The Third Life of Helena Blackmoore

11. Lady Tea Time

The sunlight shone warm, the wind blew gently, the sky was clear, and the birds chirped near the tree. It was good weather for an outdoor salon. Helena wore her favourite pastel blue dress and sat in a beautiful garden. She sipped the tea and smiled brightly. The fragrance of the drink was marvellous.

"What a nice day."

Helena stared at the host of the salon, Ruth Verdant. The elder had the window match the curtain. She had brown hair that suited her brown eyes. The wrinkle under her eyes did not hinder the sweet appearance of her round face.

Lady Verdant married a Marquis and lived a peaceful life. She retired from high society when all of her children grew up. That woman did not appear much at social gatherings, but she still had an impact as the previous social butterfly. The forty-year-old lady still held a salon to learn news surrounding the nobility.

Helena chose to attend her salon because she was not prejudiced toward newcomers. Lady Verdant would welcome anyone with open arms as long they were courteous. Making acquaintance with her instead of the young nobles would be better.

Yet, something unfortunate happened to Lady Verdant in the future. She locked herself in the room and never appeared to the public for the rest of her life. Nobody knew the reason behind her sudden isolation. Helena wondered why such a wonderful woman changed.

"Did you hear about Prince Ruby and the daughter of a Viscount?"

"He ditched her for another woman, right?"

The topic of the tea party was always the same. It was about gossip, trending outfits, or marriage. Helena was getting bored listening to the same story for the third time. She was an attentive listener who barely spoke in her first life and a liar in her second life. It was not good to remain silent or fabricate a story, so Helena decided to talk about something. Her vast knowledge of gardening (from her first life) and tea (from her second life) helped her this round.

"Did you know catnip can become tea?"

"Really? This is the first time I hear about it."

"The taste is woodsy and grassy. I suggest mixing it with lemon for a few minutes."

Helena managed to bring a new conversation to the table. The other ladies began to speak about their hobbies and interests instead. Helena used this opportunity to obtain information about their preferences.

"I almost forgot! Lady Helena, I heard you received the invitation to the royal ballroom. Congratulations!"

A lady at the same table disrupted her intel gathering. Helena was confused by her statement. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you were talking about. I never receive such an invitation."

"My bad, please forgive me." That lady hid a dagger behind her smile. "I thought both of you got invited to the royal ballroom."

That lady was Ethel's friend, Mariah Heather. She had a bratty face that matched her personality. The brown-haired girl always took Ethel's side. She embarrassed Helena on purpose to look good in front of her sister.

Helena's eyes twitched at the provocation. Her step-sister received an invitation to the royal ball last week. However, rubbing it on her face was not exactly pleasant. Helena would be too timid to fight back in her first life and would throw tea at her in her second life. The current Helena was wiser and had more experience. She could handle this situation better than before.

"I understand they do not choose me. I am still lacking in many areas. However, Lady Heather was a true noble and had been educated since childhood. Surely you receive the invitation, right?"