If it's to become my favorite stepmother, I'll gladly do a fake marriage! [Main story complete] - Chapter 22

Today is the Prep Tea Party at the Grand Cathedral.

By the way, Diarmid had already gone to the Grand Cathedral. Today, he happened to have a job with the Holy Knight Corps.

Brigid changed into a light blue tea party gown after bonding with Nisha and donned her Zamas glasses for the first time in a while.

Nisha looked at Brigid with a puzzled expression.

“Are you going to wear those glasses today?”

Brigid smiled confidently.

“Surely, they’ve been eagerly waiting for ‘Zamas Glasses Brigid’ to make her appearance.”

As Brigid smiled confidently, Nisha also grinned wickedly.

When joining a gathering of exclusive upper-class aristocrats, there might be a little trial to go through if you arrive midway, without an introduction from the host or someone of higher status.

This is done to ascertain if the person is worth associating with.

Furthermore, the venue for this event is the Grand Cathedral, and the host is the Mizugards Marquisate.

In the Gimlenn Kingdom, there are three marquisates: the War-oriented Frosvitnill Marquisate, the Knowledge-oriented Mizugards Marquisate, and the Justice-oriented Sleipnir Marquisate.

Among them, the War-oriented Frosvitnill Marquisate and the Knowledge-oriented Mizugards Marquisate are often compared to each other.

Moreover, Brigid managed to outperform the son of the Mizugards Marquisate, known for his brilliance, and graduated as the top student from the Royal Academy Middle School. She was the first woman to achieve this honor.

Back then, she had been criticized for not advancing to the high school section.

But according to Brigid, she graduated at the top of the class in middle school precisely because she couldn’t go to the high school section.

(There might be some turbulence today…)

Brigid thought.

“Nisha, if anyone bothers you, make sure to tell me. I’ll give them a proper scolding!”

Brigid flexed her biceps and winked.

Nisha chuckled.

“Okay!”

Their exchange caught the attention of their butler who was watching.

It was thirty minutes before the invitation time, but Brigid and Nisha had already arrived at the Grand Cathedral. A sister acting as a guide led them to the courtyard with a surprised and awkward expression.

Already, people who had been invited to the Prep Tea Party were gathering.

As it turns out, the time written on the invitations was already incorrect.

(That’s a rather petty form of cruelty, isn’t it? It’s a good thing I checked.)

Brigid smiled.

Members of the tea party were taken aback by the early arrival of the Frosvitnill Marquisate.

The Mizugards Marquisate was the host, and the Mizugards son’s wife greeted them with a dignified expression.

“Welcome, Lady Frosvitnill.”

“I was worried that we had arrived too early, and everyone was alarmed, but I’m relieved to see everyone here together. The Mizugards son’s wife. This is my son, Nisha.”

Brigid smiled and introduced Nisha, who elegantly bowed.

Under the midday sunlight, Nisha’s silver hair glistened, creating a sort of halo. His ears and tail, which were still intact, were lively and childlike.

His large, sparkling eyes, like the sea captured within them, reflected the ladies.

“I am Nisha. Pleased to meet you…!”

Though it was a somewhat hesitant introduction, Nisha smiled as if to say, “I’ll do my best.” In response, the ladies let out a large collective sigh at his angelic beauty.

Brigid secretly gave herself a mental high-five.

(How’s that! The power of my favorite!! Regardless of the lady, I can captivate them instantly!)

The Mizugards son’s wife also momentarily faltered but cleared her throat and spoke coldly.

“Children should gather over there. Let me show you.”

Nisha’s tail drooped, and with the maid guiding him away, he looked a bit downcast.

The adults couldn’t help but feel a touch of pity for him.

When Brigid looked at Nisha with a worried expression, he responded as if saying, “I’ll do my best!” and made a triumphant pose.

The ladies around couldn’t help but smile at his artful cuteness, and some even covered their mouths with their fans.

Brigid was guided to her designated seat, and the sparks of battle were about to be ignited.

“Many of you are probably meeting Lady Brigid for the first time, aren’t you?”

Using her name rather than her title, she indirectly conveyed that she didn’t acknowledge Brigid as a Marquise. She also subtly taunted her by mentioning that Brigid wasn’t even a debutante.

A few of the ladies giggled.

“I was in the same class as Lady Frosvitnill at the Royal Academy Middle School.”

This was said by Ekné, one of her friends from her school days, who was now the wife of the Sleipnir Marquisate’s son.

“Come to think of it, the Mizugards son was also in the same class, right?”

Brigid continued.

Brigid made eye contact with Ekné.

Ekné winked in response.

They had grown distant since Brigid’s fall from grace, but it was because Brigid was keeping her distance to protect Ekné. Ekné herself had been frustrated by her friend’s actions.

That’s why, now that Brigid had made her debut in high society, Ekné wanted to support her. Ekné had also informed her of the correct gathering time for today.

“Oh, is that so? I didn’t know that since we are of different ages. I haven’t met her in social situations either. If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask.”

The Mizugards son’s wife changed the subject hastily.

One of the ladies looked at Brigid and asked, “How did you come to know the Marquis?”

“In an orphanage…”

“Well! So the rumors were true after all! That girl was an orphan. That explains her somewhat calculated behavior, don’t you think?”

The lady stared at Brigid with a smug expression.

Brigid was not going to accept anyone mocking Nisha, her stepson.

“I was in an orphanage due to certain circumstances, but Nisha has noble lineage.”

“Oh, really? He looked more like a puppy than a wolf.”

The lady made a sarcastic remark.

Brigid had a nerve-racking feeling. She wouldn’t stand for anyone belittling Nisha.

“He is, isn’t he? Nisha is incredibly cute! He’s like a Samoyed puppy, right? Ah, so cute, even after seeing him every day! Do you understand? Do you understand, ladies?”

Brigid gushed with love. She overwhelmed the ladies with her shameless and endearing display of affection for Nisha.

Seeing her overly expressive love, the surrounding ladies were taken aback.

They were put off by her lack of understanding of sarcasm, but they were also surprised by the extent of her affection for a stepchild.

“Indeed, he was like an angel, but…”

Ekné tried to mediate while maintaining a certain distance.

One of the ladies coughed. Brigid was

not someone easy to deal with when it came to sarcasm.

“But he doesn’t seem much like the Marquis, does he?”

“Is that so? He resembles his father quite a bit when he smiles?”

Brigid replied.

Her answer caused a stir in the surroundings.

“That Marquis known for his iron will? He smiles…?”

“Is that a joke? Have any of you seen that?”

“No, not even his wife has seen it…”

The ladies shook their heads in disbelief.

“You’re skilled at joking.”

“I’m not joking.”

“You have heard the rumors, right? That the arranged marriage was just a cover-up to take in an orphan.”

The Mizugards son’s wife laughed.

The tea party fell into silence.

If it was a sham marriage, it wouldn’t be tolerated by t

he king or the church. Even Ekné, who was unaware of the circumstances, looked at Brigid.