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Just how lucky am I today?
‘I was worrying about how to meet Seymour, and then they say it’s the day we’re going to meet Madam Hayworth.’
I was agonizing over how to strike up a conversation with Madam Hayworth, and then I suddenly get invited to tea time!
Of course, such things weren’t exactly rare.
Nobles always want to show off whenever they do something good.
Having orphanage children suddenly invited to tea time for the sake of display was something that happened quite often.
‘But Madam Hayworth isn’t the type to show off.’
I thought maybe, just maybe — and then she actually invited us to tea time!
Thanks to that, a full-blown party was taking place inside Rowena’s mind.
‘Doesn’t this mean today is really the day I can do anything?’
Of course, the faces of the other children invited to tea time together were practically dead!
But as long as I’m happy, that’s enough!
Rowena hummed a tune inwardly while calmly lifting her teacup.
Although inside her head she was singing, dancing, and throwing a full party, her movements remained impeccably refined.
Naturally.
‘I finally got such a great opportunity — I can’t mess it up here.’
Visits to the sponsors mansions happened at most once per quarter.
The recent visit to the Hayworth mansion had been to commemorate Thanksgiving.
So the next visit would most likely be no earlier than half a year later, around Christmas at the end of the year.
‘But there’s no guarantee that the next visit will bring a better opportunity than this.’
Simply put, this was practically her first and last chance.
That was why Rowena was paying twice as much attention to her behavior as usual.
The one fortunate thing was that Rowena was quite skilled at tea time etiquette, so as long as she didn’t make a mistake, she wouldn’t need to worry too much.
Townsend Orphanage, which targeted high-ranking nobles as its main sponsors and primary adoption candidates, always taught the children noble etiquette.
And among them, Rowena had always been counted as one of the top students.
‘Once tea time is over, I’ll be able to seize an opportunity to talk.’
Rowena silently swallowed a sip of hot tea and rolled her eyes around.
She hadn’t been invited to noblewomen’s tea times very often, but the procedure was mostly similar.
Especially for garden tea parties like this one, after finishing the refreshments, it was customary for the ladies and children to pair up two by two for a walk.
‘That’s when I’ll make my move.’
Looking at the atmosphere, even though it appeared harmonious on the surface, all the children were stiff with tension.
Most of them were so afraid of accidentally making eye contact with Madam Hayworth that they kept their eyes glued to their plates.
‘So when walk time comes, no one will want to link arms with Madam Hayworth.’
That’s when I step forward — perfect!
If I link arms with her, game over!
‘Hehehe.’
I wonder if things are allowed to go this smoothly.
Rowena’s twin tails swayed gently behind her as she hummed inwardly.
‘Now all that’s left is figuring out how to win Madam Hayworth’s favor.’
Rowena was not a foolish little child.
Even without memories from her previous life, she knew that when asking something of an adult, you should only do so when the adult looks like they would gladly open their wallet for you.
The problem was that she had no idea how to make such an expression.
‘What should I do?’
While Rowena was lost in thought and sneaking glances at Madam Hayworth.
“Achoo!”
From a table a little distance away, successive sneezes rang out.
All from the same person.
A nine-year-old boy named Martin.
“Oh my.”
“What should we do…”
However, the problem wasn’t the sneezing itself.
Because of the sudden sneeze, a large amount of tea spilled from the cup Martin was holding.
As a result, Martin’s shirt became completely soaked with tea.
Fortunately, none splashed onto the noblewoman sitting beside him.
But that didn’t make the teachers’ glares any kinder.
“Haha… Oh dear, what do we do now. I’m so sorry, Madam. Our child is weak to pollen… What are you doing, Martin! Stand up and apologize right now!”
The teacher practically grabbed Martin by the scruff of the neck to make him stand.
“Cough! I-I’m sorry…”
“Can’t you apologize louder! Bow your head properly!”
The teacher kept pressing on Martin’s back as if forcing him to bow.
Each time, Martin flinched and made a pained face — because she was viciously pinching his waist in a way that wasn’t visible.
In the end, Martin burst into tears.
“I-I’m sorry… Hic, sob…”
“What’s with this kid? Why are you crying when you did something wrong? Stop crying!”
The teacher glared, telling him to stop immediately, but Madam Hayworth waved her hand.
“That’s enough. Stop it. The child must have been very startled — seeing him cry makes me feel bad. Henry, take the child away and calm him down.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“You are truly generous, Madam. How can your heart be so broad… We really shouldn’t bring children with pollen allergies next time. We almost ruined Madam’s tea time.”
As the butler called Henry took Martin away, the teacher flashed a fawning smile and poured out endless flattery.
It was truly a smooth stream of words.
Jenny, who was sitting next to Rowena, poked her lightly and secretly reached under the table. Then she wrote the letters “Ugh” on Rowena’s palm.
She didn’t forget to exchange a knowing glance either.
Jenny seemed to think the teacher’s flattery was utterly unbearable, but Rowena’s attention was elsewhere.
On Madam Hayworth.
‘Madam Hayworth is usually very strict about things like this.’
Of course, she wasn’t harsh toward children, but she wasn’t the type to express that she “felt bad” to this extent either.
‘And yet, she doesn’t exactly look happy either.’
No — in fact, the more the teacher kept flattering…
“Even if the child has an allergy, isn’t it really unpleasant when they make snuffly noises or cough without minding the place? We put so much effort into educating them precisely so they wouldn’t show such behavior in front of an elegant lady like Madam.”
“The children didn’t choose to be that way — isn’t it a bit too harsh? It’s uncomfortable to listen to, so stop.”
…Her mood seems to be getting worse by the second?!
‘Come to think of it, when Martin coughed earlier.’
Everyone else was looking away and didn’t notice, but Rowena, who had been constantly sneaking glances at Madam Hayworth, saw something.
She had been too startled to be certain at the time.
‘But if I’m right…’
This might be a secret only I noticed!
While Rowena’s eyes sparkled with realization and she trembled with excitement, the tea party was already heading toward its conclusion.
The atmosphere had become chaotic because of Martin’s incident, and everyone had noticed that Madam Hayworth’s mood had noticeably soured.
“Ho, ho ho, I’ve heard the spring garden of the Hayworth mansion is so beautiful. Since the children are here, how about we take a look together?”
“Oh my, that’s a wonderful idea.”
“And since the weather is perfect, pairing up two by two would be nice.”
As the noblewomen each added a word, the quick-witted children rose from their seats one by one and approached the ladies.
And that meant the moment for Rowena to act had arrived.
‘Now’s the time!’
Rowena quickly stood up and walked over to Madam Hayworth.
Then, lifting the ends of her dress, she gave a flawless greeting.
“Madam Hayworth, would you allow me the opportunity to learn from your grace?”
At the bold child’s request, small gasps leaked from various places.
“Gasp!”
“R-Rowena…”
Of course, they were very quiet sounds, but a slight stir still occurred. Children aren’t good at hiding their emotions, and tense children are even worse at it.
Thus, Freya Hayworth — Madam Hayworth — narrowed her seasoned eyes.
‘So this is the child who’s been sneaking glances at me since earlier.’
She had already noticed the gaze that kept glancing her way.
The child seemed to think she was hiding it well, but no matter how clever a young child tries to be, they can’t outmatch an elderly person.
‘I thought she was doing it because she was scared of me.’
But she came forward like this. So it was the opposite?
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