Viviane

"Medrauta, Medrauta!"

My knight turned to me with an eyebrow raised. "What's got you so riled up, Viviane?"

"It finally happened!" I gushed. "Someone invited me to a tea party!"

"Is that so...?" Medrauta replied, looking contemplative. I couldn't really tell what she was thinking, but it didn't look like she was as excited as I was. Oh well!

"Mhm! Lady Sandra from House Ascott invited me and four other ladies to a tea party this afternoon!" I couldn't help but giggle joyfully, clutching the letter of invitation to my chest. "It's the first time I've been invited to a tea party ever since I arrived here at the academy!"

"Have fun, I guess..." Medrauta's reply came with a tone that was less than enthusiastic which was slightly puzzling given the fact that we would've holed up in the archives again if I hadn't been invited. But...

"You're gonna have to come along too, Medrauta!"

"Huh? Me?" My knight frowned, clearly confused. "The hell do they want with me?"

Her confusion was certainly justified seeing as knights pretty much never participated in noble-exclusive gatherings like tea parties, but for some reason, Lady Sandra asked me to bring Medrauta along. Since this was my first tea party, I really wanted to make a good impression even if Lady Sandra's request seemed kinda strange.

"I'm not sure, but since Lady Sandra is asking for you to accompany me, it would be rude to show up alone, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so... I think I brought a dress just in case, so I'll head back to my room in the barracks and change. Honestly though, this already doesn't sound great."

"E-Eh...? Why not?" I dropped my gaze from Medrauta's, my lips trembling as I choked back the urge to cry.

I was always such a weak crybaby and I hated that, but something about Medrauta's negativity about my very first tea party here just made me so unbearably sad. I mean, I was so excited about it, so the least she could do was pretend to be happy for me!

"'Cause this whole thing reeks of suspicion, Viviane." Medrauta said, clicking her tongue in annoyance. "Has this 'Lady Sandra' ever spoken to you before? I've never even heard you mention her name before today."

"W-Well..." Medrauta was right. Lady Sandra had never spoken to me prior to sending me the invitation, nor had I actually met her in person yet. "I-It doesn't matter, does it!? She invited me to her tea party, and it's the first time anyone's invited me to one, so she can't be a bad person, right!?"

Medrauta sighed, shaking her head. As she did so, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful her hair was when illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the window. "I'm worried that they're just looking to take advantage of your status now that you've actually won a match, Viviane. You're a duke's daughter and just two days ago, you just defeated Lord Bastiche and his knight who are ranked fifth in the academy. Isn't the timing of the invitation coupled with their request a little suspicious?"

"...Now that you put it that way, I guess I can see how it'd be strange, but... You'll be with me, won't you? If anything happens, you'll protect me, right?"

"I'd rather you not put yourself in a situation where I'm forced to protect you, but yes. You can count on me to shield you from harm, my lady."

I giggled as my knight performed an exaggerated bow, no doubt in a friendly expression of her exasperation. "Wonderful! Then let's get ready!"

"I shall return after I am properly dressed."

As Medrauta exited my room, I started going through the four dresses that lined my closet. Even though I was a duke's daughter, my room was incredibly small, meaning that I wasn't able to bring all my dresses from home. It took a bit of time to get used to, but now that Medrauta was a frequent visitor, I vastly preferred the smaller room compared to what I lived in back home.

I went with a white dress that had floral patterns embroidered on it. It wasn't my fanciest or most expensive dress, but Medrauta had picked it out for me during one of our excursions in town and I hadn't found an excuse to wear it yet.

She said this would look really pretty on me, so now should be a good time to try it on! I looked in the mirror after getting dressed, finding that Medrauta actually had quite the eye for fashion. The dress was simple and plain compared to my other clothes, but it still managed to accentuate my features wonderfully.

Still... Won't Lady Sandra and her friends laugh at me if I'm not wearing something befitting of a duke's daughter...? I bit my lip as I pondered the dilemma for a while before sighing and deciding to wear a different dress instead. It was important to make a good first impression, and while the tea party served as the perfect excuse to wear the dress Medrauta had picked out for me, I could always wear it next time!

Click!

"E-Eep!" I jumped as the door opened, Medrauta stepping inside.

"Oh. My apologies," she said. My knight averted her gaze, but it did nothing to stop her rapidly reddening cheeks.

I clutched the dress to my chest speechlessly. I had been in the middle of undressing and right now, all I was wearing was my corset! Luckily, I'd only unraveled the top half of my dress when she'd entered, but the whole situation was still dreadfully embarrassing!

"I-I-I-It's f-fine!" I managed to blurt out. "U-Um... Y-You look q-quite nice in t-that dress!"

At the very least, I wasn't lying. Medrauta really did look rather dashing in her sky blue dress. It was cut low and showed off both her upper back and shoulders, giving her an elegant appearance while still flaunting her hard-earned muscles.

Now, I'm certainly not a pervert, but I couldn't help but allow my eyes to settle around her abdomen. The fabric of Medrauta's dress hugged her form tightly, and every time she drew breath, I could very faintly see the tantalizi—Ahem! I mean, the impressive outline of her chiseled abdominals.

I most definitely was not staring so hard that I'd completely missed the first three times Medrauta called my name.

"W-W-What is it, Medrauta!?"

"I was just wondering if you were having trouble putting on your dress," Medrauta said, her gaze still averted.

"O-Oh! Um..." I hesitated, not wanting to tell her that I was planning on wearing something else. "I... Y-Yes. Perhaps you could help me...?" I laughed nervously.

"O-Of course, my lady...!" Medrauta replied in a surprised tone. It was clear that she hadn't expected me to actually ask for help, and honestly... I didn't expect to ask for it either. I mean, why did I even lie like that!?

I must be going crazy... I thought as Medrauta instructed me to lift my arms to the side. She slid the dress back up my chest and then slipped the sleeves on in a few deft motions.

My knight stepped back once she finished dressing me, her eyes lingering on my blushing form as if she were inspecting her handiwork. "Ah... Lady Viviane, you look rather... um... fetching."

I couldn't believe my ears. I blinked a couple of times and then burst out in a fit of laughter. "F-Fetching...? That certainly isn't something I'd imagine you ever saying!"

"Gah!" Medrauta exclaimed. "You know what I mean, Viviane! Serves me right for trying to expand my vocabulary for once!"

I felt a little bad for her, so I tried my best to stifle my giggles. "I'm very grateful for the compliment in any case, Medrauta," I smiled. "Now then, shall we be off?"

"Hmph..." Medrauta turned away, feigning mock anger. Despite that, she offered her arm to me.

I looped my arm through hers and the two of us departed from the dormitory and headed to the east section of the academy gardens. It was a popular location for tea parties to be held, meaning that Lady Sandra must've either lucked out or reserved the area in advance.

When we arrived, it was pretty clear that it was the former. Nobles who planned a tea party in advance usually prepared a vast swathe of decorations for their venue and a large selection of food and drink.

This particular tea party had neither. There was a long table that was placed on the freshly trimmed grass, a pot of tea on top of it, and cups with saucers but that was it. I carried in my other hand a bag of gifts that I'd prepared for the other ladies as soon as I received the invitation, but it looks like I was the only one who brought anything today.

O-Oh well! Everyone already knows each other except for me, so it's fine if I'm the only one who's brought gifts, ahaha...

"Oh my, Lady Viviane. Dame Medrauta. What a pleasure it is to finally meet the two of you," one of the noblewomen said as she stood from her seat. She had long, flowing red hair the color of rust, and her deep violet eyes twinkled with a crafty light. Her curtsy was impeccable too, as expected of a noblewoman.

I stood still as the noblewoman recovered from her curtsy, waiting for her introduction. Even after a couple seconds, it never came.

M-Maybe I'm supposed to introduce myself first since I'm new!? I panicked. This was the first time anyone had invited me to a tea party before, after all. Everything I knew about etiquette was learned solely from lessons.

I hurried to curtsy as if attempting to make up for the lost seconds. "I-It's a pleasure to meet you too. I am—"

Medrauta cut me off as she stepped forward and swung her arm in front of me protectively. I wanted to ask her what she was doing, but the hard glint in her eyes made me freeze. This certainly wasn't a side of her I'd ever seen even while she was in the arena.

"Pardon my lack of knowledge in noble customs and etiquette, but is it not customary for nobles of higher status to be introduced last?"

The noblewoman flinched. "A-Ah... Yes, you certainly are correct, Dame Medrauta. My apologies, I must have forgotten in all my excitement. Please pardon me, Lady Viviane," she curtsied once more. "I am Sandra of House Ascott. It is my pleasure to have you in attendance at my humble tea party."

"N-Not at all, Lady Sandra! The pleasure is mine!"

Lady Sandra gave me a diplomatic smile before gesturing to the two empty seats at the table. "Please be seated. I can't wait to introduce my friends to you. They're all quite excited to meet your knight, though..."

"W-What's wrong?" I asked worriedly as I saw Lady Sandra's brow furrow in displeasure as she stared at Medrauta. Was there something wrong with her dress? I couldn't tell...

"This is a social gathering, is it not? Lady Viviane, I must ask... Why does your knight still carry a sword?"

"Oh... Er... Um..." I honestly didn't even know what to say. Despite wearing a dress, Medrauta's sword was still firmly affixed to her hip. It wasn't as if I hadn't noticed it when we were headed to the tea party, but it just seemed so natural and fitting that I never even questioned it.

"I am a knight. As per the academy's rules, I am permitted to carry a single weapon wherever I go so long as its edges are blunt." Medrauta's voice was firm and while she spoke to Lady Sandra alone, her eyes seemed to be scanning the area rapidly. "However, you should rest assured that I most certainly will not draw my sword so long as a need does not present itself."

"O-Of course, Dame Medrauta!" Lady Sandra stammered. She seemed to be sweating for some reason, but perhaps it was just due to the humidity. After all, the afternoon sun was quite hot today. "W-Why would there be a need? Ahaha!"

After Lady Sandra guided us to our seats, Medrauta chose to stand. I found it a bit strange, but I didn't want to make a scene by encouraging her to sit, so I simply remained in my seat.

Lady Sandra introduced the other noblewomen to me one by one. There was Lady Jasmine, Lady Lorraine, Lady Daphne, and Lady Annabelle. They all seemed to eye Medrauta's sword with a touch of displeasure, but there wasn't really anything I could do about that at this point.

Fortunately, the tea party proceeded without consequence as everyone began to chat. Lady Sandra poured tea for everyone as the host and provided us with a small dish of biscuits to snack on. Luckily, the etiquette I'd learned in class seemed to be pretty accurate when it came to conversing at tea parties.

Everyone took turns leading the conversation with a topic of their choice, and all of us offered our input as we spoke. Unfortunately, I wasn't too knowledgeable about the things that the other girls were talking about, so I didn't get many opportunities to contribute.

I-It's okay! It's gonna be my turn soon, and then we can talk about our favorite books! I think Lady Daphne is in the academy's literature club, so I'm sure we'll be friends!

"Dame Medrauta, please tell us about how you met Lady Viviane!" Lady Annabelle said.

"Yes! We're quite interested in why a knight like you would come to serve a lady like Viviane!" Lady Lorraine chimed in.

Medrauta's right eye twitched and I could tell that she was getting annoyed, but I wasn't sure why. W-Wait! Isn't it supposed to be my turn!? Why're they asking Medrauta something like that!?

"I met her under a tree. I serve her because she is the lady best suited for me." Medrauta answered in extremely brief and blunt sentences, clearly holding in her irritation. Unfortunately, it didn't look like the noblewomen were catching on.

A-Ah! I have to stop them before Medrauta gets angry! I placed my bag on my lap, reaching in to bring out the gifts I'd made for everyone.

"U-Um! S-Sorry for interrupting, but I w-wanted to let e-everyone know that I prepared some gifts!" I retrieved the five pairs of handmade mittens I'd stayed up making last night, laying them out on the table. "H-Here! These are for everyone!"

The noblewomen blinked as they stared at the mittens. I couldn't really tell whether they liked them or not since they were staring blankly at me, but they didn't seem to dislike them either which gave me hope!

As a duke's daughter, I probably should've prepared something more expensive, but I worked quite hard on them and they were sure to keep your hands warm during autumn, so I thought it'd be a nice touch. Kind of like a cross between a gift and a way to say "Let's keep being friends!" or something like that, ahaha...

"Um... Lady Viviane?"

"Y-Yes, Lady Sandra?"

"You... are aware that it is summer right now, yes? What use would we have for mittens...?"

"W-Well..." 'I hope we can continue being friends even when the leaves begin to fall!' I blushed at the mere thought of saying something like that. There was absolutely no way I could. "...I just, um... I thought it would be nice, ahaha..."

"Aww, they're so cute!" Lady Lorraine gushed, picking up the nearest pair to herself. "Thank you so much, Lady Viviane! I'll be sure to cherish them!"

"O-Oh! Of course, Lady Lorraine! I'm glad you like them so mu—"

Suddenly, Lady Lorraine's teacup tipped over, spilling its contents all over the mittens she'd just picked up. She gasped in horror. "O-Oh no! They're ruined! What do I do!?"

"I-It's alright, Lady Lorraine! W-We can just wash them! It's just a little tea, ahaha..."

"A-Ah! No!" Lady Annabelle abruptly exclaimed. There was a series of clinks before her teacup fell over as well, spilling hot tea all over the rest of the mittens on the table. "I'm so, so, so sorry about this, Lady Viviane!"

"Um... Ah..." My throat tightened as I stared at the tea-stained mittens that laid before me. I'd worked so hard on them last night, and I even ended up pricking my fingers a few times... I didn't want to cry in front of all these ladies who had just made a few honest mistakes, but I couldn't help the tears that began to well up in my eyes.

"N-No! My fork!" Lady Lorraine cried as her fork somehow slipped into the pair of mittens she'd picked up, wedging a large hole in the crocheted threads. "I'm so sorry, Lady Viviane! It looks like a wash won't be able to fix them this time..."

"I-It's f-fine... It's..."

CRASH!

Before even a single tear could fall from my eyes, Medrauta stood in front of me, her well-defined back muscles tensed with pure rage. I didn't see what happened, but the table was completely snapped in half.

The other noblewomen stared at her in abject terror, shivering as they laid on the ground after having fallen from their seats in panic.

"Sorry," Medrauta said in a monotonous voice. "I tripped and my foot slipped."

"M-Medrauta..."

My knight walked toward the fallen Lady Lorraine slowly and deliberately. I didn't know what she was going to do, but I certainly didn't want her to start hurting anyone and getting in trouble. Even so, I couldn't do anything but watch.

"E-Eep! P-Please! D-Don't hurt me!" Lady Lorraine screamed as she crawled away pathetically. "I-It was just an accident! I swear!"

Medrauta stopped in front of Lady Lorraine, looking down at her menacingly. Then, she bent down... and picked up the tea-stained pair of mittens that had been ruined by the fork. Carefully, she took the fork out and then strode back to the destroyed table, picking up the rest of the mittens before turning to me.

"This is the shittiest tea party I've ever been to, Viviane. Let's get the hell out of here."

I couldn't help but laugh, the tears in my eyes disappearing as quickly as they'd come.

"Y-Yeah!"

†

"This barely fucking fits me, you asshole."

"Are you going to keep complaining about that, Esmeralda? You've been bitching since the dawn of time."

"Oh, shut the fuck up, Melindra. You are the dumbest motherfucker I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."

"Yeah? At least I can fit in a dress."

"What'd you say, bitch? Hey, Medrauta, can I cave her face in? I think she'd really like it if I did."

"Cry me a goddamn river, you two. You're gonna sit your ass down for the next few hours and you're gonna like it."

"Everyone shut the fuck up. She's coming."

"Don't tell me to shut the fuck up, Brig. I'll—Mnff!"

I opened the door to my room and then immediately closed it, not believing my eyes. Just what the hell was that? I shook my head in an effort to dispel the memory of what I'd just hallucinated.

Deep breaths, Viviane! Deep breaths! I repeated as I breathed in and out, nodding to myself before opening the door once more. Impossibly, they were still there.

"U-Um..." My eyes darted to and fro, not knowing what to do as I looked at the group of knights who were assembled around the circular table in my room. There was a pot of hot tea in the middle and several plates of snacks, all of them my favorites.

Of course, I recognized Medrauta and Brigitte, but there were two faces that were unfamiliar to me. One of the knights had long, curly black hair, tanned skin, and mesmerizing emerald eyes. The other had bright lavender hair that was cut just above her shoulders and gray eyes that seemed to stare off in the distance.

All of them were wearing dresses, and though Medrauta and Brigitte fit beautifully in theirs, the same certainly couldn't be said for the two other knights, particularly the black-haired knight whose dress was nearly bursting at the seams thanks to her impressive bust. It was clear that the garment was either borrowed or extremely old.

"Allow me to introduce these two idiots. This is Esmeralda and this is Melindra," Medrauta said as she gestured to the black-haired knight and the lavender-haired knight respectively.

Esmeralda glanced at Brigitte and then picked up a piece of parchment, reading off it. "It is my pleasure to be acquainted with you on this auspicious day, Lady Viviane. You may call me Esmeralda. Bow or curtsy."

Medrauta smacked Esmeralda on the back of the head almost immediately. "How stupid can you be!?" Though she tried to keep her voice hushed, it was pretty much impossible for me not to overhear. "You're not supposed to read the last part, Esme, holy shit!"

"Are you telling me to curtsy?" Esmeralda shot back.

"Fucking bow then, dipshit!"

Esmeralda quickly cleared her throat and stood from her seat, bowing.

It certainly was a well-practiced bow, but the scene was so inanely comical that I simply couldn't restrain the explosion of helpless laughter that had me struggling to stand. I had no idea what these knights were doing here, but if this was Medrauta's idea of cheering me up after what happened yesterday, I certainly appreciated it.

"I-It's quite alright," I said as I held my sides that were now sore from laughing. "There's no need to speak in a manner that you find uncomfortable. Should you wish to introduce yourself, then please do so naturally."

"Name's Melindra!" The lavender-haired knight took my offer up almost instantaneously. "But you can call me Mel! I'm a knight in Medrauta's jousting class and she's always talkin' 'bout you, so it's nice to finally meet the lady in person!"

"O-Oh... Is that so...?" I blushed, looking at Medrauta who promptly averted her gaze.

"H-Hey! Why doesn't Mel have to read from the sheet!?" Esmeralda protested.

"...Let's just forget that ever happened, Esme," Brigitte said with a hand on her forehead. "Anyway, it seems Medrauta's got one hell of a soft spot for you, Lady Viviane. She's gone and wrangled all of us here for a tea party with you."

I blinked. The snacks and tea were certainly there, and the knights had all made an effort to show up in dresses even if they didn't completely fit in them. But... a tea party with knights? Well, that was simply unheard of.

"If... If the nobles aren't going to give you a proper tea party, then naturally we'll have to take up that duty as knights..." Medrauta murmured. Though her face was turned away, I could see that the tips of her ears were bright red.

It was strange.

This wasn't anything like how I imagined a tea party to be. There were supposed to be ladies dressed up in nice fancy clothes, rounds of elegant and sophisticated socializing, and countless close friendships to be made.

Despite that, an indescribable feeling of warmth blossomed deep within my heart as I looked upon the strangest tea party ensemble the world had ever given birth to.

Even if it was nothing like the tea parties of my dreams, it was my tea party, filled with my favorite snacks, my favorite knight, and her favorite friends.

And with that, I couldn't help but feel beyond blessed.