The Witch grew angrier the more she thought about it, and she was still in quite a bad mood when she boarded the carriage. Shade, sharing the carriage with her, naturally noticed that something was wrong and meant to ask, but Miss Matilda stopped him with a look. Thus, until the very end, Shade never learned what the Witch was so angry about.
Marquise Ankara's Literary Salon was held at a small manor in the northwest of Moon Bay City, and there were not many attendees. Although Bella Belinder held only the title of countess, she was undoubtedly the most distinguished among all the noblewomen and noble young ladies.
This was not only because the title belonged to her personally, but also because on Moon Bay soil, the status of the Glorious Seven Families could not be demonstrated through titles alone.
It had snowed a few days earlier, and the temperature that afternoon was not particularly high either. Thus, the windows in the bright room were shut and the fireplace lit. Amid the crackling of firewood, the fragrance of steaming tea and sweets made even Shade feel drowsy.
"Perhaps this was how Little Mia felt when she basked in the sun."
The salon's atmosphere was quite peaceful. People who knew one another gathered in groups of two or three, quietly discussing various matters. The ratio of male to female guests was roughly one to three. After greeting Miss Belinder, Shade temporarily left her and found the woman standing alone by the window, holding a teacup in her right hand and gripping her right arm with her left as she looked out at the garden.
Judging from her back alone, she was exceptionally slender. She wore a thin red-and-black gown, while a lace ribbon was tied into her curly black hair.