A new week had begun.

When I opened my diary in the morning, I saw that my diary friend had been agonizing over a crush again last night.

[I’m planning to confess to the person I like. You were right.]

What did I say to him?

I flipped back through the diary pages to find the statement in question.

[No matter how deep your feelings are, what’s the use if you don’t express them to the other person? If you like someone, you should tell them.]

This was a conversation we had last week while discussing ‘The Great Depression’.

Had I inadvertently pushed my innocent and sensitive diary friend to confess their unrequited love?

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said that…”

I buried my face in my hands before reading the rest of my diary friend’s message.

[I want to convey my feelings soon. However, I’m worried it might be a burden for her. So I thought about it and wondered if confessing in a letter would be better. Wouldn’t it be less burdensome than confessing face-to-face? I’d like to hear your opinion.]

“A letter confession…”

I wondered what my diary friend’s confession letter would look like.

The stationery would probably be neat and ivory-colored. The confession would be written in their usual elegant handwriting, perfectly aligned horizontally.

“How cute! I’m so jealous! This is rejected, rejected!”

Thinking it over, a letter of confession didn’t seem like a good idea.

My diary friend liked a subordinate, after all.

From the subordinate’s perspective, how would it feel to receive a confession letter from their superior?

I had two superiors: the head maid and the Crown Prince.

Since there were many issues, like the generation gap with the head maid, that left the Crown Prince.

I closed my eyes and imagined.

If I arrived at the tea storage room and found a letter from the Crown Prince on the table…

“Ugh! It would feel too much like a termination letter.”

Startled, I opened my eyes wide. I hugged my arms to calm my racing heart.

“It’s not a termination letter, not a termination letter…”

The Crown Prince said he wouldn’t fire anyone in writing. If he did, it would be face-to-face and swiftly.

I tried the simulation again, closing my eyes.

If I opened the letter and found a confession from the Crown Prince…

His handwriting would be as meticulously neat as his personality. What would it say?

‘To the esteemed Lady Marnel, I harbor feelings of affection for you…’

Goosebumps immediately appeared.

“Wow, that’s unbearably overwhelming. Does this mean I’d have to go find my boss and reject him with the letter in hand?”

It’s better to speak face-to-face.

I picked up a pen and wrote my honest opinion to my diary friend before getting ready for work.

I had a good feeling about today. My love life might be a disaster, but everything else seemed like it would go well.

Yesterday, I had fun with friends, flew to a foreign resort with Noah’s magic, and enjoyed crab legs. I even received a magical protective item.

This morning, I gave my usual advice to my perpetually lovelorn diary friend.

So, I would return to my daily life without any trouble.

* * *

The tea storage room was quiet and peaceful.

Just like last week, Archie came to find me this morning.

“The small dining room is under repair! So the Crown Prince is having breakfast in the large dining room.”

Of course, it’s being repaired. It was half-destroyed in the commotion.

I sent Archie away and prepared the Crown Prince’s tea time.

The tea I brought this morning was the same blend the Crown Prince requested last week from the glass greenhouse.

He hadn’t had a chance to properly enjoy it due to the chaos, so he asked for it again.

The wide hallway leading to the main dining room was comfortable. I hoped the Crown Prince would continue to use this dining room.

“Your Highness, I have brought your tea.”

I announced my arrival and entered the dining room, only to find the Empress seated at the head of the table.

The Empress’ visit was unexpected.

There were no servants present. Usually, a few would be around during the Crown Prince’s meals, but it seemed the Empress had sent them all away.

However, I did not panic.

I no longer get startled by such happenings. Compared to the time when the Crown Prince’s palace was riddled with holes, this was nothing.

Besides, the Empress had been frequenting the Crown Prince’s palace lately, so I had prepared an extra tea set just in case.

‘Good thing I came prepared.’

With skilled hands, I placed two teacups on the table.

I waited for the tea to finish steeping and calmly explained today’s tea.

“This is a blend of tea leaves harvested from the southern and southeastern regions of the Empire, with added bergamot, lemon, and a hint of chocolate.”

In the meantime, the four-minute hourglass had stopped.

I had started brewing the tea in the tea storage room in advance to get the water temperature just right. With practice, I had developed a knack for timing, and now it was always perfect.

I poured the tea in order and set the teapot down.

As soon as I did, Her Majesty spoke.

“Ah, I suddenly remembered an urgent matter.”

With those words, Her Majesty rose from her seat, placed a hand on my shoulder, and led me to the table.

It was the very seat Her Majesty had just vacated.

“Y-Your Majesty…?”

“It would be a shame to waste such excellent tea.”

I found myself seated at the head of the large table.

Her Majesty continued.

“So, you should drink it. And send some of these tea leaves to the imperial palace later. I’ll be off now!”

The Crown Prince called out.

“Mother!”

But Her Majesty swiftly exited the dining room, leaving the Crown Prince and me alone in an awkward silence.

Normally, by now, the Crown Prince would be bombarding me with questions.

‘Why did you choose these tea leaves? Are the fruits dried or fresh? Why use only the peel of bergamot instead of the pulp?’

I had prepared answers to all these anticipated questions, but now they were unnecessary.

We were both too stunned to speak.

After finishing the awkward tea time by imperial decree, I returned to the tea storage room, deep in thought.

‘It seems Her Majesty has caused a huge misunderstanding. It feels like she’s trying to pair me with the Crown Prince.’

Given the circumstances, this assumption felt a bit far-fetched, but…

Even after reconsidering, my intuition was certain.

It was clear that Her Majesty had witnessed the Crown Prince embracing me last week and formed a significant misunderstanding.

‘She even winked at me and made a hasty exit back then.’

How could she have jumped to such a wrong conclusion?

“Oh, this is a headache…”

But what power did I have to correct Her Majesty’s misunderstanding? The Crown Prince would have to clarify it himself.

I decided to stop worrying and read a book instead.

I picked up a book from the table. It was one I received from Madeline after lending her ‘The Great Depression’.

This book also had a long title.

“About the Incident of Becoming Unemployed After Hogging Everything Alone”, “I Am a Poor Man” for short.

The novel began with a dramatic, world-ending scene right from the first page. Its gripping narrative pulled me in instantly.

In a world destroyed by invading monsters from outer space,

the handsome protagonist is betrayed by his comrades in this desolate place. He literally gets stabbed in the back and dies.

After his death, as he crosses the Acheron River in the afterlife, he causes a multi-car collision during an illegal U-turn, creating a system error in the afterlife, and the protagonist is sent back 17 years before his death.

“What a mess!”

The story then continued with the protagonist collecting all sorts of items and miraculous opportunities.

There were many unfamiliar terms, like gates and hunters, but the story was so thrilling that I quickly got immersed.

‘This time, the protagonist will save the world, right?’

As I was engrossed in the book, there was a knock on the door.

It was Archie, the lively page of the Crown Prince’s palace.

“Hello, Miss Erica! The Crown Prince is about to have dessert.”

It was time to prepare for the Crown Prince’s post-lunch tea time.

I chose tea considering the Crown Prince’s meal, as usual. It was a blueberry tea recipe I had refined after asking my friends to taste it yesterday.

I also packed plenty of teacups.

‘Just in case.’

And my concern soon proved to be valid.

During the post-lunch tea time, Her Majesty intruded once again, pulling the same trick as earlier.

“Oh dear, I just remembered another urgent matter. Dear, please drink the tea on my behalf.”

Leaving only the Crown Prince and me in the dining room again, Her Majesty exited swiftly.

Sitting at the head of the grand table in the resplendent dining room, drinking tea with the Crown Prince alone, made my hands tremble from the awkwardness.

‘Are you going to keep doing this, Your Majesty?’

I felt like the shrimp caught in the middle of a whale fight, and my stomach ached.

“Your Highness.”

“Speak.”

“I think Her Majesty is under a misunderstanding.”

“…”

“You protected me, Your Highness. Last week, I mean.”

Recalling that incident brought back the sensation of being tightly embraced by the Crown Prince, and I felt my face flush.

But I continued bravely.

“Her Majesty witnessed that. That’s why there’s a misunderstanding. She seems to think you have feelings for me.”

Hoping the Crown Prince would kindly clarify this absurd misunderstanding to Her Majesty, I looked him in the eye, my gaze full of meaning.

“……”

The Crown Prince remained silent.

I tried to patiently wait for his response.

But as I finished my cup of tea, the silence continued, and I began to feel uneasy.

After a long pause, the Crown Prince finally spoke.

“If it’s not a misunderstanding…”

“Pardon?”

“What if it’s not a misunderstanding?”

Wait, what did he just say? Is he implying that he has feelings for me?

What exactly did the Crown Prince just say? I must have misheard him.

Of course, it’s true that I’m good at my duties as a maid and have a talent for brewing tea…

But could those reasons alone make someone develop feelings?

“No way, that’s impossible.”

It was much more believable that he meant he had a ‘mind to’ give me a raise for my excellent work.

Or better yet, it would be great if he meant he had a mind to promote me, not just give me a raise.

‘Wait, but I’m already a senior maid. If I get promoted again, that would make me the head maid. Does that mean our head maid would be out of a job? That can’t happen. The thought of the head maid being unemployed…’

As I drifted off into these random thoughts, I vaguely realized that I was avoiding reality.

“Your Highness, what did you just say…”

As I stammered out my words, the Crown Prince firmly reiterated.

“It’s true that I have feelings for you. It’s not a misunderstanding.”

Whaaat! What is this!

I felt like I was about to lose my mind. My vision blurred as my focus faltered.

‘Head Maid, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not being as mentally strong as Erica.’

Thank you for advising me that I need to steel myself against surprises if I want to work in the palace for a long time. But I can’t control how I feel.

Noticing my pale expression, the Crown Prince quickly spoke.

“I didn’t mean to startle you. I hid my feelings out of concern that they might burden or embarrass you.”

I couldn’t even respond; I just blinked in shock.

As he refilled my teacup, the Crown Prince continued.

“But I simply couldn’t bring myself to lie and say that I don’t have feelings for you.”

The continuous shock of his words made my head spin.