Chapter 54: “I’m not sure how His Grace the Grand Duke felt, but I had a good time”:
As I sat at the table, chiming in at the right moments and easing into the flow of conversation, a servant soon brought over freshly brewed tea.
The quiet girl with twin braids sitting to my left leaned toward me and asked,
“Is this Elteen?”
Just by the scent alone, she had identified the tea leaves. Impressive.
“Yes, that’s right. You recognized it right away—how amazing.”
“I’ve had a lot of tea before… But still, Elteen at your age? That’s quite the bold choice.”
“His Grace the Grand Duke recommended it.”
I made sure to emphasize my connection with the Grand Duke. Of course, recommending a bitter tea to a child might come across as mistreatment, so I took a sip, smiled gently, and added,
“The Grand Duke and I have very similar tastes.”
It seemed my intent came across well, as the girl gave a soft smile in response.
“If you’re okay with Elteen, you should try Leblanc sometime.”
“Leblanc? Then I’ll try that for my next cup.”
Leblanc? I hadn’t heard of it before. But I figured the servant could find it for me if I asked. As I casually thought about it, the girl shook her head with a wry smile.
“No, they probably won’t have it here. It’s a bit too bitter for children. If you’re interested, I can give you a bit of the tea leaves as a gift.”
Even if I knew the name, I could always get it through the Grand Duke or Lady Martina. But it wasn’t about the tea leaves—it was the opportunity for continued connection that mattered.
So instead of declining, I smiled sweetly and nodded.
“Please, I’d be grateful.”
“Oh, and I’m Seyra Bain Dwyers. The eldest daughter of Baron Dwyers.”
She should’ve introduced herself as soon as I sat down, but I suppose since they all knew each other and were still young, the thought hadn’t crossed her mind.
“Right, I’m Laura Sandburg Wellington, second daughter of Count Wellington.”
In my past life, they wouldn’t have dared.
Back then, no matter who the other person was, I would’ve scolded them for such a thing. But that was then, and this is now—I simply let the moment pass gracefully.
“I’m Princess Blanche Roa Vandaluin of the Kingdom of Lamore.”
The girls looked at me like they were wondering why I was stating the obvious.
Even if you already know someone, it’s customary to exchange family names the first time you meet. I suppose they’ll understand as they grow older.
“Lady Dwyers, you seem very knowledgeable about tea.”
Lady Dwyers chuckled politely behind her hand.
“More accurately, I’m well-versed in plants. My older brother is a botanist.”
Botany. I brought up someone who had been lingering in my mind ever since the Julienne Trading Company was mentioned earlier.
“Oh, I see. I also know someone who’s an herbalist, and they were quite knowledgeable about tea as well.”
I deliberately left things vague, leaving room for curiosity. Predictably, she bit.
“Really? Perhaps someone I’ve heard of—what’s their name?”
At that point, I took a refined sip of my tea—neither dragging the moment nor rushing it.
After a perfectly timed pause, I said,
“Princess Delyra.”
“…Delyra? Delyra Kelsium?”
As expected, she knew of Princess Delyra.
Of course—Princess Delyra had published a paper on the effects of a rare herb called bracken, depending on how it was consumed. It wasn’t native to the Retaille Empire, so it had drawn considerable attention.
Whether Lady Dwyers was old enough to have read the paper or not, she likely would have heard the name.
“Yes.”
“You know her personally?”
“She’s currently staying at the Imperial Palace as a peace envoy.”
It made sense that Lady Dwyers, still young, wouldn’t know Delyra was here—unless she had heard it from her older brother.
Her eyes flickered with surprise upon realizing how close Delyra was.
“She’s in the palace? Since when?”
“Since my brother’s coronation. That’s when the peace envoy arrived.”
The Grand Duke, seated at the neighboring table, suddenly joined the conversation.
Normally, it would be unthinkably rude to interrupt like that, but no one here dared to scold the Grand Duke. I never really understood why.
So he casually joined in, tea cup in hand.
“My brother is always hard at work for the endless prosperity of the empire.”
To hear the Grand Duke tell it, you’d think peace envoys were just a method of recruiting talent. When in truth, they were essentially hostages.
Still, having our peace envoy delegation held in high esteem benefited me as well, so I played along.
“Exactly. There are so many brilliant people in the palace—not just Princess Delyra.”
“Even Princess Blanche here is a remarkably bright mind. I’m often surprised by her insight when we talk.”
The Grand Duke’s voice was clear and articulate—likely a result of formal voice training. I could feel the others’ gazes turning toward me.
I cleared my throat and tried to speak with the cleanest tone I could manage. The Grand Duke had laid the groundwork—no reason to waste it.
“You flatter me. I’ve only been taught what others have kindly shared.”
I was being modest, but ultimately still implying that I was clever.
“Oh? Your Highness, have you considered pursuing academic study?”
Lady Wellington—the one with glasses who welcomed me earlier—brightened.
“Well, I haven’t decided on a major yet.”
Honestly, I didn’t think my future lay in academics.
But judging by Lady Wellington’s demeanor, her family likely came from an academic background. Pretending to share that interest would help build rapport.
Besides, I did actually have a wide breadth of general knowledge.
“At your age, it’s hard to choose a field—you haven’t even reached academy age yet, have you?”
I must’ve overdone it, because Lady Wellington chuckled. So this academy had an official entry age, huh? The Jin Empire didn’t have anything like that.
Not that I’d ever attended a proper school back then either.
“If you ever decide to enroll in the academy, let me know. My grandfather is the dean of the National Academy—I could be of help.”
I likely wouldn’t become a scholar or attend the academy myself, but having a connection to the dean of the National Academy was an excellent opportunity.
Even if I didn’t enroll, I might still form ties with professors or alumni, which would benefit the scholars housed at Jasper Palace.
It was amusing to think that, in a way, I was doing the very “work for the empire’s prosperity” the Grand Duke had spoken of. I wasn’t even a citizen, let alone a subject of the emperor.
Still, it was a great chance for me. I widened my eyes, covered my mouth in surprise, and exclaimed,
“Oh my, really? Thank you so much—just hearing that means a lot to me.”
Everyone at this tea party was under ten years old.
It wasn’t like I could secure any real promises here. So I simply expressed my gratitude and mentally jotted down a note about the Wellington family.
After making the rounds, drinking the teas they recommended, and exchanging greetings with everyone present, I finally approached the table where the Grand Duke sat.
With the tea party nearing its end, I thought it would be fitting to share the last cup with him.
“You really do know how to read a room.”
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with that thought. As soon as I sat down, the Grand Duke smirked and spoke.
“I’m not sure how His Grace felt, but I had a good time.”
Talking with the children made something clear: most of the attendees were either aspiring scholars or came from scholarly families.
Lady Martina may not have known about the scholars stationed at Jasper Palace, so this gathering may have been a coincidence.
In any case, since the topics of conversation were academic—subjects I could keep up with—it was easy for me to participate, and I enjoyed it.
If I wasn’t worried about social bias, I would’ve happily filled my entire social circle with the kids from today’s tea party.
But for the Grand Duke, who likely only came for my sake, these conversations probably weren’t all that interesting.
He was sharp, but I’d never seen him show much interest in scholarly pursuits.
“The tea had a pleasant aroma.”
As expected, the Grand Duke’s roundabout response implied he hadn’t particularly enjoyed the party.
Hmm. That made me feel like I owed him something in return—which wasn’t a good feeling, considering I had nothing to offer as a mere hostage.
Thanks to ingrained habits from my past life, I began to fidget nervously, but someone stepped in to fill the gap.
Someone had come over to our table—the one I shared with the Grand Duke. Thinking it might be Lady Martina, I turned my head.
But the person sitting there was someone completely unexpected.
