How About a Refill? ~The Elegant Tea Party of the Grand Witches~ - Chapter 40

A Small Letter

“Once I return to the palace I will immediately talk to my father, and tomorrow I’ll visit your house to ask Marquess Caparoni for your hand in marriage.”

“O-ok…”

Emilio was sitting across from Miriam in his carriage as he escorted her back home. He smiled at her and then suddenly, moving to her side, siddled an arm around her waist.

Miriam, who had realised her feelings for him just a few moments ago couldn’t help but blush at the close contact.

“Should we go out to town sometime?”

“Eh? To the town?”

“There’s a place I want to show you.”

Miriam smiled back at him and then nodded her head. Emilio felt overjoyed at that. Placing a chaste kiss on her forehead, he wrapped his arms around her bringing her into an embrace.

“We’ve arrived at the Caparoni house already. Unfortunately.”

“Thank you for accompanying me all the way here.”

“It’s because I want you to like me. You don’t need to thank me.”

“Well… I already like you.”

Looking at her blushing face, Emilio leaned down to kiss her.

At that moment, the carriage came to a stop and the door was opened roughly.

Then, a hand landed between Miriam and Emilio’s faces. Emilio was too late to stop and crashed right into the hand.

“Ouch!”

Having his face crash into someone’s hand, Emilio rubbed his nose and looked up. A man with dazzling blonde hair and amethyst eyes was glaring back at him. 

“You should refrain from excessive contact before marriage. What’s more you’re not even engaged yet. Right, Your Highness?”

The beautiful man picked up his beloved sister and carried her out of the carriage.

“Miss Miriam! I will contact you about our outing later!”

Emilio waved his hand as he said so. Miriam smiled and also waved her hand back.

　◇

Alessia had just returned from a tea party thrown by a distant relative of the Caparonis. She went to her room, changed into a simple dress and sent her maid to fetch some tea. She sat down on the chair next to her window as she waited.

“Ah, it’s been a while since I went out. It was tiring. I need to quickly get back on track… huh?”

She noticed something stuck in her window and picked it up.

It was a letter addressed to her, enclosed in a small envelope.

　――――――

Don’t force yourself.

You look very pretty when you smile,

But you are still you even when you don’t smile.

G

　――――――

“…G？”

It was a really short letter written in a beautiful cursive handwriting. The sender had only written as ‘G’ to sign off.

SInce when has this letter been here? It wasn’t here in the morning. She was beginning to become perplexed about it when the maid came with the tea.

“Miss Alessia, I’ve brought the tea.”

“Thank you. I’ll make it myself so just put the tray down here.”

As the maid left, Alessia opened the letter again and looked over it.

“G… Gil…? It can’t be, right? He wouldn’t come here.”

She thought back to the man who had kidnapped her a few weeks ago. He wouldn’t come all the way to the Caparoni house in broad daylight just to leave a small letter, right? Yes, there was no way he would do so. Thinking that Alessia put the letter in her drawer.