Chapter 17
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#17.
The confectionery party atmosphere had grown as silent as if doused with cold water.
Even with music playing, the hushed murmurs were so faint that the gathering felt desolate.
Because Diana had fled in tears, everyone awkwardly picked at their pastries without enthusiasm.
It was only natural they'd be cautious—one of my closest circles had just stormed out in a flood of tears.
'At this rate, Mother will think even less of me.'
Social gatherings fell under the purview of the ladies of the household. Even with the Grand Duchess and Grand Duchess working in perfect harmony to entertain the guests, I'd managed to create a spectacle.
If word of this reached Elena Hadelus?
She might regard me with contempt, thinking, 'I wondered why things had been so quiet lately.'
'That absolutely cannot happen!'
To salvage this gathering, I retrieved my secret weapon from my bag.
* * *
A few days prior.
"What is that?"
I tilted my head in confusion as I watched Hannah, Vivian, and Shuri giggling and playing with something.
At first glance, it resembled a die, but unlike ordinary six-sided dice, this one had thirteen faces.
Numbers were inscribed on each face, and a board beside it listed behavioral instructions corresponding to each number.
Hannah rolled the die in her palm as she explained.
"Oh, it's a dice game that's become popular among commoners. Amy taught us about it."
Amy—that was the name of the stable keeper's daughter.
"You roll it and perform the action that matches the number that comes up. It's quite entertaining."
"The instructions can be customized depending on who's playing, so they vary. Would you like to see?"
Shuri offered the number board and added her explanation. I read through the forfeit list carefully.
Forward rolls three times, writing your name with your backside, singing a song, giving sweets to whoever jumped the farthest, assigning bathroom cleaning duties—and so forth.
The tasks were designed to embarrass the unfortunate player or play pranks on them.
Now that I thought about it, in my previous life, there were drinking games where you'd roll dice and drink based on the result.
'I suppose there's no real difference here.'
Unlike my past life, there were no computers or smartphones, but it seemed entertainment options weren't entirely absent.
"That sounds fun."
As I showed interest in the die, Shuri pulled five stones from her pocket.
"If the dice game seems too difficult, playing with these stones is entertaining too."
"Oh? This is..."
"It's called 'Petra.' You scatter the stones on the ground and toss them while catching them one by one."
Yes, I knew this game. In my previous life, it was called 'Jacks.'
I fingered the stones thoughtfully. The only games among nobility were chess and card games.
In short, there were only games that required intense mental effort—nothing simple that you could do with your hands.
'Chess and card games are a bit difficult for children to find interesting.'
Children grew best by running and playing. There was no rush to teach them refined, cerebral games later in life.
'If I just scaled it down slightly, it would work fine for children too.'
Even if it's a commoner's game, if it's entertaining, that's what matters. With some refinement to the design, I was certain it would be well-received.
Soon, when the flower festival arrives, many young ladies and gentlemen from noble families will gather. I could bring these then and let them play with them.
If I sent them along as souvenirs, the reception would likely be quite favorable.
I spoke as though a brilliant idea had just occurred to me.
"Vivian, could you make several of these petras? A bit smaller than this one?"
"How many?"
"Enough so I can give one to each guest coming to the confectionery party."
"Pardon?"
Vivian's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of gifting them to guests. And when I continued speaking—
"Better yet, make them from jewels."
"What?!"
Even Hannah and Shuri couldn't help but exclaim loudly in response.
* * *
When I scattered the jacks across the table, everyone's attention shifted toward me.
Neatly crafted gemstones in various colors gleamed with radiant light upon the table.
I'd deliberately created them in diverse color combinations to capture the children's hearts, so they naturally drew the eye.
"Are these gemstones you recently purchased?"
A young lady standing nearby gathered her courage and spoke to me. I smiled warmly in response.
"These are called petras—they're game pieces. I was wondering what would be fun to do with today's guests, so I decided to craft them."
"Petras?"
The young lady tilted her head as though unfamiliar with the term. Then a young gentleman beside her interjected knowingly.
"Petras? Isn't that a game only commoners play? I recall seeing the stable manager picking up stones and playing with them."
The young gentleman's expression was clearly displeased. His tone was laden with the implication that this was a commoner's game, unworthy of their participation.
Those who had shown interest in the jacks rolled their eyes at his remark. Some of them whispered to their neighbors with waning enthusiasm.
Great, a spoilsport has already attached himself to this.
Grumbling inwardly, I maintained my smile and spoke.
"That's right. It's a game developed by commoners. Apparently, they usually play it with stones they pick up."
"Then why did you bring such a thing? There are chess sets here and cards as well."
"Indeed. There's no reason for us to engage in commoner's games."
As the young gentleman took the lead, others began chiming in one by one.
I hadn't failed to anticipate this atmosphere, so I gave a light shrug.
Once one person objects, the reactions inevitably follow suit. Besides, I hadn't brought this merely as a pastime.
"Hmm, I see. What a shame. I had them specially made, you know."
Deliberately adopting a dejected expression, hoping just one person would take the bait, the young lady who had first spoken to me said:
"I'd like to try. It seems like it would be fun."
And there she was, picking up the jacks and rolling them about, playing without understanding the rules.
It was obvious at a glance that she didn't know the rules. I was just about to explain them.
"I'll participate as well. I have a memory of playing this before."
Arkid volunteered to join in as well.
"Oh! Then it will be easier to explain."
Three people was the perfect number for a demonstration game. I was confident that once we began playing, those around us would become interested as well.
"Sounds good. Normally it's more fun with four people playing in pairs, but since there are three of us, individual matches would be better...."
I was just about to briefly explain the Petra rules when—
"I wondered what sort of peculiar game the Grand Duchess enjoyed, but it seems the Grand Duke taught it to her."
Young-sik, who had initially complained about it being a commoner's game, narrowed his brows and let his displeasure show.
When we'd introduced ourselves earlier, I thought he'd said his name was Max from the Donald Family.
Whether it was MacDonald or Donald Duck, I couldn't tolerate him openly embarrassing Arkid over his origins.
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
I shot a sharp glare at Young-sik, who had just made that pointed remark.
It was clear he'd made the jab knowing that Arkid had lived as a commoner for thirteen years.
Young-sik feigned innocence and tried to play it off as I reacted sharply.
"Ah, I was merely saying it seems such a waste to use such a precious jewel for a simple game like this."
Was he really going to pretend that wasn't what he meant?
Max spoke with casual ease, as though I were overreacting. But his gaze made it abundantly clear he looked down on both Arkid and me.
'Damn it, I thought I'd settled accounts with the mouth of hell, but why are there so many people touching my Arkid?'
I could tolerate people touching me, but I couldn't tolerate anyone touching Arkid. I crossed my arms and thrust my chin forward, fixing Max with a cutting stare.
"Donald Young-sik, are you perhaps implying that House Hadelus is in such dire financial straits that even these jewels are too precious to spare?"
"What? No, no!"
Max flinched in surprise and shook his head vigorously.
He clearly hadn't expected me to invoke House Hadelus itself. He added hastily, as if making excuses.
"I, I didn't mean it that way. It's just that the Grand Duke seems to know Petra quite well...."
"That sounds to me like you're mocking my husband's origins."
When I stated it directly, Max's face went pale.
He seemed flustered—nobles typically preferred circumlocution to direct language, and this was entirely different.
Apparently he hadn't known that Rhoena was famous as the mouth of hell.
This was only a mild display, yet he was already trembling with fear.
"You needn't worry, Donald Young-sik. Hadelus Castle overflows with jewels like these. And my husband is far more precious than such jewels—he is the heir to the Grand Ducal House of Hadelus."
"I, I, I'm terribly sorry. I absolutely didn't mean...."
"Don't say you didn't mean it. Unless you want me to be accused of cornering you with baseless accusations."
As I responded coldly, Young-sik began stammering apologies.
I exhaled a long sigh at the atmosphere growing tense once more, then added by way of explanation.
"And I didn't bring this simply to play some trivial commoner's game. Hannah, bring that."
"Yes, Young Mistress."
Hannah, who had been waiting nearby, answered my instruction respectfully and hurried out.
Shortly after, Hannah returned, pulling a mobile trolley laden with small boxes.
The seal of Hadelus was stamped on each box. Since Max looked utterly bewildered, I opened one of them.
Inside lay a complete set of Petra crafted from jewels, arranged like accessories. Each piece bore the seal of Hadelus engraved in intaglio.
On each game piece, a laurel leaf motif was engraved, with pristine snowflakes like wings on either side, the grooves filled with gold.
The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the design was clearly luxurious at first glance.
I adjusted the angle so it could be seen properly and smiled brightly.
"As you can see, these are gifts I'm presenting to our distinguished guests today."
"Y-you're telling everyone here about this gem?"
"Of course."
As Max stammered, I let out a dismissive scoff in response.
"Though it hardly seems necessary for young Donald, who looks down on such pastimes as mere commoner's games."
It was only a matter of time before Max's face hardened like stone at those words.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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