Chapter 20
A group wrapped in jet-black capes came advancing down the main thoroughfare of the royal capital.
The gold embroidery on their capes reflected the sunlight and glittered, making it look as though stars were twinkling there despite the daytime.
At the head was a figure clad in particularly conspicuous, unusual armor. It was Roa Stein himself.
Advancing with his back straight and his gaze fixed straight ahead, he cut a dignified figure worthy of a new hero. Along with the cheers, sighs escaped from the crowd watching the victory parade at the sight of his valiant form.
"Opa-san! Brother Wickhart is there, too!"
Right behind Roa, where Cecilia was excitedly pointing, stood Wickhart and Lapiria.
Glancing at Opa gazing dreamily at Wickhart, Cecilia shifted her gaze back to the front.
"Roa-sama really is wonderful..."
"Hey, hey, Cecilia..."
With Nelfia listening nearby, her father, Desanto, made a token attempt to admonish her.
"Of course, I'm only saying that as a fan. I know perfectly well about Roa and Lapiria-sama."
Wickhart had already informed her that Roa had formally proposed to Lapiria, but since Cecilia had merely replied, "Oh, so it finally happened," her father must have been worried.
But she had already come to terms with it.
Since she had originally put herself forward as Roa's fiancée when they first met, her father must have feared that seeing Roa would rekindle her feelings. She could tell he was secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Cecilia changed the subject without taking her eyes off the parade.
"Father. Opa-san and I are having a tea party with Lapiria-sama tomorrow."
"A tea party? When did you make such arrangements?"
"I've been exchanging letters with Lapiria-sama regularly."
"I had no idea."
"Because I didn't tell you. Mother knows."
"...Good grief. Just make sure you don't cause any trouble..."
"Of course! Now, they're about to pass right in front of us! Let's stop chatting."
Lapiria and Cecilia had exchanged letters from time to time. Cecilia had hers sent along with the letters Opa addressed to Wickhart.
The subject, of course, was Roa. During their earlier conversation, the two had agreed to tell each other in their letters how things were progressing with Roa.
So, in fact, Cecilia had heard about the proposal from Lapiria separately as well as from Wickhart.
Lapiria's letter had said, "Once things settle down, I'll visit Hogbeck territory, so let's have a tea party."
However, the Tenth Knight Order was so busy that the tea party kept being postponed. They decided this was a good opportunity and finally arranged it.
Still...
Cecilia watched Roa and Lapiria pass before them, their profiles noble and striking, and let out a soft sigh.
They really are a perfect match...
She could genuinely think they made a good pair. She had felt something special about Roa, but looking back, perhaps it had not been romantic feelings at all... Perhaps she had been drawn to the budding hero within him.
If so, she could take pride in having a pretty good eye for people.
Even as she thought this, knights continued to pass below one after another. Among them was a single commander who somehow caught her attention.
The commander's face was hard to make out beneath the helmet. Even so, something about the figure drew her gaze.
Before she knew it, Cecilia had stopped paying attention to the other knights and was following that commander's retreating figure with her eyes.
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"What?! Rerence-sama is going to join us?!"
Cecilia accidentally raised her voice, then hurriedly covered her mouth.
"Yes. Since we have the opportunity, she said she wanted to hear about me and... well, Roa."
The day after the victory parade, Lapiria went out of her way to come greet Cecilia and Opa—and gave them a shocking piece of news.
Queen Rerence-sama wanted to attend this tea party.
It might have been only natural for someone from a family like Lapiria's, but Cecilia and Opa were merely minor provincial nobles. They were in no position to hold a tea party with royalty. Naturally, neither had ever been invited to one, either.
Looking over, Cecilia saw Opa frozen too, her face fixed in an expression of utter astonishment.
"Just act as you always do. She's very approachable."
"...I-is that so?"
Though Cecilia was not one to be easily intimidated, her expression stiffened despite herself. She had to be careful not to be disrespectful...
"I understand how you feel, but you'll see once you talk to her. She's a good person."
The tea party, which had suddenly begun to feel like a major event, thus got underway.