***
Late in the afternoon. Having returned to their mansion in the Capital, Liselotte was more relaxed than usual.
Leaving the minor tasks to Hedmilton, she chose the terrace as the place to enjoy the joy of her victory.
A table suitable for tea time and a view overlooking the garden paired well with the pleasant weather.
In particular, the spots within Liselotte’s reach were all decorated in a dainty and colorful way, a feast for the eyes.
In such a place, Liselotte slung an arm over the back of her chair and took a hearty gulp of tea.
“Ahh, this is the taste. I missed the tea you brewed for me so much during the trial.”
As the bitter flavor spread through her mouth, a sharp sensation revived as it coursed through her blood.
“My skill has improved a bit too, right?”
Marsha, who had brought the tea and was attending to her, had her expression instantly light up with joy.
Meanwhile, Hedmilton, who had just stepped onto the terrace to give a report, blinked in confusion.
“It is really bitter though?”
“Hedmilton, you do not know anything. Tea is best when it is strong.”
“What do you mean? Then all the flavor flies away.”
“I do not drink tea for flavor. I drink it to wake up. Just like you with bread, Hedmilton.”
“Oh.”
Only then did he seem to understand, more or less.
With her palate already worn and hardened, Liselotte considered strong tea to be the best, no exceptions.
Tea brewed at the usual strength for tea time tasted like plain water to her, making it impossible to tell what flavor it even had.
Normally, a maid or personal attendant would be skilled at brewing light tea, but Marsha was particularly bad at it.
Perfect for a professional overtime worker like Liselotte, though!
Crunching on a cookie at the table, she asked Marsha,
“What about what I asked you to do this morning?”
“Ah, you mean the instruction to place furniture in His Highness the Grand Duke’s room? We purchased them in the Capital this morning, and the placement has already been finished.”
“With the one I chose?”
“Of course. The craftsman kept clicking his tongue, asking how you knew. He said the quality of the solid wood you chose was top-tier.”
The memory of having briefly stopped by Eren’s room before and feeling uncomfortable because there was nowhere to sit remained vivid.
‘There was also the carriage thing to be grateful for.’
Once she learned that he had suffered enough to fall ill because things had gone awry after he used the Word of Command, it felt wrong to just let it pass.
On top of that, she had even slept soundly while he was ill because of her.
Even if it had not been intentional, she had received things, so it only made sense to give something in return to balance the scales.
Of course, since he had an office, there was no real need to sit and live in his bedroom, but still, who knew when it might come in handy.
‘His Highness already has pretty much everything, which makes choosing a gift difficult.’
Just as she was sliding a plate toward Hedmilton, who was eyeing the bread.
Step, step. Heavy footsteps sounded at a quick but steady interval.
Soon, Eren appeared on the terrace.
“Did you send something strange to my room?”
It seemed he had finally noticed the gift that had taken its place in one corner of his room.
Liselotte lifted her teacup and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Something strange? It is just an ordinary table set.”
Was a round table and a pair of cushioned single-seat sofas really enough to startle him into coming over like this?
Other nobles would have already placed one in their rooms long ago, yet he looked quite serious about it.
“Until yesterday, it was not in my room.”
“That is because I asked Marsha to arrange it this morning. It is a gift for you, Your Highness.”
His calm expression made it seem as though he did not understand at all.
Rather, he frowned as if he had heard something unfamiliar.
“Why?”
“I have received a lot already, so I thought I should give something back.”
“I did not ask for anything in return.”
“It is just a manner of speaking. And when I looked, there was nowhere to sit in your room at all. You would be surprised how often it comes in handy.”
She could not understand why he was being so fussy over a mere table set when he casually gave her jewels.
Every sentence he spoke sounded serious, like someone hearing an entirely foreign language.
Anyone watching might believe she had gifted him a monster disguised as a table.
“It would suit your room better. It looked like a toy.”
“…It is not that small, is it?”
Good heavens. Liselotte pressed a hand to her forehead.
She knew Eren’s build was better than that of people from the Capital, but she had never imagined it was to that extent.
Even so, it wasn’t as though he looked like a giant.
His shoulders were just a bit broader, and he was about a head taller than most people.
In contrast, his waistline was fairly trim compared to his shoulders, so when compared to Jeyord, he didn’t even give the impression of being that large.
Marsha also seemed not to have anticipated this and couldn’t hide her flustered expression.
“Oh my. I definitely asked for the largest size. This is why buying ready-made goods from the Capital is so tricky.”
No matter how she thought about it, it should not have been small enough to be treated like a toy.
And Eren did not look like the type to lie about such a thing.
Perhaps it was just slightly uncomfortable in size.
Sigh. Letting out a breath, Liselotte took a sip of tea and replied,
“It cannot be helped. Later, I will just use it myself when I go to Your Highness’ room.”
She would likely be going there often to notarize documents anyway, so she would probably use it at least once.
“…Very well.”
Compared to how awkward he had seemed until now, the reply was surprisingly compliant.
Feeling a bit dejected at the thought that she had given a failed gift, Liselotte pointed to the empty seat and asked lightly,
“Would you like a cup? Hedmilton is making a fuss about how bitter it is.”
Instead of answering, Eren stared intently at the dark, highly concentrated tea in her cup.
“This concentrated solution?”
“It is not pure extract. Marsha does dilute it a bit.”
At Liselotte’s explanation, Marsha gave a very confident grin.
Unable to watch any longer, Hedmilton replied while chewing on bread,
“I am certain that no matter who you brought from across the continent, they would react the same way I did.”
“That bitterness is what makes it charming and addictive.”
“Ah. I guess I am not addicted enough yet.”
After staring at Hedmilton for a moment, Eren sat down in the chair across from her without a word.
Naturally, Marsha poured the same tea into the empty cup.
Seeing the tea at almost extract-level concentration, he quietly took a sip.
At once, his brow creased slightly.
Setting the cup down, he gave a short, blunt assessment.
“It is bitter.”
The reaction was expected, so it wasn’t surprising.
More than anything, the shock came from the fact that he, who rarely showed his emotions, had said it so openly.
Liselotte tilted her head as if unaware.
“It is not that bad, is it?”
“I was just stating an objective fact.”
Hedmilton, stuffing an entire cupcake into his mouth until his cheeks puffed out, looked utterly convinced.
When Liselotte shot him a mildly annoyed glance, he quickly took the hint and pulled a letter from his coat.
Stamped plainly on the envelope was the seal of the Perida Imperial Family.
“Since you are both here, I will deliver this. The Imperial Family says they will be holding the banquet again tomorrow, the one that was postponed.”
The announcement, coming the moment the verdict was delivered, made it seem as though they were no longer even trying to hide their intentions.
“It really feels like they were openly waiting for the trial to end.”
Yet for all that, the Emperor hadn’t appeared on the second day.
After openly drawing attention at the first hearing, she had fully expected him to attend the second as well.
Instead, the gallery had been filled with nothing but nobles.
Reading the invitation, Liselotte tilted her head.
‘Does he simply dislike holding banquets while a trial is ongoing…?’
She didn’t know the reason, but according to the schedule, it would be the third day, the final banquet.
Passing the letter to Eren seated across from her, Liselotte replied to Hedmilton,
“Since it is the last one, I will attend out of courtesy. That is fine, right, Your Highness?”
Eren, who had kept drinking the tea as though it suited his taste despite calling it bitter, nodded.
With his expression more tightly drawn than usual, he looked a bit intimidating.
“Tell them we will attend.”
