The atmosphere of the refreshment party was as chilled as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over it. Even with music playing, the hushed whispers were so faint that the room felt swallowed by silence. Because Diana had run out in a fit of sobbing, everyone else sat in awkward stillness, merely picking at their snacks. It was only natural for them to be wary; after all, one of my closest associates had just exited in a storm of tears.
*‘At this rate, I’m going to be even further in the Mother’s bad books.’*
Social gatherings were the domain of the lady of the house. It was bad enough that the Grand Duchess and the Young Grand Duchess weren’t working in perfect harmony to entertain the guests, but now I had a full-blown disaster on my hands. What if news of this reached Elena Hadellus? She might look at me with that signature gaze of contempt, thinking, *“I wondered why she’d been so quiet lately.”*
*‘I can’t let that happen!’*
To ensure this gathering ended as a success, I reached into my bag and pulled out my secret weapon.
—
A few days ago.
“What is that?”
I tilted my head as I watched Hanna, Vivian, and Suri giggling and playing together. At a glance, it looked like a die, but unlike a standard six-sided one, this had thirteen faces. Numbers were etched onto each side, and a board sitting next to them listed “rules of conduct” for every number.
Hanna explained as she rolled the die in her palm. “Oh, it’s a dice game that’s popular among the commoners. Amy told me about it.”
Amy was the name of the stablemaster’s daughter.
“You perform the action that matches the number you roll. It’s actually quite fun.”
“The rules change depending on who’s playing because you set them yourselves. Would you like to see?” Suri added, sliding the numbered board toward me.
I scanned the penalties: *Do three forward rolls; write your name using your hips; sing a song; give a snack to the person who jumped the furthest; do all the bathroom cleaning solo*, and so on. They were all designed to embarrass or play a lighthearted prank on whoever got stuck with them.
Come to think of it, back in my past life, there were dice games for drinking, too.
*‘I suppose things aren’t that different here.’*
Unlike my previous life, there were no computers or smartphones, but it seemed people weren’t entirely without entertainment.
“Looks fun.”
Seeing my interest, Suri pulled five stones from her pocket. “If the dice game is too difficult, this game played with stones is also very entertaining.”
“Oh? This is…”
“It’s called ‘Petra.’ You scatter the stones on the floor, toss one up, and try to catch the others one by one.”
Yes, I knew it. In my past life, this was the game we called *Gonggi*.
I fell into thought as I fiddled with the stones. Noble pastimes were limited to things like chess or cards. In short, they only played games that required heavy mental labor; there were no games that relied on simple manual dexterity.
*‘Chess and cards are a bit too difficult for children to find interesting.’*
Children were supposed to grow up playing and running around. There was plenty of time to sit gracefully and play mental games when they were older.
*‘If I just shrink the size a bit, it would be perfect for the kids.’*
Even if it originated with commoners, if it was fun, that was all that mattered. If I refined the design to be more sophisticated, I was certain it would get a good reaction. Since many young ladies and lords would be gathering soon for the Flower Festival, this would be the perfect thing to play. In fact, if I sent them home with these as souvenirs, the response would likely be excellent.
As if struck by a brilliant idea, I spoke up. “Vivian, could you have several sets of Petra made? Just a bit smaller.”
“How many, Milady?”
“Enough so I can give one to every guest who comes to the refreshment party.”
“Pardon?”
Vivian’s eyes went wide at the sudden suggestion of giving these as gifts. And when I spoke my next words—
“And while you’re at it, make them out of gemstones.”
“WHAAAT?!”
Even Hanna and Suri couldn’t help but cry out in shock.
—
The moment I spilled the *Gonggi* stones onto the table with a clatter, everyone’s attention shifted toward me. The neatly polished, multi-colored gems glowed with a brilliant luster under the light. Since I had intentionally chosen a variety of color combinations to catch a child’s eye, they naturally drew stares.
“Are those gems you purchased recently?”
A young lady sitting nearby gathered her courage to ask. I replied with a beaming smile.
“This is a game called Petra. I had it commissioned while wondering what would be fun to do with everyone who visited today.”
“Petra?”
The young lady tilted her head, clearly unfamiliar with the name. Just then, a young lord sitting beside her acted as if he knew all about it.
“Isn’t Petra a game played by commoners? I recall seeing a stable hand picking up stones to play it.”
The young lord’s displeasure was obvious. His tone was thick with the implication: *Are you seriously suggesting we play a commoner’s game here?*
The others, who had been looking at the stones with interest, shifted their gazes uncomfortably. Some lost interest immediately and began whispering to their neighbors.
*Seriously? A party-pooper right out of the gate.*
Muttering inwardly, I forced a smile and said, “That’s right. It is a game developed by commoners. I hear they usually play by picking up pebbles.”
“Then why bring such a thing here? We have chessboards and cards.”
“He’s right. There is no reason for us to play at being commoners.”
Once the young lord took the lead, others began to chime in. I hadn’t entirely failed to predict this reaction, so I simply gave a light shrug. Once I hooked just one person, the rest would follow. Besides, I hadn’t brought these just for the sake of the game.
“Hmm, is that so? That’s a shame. I had these specially made.”
I purposefully adopted a dejected expression, hoping to bait someone, when the young lady who had first spoken up said, “I’ll try it. It looks like fun.”
She then picked up the stones and started rolling them around—though it was clear she had no idea what the rules were. Just as I was about to explain, another voice joined in.
“I will play as well. I remember playing this once before.”
Akid had stepped forward to join.
“Oh! Then it’ll be much easier to explain.”
Three people were the perfect number for a demonstration. I was confident that once the game started, the people nearby would get curious.
“Great. Usually, it’s most fun with four people playing in teams of two, but since there are three of us, an individual match is best…”
I was just about to start a brief explanation of the rules when—
“I was wondering why the Young Grand Duchess was enjoying such a bizarre game, but it seems the Young Grand Duke was the one who taught it to you.”
The young lord who had first complained about it being a “commoner’s game” narrowed his eyes, exuding an air of condescension. If I recalled correctly from the introductions, he was Max from the House of Count Donald.
Whether he was McDonald or Donald Duck, I didn’t care—but I could not tolerate him openly insulting Akid’s background.
“And what, exactly, do you mean by that?”
I glared at the young lord who had just fired that targeted shot. He was clearly taking a jab because he knew Akid had lived like a commoner for thirteen years. When I reacted sharply, he tried to play it off with a casual shrug.
“Ah, I only meant that it seems such a waste to use precious gems for a game like that.”
*Who do you think you’re fooling?*
Max spoke with an easy air as if I were overreacting, but the contempt for both Akid and me was vivid in his eyes.
*‘Hah. I was planning to retire my “silver tongue from hell,” but why are there so many people itching to touch my Akid?’*
As a rule, I could tolerate people messing with me, but I would not stand for anyone touching Akid. I crossed my arms, tilted my chin up, and snapped at Max.
“Lord Donald, are you perhaps implying that the House of Hadellus is in such dire straits that we would find a few measly gemstones wasteful?”
“What? Oh—no!”
Max jumped, shaking his head frantically. He clearly hadn’t expected me to drag the prestige of the Hadellus name into this. He scrambled to add an excuse.
“I—I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that the Young Grand Duke seemed so familiar with Petra…”
“Which sounds to me like you are mocking my husband’s upbringing.”
When I pointed it out directly, Max’s face turned ghostly white. He seemed flustered by a communication style so different from the vague, euphemistic speech nobles usually preferred. Apparently, he hadn’t heard that Roena was famous for having a “tongue of fire.” To think he’d get this scared when I was barely even trying.
“Even if Lord Donald doesn’t worry himself over it, Hadellus Castle is overflowing with such gems. Furthermore, my husband is the heir to the Grand Duchy of Hadellus, a man far more precious than any jewel.”
“I—I—I am so sorry. I truly didn’t mean…”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t mean it. Unless you intend to claim that I am cornering you with groundless accusations.”
As I maintained my cold front, the young lord began to stammer out apologies. I let out a long sigh at the freezing atmosphere and added an explanation.
“And I didn’t bring this here simply to play some trivial commoner’s game. Hanna, bring it in.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
Hanna, who had been waiting nearby, bowed politely and hurried outside. Moments later, she returned pushing a mobile trolley stacked with small boxes. Each box was stamped with the seal of Hadellus. Seeing Max’s bewildered expression, I opened one of the boxes.
Inside was a set of gemstone Petra stones, arranged like fine jewelry. They were engraved with the Hadellus crest—a design where laurel leaves cradled a white snowflake like wings, the etchings filled with gold. The craftsmanship was so meticulous that the luxury was evident at a single glance.
I tilted the box so everyone could see it clearly and gave a refreshing smile.
“As you can see, these were prepared as gifts for the honored guests who joined us today.”
“You mean… these gems are for everyone here?”
“Of course.”
When Max stammered, I replied with a sharp huff of laughter.
“Though, naturally, they wouldn’t be necessary for Lord Donald, who holds such disdain for ‘commoner games’.”
At those words, it was only a matter of time before Max’s face turned as hard as stone.
