This story continues from Josette’s perspective. The viewpoint shifts back to the protagonist, Kent, at the end of the text.
“We have arrived.”
“Huh? So soon?”
The carriage had barely departed when they reached their destination. Although there was a distance from the Duke’s family, located near the castle, to the party venue on the edge of the aristocrat district, which bordered the slum area, the carriage had been traveling at a considerable speed. This was because travel within the aristocrat district often involved carriages and had less foot traffic. In contrast, in the slum area, people moved about the streets, and carriages had to weave through them, unable to pick up speed, meaning that covering the same distance took longer. Patty had been in a carriage before, in the town where commoners lived, but she had never traveled by carriage through the aristocrat district. The difference in travel speed surprised her.
“A Duke’s family carriage? I wasn’t informed any Upper Aristocrats would be attending this time! I must report this to the master. I’ll escort you to the entrance for now.”
As the Duke’s family carriage stopped in front of the aristocratic mansion hosting the party, the guards at the gate became flustered.
“Ah, we’ve been expecting you. Please proceed this way.”
One of the guards, out of breath, rushed to the carriage and guided them to the front entrance. However, since the mansion belonged to a Lower Aristocrat, the distance from the gate to the entrance wasn’t particularly far. The carriage stopped after a short movement. Then, the carriage door opened, and with the coachman’s assistance, Josette and Patty alighted.
“Welcome, Lady Josette. What brings you here today?”
The master of the mansion, who had hurried out, rushed to greet Josette and Patty.
“Miss Patty, please show him that.”
“Um… here it is. Please accept this.”
At Josette’s instruction, Patty retrieved and handed the party invitation to the host.
“Indeed, this is an invitation to the party being held at my humble abode. So, you are the guests Mr. Gordon requested?”
“That is correct. I am accompanying her. The invitation stated one accompanying person is allowed, so I am here as Miss Patty’s escort.”
The party invitation stipulated that only one accompanying person was permitted. While normally, an accompanying person would refer to a servant attending to the host, this invitation lacked that specification, only stating that one person could accompany. In such cases, it was permissible to bring a close friend, provided they could handle their own personal care. Later, Caro would enter the party venue with Kent and Rachel, but this was arranged because Baron Frederick, Caro’s father, had directly requested it from the host in writing, thus not falling under this condition.
“Ah, you have connections with the Duke’s family. Understood. While it may not be as grand as an Upper Aristocrat’s party, please enjoy yourselves.”
Following the host’s lead, Patty and Josette entered the venue. The host excused himself, stating he had other guests to greet.
“What a wonderful person she is.”
“I wonder which noble family she belongs to?”
“Look, she’s wearing a dress I’ve never seen before! It’s exquisite.”
“Where did she get it?”
As soon as they entered the venue, all eyes turned to Patty. Overwhelmed by the attention, Patty took a step back.
“Now, the main event begins. If they ask about the shop, tell them it’s Marie’s Bakery No. 2,” Josette said, lightly pushing Patty’s back. Josette then melted into the background, maintaining a distance where she could quickly assist Patty if needed. A crowd of intrigued aristocrats quickly surrounded Patty, forming a throng around her.
“They’ve prepared quite a selection. Oh, this is delicious too.”
After observing for a while, Josette saw that Patty was diligently following her instructions. Judging that she was doing fine, Josette decided to indulge herself, as she had an opportunity, by sampling the food being served and observing the goings-on in the venue.
“Next, I think I’ll try this drink…”
This party seemed to be a recurring event hosted by the mansion’s owner. It wasn’t for a specific celebration or introduction but primarily aimed at fostering exchange among Lower Aristocrats. Therefore, the presence of an Upper Aristocrat like Josette could potentially disrupt the atmosphere. With this consideration, Josette maintained a low profile, avoiding contact with others as much as possible, and savored the food and drinks, enjoying her moment of bliss. This convenient skill, which she had acquired at some point, had been difficult to control initially, often causing her to be ignored unexpectedly. However, she had refined it over time and could now use it freely at will. It proved extremely useful for navigating the venue during parties. Normally, if an Upper Aristocrat were present, the lower-ranking guests would line up immediately for greetings, creating a “greeting hell.” However, this time, Josette had successfully avoided that.
(Still, I can’t avoid greetings entirely.)
Having eaten her fill, Josette decided to mingle with the other aristocrats as a form of post-meal exercise.
“Good day. This is my first time attending this party, and the atmosphere is indeed very pleasant.”
“Good day. This is my third time attending. I find it to be a very meaningful time, being able to speak with so many different people.”
Josette struck up a conversation with a woman who appeared slightly younger than her. The woman, not recognizing Josette and perhaps mistaking her for another Lower Aristocrat, responded without much reservation.
“Perhaps this is a bit rude to ask, but you have quite… well-endowed assets. I’m quite flat, I wonder how I can achieve such growth?”
“Hmm… perhaps it would be good to have a gentleman you are fond of fondle them?”
“That’s valuable advice! I’ll ask my fiancé to try that next time.”
Josette knew of others who were concerned about their bust size, but it seemed larger ones were indeed preferred. She thought this as she observed the woman’s envious gaze directed at her chest.
“Well then, I must be going. I learned a great deal. Thank you.”
Although her remark was partly a joke, the woman took it sincerely. Josette felt a little bad for possibly misleading her, but she figured the fiancé would be pleased to hear such words from the lovely woman, so she sent her off with a warm smile.
(Oh? What’s wrong with that girl?)
Suddenly, as Josette scanned the room, her eyes fell upon a beautiful, slightly tall woman who appeared to be around her age. The woman seemed to have lost her companions and was looking around the venue, searching for someone. Her dress was also interesting, not a single color but with several colors used in different parts. Although her entire body was covered except for her head, it wasn’t an unpleasant sight. Her waistline was emphasized, and the overall balance was exquisitely achieved.
“Is something the matter?”
Figuring she should help if someone was in trouble, the solicitous Josette approached the woman and spoke to her.
—
Kent was in a predicament.
(Ah, seriously, where did Caro and Rachel go?)
Having infiltrated the venue and was searching for Patty, Kent had lost track of Caro and Rachel. The surrounding guests were all strangers, and he couldn’t approach them for fear of his voice betraying him as male. All he could do was search for Caro and Rachel, who had disappeared into the crowd.
“Is something the matter?”
“!”
Startled by the sudden voice, Kent was taken aback. However, he couldn’t even utter a sound and was at a loss for how to respond.
“Are you looking for someone? Shall I help you?”
(Ah, it’s Josette.)
The one who spoke in a gentle tone was Josette.
