Chapter 4 – Part 5

“Yes, I have an idea.”

I picked out parts of what I understood that I could reasonably share with him.

“Tea plants don’t like cold weather. If exposed to the winter weather of the capital, it’s hard to harvest good tea leaves the following spring.”

If exposed to cold stress, the leaves turn brown, and the growth of new shoots is stunted.

As a result, the cell size decreases, and the content of amino acids and reducing sugars is greatly reduced.

Although this was knowledge I had picked up in my previous life… I couldn’t just blurt this out to him.

I activated my internal filter to the fullest.

“There are certain components that determine the flavor and umami of tea leaves… Tea plants exposed to the winter weather of the capital don’t produce these well.”

Although my explanation was full of holes, the Crown Prince pinpointed the key point clearly.

“It means they lose their flavor.”

“Yes, that’s correct. So, by cultivating the tea plants in a greenhouse, you can prevent quality deterioration due to cold damage.”

The Crown Prince asked a sharp question.

“This greenhouse is probably the only one of its kind in the entire empire. How do you know so much?”

Oops, did I say too much?

I hid my surprise and replied confidently.

“I can tell just by looking.”

“Impressive.”

My flimsy excuse worked. I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

“I’ve always known your skills were exceptional, but I can’t help but admire your extensive knowledge as well.”

“Th-thank you.”

Why was he being so generous with his praise?

I was baffled. Even if I tried to brush it off as good luck, my intuition was shouting at me.

There was definitely something going on.

As I waited for the main topic to come up, the Crown Prince spoke.

“I regret not being able to properly taste your tea yesterday.”

“Are you referring to yesterday’s tea time at lunch?”

Was that it? Was he still thinking about the chaos at the Crown Prince’s palace yesterday?

‘It really was a mess.’

The scene, which I had temporarily forgotten while admiring the glass greenhouse, came back to me.

Wasn’t there a noise like cannonballs being fired in the imperial palace? People screaming in shock from all directions?

I could still vividly remember the Empress’ back as he drew his sword and jumped out of the window.

The sound of dust falling from the half-destroyed dining room ceiling still seemed to ring in my ears.

No matter how much tea I drank, my lips feel dry, and I fiddled with the teacup handle out of nervousness.

The Crown Prince called me.

“Are you alright?”

When I looked up at his voice, his face was quite close.

The radiant beauty of the Crown Prince, shining as if surrounded by reflectors from all sides, filled my vision.

I was so mesmerized that I forgot what I had been thinking just moments before.

The Crown Prince spoke again.

“Would you serve me that tea once more?”

A faint smile appeared on the Crown Prince’s face as he spoke.

It reminded me very much of the sweet smile that Duke Oscar had given to the Empress at the dinner a few days ago.

‘I’m getting a lifetime’s worth of eye candy here!’

If nothing else, I could tell that Duke Oscar’s genes were quite extraordinary.

As if under a spell, I responded.

“Y-Yes! I’ll serve it to you. I’ll give you as much as you want.”

“And about what happened yesterday, I regret that I couldn’t explain the situation to you in detail…”

The Prince’s neatly arranged eyelashes fluttered, capturing my gaze.

‘Wow, this is why people fall for pretty faces.’

Despite the overwhelming visual stimuli, I maintained my composure and answered firmly.

“I’m fine. Please don’t worry about it!”

I had already pieced together the situation from what my diary friend and the head maid had told me. Noah had also informed me.

In summary, the Empress had swiftly dealt with the intruder who had invaded the palace.

The Crown Prince was supposed to have joined in, but it seemed he stayed in the dining room to protect me.

“And thank you for protecting me yesterday. I only managed to say this now because everything was so hectic.”

“No, no. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

The Prince lightly waved his hand and paused before continuing.

“Did I make you uncomfortable?”

What’s this? A sudden moment of self-reflection?

There were too many uncomfortable moments with the Crown Prince for me to know which one he was referring to.

If he meant the countless times I brewed tea for the picky, firing-happy machine every day, there were plenty.

“What exactly are you referring to…?”

“Yesterday, when I held you without your permission.”

Ah, that.

“It’s fine. It was an emergency, after all.”

“I’m relieved to hear you say that.”

His pleasant voice resonated right next to me, making my chest feel ticklish.

I picked up the teapot and refilled my cup.

Swirling the lukewarm green tea in my mouth, I reflected on yesterday’s events with a calmer mind.

Then a new sense of unease arose within me.

I was deceiving the Crown Prince.

While the Emperor was capturing an outsider yesterday, the Crown Prince was protecting me, another outsider, with his own body.

To compare it to a mafia game I had played a few times in my previous life:

‘It’s like he protected someone he thought was a civilian, only to find out they were the mafia.’

A cold sweat broke out at the thought.

I must never get caught.

I lifted my teacup to hide my tense expression.

As I sipped my tea and nibbled on the cookies, the only sounds in the glass greenhouse were the occasional clinks and crunches.

The Crown Prince, having emptied his teacup, spoke.

“Unfortunately, I must leave soon. You are welcome to stay and explore the greenhouse as much as you like.”

Awesome! Finally, I can wander around freely.

“…I’d like to introduce you to the person in charge of this greenhouse. It seems they are approaching now.”

I looked up in surprise.

“Th-Thank you?”

My words ended in an involuntary upward inflection from the bewilderment.

Turning in the direction the Crown Prince indicated, I saw a few people walking towards the entrance of the greenhouse.

I quickly finished my tea and stood up.

Though the unusually gracious Crown Prince had allowed me to sit with him, showing myself seated next to him was a different matter entirely.

As soon as I straightened up, three people entered the greenhouse.

Led by an elderly woman, they greeted the Crown Prince with the proper etiquette.

The Crown Prince, casually dismissing the formalities, turned to me and said,

“Lady Marnel, I’d like to introduce you to Baroness Arbata, who oversees the management of this greenhouse.”

Then, addressing the elderly woman known as Baroness Arbata, he said,

“Baroness Arbata, this is Lady Marnel from my palace, responsible for the tea.”

I flinched slightly at his introduction.

‘The order of introductions seems off.’

She was a baroness and quite elderly. Moreover, I held no title and would never have one.

So, she should have been introduced first.

Realizing his mistake, the Crown Prince paused for a moment before continuing.

“…I’d like to ask Baroness Arbata to give Lady Marnel a tour.”

He’s pretending not to notice. Good approach. As the saying goes, a ruler should be beyond reproach. As the Crown Prince, he’s at least a petit ruler.

After that, the Crown Prince left the greenhouse, leaving me in the care of Baroness Arbata.

The elderly baroness, muttering to herself, sat down with a few taps on her back.

Naturally, the woman and man who had accompanied the baroness took over the task of showing me around the greenhouse.

The young man with straw-blonde hair spoke calmly.

“I’m Moze. Baroness Arbata is my mother.”

The youthful woman added.

“I’m Danute!”

Moze patted the petite Danute’s head as he said.

“She’s my sister.”

Upon their introductions, I realized how young Danute truly was.

I spoke to Danute and Moze.

“I’m Erica from the Marnel family. Please call me Erica.”

It was an unusual family in many ways. Their names all had a Southern Kingdom flavor, yet Moze’s pale complexion didn’t seem typical of someone from the Southern Kingdom.

Conversely, Danute looked very much like Baroness Arbata, reflecting her Southern Kingdom roots. The age gap between the baroness and her children was also quite significant.

We stood there for a while, engaging in light conversation. I learned that Moze was a year younger than me, and there was a four-year gap between him and Danute.

To my great surprise, the green tea that had deeply impressed me was harvested and processed by Moze himself!

When I praised him, Moze blushed shyly.

“It’s embarrassing. My skills are still lacking. I have a lot to learn.”

“No, really. The Crown Prince also praised your green tea highly!”

Moze scratched his head and smiled again, this time with a mix of pride and shyness.

Growing tea well wasn’t enough; tea processing techniques were as crucial as tea cultivation skills. I wondered if he had learned those from the baroness as well.

Just as I was about to ask, Danute cheerfully grabbed my hand.

“Erica, let me show you something cool!”