Maria's eyes widened when she heard my suggestion.
"Four of us? That's…."
A double date, of course. But if I mentioned the word "date," Maria might just dive into a mouse hole out of embarrassment. So, I phrased it a bit differently.
"It's just a light summer picnic. And didn't you say you admired the idea of walking alongside engaged couples? Think of it as a rehearsal with betrothed pairs you know."
"Well, I suppose that's true…."
"Don't worry about people watching. I'll find a quiet, secluded, and beautiful spot."
Maria's cheeks were still pink, but she didn't reject the idea.
"Alright. Thanks for thinking about this, Dory."
"Let me know what Arthur's schedule looks like once you ask him in your next letter. I'll start scouting locations as soon as my performance ends."
I should ask Natalie for help. She's bound to know some fabulous date spots.
But then, Tristan came to mind.
'Will that guy even show up if I invite him? He's always busy, and on top of that, being around Arthur is bound to make him uncomfortable….'
I already had a plan to convince him if needed.
'I'll argue that, politically, this double date wouldn't harm Tristan.'
By bringing both couples together, I could emphasize two things:
"There's no rivalry between the young duke and the prince over the Blue Atrium inheritance.""I'm confident enough in my relationship to stand proudly before Arthur and remain devoted to my fiancé."
'Although Tristan might hate the last part.'
Oh well. He can just stick to our usual routine of strolling around and having useless conversations with me.
Meanwhile, I'd make sure Maria and Arthur had time alone!
It wouldn't be a dramatic setting like a cliffside at midnight with no one around, but if they spent even a moment together, they'd at least hold hands.
Suddenly, a certain unfortunate figure popped into my head.
"Maria, how's Rick doing?"
"Oh my."
Maria's eyes widened again, and her response was a mix of the expected and the completely unexpected.
"He's doing fine, as usual, balancing between Uncle and the staff. But the other day, when we went to see the play—while I was off calling the constable, did something happen between you two?"
"All I did was go look for my maid. Why?"
"Rick's been asking if you're doing well lately. And he's been trying to make it seem like it just crossed his mind."
"…"
What's going on, man? That's scary!
'Is he holding a grudge against me for losing the Blue Atrium?'
Look, that wasn't my fault! Blame your biological father's incompetence and the king and the earl's disastrous teamwork!
Of course, pondering it alone wasn't going to provide any answers.
"We had a brief argument about my maid's behavior."
"You argued? Over what?"
"I think it's only human to be a little impulsive in the heat of the moment, but Rick seems to believe that's unacceptable."
"Ah… I see. Yes, Rick can be quite strict with emotions, both his own and others'. That kind of life isn't bad, but… I hope Rick finds someone he can lean on emotionally."
"…"
"Uncle wasn't happy when I insisted on bringing Rick into the house. But I wanted to give him a chance to meet people and form connections. So I convinced Uncle by saying, 'Rick is skilled in swordsmanship; he could serve as the barony's guard.'"
This was the first time I'd heard this story.
'Now that you mention it, there's no way the baron, who found Maria herself a nuisance, would've easily agreed to take in Rick.'
Maria must not have wanted to strain her relationship with someone she would depend on in the future.
Rick must truly be important to her.
'Just not romantically.'
I nodded firmly.
"He'll definitely meet someone wonderful. Even the maids at our house say Rick is not only handsome but also has a great personality."
Of course, in the original story, Rick didn't get a romantic happy ending. That's just how a lot of romances work, isn't it?
The second male lead who loses in the game of love? He stays single until the end!
What's that? He eventually got married to someone else while still harboring feelings for the female lead? That's not a second male lead—that's just a married man with an interesting backstory!
But that was only the case in the novel.
Now that this is my reality, I wouldn't mind at all if Rick fell for someone other than Maria.
No, I'd go beyond that—I want him to fall for someone else!
"I agree with the maids. Rick really is a great guy."
"Right? I've always thought so! I knew my eyes weren't wrong!"
The problem was that Arthur, as the male lead, had been blessed with every conceivable handsome trait, while Tristan's good looks were emphasized to underscore his infuriating personality. But Rick? He was plenty attractive too.
While we exchanged this ultimately trivial but oddly satisfying chatter, someone knocked on Maria's door.
"Are you there?"
It wasn't the voice of a maid. It was Rick Rey.
Speak of the devil, and he appears, huh?
Maria cheerfully responded.
"What brings you here, Rick? You can come in!"
"The baron said… huh?"
Rick opened the door and froze when he saw me. His reaction startled me in turn.
"Hello… there?"
"Good day."
Rick mumbled a greeting that sounded almost like "G'day ma'am" and then turned to Maria with a desperate look.
"What brings the Lady here?"
"A friend visiting another friend's house. Is there something wrong with that? Are you uncomfortable, perhaps?"
"N-no! Of course not!"
He's definitely uncomfortable!
Maria must have picked up on it too, as her tone turned slightly teasing.
"Of course not. Why would he be? Dory thinks so highly of you."
"…Thinks highly of me?"
"We were just talking about how you're such an impressive person. Dory agreed, too."
"…"
Rick turned to me with an expression that screamed disbelief, as if he'd just been handed an unexpected snack while half-asleep. He looked simultaneously flattered and caught off guard.
"What exactly did you say about me?"
"Exactly what you heard. I said you're an admirable person."
"…"
"You have a different kind of charm than the socialites who rely on inherited wealth and refinement."
I wasn't particularly inclined to compliment him, but I didn't see any benefit in creating unnecessary conflict, so I simply shared my honest opinion.
Rick's face turned red from the unexpected barrage of praise, and he sharply turned his head away. His flushed ears glowed like Rudolph's nose through his brown hair.
"What's with this all of a sudden…? Did you two decide to team up and tease me?"
Maria grumbled.
"I'm serious. You always used to get annoyed whenever I said, 'You're really amazing,' claiming it wasn't funny."
"…Because that's not something I wanted to hear from you."
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying my compliments lack charm?"
"T-that's not it at all!"
Rick glanced nervously at Maria, unsure of what to say, and his flustered expression made me suppress a wry smile.
It was probably best if Maria never realized how Rick truly felt. If she did, the guilt would crush her.
"In that case, hearing it from me should be fine, right?"
Ah, maybe I shouldn't have chimed in. Rick turned his head away again so fast it practically made a snapping sound.
"…I'm not sure. Let's just not talk about this."
"Why not? I'm being sincere."
"…"
"If you ever take an interest in someone around me—be it a maid or a lady—just let me know. I'll do my best to help. Oh, but my sister is off-limits."
"I wouldn't even think of it!"
Rick burst into an exasperated laugh. Thankfully, the tension in the air lightened a bit.
Maria pointed to an empty chair.
"So, what's up? If you've got time, sit down. We were just talking about the charity performance."
"Unfortunately, I'm not here to relax. The baron has returned from his meeting, and upon hearing that you and Lady Dorys are here, he suggested having tea together."
"A tea time…?"
A lady inviting a guest to tea in her own home wasn't unusual.
But the baron? Why?
Rick quickly clarified the reason.
"After the meeting, the host expressed interest in touring the baron's training grounds. However, the grounds needed some cleaning beforehand."
"Oh, I see. The tea time is just to buy some time, then. Who's the guest?"
"His Highness, Prince Tristan."
I had started laughing, fully understanding the need to stall for time to clean the training grounds, but the moment I heard who the guest was, I nearly spat out my tea in shock.
Why does he always show up at the most unexpected moments? Is he some kind of cursed, handsome doll?