Chapter 3 – Part 8

“Madeline, do you know what this is?”

When I held a tea caddy in front of her, Madeline tilted her head.

“Tea leaves?”

“Yes, but I can’t tell where these tea leaves come from.”

The mystery tea leaves were stored in a tea caddy decorated with the widely used winged lion emblem of the Imperial Palace.

Even tasting it didn’t give me any clues.

There were tea leaves that resembled those from the southern part of the Empire but were less astringent and more flavorful.

There were also tea leaves similar to those imported from the Eastern Kingdom, yet unlike any first or second flush teas from that region.

Madeline peered into the tea caddy.

“I don’t know. There’s so little of it that I can’t even try it.”

“I’ve only tasted it once myself. I think I’d get a better sense of it if I could try it more.”

“Even if I drank it several times, I probably wouldn’t know. I’m more of an expert at crushing things and applying them to my face.”

Despite putting our heads together, we couldn’t figure it out.

Madeline suggested, “How about asking the head maid?”

That was a good idea.

Madeline, who had suggested this, left for the Rose Palace with a few types of tea leaves that had come in last spring.

I decided to follow her suggestion and took the mysterious tea leaves, still in their tea caddy, out of the tea storage room.

“It’s my first time seeking out the head maid.”

She had always come to me before.

I caught a passing servant to ask about the head maid’s whereabouts and checked each likely location.

Eventually, I found her in a corridor near the Crown Prince’s office.

“Miss Marnel. What brings you here?”

“Some tea leaves recently arrived in the storage room, but there’s no indication of where they’re from. How should I record them in the ledger?”

I handed the tea caddy to the head maid.

She responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“They’re from the Imperial Palace. The winged lion emblem belongs to the Imperial Palace.”

That was an unexpected answer.

“Tea… from the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes. It’s grown behind the Empress’ Palace.”

My jaw dropped.

Tea was supposed to come from regions with a significant temperature difference between day and night and warm winters.

I could picture the lush green tea fields stretching endlessly under the blue sky.

Each region’s unique soil and climate would produce distinctive tea leaves.

But growing tea in the Imperial Palace?

I scratched my head, forgetting I was in front of the head maid.

She continued, “The production is so limited that it’s not exported outside the palace.”

“I see…”

“Come to think of it, I didn’t have a chance to inform you of this because your training period ended abruptly.”

She then gave a series of minor instructions. She mentioned gathering any leftover tea leaves to send to the Rose Palace and the paperwork needed when bringing items from outside the palace.

As I listened, my mind was busy imagining the tea fields behind the Empress’ Palace.

The familiar sight of tea fields clashed with the impeccably maintained gardens of the Imperial Palace in my mind, almost causing a mental blue screen.

And that wasn’t the only issue.

“Isn’t the capital’s climate unsuitable for growing tea?”

While it might work in the southern part of the empire, the capital’s winters were too harsh for tea plants.

Moreover, the low humidity and lack of rainfall here made it puzzling how such delicious tea leaves could be produced.

I was dying of curiosity.

I wanted to see the tea fields with my own eyes!

“Um, head maid, can I visit the tea fields?”

“It’s not impossible, but it’s difficult right now because the Crown Prince’s afternoon tea time is approaching.”

She quickly added, “Why don’t you ask His Highness? He would probably be willing to adjust his schedule for half a day and even provide a carriage.”

No way. There’s no way he would do that.

The head maid clearly had a very positive view of the Crown Prince.

Naturally, she was a staunch supporter of the Crown Prince.

“That’s a bit biased.”

It’s like her elbow is bending inward so much that her tongue might touch it.

Shrinking back, I waved my hands.

“Oh, no. It’s okay. There will be another opportunity someday.”

Despite my overwhelming curiosity about the tea fields behind the Empress’s Palace, I didn’t have the guts to ask the Crown Prince to skip work and take me to see them.

I returned to the tea storage room with the tea caddy I had shown the head maid.

As she mentioned, the Crown Prince’s afternoon tea time was approaching.

Even as I measured out the Imperial green tea leaves for that tea time, my mind was filled with thoughts of the tea fields these leaves came from.

In my previous life, the name of the region where the tea was grown often became the name of the tea itself. Green tea from Boseong was called Boseong green tea, and black tea from Assam, India, was called Assam black tea.

There were many teas named after their region and estate.

“So, should I call this Imperial green tea?”

Puzzled, I set the water boiling in the small kitchen and fetched snacks from the large kitchen downstairs.

On the way back, I noticed the Crown Prince’s office was empty.

“It seems His Highness is in the study again.”

Guessing that, I prepared the tea and snacks and headed to the small study attached to the Crown Prince’s bedroom. A couple of guards stood by the half-open door, confirming my guess.

“Your Highness, I bring tea and snacks.”

In my words, one of the guards stepped forward and opened the study door wide.

I nodded to the guard and entered the study.

The first thing that caught my eye was the ever-beautiful Crown Prince.

His outfit had changed from earlier.

‘As expected, His Highness’s style has changed lately.’

It was what I called the “rich only-child fashion” for those confident in their physique.

Originally, His Highness preferred a flamboyant yet disciplined uniform style that befit a crown prince. He always wore his jacket, regardless of the weather, which hid his physique.

Then last week, he suddenly adopted a more relaxed Southern Kingdom style, and shortly after, he switched to a very simple white outfit, going back and forth.

‘This week, it’s the rich idler style. Has he decided to stick with this?’

Wearing a crisp white silk shirt with a perfectly fitted vest accentuated his upper body nicely.

His wrists were adorned with jeweled and precious metal cufflinks, adding a touch of flair to an otherwise plain outfit.

Moreover, he boldly skipped the cravat, allowing the shirt to naturally open below the collar.

‘It doesn’t seem like His Highness picked this outfit himself. Whose handiwork is this?’

Whoever coordinated this deserved an award.

I gulped involuntarily.

Trying to calm myself, I carefully carried the snacks and tea to the table.

Pouring the green tea from the teapot, the delicate light green tea shimmered transparently in the white porcelain cup.

The subtle tea fragrance was as fresh as a clear spring day.

“This is green tea harvested this year from the Imperial Palace tea garden. It has less bitterness and more umami compared to other green teas.”

Why that is, I have no idea.

His Highness raised the teacup to savor the aroma before taking a sip.

“I drink this tea around this time every year, but it tastes exceptionally good this time. What’s the secret?”

Wow, praised by His Highness again!

I humbly bowed my head in response.

“Thank you. I just did my best.”

His Highness seemed to be in a good mood, so maybe this tea time would pass without a barrage of questions.

But that hope was soon dashed. His Highness began to interrogate me once more.

“You use that hourglass every time you brew tea. Did you come up with that?”

“Yes, I adjusted an hourglass from the kitchen.”

After my hasty promotion to being in charge of His Highness’s tea.

One of the first things I prepared was this hourglass.

‘Looking back now, I must have been desperate.’

Serving bad tea would have put me at immediate risk of being dismissed.

Now, His Highness seems to enjoy my tea quite a bit, so even if I served tea that was slightly less delicious once, I might avoid being fired.

Even so, to ensure consistently delicious tea, it was crucial to precisely control the brewing time and temperature, considering the water quality and tea leaves’ characteristics.

It would have been great if I could always brew tea where I could see a clock.

Pocket watches were incredibly expensive, so I couldn’t afford one.

So, after borrowing a few hourglasses that Chef Kelsey used for cooking eggs, I spent time adjusting the sand in front of the hallway clock.

‘It took forever to get it just right.’

If I ever save enough to open a tea shop, I’ll definitely get a big, beautiful clock for it.

As I was pondering the cost of such a clock, His Highness’s next question came.

“The hourglass you used for brewing hibiscus tea was bigger than this one, wasn’t it? Do you need different hourglasses for different types of tea?”

‘Why is he so curious about everything!’

I suffered once again under the barrage of questions from my distant superior.

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