C149
It was similar to Liena's fan club in the sense that Liena's followers gathered, but unlike the fan club, Redpal was a small and private meeting.
A notable difference is that anyone who loves Liena can join the fan club, but Redpal only accepts nobles as members.
Among the nobles, only members of families above a certain level were selected as members.
"It was originally created by a few nobles."
Duchess Luciano was also one of the founding members of Redpal.
"How do you know about Redpal?"
Duchess Luciano, with a furrowed brow, shook her head resolutely.
"No, even if you know about it somehow, I can't invite you."
"Why?"
"Why? Yes, Redpal is a gathering of people who love Miss Liena, but there's no way that you, that girl's enemy, can come."
"Is that why the duchess is so hostile towards me?"
"What?"
"What I mean is, are you holding your sword against me because I'm Liena's enemy? I don't recall causing any inconvenience directly to the duchess."
"It's annoying to say the least! Have you forgotten what you did to that delicate girl?"
The duchess pounded the table with her fist.
"Miss Liena mustered the courage to invite you for tea, but you refused! You showed up at the banquet where Miss Liena put so much effort and ruined it!"
"It's my freedom to accept or decline the invitation. I only attended the banquet, but I don't recall ruining it. I didn't create any scandal."
"You arbitrarily stole people's attention!"
"Isn't that what the delicate Miss Liena of the duchess usually does?"
She was momentarily speechless.
"Miss Liena doesn't try to steal it on purpose. It's just that her innate presence is so great..."
Duchess Luciano tried to find an excuse for Liena, but when she saw my gaze, she blushed even more and kept her mouth shut.
I think she knows it's a weak excuse.
"Anyway, I can't invite you!"
"Then it's simple. I can't sell magic stones to the Luciano family either."
"Viscountess! Do you plan to go that way?"
I shrugged while sipping my tea.
"I just don't want to sell my magic stones, so it's a bit unfair to put it that way."
"I am a member of the royal family. Be courteous."
"Princess... No, duchess."
When I suddenly lowered my voice and changed the title, the duchess's body shivered.
"Is the dignity of the Asteroth royal family to barge into someone's residence whom you normally gossip about and ask them to hand over their magic stones?"
"W-What?"
Well, it seems I hit the mark.
I increased my divine power.
"As far as I know, Her Royal Highness has a fiery temper, but she knows etiquette and knows how to apologize when she unintentionally violates etiquette."
"What do you know about me?!"
"I don't know. But this person does."
I took out from my bag the bundle of letters I had prepared in advance and placed them on the table.
"These are handwritten letters sent to me by Duke Luciano. There are more than 50 letters in total."
Initially, Duke Luciano's letter was simply about buying magic stones, but the topic changed once I responded and told him what had happened between the duchess and me.
"...my husband?"
She quickly looked at the contents of the letter.
"Certainly, it's my husband's handwriting."
"It's written here. What kind of person is the duchess?"
The love story of Duke Luciano and his wife was quite famous.
It is said that a long time ago, the duchess, who was then a princess, refused to marry the person her parents had decided on, claiming he was weak.
However, Duke Luciano, who deeply admired the princess, won first place in the hunting festival after much effort and offered the first prize to the princess.
Subsequently, the princess, moved by the gesture, reveals that Duke Luciano is the man she chose, not her parents, and marries him.
"He was definitely a calm person who seemed like he couldn't harm a fly."
I remembered the slender Duke Luciano I had seen at the Bunny Group's foundation celebration last time.
His calm and composed personality was subtly revealed in the writing style of the letter.
I couldn't help but imagine how much a person like that loved the duchess to strive and win the hunting festival.
"It was repeatedly written in Duke Luciano's letter. He said the duchess is a good person."
I opened my mouth when I saw the duchess examining the letter her husband had written with a confused expression on her face.
"So, if he said something bad about me without good reason, he's sure you'll realize your mistake soon and come to apologize. He said he could bet on it."
"And I didn't do anything wrong."
"Do you really think so?"
"Of course!"
"Then go back. If you say so, the duke will be happy to believe it."
"B-but then the magic stones..."
"The duke always loves his proud wife. He's not the kind of person who saves face by forcing a wife who did nothing wrong to apologize."
I chose a letter among several letters.
"Indeed, here's a letter that clearly states that if the duchess is right, he won't do business with me."
Duke Luciano, who knew his wife's excessive affection for Liena, believed there was a high possibility that she had been rude to me.
However, a part of him didn't want to believe that his wife was at fault, so he maintained a neutral attitude.
For me, who had done nothing wrong to Duchess Luciano, it was frankly absurd, but the duchess's feelings seemed to be different when she learned of her husband's true intentions.
"He said you should apologize first... I said you were busy all the time, so he wrote a lot..."
The duchess's hand holding the letter trembled slightly.
This troublesome task could have been done by a servant, but the letters were handwritten by a man of the duke's stature.
Did Duke Luciano's efforts touch her heart this time as they had in the past?
The duchess Luciano silently read her husband's letter for a while, and I waited.
After spending quite some time reading the fifty letters, the duchess looked at me.
"... What exactly should I do after inviting you to Redpal?"
-------------------
Luciano Residence greenhouse. It is a glass greenhouse that Duke Luciano spent a lot of money building a few years ago for his beloved wife, who was jealous of the empress's palace greenhouse.
The usual weekly Redpal meetings always took place there unless it was a special occasion.
A person wearing a rabbit mask said.
"I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who attended today's 'Meeting of People Who Love Liena.'"
About twenty people gathered around whistled and applauded.
It was quite impressive that everyone wore rabbit masks that covered half of their faces.
Indeed, as the meeting was ancient, the attendees knew each other well enough to be able to guess who was who without seeing their faces.
However, a few years ago, Liena, who could be said to be the main character of this meeting, made a surprise appearance with a clever rabbit mask, and it became an unwritten rule to wear the same mask at the meeting.
Some would say the reason was to remember Liena's tenderness even when she wasn't around.
People with rabbit masks were busy talking to each other despite the host speaking, unable to hide their excitement.
"Well, I completely sympathize with you, but for now, pay attention!"
The host shouted, drawing the attendees' attention.
"I will briefly guide you through today's proceedings. The start is, as always, a time for art. I'm sure everyone has prepared at least one new artwork to honor Miss Liena, haven't you?"
A guest shouted.
"One?! I brought five!"
"Over here, there are three in total!"
"I have eight!"
They, fiercely competing, instantly fell silent when an elderly woman sitting at the head of the table spoke up.
"Twenty."
She was a founding member of this group and the president of Redpal.
"As expected of the president!"
"She's on a different level!"
While members admired the president, the moderator continued reciting the procedure.
"In the second session, we will announce Miss Liena's engagement gift, and in the third session, a meal will be prepared. As always, the diet consists solely of Liena's favorite meals..."
After the meeting order was announced, the moderator smiled cheerfully while looking at the members making noise.
"I know what you're thinking right now. I'm sure you're equally eager to talk to everyone about the good news from today's newspaper."
Then, happy smiles appeared on the faces of the members.
"Everyone! How difficult it must have been for all of you because Miss Liena's engagement was postponed, and due to her grief, she hasn't appeared for a long time!"
It was indeed a tough time for Redpal.
"But! Today, Miss Liena finally broke her silence and gave us precious words!"
The eyes of several touched members moistened.
"As this is an unusual incident, let's talk about Miss Liena's newsworthy updates before starting today's first session!"
It was a moment when every member wanted to say something.
"Before that, there's something I'd like to tell you."
Suddenly, the president raised her hand and spoke.
"Duchess Luciano says there's someone here who is not a member of Redpal."
The moderator looked at Duchess Luciano, who lowered her head in surprise.
"Is this the first time I'm hearing this news? Is it a new member?"
A member exclaimed in shock.
"This is ridiculous! New members should be discussed with us in advance before incorporating them!"
Then another person spoke dissatisfied.
"Did Duchess Luciano decide it arbitrarily? No matter how high a superior officer is, this is an abuse of authority."
"Who the hell is it?!"
"Where is he? Tell him to leave right now!"
As members' complaints grew louder, a voice intervened among them.
"I am that person."
The owner of the voice appeared from behind a bush. She was the only one not wearing a rabbit mask.