“Ernea, here’s an invitation for you.”
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Ristia says that to me soon after school resumes for the new year and hands me a letter.
“An invitation?”
I accept the envelop with the letter inside of it from Risita.
Curious to who it’s from, I search for the sender’s name, except there is none. What I do see on the back of the envelop is a crest stamped onto the sealing wax.
A crest where two dragons are facing each other. Their tails reach up over their heads and cross where they then coil around a sword.
This is the crest of the royal family.
An invitation from the king, I don’t have the slightest memory of that ever happening before. I met him once last year because of the demon sword incident, but I haven’t heard anything else about that afterwards. That’s why I don’t think this invitation is related to that.
I don’t understand the meaning behind the invitation, so I send a questioning stare to Ristia.
“I haven’t heard the details either. Although, I don’t know why, there is someone who knows you. That person wants to meet you, so you are being invited.”
“Who is that person?”
“Well, no idea.”
“What kinda answer is that?”
“I seriously don’t know. I was only told to hand you the invitation to the tea party by the king.”
Ristia also looks to be troubled.
I wonder if there is someone who knows me among this country’s big shots? Why would someone know about me? What does that person know about me and why the interest in me? And as for that person, who the heck is it?
I open the seal of the envelop Ristia gave me while tilting my head. There are two sheets of paper inside. One is an invitation to the tea party and the other has the date, time, and place written on it.
“The sender isn’t written here either.”
“Seriously? Well, I’ll be going too, and if you go, you’ll be able to find out who the sender is.”
Ristia says that while peeking at the envelope I opened.
“Ristia is also going?”
“Yeah, and not just me. Slatton and the others along with the aristocracy, this kingdom’s knights, and the knights of the Kingdom of Jortenitost will be attending. This will be a large-scale tea party.
“Ah, so it’s like that? I was getting nervous thinking it was going to be a small gathering of family members like last time.”
“Hahaha, now that you mention it, that did happen. This time, there will be a great number of people attending. Nothing to be nervous about. From what I’ve heard, it seems like adventurers and merchants will also be there.”
“Mumumu, if it’s going to be like that, then what’s the point of this tea party?”
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A tea party hosted by the king-sama where a great number of normal people can attend? I, someone completely ignorant to the rules of the royal family, can’t figure out the meaning behind this tea party.
“I think it might have something to do with the hunt for the flying dragons taking place this year.”
Why am I being invited to a tea party being held for the hunt for the flying dragons. I can understand the knight-sama of the Armand kingdom and the Kingdom of Jortenitost being invited. They are the stars of the hunt for flying dragons. This is probably a chance for them to meet each other.
I can understand the merchants too. As a lot of people will be participating in the hunt for flying dragons, capital and materials are necessary. If merchants attend, they will be able to lend money. The adventurers are the same as this kingdom’s knight-sama. I have no doubt that outstanding adventurers will be taking part in the hunt for the flying dragons.
So, why was I invited?
Is the person who knows me a distinguished person of this country? I seriously have no idea.
Maybe it is someone who realized my doing this and that in the Dragon’s Forest. But, I don’t see what that has to do with being invited to a tea party. I keep my connection with the Dragon’s Forest so secret, I haven’t even told Ristia about it. I doubt anyone else could have figured it out.
Then, why am I being invited? Just what reason does the person who invited me to the tea party have to be interested in me?
N- no way.
Could the person who invited me be from the Kingdom of Jortenitost?
Last time, I had an extremely terrible interaction with Grave-sama, the first prince of the Kingdom of Jortenitost and commander of their Chivalric Order of the Flying Dragons. I realize his reaction wasn’t unreasonable. Even if they were possessed by demon swords, they were still knights of his kingdom I defeated. I must have touched a nerve.
I might be hated by the Kingdom of Jortenitost’s military-san. I’m not being invited to the tea party so Grave-sama can look down on me, right?
Uuugh, my complexion pales at the unpleasant thought.
“What’s wrong, a stomachache?”
“No, I just remembered something unpleasant from last time.”
“Oh…”
Ristia’s expression twists as he also immediately remembers.
“Grave-sama will certainly be attending this tea party too. However, I said the person interested in you is from the Armand Kingdom. So, don’t worry about him.”
“Eeeh, that prince-sama is coming too?”
I instantly get depressed.
I don’t want to go…
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“Eetto, hey. As someone from lower mid-class, I don’t have any clothes fitting for attending tea parties. Maybe I shouldn’t go this time.”
“Ehehe, refusing an invitation from our king-sama. I’d say that takes more guts than attending the tea party in normal clothes.”
“Ugh.”
My face flinches when Ristia points that out. “You can use my clothes. The size will be off but adjusting something for your height is faster than getting a new one made.”
“Eeeh, that won’t work.”
“You can use my clothes. The size will be off but adjusting something for your height is faster than getting a new one made.”
“Eeeh, that won’t work.”
Even if I wear clothes Risita uses for official business, I absolutely doubt they’d suit me. It’s easy to see that no matter how much they are adjusted, they won’t work on me.
“It can’t be helped, I suppose. Put up with it this time for me. If it’s necessary, I’ll accompany you to a tailor.”
“Uuugh, I really don’t want to be invited to a place where aristocrat-sama are gathered. The tension is making my mind strange. Besides, we can’t afford to have clothes tailored for going to places like that at my house.”
“Then, that’s even more reason to put up with my used clothes.”
“Uuugh.”
How did this happen?
I resent whoever it was who invited me to the tea party. Summoning me without telling me who he is or why I’m even being invited. That person is terrible. Even though I’m not all that interested, I can’t refuse, and I have no choice but to attend.
The tea party is going to be held on the next rest day.
I later tell Old Sleigstar I won’t be able to go to the moss covered plaza on the day of the tea party. Then, Risita invites me to the mansion he lives in.
I thought for sure that Risita lived in the royal castle, but I was wrong.
Nope, looks like I was half right. Around last fall, Ristia received the mansion from the king-sama so that he could live with his brides. It seems like he moved here from the castle then.
“Being able to receive such a luxurious house from the king-sama, as expected of Yuusha Ristia-sama!” Upon saying that, I’m told that with the first wife Ceries being the fourth princess, it’s more accurate to say this was a gift for her.
The mansion is already attended to by a lot of servants and has already been decorated with extravagant ornaments and a beautiful garden.
Ceries-sama, Slatton, and the others come out to greet me when I arrive. I came to receive clothes from Ristia for the tea party and to get the size adjusted.
I am guided to a room where Ristia and everyone evaluate the various clothes I try on. It’s like I’m a dress-up doll.
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Slatton laughs every time I change clothes.
That doesn’t look good on you.
It can’t be helped, can it?
I don’t have the dignity for formal attire. I’m from the lower middle class.
Ristia and the attendants helping me get changed take helping me seriously. The Yuusha’s companions, including Ceries-sama, are laughing with delight.
They are heartless. It isn’t just Slatton, Ceries-sama and the others are all laughing at me.
It gets dark while I am trying on different outfits. At least half a day has passed.
Maybe, I am being treated like a dress-up doll?
When I’m seriously starting to consider that, Ristia finally decides on an outfit.
Eetto, Ristia, just how many outfits do you have? I must have tried on around one hundred outfits. Having that many is telling of how wealthy of a lifestyle he lives. I am shocked by how vastly different the lives we are.
With my clothes selected, the servants adjust the hems to match with my size. As I’m considerably shorter than Ristia, I’m pretty sure quite a lot is going to need to be cut away.
My lack of height makes me sad.
“Thanks for your hard work, Ernea.”
With my measurements finished and my changing back in my everyday clothes done, Ceries-sama brings me a drink.
“I’m exhausted.”
My shoulders drop as I receive the drink.
I’m seriously worn out. This was more exhausting than training. If it’s gonna be like this, then it’s better to go to the moss covered plaza instead of attending some tea party.
This is that person’s fault.
I blame that unknown person who sent me the tea party invitation.
If I meet this person at the tea party, I’m going to voice all of my complaints. We won’t be even otherwise.
Now that I’ve found an objective for the tea party, a different type of motivation is welling up inside of me.
“Erneacchi, thanks for your hard work. I(boku) also think the last outfit looked good on you.”
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The “boku” girl, Neimie appears.
She teases the exhausted me as she darts around like a squirrel. The way she wanders around by coming towards me or going to Ristia is cute.
Neimie is responsible for healing the Yuusha-sama’s honorable party. Of Ristia’s brides, not only does she like cute things, she is cute like a small animal.
“I will also be attending the tea party. I have great expectations for you on that day.”
“What kind of expectations.”
“She’s expecting you to foolishly mess up.”
“Tha- that’s not true. I’m looking forward to Erneacchi’s dashing appearance.”
“Don’t lie. You were laughing too.”
At Slatton’s slander, Neimie waves both of her hands in objection.
“Slatton, don’t say terrible things.”
“Ouch, don’t hit me.”
Cleisio drops her fist on Slatton.
How lenient!
You’re too lenient, Cleisio. Hit him some more, as hard as you can.
I also want to hit Slatton, but I’m so tired I don’t want to move.
“That was rough. You worked hard, but with this, you’ll be ready for the tea party.” (Ristia)
“I never thought choosing clothes would be that hard.” (Ernea)
“Hahaha, Ernea is a good person. When a team of women start clothes shopping, you’ll be crushed for the day.” (Ristia)
“That’s right. Coordinating the color of our outfits so they don’t overlap is tough.” (Ceries)
“Uhehe, that sounds difficult.” (Ernea)
Ceries-sama and the others must also have lots of clothes. Selecting an outfit while avoiding what others are wearing sounds hard. Having now experienced being a dress-up doll, I have come to know the great difficulty women go through.
“The clothes will be finished up here. On the day of the tea party, come here first to get changed. Then we can all head to the venue together.”
“Yeah, going with everyone is reassuring. I’ll be in your care on that day.”
After making some brief arrangements for the day of the tea party, I head home for the evening.
“Ernea, here’s an invitation for you.”
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Ristia says that to me soon after school resumes for the new year and hands me a letter.
“An invitation?”
I accept the envelop with the letter inside of it from Risita.
Curious to who it’s from, I search for the sender’s name, except there is none. What I do see on the back of the envelop is a crest stamped onto the sealing wax.
A crest where two dragons are facing each other. Their tails reach up over their heads and cross where they then coil around a sword.
This is the crest of the royal family.
An invitation from the king, I don’t have the slightest memory of that ever happening before. I met him once last year because of the demon sword incident, but I haven’t heard anything else about that afterwards. That’s why I don’t think this invitation is related to that.
I don’t understand the meaning behind the invitation, so I send a questioning stare to Ristia.
“I haven’t heard the details either. Although, I don’t know why, there is someone who knows you. That person wants to meet you, so you are being invited.”
“Who is that person?”
“Well, no idea.”
“What kinda answer is that?”
“I seriously don’t know. I was only told to hand you the invitation to the tea party by the king.”
Ristia also looks to be troubled.
I wonder if there is someone who knows me among this country’s big shots? Why would someone know about me? What does that person know about me and why the interest in me? And as for that person, who the heck is it?
I open the seal of the envelop Ristia gave me while tilting my head. There are two sheets of paper inside. One is an invitation to the tea party and the other has the date, time, and place written on it.
“The sender isn’t written here either.”
“Seriously? Well, I’ll be going too, and if you go, you’ll be able to find out who the sender is.”
Ristia says that while peeking at the envelope I opened.
“Ristia is also going?”
“Yeah, and not just me. Slatton and the others along with the aristocracy, this kingdom’s knights, and the knights of the Kingdom of Jortenitost will be attending. This will be a large-scale tea party.
“Ah, so it’s like that? I was getting nervous thinking it was going to be a small gathering of family members like last time.”
“Hahaha, now that you mention it, that did happen. This time, there will be a great number of people attending. Nothing to be nervous about. From what I’ve heard, it seems like adventurers and merchants will also be there.”
“Mumumu, if it’s going to be like that, then what’s the point of this tea party?”
Sponsored Content
A tea party hosted by the king-sama where a great number of normal people can attend? I, someone completely ignorant to the rules of the royal family, can’t figure out the meaning behind this tea party.
“I think it might have something to do with the hunt for the flying dragons taking place this year.”
Why am I being invited to a tea party being held for the hunt for the flying dragons. I can understand the knight-sama of the Armand kingdom and the Kingdom of Jortenitost being invited. They are the stars of the hunt for flying dragons. This is probably a chance for them to meet each other.
I can understand the merchants too. As a lot of people will be participating in the hunt for flying dragons, capital and materials are necessary. If merchants attend, they will be able to lend money. The adventurers are the same as this kingdom’s knight-sama. I have no doubt that outstanding adventurers will be taking part in the hunt for the flying dragons.
So, why was I invited?
Is the person who knows me a distinguished person of this country? I seriously have no idea.
Maybe it is someone who realized my doing this and that in the Dragon’s Forest. But, I don’t see what that has to do with being invited to a tea party. I keep my connection with the Dragon’s Forest so secret, I haven’t even told Ristia about it. I doubt anyone else could have figured it out.
Then, why am I being invited? Just what reason does the person who invited me to the tea party have to be interested in me?
N- no way.
Could the person who invited me be from the Kingdom of Jortenitost?
Last time, I had an extremely terrible interaction with Grave-sama, the first prince of the Kingdom of Jortenitost and commander of their Chivalric Order of the Flying Dragons. I realize his reaction wasn’t unreasonable. Even if they were possessed by demon swords, they were still knights of his kingdom I defeated. I must have touched a nerve.
I might be hated by the Kingdom of Jortenitost’s military-san. I’m not being invited to the tea party so Grave-sama can look down on me, right?
Uuugh, my complexion pales at the unpleasant thought.
“What’s wrong, a stomachache?”
“No, I just remembered something unpleasant from last time.”
“Oh…”
Ristia’s expression twists as he also immediately remembers.
“Grave-sama will certainly be attending this tea party too. However, I said the person interested in you is from the Armand Kingdom. So, don’t worry about him.”
“Eeeh, that prince-sama is coming too?”
I instantly get depressed.
I don’t want to go…
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“Eetto, hey. As someone from lower mid-class, I don’t have any clothes fitting for attending tea parties. Maybe I shouldn’t go this time.”
“Ehehe, refusing an invitation from our king-sama. I’d say that takes more guts than attending the tea party in normal clothes.”
“Ugh.”
My face flinches when Ristia points that out. “You can use my clothes. The size will be off but adjusting something for your height is faster than getting a new one made.”
“Eeeh, that won’t work.”
“You can use my clothes. The size will be off but adjusting something for your height is faster than getting a new one made.”
“Eeeh, that won’t work.”
Even if I wear clothes Risita uses for official business, I absolutely doubt they’d suit me. It’s easy to see that no matter how much they are adjusted, they won’t work on me.
“It can’t be helped, I suppose. Put up with it this time for me. If it’s necessary, I’ll accompany you to a tailor.”
“Uuugh, I really don’t want to be invited to a place where aristocrat-sama are gathered. The tension is making my mind strange. Besides, we can’t afford to have clothes tailored for going to places like that at my house.”
“Then, that’s even more reason to put up with my used clothes.”
“Uuugh.”
How did this happen?
I resent whoever it was who invited me to the tea party. Summoning me without telling me who he is or why I’m even being invited. That person is terrible. Even though I’m not all that interested, I can’t refuse, and I have no choice but to attend.
The tea party is going to be held on the next rest day.
I later tell Old Sleigstar I won’t be able to go to the moss covered plaza on the day of the tea party. Then, Risita invites me to the mansion he lives in.
I thought for sure that Risita lived in the royal castle, but I was wrong.
Nope, looks like I was half right. Around last fall, Ristia received the mansion from the king-sama so that he could live with his brides. It seems like he moved here from the castle then.
“Being able to receive such a luxurious house from the king-sama, as expected of Yuusha Ristia-sama!” Upon saying that, I’m told that with the first wife Ceries being the fourth princess, it’s more accurate to say this was a gift for her.
The mansion is already attended to by a lot of servants and has already been decorated with extravagant ornaments and a beautiful garden.
Ceries-sama, Slatton, and the others come out to greet me when I arrive. I came to receive clothes from Ristia for the tea party and to get the size adjusted.
I am guided to a room where Ristia and everyone evaluate the various clothes I try on. It’s like I’m a dress-up doll.
Sponsored Content
Slatton laughs every time I change clothes.
That doesn’t look good on you.
It can’t be helped, can it?
I don’t have the dignity for formal attire. I’m from the lower middle class.
Ristia and the attendants helping me get changed take helping me seriously. The Yuusha’s companions, including Ceries-sama, are laughing with delight.
They are heartless. It isn’t just Slatton, Ceries-sama and the others are all laughing at me.
It gets dark while I am trying on different outfits. At least half a day has passed.
Maybe, I am being treated like a dress-up doll?
When I’m seriously starting to consider that, Ristia finally decides on an outfit.
Eetto, Ristia, just how many outfits do you have? I must have tried on around one hundred outfits. Having that many is telling of how wealthy of a lifestyle he lives. I am shocked by how vastly different the lives we are.
With my clothes selected, the servants adjust the hems to match with my size. As I’m considerably shorter than Ristia, I’m pretty sure quite a lot is going to need to be cut away.
My lack of height makes me sad.
“Thanks for your hard work, Ernea.”
With my measurements finished and my changing back in my everyday clothes done, Ceries-sama brings me a drink.
“I’m exhausted.”
My shoulders drop as I receive the drink.
I’m seriously worn out. This was more exhausting than training. If it’s gonna be like this, then it’s better to go to the moss covered plaza instead of attending some tea party.
This is that person’s fault.
I blame that unknown person who sent me the tea party invitation.
If I meet this person at the tea party, I’m going to voice all of my complaints. We won’t be even otherwise.
Now that I’ve found an objective for the tea party, a different type of motivation is welling up inside of me.
“Erneacchi, thanks for your hard work. I(boku) also think the last outfit looked good on you.”
Sponsored Content
The “boku” girl, Neimie appears.
She teases the exhausted me as she darts around like a squirrel. The way she wanders around by coming towards me or going to Ristia is cute.
Neimie is responsible for healing the Yuusha-sama’s honorable party. Of Ristia’s brides, not only does she like cute things, she is cute like a small animal.
“I will also be attending the tea party. I have great expectations for you on that day.”
“What kind of expectations.”
“She’s expecting you to foolishly mess up.”
“Tha- that’s not true. I’m looking forward to Erneacchi’s dashing appearance.”
“Don’t lie. You were laughing too.”
At Slatton’s slander, Neimie waves both of her hands in objection.
“Slatton, don’t say terrible things.”
“Ouch, don’t hit me.”
Cleisio drops her fist on Slatton.
How lenient!
You’re too lenient, Cleisio. Hit him some more, as hard as you can.
I also want to hit Slatton, but I’m so tired I don’t want to move.
“That was rough. You worked hard, but with this, you’ll be ready for the tea party.” (Ristia)
“I never thought choosing clothes would be that hard.” (Ernea)
“Hahaha, Ernea is a good person. When a team of women start clothes shopping, you’ll be crushed for the day.” (Ristia)
“That’s right. Coordinating the color of our outfits so they don’t overlap is tough.” (Ceries)
“Uhehe, that sounds difficult.” (Ernea)
Ceries-sama and the others must also have lots of clothes. Selecting an outfit while avoiding what others are wearing sounds hard. Having now experienced being a dress-up doll, I have come to know the great difficulty women go through.
“The clothes will be finished up here. On the day of the tea party, come here first to get changed. Then we can all head to the venue together.”
“Yeah, going with everyone is reassuring. I’ll be in your care on that day.”
After making some brief arrangements for the day of the tea party, I head home for the evening.
