Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 181: Where the Rumors Began

Chapter 181: Where the Rumors Began

Arabella continued working and in the afternoon, as promised, she tried the tea Raymond gifted her. It was labeled as Venus tea.

Carla and Irene prepared it for her.

She inhaled upon receiving the cup, "Mm. It’s fragrant."

Arabella liked its scent. She then took a sip.

"And sweet."

She loved its sweet taste. It was one of the sweetest teas she ever had without having to add honey, milk, or sugar cubes. It was delicious just as it is.

And just a few minutes after drinking a cup, Arabella felt it. It was indeed effective in soothing a tired body.

It helped her relax and regain some energy. Thus, she was able to do some more reading before retiring for the night.

She only brought out a bit of every flavor for her taste-testing and kept the rest for when Ferdinand returned from the borders.

In a few days, she sent a letter to Raymond about her most preferred flavor.

Arabella wasn’t sure if Clarisse was informed that Raymond used her as an excuse to give her the tea, so she sent her letter to Raymond. He sent back a welcome and thank you letter that she informed him about her preference as promised.

And when the weekend arrived, it was time to attend the birthday party of the Great Elder Walter Maximus, the Former Grand Commander of the Imperial Knights and grandfather of her assistant Oscar.

Arabella’s maids had been hyped on choosing which dress and accessories would suit the occasion. They excitedly dressed her up since it was the first-ever social event she would be attending.

It was akin to her debut in the social circle of Valeria so her maids ensured she would be breathtaking and would get a lot of attention.

Arabella sat back and let them do their job.

The way she dresses implies how she values the birthday celebrant and the event itself.

She had to dress and look well as a form of respect to the invitee and to all the attendees who would surely have dressed as best they could for the occasion.

As the Empress, she couldn’t be losing on glamour or else everyone would think Ferdinand wasn’t treating her well or they were not getting along.

"This color looks good on Her Majesty’s clothes," Carla showcased a necklace.

"No, this looks better," Irene contradicted.

"No, this is definitely it," Renee showcased another necklace.

"Why don’t we let Her Majesty choose?" Eunice suggested.

Arabella eyed all the necklaces the three were showing her. All of it was from the wedding gifts Ferdinand had sent her.

According to her husband’s thoughts, those gifts were carefully chosen by the ministers, Raymond, and Ferdinand himself.

Arabella was troubled with choosing which among the three to pick since it would make the maids who didn’t get chosen to feel bad.

From appearance and grandeur, the one Renee was holding looked best. However, the one Carla chose for her suited the dress best. But the necklace Irene chose was the same color as her eyes so it would also suit her.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has arrived. We showed him to the waiting room," Aletha arrived and informed her.

"Oh, perfect timing! Why won’t we make him choose?" Arabella used Raymond as her shield to prevent the maids from quarreling.

The three necklaces were then shown to Raymond and he chose the one Renee suggested.

Renee was smirking in victory when they returned informing Arabella of Raymond’s choice. Carla and Irene, meanwhile, were depressed and Eunice was consoling them.

With her dress, accessories, and makeup complete, Arabella finally met with Raymond who would be her date for tonight since Ferdinand was not around.

The plan was for Raymond to escort her to the party and introduce her to as many influential people as possible so she could find the ones she would be comfortable with as she builds her own circle.

Clarisse was supposed to attend the party as well since she knew the ladies better and could introduce Arabella to them.

But Raymond informed her through a letter that Clarisse was not feeling very well these days because she was pregnant again. It was in the early stages so Clarisse was not going out much due to feeling drained all the time.

Arabella understood that feeling well from experience.

When she got pregnant with Fermin in her past life, she finally understood how difficult pregnancy was. Though, it was very much rewarding too.

Arabella was rather surprised since she thought Raymond had been too busy with work. But since he was a dragon, stamina was not a problem even if he worked a lot. He still had a lot of energy to spend quality time with Clarisse every time he was able to go home.

"Your Majesty is even more stunning than usual," Raymond smiled brightly. He was all giddy imagining what the child Clarisse gives birth to would look like.

"Thank you. You are more dashing than usual too," Arabella praised back.

[Her Majesty and His Excellency seem to get along well.] The maids wondered.

Arabella and Raymond both didn’t know, today would spark a rumor they both did not expect.

When they were in the carriage, Arabella and Raymond spoke about how Clarisse and the children were doing.

Alice was excited to have a new sibling while Raymart was sulking since he apparently didn’t want another sibling.

Raymart, as the first child, was used to having all the attention of both Raymond and Clarisse. He used to be all excited about getting a sibling too.

But when Alice was born, Raymart realized that he didn’t get as much attention as before so he no longer wanted another sibling. He liked Alice though and he thought she was the only sibling he would ever have. He was horrified that another sibling would be coming soon.

"He was sulking again this morning so Clarisse scolded him and he cried. Little Alice was so adorable and cheered up her brother," Raymond animatedly recounted how the children spoke with each other and Arabella felt envious once again. She missed Fermin.