Leonel asked after knocking from outside the door.
"Yeah, I'm just nervous," I admitted, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I was pleased with how I looked. Leonel's maids had done an excellent job of making me presentable.
When she suddenly entered the room, Leonel stopped in her tracks, looking at me from head to toe.
"They sure made you look beauti—" She cleared her throat and averted her gaze. "Decent," she said as she walked towards me.
"Thank you," I said shyly.
"Come on, just follow my lead," she said, motioning for me to come along. I hesitated, feeling self-conscious next to her, but she grabbed my hand and gently pulled me outside. "I present to you one of the most important traditions in our world."
And I was blown away by the simple yet stylish decorations inside their greenhouse. A large round table with various pastries and teacups for each guest. About 5 maids are arranged around the table, each with a serving trolley containing a fancy teapot and some small ceramic containers, which I assume contain sugar, honey, or milk.
"Welcome to my tea party," she whispered to me.
"I'm honored."
Seated at a polished wooden table, I listened as Leonel introduced me to a small circle of noblewomen. She deliberately omitted any mention of my participation in the tournament, allowing me to blend in as just another guest.
The conversation, however, quickly turned to the latest gossip circulating among the aristocracy—a familiar cycle of whispers about affairs and social scandals that seemed to follow nobles even here, in a world far removed from Earth.
"And I've heard that mortals have started wandering around our world," one woman said, her tone a mix of curiosity and disdain.
"I believe they're here for the tournament, aren't they?" another chimed in, a slight sneer on her lips. "I heard they even passed the first round."
"Yes, that's something new, right?" a third woman said, leaning in. "I thought it was just a myth, but I overheard some of my maids talking about mortals working in the library for their mission."
A wave of revulsion rippled through the group. "I'll never go to the library again just to look at their disgusting faces," one declared, shuddering dramatically.
"I wouldn't dare interact with one, ugh," another added, wrinkling her nose.
My knuckles tightened beneath the table, my fists clenching with a frustration that threatened to spill over. I wanted to defend me and my family from their ignorance, but I held my tongue. The last thing I wanted was to cause a scene and disrespect Leonel, who had graciously invited me to her home.
It was Leonel who finally broke the silence. "But at least such mortals have volunteered to fight for the safety of our world's impending doom. If they survive, they will be of great help," she said, her calm voice surprising some of the women.
One of them quickly recovered. "Y-yeah, but that's only if they survive, right? There's no way they're going to win; why bother joining if they're not going to qualify?"
Leonel simply took a slow sip of her tea, her eyes holding a dangerous glint. "Why don't you come to the next round and see for yourself whether those mortals qualify?" she asked, her voice dangerously soft.
"Were you defending them?" the woman blurted out, her composure faltering.
"Am I?" Leonel responded, her gaze turning fierce as she fixed it on the woman. "I suggest you go find out for yourself rather than dismissing them first. I haven't seen their abilities, so I don't know either." The woman who had dared to question Leonel blanched and quickly averted her gaze, her face pale with fear.
Another woman, invigorated by the moment, spoke up. "B-but if they qualify, is it really okay to continue? Wouldn't that taint the reputation of other nobles, as a mere mortal won over them?"
"As I said, they volunteered because they knew they were going to risk their lives to save an unfamiliar world," Leonel said, her tone cool and measured. "And while we cannot avoid the fact that some nobles will be ashamed and remorseful, they may try to sabotage them for their own satisfaction."
Leonel's words weren't a defense of my people.
They were a cold, hard acknowledgment of the reality we faced. She wasn't simply siding with us; she was laying out the likely consequences, hinting at the very real danger that awaited us. It felt like a warning, a subtle message to me to be cautious and to prepare for the resentment and sabotage that might come if I continued to succeed.
Her neutrality was more telling than any outright support, a clear signal that the path ahead would be anything but easy.
The afternoon conversation eventually wound down, and to my immense relief, the noblewomen remained oblivious to my true identity. Leonel's careful introduction and her quick-witted deflections had kept me safely anonymous, a simple guest rather than a tournament participant.
As I prepared to leave, I offered her a genuine smile and a polite bow. "Thank you for inviting me here. I've learned a lot."
She returned my smile and a slight nod. "I'll see you again."
I admit, accepting her invitation is a risk to take, but it had paid off in an unexpected way.
The venomous whispers and blatant prejudice I had overheard offered a clear window into the prevailing mindset of Zeraschia's aristocracy. I now understood the full extent of the hostility we mortals would be facing—not just in the tournament arena, but in the court of public opinion as well. The coming battles would be about more than just survival; they would be about proving our worth to a world that saw us as nothing more than an anomaly.