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Chapter 5 - The Bullying
It’s a beautiful sunny and clear day, not a cloud can be seen in the blue depths above. For many, this weather is perfect for an outdoor tea party. Laughter and chatter can be heard in many gardens, including that of Lady Randa at the moment.Seated at a circular table are several ladies of varying statuses. Most ladies, except one, have focused their attention on one spot, the odd one out uncomfortably avoids their gazes as she is the center of focus.
“Thank you again for accepting my invitation. Have you been to many tea parties in the capital, Lady Gerber?” Randa asks with a smile.
“N-no problem. This-this is actually the first one I’ve been to. Here in the capital I me-mean...” Madelief answers while muttering as she is still uncomfortable with being the center of attention.
“In that case this would be your first time having truly good tea!” A lady chimes in with a seemingly excited voice, “After all, you won’t be able to get this stuff in the countryside!”
Lata shows a miffed face as she hears the last part.
‘Really? Won’t be able to? Even if it was the hardest to reach boonies in this world, that place’s nobles would still be able to easily get their hands on the good stuff. They just have to wait a little longer for that stuff. Ah, why am I getting worked up over this simple backhanded insult! I have absolutely no right to get mad for Madelief’s sake, considering what I’m about to do…’
Lata, the only one to stop focusing on Madelief, now turns her attention towards the various teapots in the middle of the table. A very unusual set-up.
Madelief meanwhile doesn’t notice there being less eyes on her, as she focuses more on awkwardly laughing at the various backhanded and not so backhanded insults thrown her way. She’s clearly too afraid to talk back and all the ladies at the table are very aware of that.
“I wonder,” Janthe takes a bite out of a cookie and leaves the table silent for an uncomfortably long time before she continues, “would she even be able to handle this tea? You do need to have a refined taste for this.”
A chorus of giggles resound as Madelief stares down at the table in embarrassment. It has been a few weeks since Madelief has been unfortunate enough to meet Janthe. She can’t grasp the reason as to why Janthe demeans her so much.
‘She doesn’t even address me directly when she makes fun of me! Like, I’m less than a fly or something! She doesn’t even have the decency to insult me to my face!’ Madelief fumes quietly to herself as the idea of actually confronting Janthe terrifies herself immensely.
Madelief is snapped out of her thoughts by a hand clap from Randa.
“Well, I think it’s about time we try the various teas here. Lady Zelenka has been kind enough to fill up our cups while we were conversing!” Randa smiles sweetly towards Lata, upon which the latter gives a reluctant smile back as she starts dividing the teacups amongst the ladies. She hesitates a bit before placing Madelief’s cup in front of her, but no one notices. Not even Madelief.
The ladies quiet down for a bit as they all take a sip from their cups. Lata’s gaze as she takes a sip is firmly planted on Madelief, and, out of the corner of her eye, she notices that Janthe’s is as well.
Madelief doesn’t even hesitate before she takes a big sip from the teacup, probably eager to taste just how delicious the tea in the capital is, but her face instantly changes to a mortified one as her hand shoots up to cover her mouth, but it’s too late. In no time, the table and her dress are covered in tea which had just been in her mouth.
Madelief sits in her seat petrified as tea drips down her hand that’s still in front of her mouth. Her mind buzzes as she tries to comprehend what just happened. The various shrieks and complaints from the other ladies sound like fuzzy background noise to her. She comes back to her senses when she hears a certain cold voice speak.
“I knew her taste would be unrefined, but I can not believe just how unrefined it is.”
Madelief’s pink eyes meet a violet gaze that has shown nothing but contempt since the moment they’ve met. Yet again, these violet eyes are as cold as snow.
Instantly, Madelief becomes aware of what situation she is in.
Too aware.
She bolts up while tears swell up in her eyes and she dashes off.
For a moment, the garden in left in deep silence, but before long a voice speaks up.
“Well, that was an unfortunate thing. I believe it’s best to postpone this tea party to another time. I’ll call maids for anyone who needs to clean up. For those who wish to simply leave, I’ll accompany you to the front door,” Randa starts to deal with the situation instantly, but, interestingly, shows no hint of worry towards the lady that just ran out of her tea party in tears.
Meanwhile one of the culprits guiltily looks towards the exit the victim ran off to.
***
“Apologise to Madelief this instant!” A brown eyed girl with a matching colour of hair stands in front of Madelief with outstretched hands and a clearly peeved face.
“And what exactly should I be apologising for, Lady Aster?” Janthe smirks as she pretends not to know what Lady Aster is talking about, making the latter even more peeved than she already was.
“You know EXACTLY what I’m talking about!” Lady Aster’s voice starts to get an angrier undertone, making Madelief and Lata a bit worried about the situation, albeit for different reasons. Madelief’s face clearly shows her worry as well, while Lata manages to keep her worry to herself.
Janthe, meanwhile, isn’t bothered in the slightest. She calmly and confidently clasps her hands together in front of her nonchalantly continues her bluff, “I honestly do not know what you might be talking about, Lady Aster. Why should I apologise to Lady Gerber if I have not wronged her in any way?”
“Not wronged, my ass! You pushed her down while stepping on her dress - ripping it!”
Lata loudly gasps, turning Lady Aster’s attention to her.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Ah, no! I just, uh…” Lata tries to think of something to say, while feeling embarrassed about being so shocked over Lady Aster’s language.
‘I know Lady Aster’s words at this moment were very unusual for ladies, but me being this shocked over this is ridiculous! Especially since I've heard worse in my previous life!’
“Lady Aster, your problem lies with me, not with Lata. Do not drag her into this,” Before she can think of something to say to Lady Aster, Janthe inserts herself into the convo again but her face has a serious look now. She moves closer to Lata as well, seemingly trying to protect her from Lady Aster’s ire both verbally and physically. Lata feels a warmth in her heart at that gesture.
Lady Aster narrows her eyes at them and then lets out a mocking laugh, “Aren’t you kind of a package deal? Ah, well, I don’t care, just apologise to Madelief already! I know that you ruined her dress!”
“Do you now?” Janthe sports a smirk again, “where exactly is your evidence? How do you know that Lady Gerber did not fall on her own while she happened to be near me? She is known to be rather clumsy, is she not?”
“Why you…!”
“Daisy, it’s alright,” before Lady Aster can say anything back, she’s stopped by Madelief, “le-let’s just go…”
“But she pushed you and ruined your dress, Maddy!”
“P-please, Daisy…” Madelief grasps Lady Aster’s hands, making the latter relent.
“Fine. But,” As both of them start to walk away, Lady Aster looks over her shoulder, glaring directly at Janthe, “I won’t be leaving like this the next time!”
“Is that so?” Janthe’s smirk widens as she sees them scurrying away, clearly feeling that she won this clash.
Lata just quietly sighs a sigh of relief over this interaction being over, until she notices Madelief looking this way. Or, to be more exact, looking at Janthe.
‘Oh, I think it’s the first time she’s dared to look Janthe in the eyes. She’s doing it from far away, but still…’
Lata’s gaze falls on Janthe now as well, and, as she presumed, Janthe is sporting a displeased look now since she noticed Madelief’s gaze as well.
***
“Oh, this necklace is beautiful!”
“You have a good eye, Lady! It is one of our most popular items in the shop! Many distinguished ladies have eyed this necklace, and I’m sure you’re one of them, Lady! ” The store clerk smiles widely as he shows a necklace to Madelief, whose eyes are very clearly sparkling with desire for that item.
Madelief, a bit ashamed from being tickled at hearing this very obvious flattery, pretends to deeply weigh the pros and cons of buying the necklace. While putting on her serious act, the front door of the shop can be heard opening and closing, indicating the arrival of a new customer. Hearing that, Madelief stops her act and decides to quickly finish her shopping before the store clerk has to divide his attention between her and the new arrival.
“I’ve decided to buy th-”
“I would like to buy this necklace.”
Madelief freezes as she hears an unpleasantly familiar voice from right next to her. She takes a deep breath before she takes her gaze from the necklace to the person on her right.
“Oh, I did not see you here, Lady Gerber. I did not think someone like you would visit this kind of establishment.” A cold pair of violet eyes meet her pink eyes, to Madelief’s disappointment.
‘Of course it’s her…’ Madelief held back a groan and tried her best to keep meeting Janthe’s eyes, despite still being quite afraid of her.
“T-there’s nothing odd about me visiting places like thi-this! I’m a lady too! An-and I had my eyes on that necklace f-first!”
‘Ugh! I barely stutter these days any more, but why do I have to stutter right in front of her!? Right now!?’
“You had your eyes on it first, huh?” Janthe starts to smirk, “But do you have enough money to buy it?”
“Huh?” Madelief looks at Janthe with a blank look.
“Clerk, I would like to buy this necklace - for double the original price.”
“Of course! Right away!” The store clerk, who had been staring at the ladies with a bewildered look, gained his footing and customer service smile the instant he heard the word “double”. Perhaps his smile was even wider than before.
“B-but you can’t do that!” Madelief instantly protested upon realising what Janthe was up to.
Janthe let out a pleased chuckle, “But I can. Very much so… or are you implying that you, a mere Baron’s daughter, could stop me?”
“That…” Madelief’s eyes are starting to tear up from frustration.
“Madelief can’t, but I can, Lady Fiala.”
The ladies jump at the sudden voice, as they hadn’t noticed the entrance of someone new during their spat. Both initially look at the new arrival with wide eyes, but Madelief’s face soon turns into a bright smile.
“Basil! You’re here earlier than I expected!”
“Luckily, the meeting ended earlier than I expected,” The Crown Prince smiles sweetly at Madelief, ”and I feel like I arrived at the perfect time. Lady Fiala, about the necklace-”
“I do not want it anymore - Lady Gerber can have it.”
Janthe, very displeased at seeing the pair be so cosy with each other, uncharacteristically ignores decorum and interrupts the Prince before he manages to finish his sentence. The Prince and Madelief are quite taken aback at that, but they aren’t given enough time to react as Janthe curtly says her goodbye to the both of them and hurries out of the shop.
Janthe keeps walking down the street at a quick pace while pressing her hand to her forehead and occasionally muttering under her breath, “Why? Why do I keep doing things like this…?” She only comes to a stop once she hears Lata’s voice calling her.
“Janthe, sorry for the wait! I didn’t expect my business to go on for so long! But I hope you had… fun… looking at the jewellery in this shop?” Lata’s initial smile and happy tone falter as she sees Janthe’s disgruntled face, “Did something happen?”
Janthe’s look softens as she sees Lata’s worried face, “No, nothing much. My headache from this morning seems to simply have returned.”
“Oh no, we should quickly get back then!” Lata grabs Janthe hand and hurries to the carriage.
Janthe feels a slight smile tug at her lips at this.
***
"How dare you!"
A few birds that were resting in the royal garden fly away as they hear a sudden angry shout near them.
"How dare I what?" Janthe smirks as she hides her face behind her fan.
"Oh, don't play coy with me! You know very well what I'm talking about - my necklace!" Madelief angrily raises her right hand, showing a necklace that has a broken chain.
"And what about it?"
"You broke it! On purpose!"
"Do not be silly! My fan just happened to get caught in it while I was immersed in my conversation with Lata," Janthe casually tells her, with no hint of remorse.
"It didn't just happen to get caught! You did it on purpose! You didn't need to stand so close to me! Frankly, you never stand so close to me! I should've figured that you're up to something at that point!" Madelief's voice starts to get louder, prompting her friend, Daisy, to show a worried face.
Lata, meanwhile, barely shows any expression at all - she has already gotten used to this type of situation. After all, they’ve had way too many encounters like this with Madelief already. And, as of late, her role is a lot more that of an onlooker. It was like that in the book as well, so she isn’t inclined to change that fact.
Meanwhile, Janthe's smirk gets bigger upon seeing Madelief get so worked up about everything. She can't help but rile her up some more, "And I figure you are delusional! And on a horse that is far too high for you!"
"Y-you-" Madelief's face is starting to go red from anger, but before she can retort, Daisy interrupts her.
"Maddie! I think it's better if we go!"
"Daisy, I can't just let this go!"
"You don't have to! But I feel like this might be getting a bit out of hand due to your feelings. I don't want you to do something that might bite you in the ass!" Daisy starts to gently pull Madelief by her arm.
"But-"
"Come on, please, Maddie! I know a good jeweller that can fix your necklace perfectly!"
Madelief hesitates for a bit, but upon seeing Daisy's worried face, she relents, "...fine."
'Oh, it's interesting to see Daisy to be the cool headed one for once!' Lata looks with interest at the retreating pair.
Lata jumps a bit as she sees Madelief suddenly turn her head and shout at Janthe, "Don't think that's how I'll leave things! Or anything in the future! I KNOW why you broke this necklace specifically, Lady Fiala! Your jealousy is very unbecoming- no - ugly! It is very ugly!"
"Maddie!" Daisy scolds Madelief, upon which the latter turns her head back again while mumbling a quiet apology to her.
Janthe angrily grips her folded fan upon hearing this. She nearly snaps it.
Lata sighs as she sees that, 'That last comment must've really affected her. It might take me some time for me to calm her down…'
***
SLAP!
All the ladies in the vicinity stare in shocked silence towards the way where the sound came from.
Two ladies seem to be at a stand off while two others are worriedly looking on. Even Lata, who had expected for such a thing to happen, looks at the situation with an uncomfortable look.
One of the ladies is the Duke’s daughter, and the other is a certain lady that the Crown Prince has become fond of.
The former’s face sports an angry look while her hand is up in the air - very clearly having done the slapping. The latter, meanwhile, is holding one of her cheeks - indicating very clearly that she was at the receiving end of the slap. Her face, oddly though, is showing a smile as she’s looking at her attacker, making the former even angrier.
“What are you smiling about! Are you fond of pain, like the vulgar person you are?!”
“Vulgar, hah! Look who’s talking - you’re the one who hit me!” Madelief instantly retorts, showing none of the fear or stuttering which she showed in her initial collisions with Janthe.
'Is she really the same Madelief I met several months ago? She's so different!' Lata marvelled a bit upon seeing Madeliefs growth despite knowing that she would go through one ahead of time.
Janthe's face got even angrier upon Madelief's retort and a snap could be heard, "How dare you have that kind of tone with me! Do not pretend to be so high and mighty in front of me!"
"Pretend to be high and mighty? I believe you've got things backwards. The only one I see on a horse far too high is you," Madelief said the last part in a very mocking tone, irritating Janthe a lot.
Yet, before Janthe could say anything, Madelief simply turned her back to her and started to walk away, leaving the former baffled.
"What are you-"
"I'm simply not wasting my time. You'll get what you deserve soon," Madelief answers her with a chuckle before turning to face her friend, "Come on, Daisy, let's go!"
"Okay!" Daisy follows Madelief with a smile as they leave.
Janthe was very annoyed at what Madelief said, but she was even more baffled at that sudden departure. She didn't quite know what to do as she stood there with a broken fan in hand. She felt very mixed inside, especially as her constant headache was getting worse again. Why couldn't any of the doctors she consulted with find a cure?
The loudly gossiping ladies surrounding her didn't help her headache either. Shouting at them to shut up started to seem like a really good idea for numerous reasons, but before she could do that, she felt a pair of hands gently wrap around her arm.
"Janthe? I think we should go."
'Ah,' Janthe thought as she stared into the ever so familiar green eyes in front of her, 'how does she do this? Simply being near her calms me so immensely.'
"Janthe?" Lata calls her name again while doing a little head tilt which Janthe finds to be rather adorable.
"Apologies, Lata, I was lost in thought," She finally answers her, bringing forth a smile in Lata. Janthe finds that to be rather adorable as well.
"It's alright! But I really think leaving would be a good idea."
Janthe answers her with a smile, "I believe so as well."
As they start to leave, Lata notices Randa in the crowd. They haven’t talked in months, due to her trying to avoid visiting Janthe when she’s here, but even seeing her makes Lata feel irritated. Her irritation flares up even more as she sees that Randa is quietly laughing at the whole situation.‘I know that you’re not that invested in this friendship we three have, Randa, but have some decency to not to laugh at this situation!’ Lata quietly mumbles to herself as she and Janthe leave the premises.