How About a Refill? ~The Elegant Tea Party of the Grand Witches~ - Chapter 5

Secret of the Black Robe

“That’s why, a brighter colour would definitely suit you more. Wearing moss green even though it’s not autumn; how sober! And that stand-up collar! Now, I don’t mean to criticise stand-up collars. It’s just, it doesn’t go with the shape of that dress.Are you a nun? Or a governess? You’re still young so be a bit more fashionable!”

The blonde haired, blue eyed woman pointed at Miriam’s dress with her head perched on her arm. She sipped tea, and snacked on sweets with the other hand. 

“Tsk tsk, Ria, you really have no manners.”

“Well, she hasn’t said anything wrong. That really is a plain dress.”

“Ellie, that’s rude; you should call that an ‘unobtrusive’ dress.”

“… Both are equally rude.”

An hour had passed since Miriam got lost in the garden and was forcibly pulled into the witches’ tea party. She kept being lectured about her dress. 

At first, she had earnestly accepted their remarks trying not to be rude. But, Miriam soon became fed up with the endless discussion about the dress, and couldn’t help but retort back.

“I don’t want to be criticised on my dress by someone dressed head-to-toe in a black robe.” Miriam turned her head to the side with a huff. 

“Ah, with all due respect, fashion is different for us. Aristocratic ladies have their style, while witches have their own style. Have a look. Hehehe.” With a sudden smile, Beatrice spread open the black robe she was wearing to show what was inside it. 

The inside of the robe was lined with glittering silk. It looked like the colour of the dawn sky with its beautiful ombre dye of dark blue to vermillion. 

When she looked down at the hem, she could see the scenery seen from the Royal Palace on it: the city scape was delicately depicted with the forest behind it spreading up to the canyon in the back.

“Hehe, we prefer places that can’t be seen. That’s the style of an adult!” 

“Wow! It’s so pretty…” Miriam let out in wonder at the scene of the Kingdom at dawn spread out in the inside of the black robe.

Valeria, who had been watching this from the side, suddenly stood up and walked in front of Miriam.

“I’ll also show you mine!” Valeria spread open her robe with a boasting face.

It was taffeta silk made with the same lapis lazuli coloured thread as her eyes. The hems were lined with gold thread. Small sparkling gems of various colours were studded inside, reminding her of stardust.

It was decorated with thinly woven chiffon frills that spread down in layers from her waist to her legs. It created a silhouette that swelled softly towards the hem. It was quite becoming on Valeria who, a bit shorter than the other two, looked like a lovely doll – as long as she didn’t speak, that is. 

“This is so pretty as well… This chiffon frill, in particular, really suits Lady Valeria.”

“Right! You have a good eye for things!” Valeria clapped Miriam’s back while laughing.

“Ouch!” 

Ignoring Miriam’s small cry of protest, Valeria turned to Eleonora who was sitting on the other side of the table.

“What about yours Ellie? Come on show it!”

“My robe? Fine.”

At Valeria’s persistence, Eleonora got up and opened up her robe as well.

Miriam, Beatrice and Valeria looked at the world inside those robes in anticipation. 

However, what appeared was just a simple black lining.

“Whaaat, it’s just a plain black lining. How borin… huh?”

While Beatrice was pouting she looked at the hem of Eleonora’s robe and that’s when she noticed it. 

The black silk lining, which appeared to be ordinary at first, was finely embroidered with silk thread of the same black colour. It looked like some kind of pattern. Also, glittering black gems were sewn in to decorate the black embroidery. 

“Daaamn! That embroidery is amazing! What kind of pattern is that?” Valeria rushed over and also peered at it.

“Hey, it’s a magic circle. I wonder what kind it is? Let’s see…”

Beatrice and Valeria started deciphering the magic circle embroidered on the lining.

“Hmm, this word is ‘awakening’. And this one is… it’s ‘wind’, right?”

“If you put these words together it becomes ‘cooling’ and ‘fragrance’…? Ah! This is the initiating sequence… hmm, ‘slumber’?”

Beatrice and Valeria glanced at each other and then let out a breath.

“This is a spell to stay awake!”

“What the hell, this is too funny! A witch that has the magic circle to fight off sleep stitched in her robe!”

Eleonora had opened up her robe wider to make it easy for them to decipher. She smiled at the two rolling around on the floor in laughter.

“What? It’s because the current King speaks for too long.” 

“Ah, you mean you always listen half heartedly to his speeches? You should listen properly!”

“When I think of him as that snivelling kid trying to speak grandly, I just can’t seem to focus on the content. Well, I thought it would be good not to yawn in front of the King.”

It looked like the magic circle inside Eleonora’s robe was a measure against falling asleep in the middle of meetings with the King.

Miriam secretly thought it was somewhat disrespectful to say the King makes you want to sleep. And she said it without even batting an eye.