Tea Party

This chapter's song is: Red Flavor by Red Velvet!

Sylvia's POV:

I look at the calendar and sigh. Today's the day of the tea party.

"Lillian, has my dress arrived yet?"

"Yes miss, it's currently being steamed. I'll bring it over to you after your facial.

That's right people. You know the drill on what happens when an event happens. This time it's more relaxed though. It could be I've just gotten used to it or maybe the maids don't see why I should make such an effort to please some girl hosting a tea party.

Right now, I'm in my bathrobe after just having a bath (duh), and I am currently getting a facial, manicure and massage all at the same time.

My eyes are temporarily blind because these cucumbers and my nails are being filed down in uniform shape.

"Which ribbon would you like me to use miss?" My maid, Amrys, asks me as she holds three different ribbons in front of me. I take off one cucumber and assess the ribbons.

They were all related to my dress in one way or another.

"None of those, I want the ribbon that I bought yesterday, y'know, the peachy pink one," I describe.

"Yes miss," Amrys answers a she goes digging through my ribbon collection.

"What necklace would you like to wear miss?" My other maid, Tori, asks me.

In total, I have 1 personal head maid who is Lillian, 6 personal maids who work under Lillian, and 19 maids who tidy up my room and are rotated during shifts to keep an eye on me and fetch whatever I need.

There were 7 maids, only Lillian and the 4 personal maids attending to me right now. The other 2 were prepping my dress and polishing my shoes.

The 6 maids' names were: Amrys, Tori, Jez, Ira, Sandra and Hady.

Sandra and Ira were the ones who were managing the dress while the rest were helping me get ready.

"Hady, change the colour of the bag for me please. I want a silver and blue one," I say as I look at the previously selected pink and red purse.

"Right away, miss," Hady says as she goes to my new walk-in wardrobe and returns with the bag I asked for.

Pretty soon, Sandra and Ira came with my dress and shoes.

"It's all ready miss, we can begin dressing you," Sandra says.

"OK then." You may think that a 14-year-old still being dressed by a bunch of adults is weird but when you've done this since you were a child, you naturally become accustomed to the fact that these dresses were so delicate that you needed help not to damage them while putting it on.

Lillian zipped me in the dress and removed my hair from the back.

"Begin doing the lady's hair," Lillian says to Jez, who was already selecting her brushes. My hair was done simply, with a braid being done in the side of my hair and tied with a ribbon while the rest was left out.

I added some simple dangling earrings and a silver necklace. I then slipped on my heels and looked at myself in the mirror, telling my maids what to fix and change. In the end, my outfit looked spectacular.

(please imagine the ribbon as a pink one!!! 😖😖😖)

My silver locks were being carefully positioned as I nodded in agreement at the final look.

This outfit was elegant yet not too extravagant. It was a pretty tea party outfit, yet it would definitely upstage whatever Cromble was wearing, and it looked like a pain but was actually very light and no corset. And finally, there is enough jewellery to showcase my status, but the bow gives me a look of humbleness so I don't look too showy.

This was indeed calculating but it is what it is. I don't make the rules in high society though I'm pretty sure I'd like to speak with whoever did. And besides, fantasy renaissance was always kind of my aesthetic.

"Is the carriage ready?" I ask Lillian.

"Yes miss, it's been waiting for ten minutes," Lillian answers.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting," I say as I walk out of my room.

"Oh Silverdrop, you look a fresh breath of spring!" My mother says as she spots me in the hallway.

"Thank you mother, though I was actually kind of going for summer fairy," I say.

"Do have fun, I hope to hear all about it when you get back," my mother said.

"Do you have somewhere to be?" I ask.

"The ladies at my salon have invited me for tea also, I bet it's to talk about the new brides of the season," she says.

"No wonders you're all dressed up," I say.

My mother normally wears non-corset dresses however when she has somewhere to be, she wears a corset dress. Even though non-corset dresses are in style, the older generation still stick to corsets.

Mother was wearing a light blue and white corset dress with ornaments in her hair. It starkly contrasted against her black hair and red eyes, but I doubt even my mother would wear black in summer just to compliment her hair.

"I hope you'll tell me what happens after?" I ask.

"Of course, now you should go, better an hour early than a second late," my mother says as she ushers me into the carriage.

I wave goodbye until I could no longer see her, then wait until I arrive at the Cromble family estate.

The summer carriage was all white, with ice orbs built to make a cooling system.

"This feels sooooo good," Luna says as she appears next to the orb.

"Summer is not your season?" I joke.

"Oh please, you try getting through this heat with fur," Astro says as he appears too.

"Yes, that does sound torturous," I comment.

"So, are you off to the Crombles then?" Astro asks.

"Yup, tea parties are basically battle that is fought in heels and dressed up words," I remark.

"Sounds deadly. Although that girl, Eppel Cromble... Her name sounds familiar," Luna says.

"Her name reminds me of Apple Crumble," Astro scoffs.

I laugh at the link. I've never noticed it before. It could be because the author was hungry when creating Eppel.

"That's it! Her name sounds so tasty!" Luna exclaims.

"By the way, master," Astro starts.

"What is it, Astro?"

"That powder, you know, the one that knocked you out and put you in a coma and took away all your-"

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Cut to the chase," I say, not wanting to be reminded of my weak moment.

"I'd be wary from now on," he says.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I did some digging with the spirits and found out that there's a certain plant somewhere unknown that can be processed into a powder that can be dangerously fatal to mana users," Astro says.

"So?"

"Well, it turns out that someone of high mana can only cultivate the plant," Astro says.

"And the only people with high mana..." I start.

"Are nobles," Astro finishes.

"Which means that this was a planned assassination, and perhaps even a political one," Luna says.

"It also means that one of the nobles are aiming for my head."

"Who in the world would possibly want to assassinate you?" Luna asks.

"Pretty much any noble with a daughter similar to my age, anyone who doesn't like my father, anyone who doesn't like me and anyone who has something to gain from it," I list with my fingers.

"So she means pretty much everyone," Luna sums up.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it, the plant can only be grown in small amounts, requires lots of mama daily and takes a year to bloom. That's if it doesn't die in the process. Manufacturing it into powder takes even longer," Astro says.

"Right, I shouldn't be worrying about that, I got other things to be worrying about. Speaking of which..."

"We're here, milady," the coachman says as he opens the door and extends his hand.

I take it and step out of the carriage.

"Pick me up after it's done. I don't care what you do in the meantime," I say as I walk towards the estate's gates.

Whoever is reading this, please don't mind my attitude from here on out. I will be acting like a snobbish b!tch.

The estate was big, not so big as mine, but big. The actual house. Was painted a light red with apple trees everywhere. I hold back my snigger as I remember Astro's comparison to Apple Crumble.

The family butler and a servant were waiting at the gate with a clipboard and pen.

"Sylviana de Crystal Scilla," I say.

The servant searched for the name and ticked it off.

"Right this way miss Scilla," the butler says as he escorts me all around the garden, into its rosy labyrinth and to the gazebo where the tea party was happening. I had to applaud, Eppel purposefully made the butler walk me all around the garden before taking me to the gazebo to show off how big and beautiful her garden was. Too bad I hate roses.

When I finally made it to the gazebo, I saw the wannabe queen bee chatting away with her clique. There were a total of five tables. Where you sat at these tables determined everything.

It's hard to determine it too because if you dare to try and embarrass someone of high status, your social life will plummet. The tables closer to the host are normally better, but I would rather stay far away from the drama than need be.

It's a double-edged sword really, she can't dare to afford to offend me, yet it's obvious to everyone she hates my guts.

"Sylvia, you're here!" I hear a familiar voice cry.

"Pleasure to see you again too, Rin," I smile back as I hug her.

Rin's outfit was cool and breezy, it perfectly matched her bubbly attitude. She didn't need any jewellery to showcase her natural noble personality.

"Doesn't it?" Rin giggles as she takes a bow to show off the whole of her dress.

(The beautiful Rillaine)

"I love your dress though, it's so pretty," Rin compliments.

"Indeed it is," Monique says as she strides towards me. As she said, Monique wore a netted blue dress that flowed along her legs.

(Monique's dress since I couldn't find a picture of her)

"Where's Violet?" I ask.

"She couldn't handle all the gossipy girls and went for a walk in the maze. Although, I can't say I blame her since all those girls talk about is the latest victim of their incessant bullying," Monique scowls.

"I see, well we can't have the group together without Violet, let's go and find her," I say as I turn towards the maze.

We walked for a few minutes before Rin spotted Violet.

"There! With the parasol!" Rin pointed out near the pansies.

"Violet! Come out of the flowers!" Monique says as we all walk towards our missing friend.

(Violet hiding in the flowers)

"It's about time you arrived Sylvia," Violet sighs as she gets up and dusts herself off.

"It seems you missed me," I snigger.

"Hardly, but you're more bearable than those girls," Violet shoots back as she walks in front of us and turns back, twisting her parasol in the air. "Shall we?"

We all smile as we walk towards the venue. As much as I don't like Eppel Cromble, I had to say that she knew how to throw a good tea party. From the rosy path to the delightful finger sandwiches and cakes to the table pieces.

(The pictures are above)

I was quietly taking notes for when I plan my future tea party.

"Your outfit is stunning miss Cromble!" I overhear in the gazebo. It was one of Cromble's followers who were complimenting her.

"Fufu, this dress was specially made for me by the workers at the Golden Thread, it's one of a kind!" Eppel brags.

Her followers oohed and awed as they clapped. This incited Eppel's ego more as she began to brag about her bracelet, which her father bought her.

Eppel Cromble had a sort of reddish-purple hair. It wasn't maroon, but it wasn't so much as purple as it was red. I admit she had some good looks, but her narcissism and overinflated ego overlooked that.

She was also one of the people who bullied Lily in the game, jealous that she was spending too much time with Ace.

(Ladies and gentlemen, Eppel Cromble and her outfit)

"Your shoes are to die for! Where did you get them?" One follower asked.

"They're also specially made for me, my father told me so!" Eppel bragged.

"Hmm, those shoes look similar to miss Scilla's," one follower observed. Indeed, they were the same shoes as mine, just different colours.

"That can't be!" Eppel cried as she looked at me. "Ah, miss Scilla... How wonderful it is for you to attend my tea party," Eppel grimaced as she waltzed up to me with her entourage.

"Yes, it seems it is," I say vaguely before returning to my tea.

"What delightful shoes you have, care to explain where you purchased them from?" Eppel said.

"Ah these, I purchased them at a shop, as you would when you need to buy something," I say.

"She probably was jealous of Eppel and had those shoes made to copy her," one follower whispered.

"Miss Scilla, I could never have imagined you to be that type of person! If you really wanted to know where I got these shoes from, you should have just asked me," Eppel cried in a dramatic tone.

"It's funny..." I start.

"What's so funny?" The follower who gossiped about me asked.

"I thought miss Cromble had classy friends among her, and this garden is so beautiful..."

"Humph, it is, isn't it," Eppel said in a proud tone.

"So why do I hear a bunch of rats speaking?" I glare at the follower. She had typical short brown hair and eyes and was as plain as a daisy.

"Let me guess, your name is Jane?" I ask.

"Y-yes, Jane Plaine," she stuttered.

"I see, I thought that Baron Plaine educated his daughter well, it seems I was mistaken," I comment, which was met with giggles from my friends.

"H-How dare you!" Jane sputtered out, shaking her finger at me.

"How dare you? You realise that you are talking to the future queen of this kingdom with disrespect?" Monique said coldly to the girls.

"No! Th-that, I- I was not-"

"That's enough, would you mind moving? You're blocking the sun," I say.

"Humph, even if she's the future queen, how can she copy miss Eppel like this?!" Another follower spoke out.

"When did I ever say I copied her? You're not falsely accusing me, are you?" I raise a brow. The girl didn't speak.

"Well, where did you get those shoes from?!" Another girl demanded.

"The same place where Eppel got her shoes from: The Golden Thread," I answered.

"I overheard you saying that your shoes are one of a kind? I have that same pair of shoes at home too, mine are in purple," Violet comments. "Could it be that you were lying that they were one of a kind?"

"No! My father told me that they were one of a kind!" Eppel defends.

"Oh, so it was your father that lied! Well, I don't think it's miss Eppel's fault that her father lied to her!" Rin spoke out.

"No! My father is not a liar!" Eppel shouts.

"Then which is it, are you the liar? Is it your father?" Monique questions. Eppel froze, she knew that either one of those answers would label her family as a bunch of liars.

"It's no matter, shoes are shoes. We should talk about other things," I say, changing the subject.

"Ah yes, speaking of which, your dress is simply gorgeous Sylvia, wherever did you get it?" Violet asks me.

"Yes it is simply breathtaking, where did you get it?" I hear a familiar voice say, I turn around to see Lianey sitting at the other table with another girl who I assumed to be Mikaeyla.

"This, I had it specially made," I answer.

"Humph, let me guess, from the Golden Thread?" Jane smirks, hinting at the fact that I may have copied Eppel again,

"No, from my aunt Serena," I say.

Eppel and a bunch of other girls started laughing. "Your aunt? I never knew the Scilla family has fallen so low to have to make their own clothes," Eppel sniggered.

"Wow! Your aunt made this! It's beautiful," Lianey compliments me, attempting to try and cease the girls' laughing. It was a nice gesture but unnecessary.

"Ah yes, the Scilla family has fallen so low that I have to ask my aunt to make my dress. I guess the royal family has also fallen low since they're the ones who order clothes from my aunt the most," I comment.

"W-what?" A girl said, the laughter dying down.

"Hmm, didn't you know? Sylvia's aunt is the royal seamstress for the royal family, though I occasionally ask her to design my dresses from time to time," Rin informs them.

I could see the fear creeping onto the girls' faces and the shock on Lianey's face. It was only natural since they indirectly insulted the royal family.

"She is also the owner of the Golden Thread and the designer of that dress you're wearing," Violet adds as she looks towards Eppel's dress.

"Well, it seems I was mistaken about miss Sylviana's dress, but I honestly don't think you're such a saint, miss Sylviana. Look at you, trying to outshine miss Rillaine, even though she has a higher status than you!" Eppel accused.

"What do you mean by that?" Rin chimed in.

"Look at you, miss Rillaine! Can you believe that your friends are trying to exclude you by wearing jewellery while you're wearing ribbons?!" Eppel says. "It's okay because I shall stick up for you-"

"That's not the case at all," Rin cuts her off.

"Y-You don't need to say anything miss Rin! Eppel shall help you!" Plain Jane squeaks.

"I don't need it though. If my friends want to wear jewellery, why should I say otherwise? I am actually rather offended that you seem to think that my friends are trying to outcast me," Rin says. "And I'm not sure if this rule has changed... but I don't remember giving you permission to state my first name, let alone my nickname."

Plain Jane covered her mouth in shock at the mistake she just made.

"I don't like you people, you're like a bunch of vultures in tacky high heeled pumps, really not my style," Rin says, turning her head away. Wow, even sweet and innocent Rin can be bad at times.

Eppel's face turned red from embarrassment, turning towards another target since she couldn't defeat me.

"You there! How dare you trespass onto private property, I don't remember inviting such a poor girl like you!" She spews as she points toward Lianey.

"Hey, that's not true! Lianey has been-" Mikaeyla begins to defend but was pushed aside by one of the followers.

"Out of the way you pest!" The girl spits as she kicks Mikaeyla into the dirt.

"Why those-" I stop Monique by her arm, motioning her to stay seated.

"We cannot fight this for her or it'll make her seem dependant on us, she needs to establish her status," I say.

"How dare you! Mikaeyla, are you alright?" Lianey asks as she tries to pick Mikaeyla off of the floor.

"I-I'm fine," Mikaeyla whispers as she covers her face.

"How could you do that? Do you know what you just did?!" Lianey shouts at the girl.

"Why does it matter? She's just a poor Baron's daughter in name. She has nothing to her name, not even a dowry!" The girl insults her.

I furrow my brows, it was hard for me to hold back.

"Sure, she's a poor baron's daughter with almost nothing to her name, but how does she have a better personality than you? I guess money can't buy you anything," Lianey sneers at the girl.

"Enough! I don't know who you think you are, but you are a criminal in my eyes, who crashed my tea party without an invitation, GUARDS!" Eppel screams to her knights.

"How preposterous, I did receive an invitation!" Lianey yells.

"Ha! I've heard that before! So many girls wish that they could be invited to my tea party so much that it drives them mad when they don't get one! Though, I never believed one could sneak her way into the estate!" Eppel accuses.

The knights apprehended Mikaeyla, who screamed.

"Mikaeyla!" Lianey shouted as she backed away from the big men.

"Fufu, you'll be locked in prison like the criminals you are," Eppel cackled along with her entourage. One guard roughly grabbed Lianey by the arm while the other accidentally threw Mikaeyla to the ground because of her squeaming.

Lianey smacked the guard away, who raised his hand. Lianey tried to cover herself, waiting for the pain...

CRASH! Everyone stopped to look at me as I put the cup down so hard on the table that it smashed into pieces.

"How unsightly, unhand them," I say coldly as I glare at the guards. Knowing her status yet knowing their miss' orders, the guards were conflicted on what to do.

"Miss Scilla! I ask that you do not come in between these criminals and me," Eppel said in an entitled tone.

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, know your place," I spoke sharply.

"Oh you poor dear, let me help you up," Rin says as she offers a hand to Mikaeyla. Mikaeyla shyly takes her hand and stand up, stumbling onto Rin.

"Eppel Cromble, how dare you instigate such a scene against a minister's daughter," Monique says as she walks towards Lianey, facing Eppel. I begin walking towards them too with Violet.

"M- Minister's daughter? Her?! Preposterous! BUTLER! Explain to everyone who this criminal really is!" Eppel ordered confidently to her butler. The old man was stumbling for his glasses as he speaks.

"T-That young lady is the only daughter of the M-Minister of F-Foreign Affairs," he stutters.

"What?!" Eppel screeches, realising the dire mistake she made.

"I believe it is time for me to go," Lianey says as she flicks her hair and begins to leave the garden with Mikaeyla.

"W-wait-" Eppel says, still shocked at what the butler said.

"I believe it's also time for us to depart, these scene has ruined my mood," I say.

"How shall we spend the rest of the day then?" Violet asks.

"I know a good cafe in town, care to join us, miss Swivel and miss Garrison?" Monique calls out.

"That sounds delightful," Lianey says as she looks back at Eppel, who was still frozen in shock. "And miss Cromble, I hope you look forward to the letter of complaint that my father shall be sending yours," she threatened.

If you're wondering why Eppel is so scared that she offended Lianey even though she's the daughter of a Marquis, it's because although a Marquis has a ton of land and money, they are normally stationed in their home kingdom.

However, ministers are people who have connections internationally. They are the King's advisors and overlook anything that has to do with the kingdom's economy.

Monique's father keeps a tight lock on any spending of the royal coffers, not even the king can take out money from the treasury without a good reason of where he's spending it, why he's spending it and how much he wants to spend.

This may sound weird because you'd think the royal family can spend their money whenever they want, but that power was given to the minister by the King so that the royal family won't become a bunch of spendthrifts.

Lianey's father, the minister of foreign affairs, is a high ranking minister as he has connections to the other kingdoms and kingdoms on the other continent. Lianey herself has met with other royalty and has established her connections. She can be a very powerful ally or enemy. And Eppel had just made her, her enemy.

"No! Wait!" Eppel cries as she tries to run to Lianey, only to trip on a stone and fall into the pile of dirt where she pushed Mikaeyla. What goes around comes round.

Eppel screams at her now-dirtied appearance as her followers and servants try to pacify her like a baby.

"Monique, that cafe of yours... is it Cafe Le Ritz?" Rin asks.

"Yes, it is," Monique answers.

"Oh my gosh, I love their macarons, it's to die for!" Rin says as we walk out of the estate, Eppel's wails being washed out in the background...

Oh my god, that chapter was reallllly long. I never expected it to be this long but I wanted to get this tea party done with only one chapter and not break it into two. I hope you enjoyed those 4000+ words because I am like a deflated balloon right now. My hands are begging for mercy and my fingertips are flat. Edit: sorry for publishing this late when I said I was gonna upspree but I accidentally fell asleep when I got back from school. I'm still in my uniform lol. Anyways, Next chapter is being uploaded once I spell check it!