Chapter 6 – Part 11

“Why did I nod to His Highness?”

I must have been out of my mind.

“He didn’t exactly ask me to date him.”

He just wanted me to be kind to him as he tried to improve.

Seeing a tall, handsome man pleading at my feet did stir something in me.

Even a slight nod made him so happy.

The image of him smiling with closed eyes at my feet lingered in my mind.

“Am I becoming like Madeline?”

They say friends grow alike, but this was worrying.

I sighed and inspected the spare tea trolley in the corner of the tea room.

I shook the top and tugged at the wheels.

“This trolley seems sturdy.”

The tea room was always locked. When could someone have tampered with it? And who would do such a thing?

I pondered for a few minutes but couldn’t think of any suspects.

“Sitting here worrying won’t help. Let’s eat!”

Good food always helps clear the mind.

The kitchen was unusually calm when I arrived.

Maybe because His Highness’s lunch had been canceled.

After eating, I lingered in the now-quiet servants’ dining room.

Chef Kelsey patted Archie’s head and said,

“Erica, guess who made the soup today.”

“Did Archie make it?”

“That’s correct!”

Archie was progressing rapidly in his culinary skills. Just last week, he was still chopping vegetables.

I said to Archie, “No wonder the soup was delicious today.”

“Thank you, Miss Erica!” Archie beamed as he began to explain the ingredients and recipe for the soup.

At that moment, someone stumbled into the servants’ dining hall. The head chef spoke up.

“A new face. Are you a newcomer?”

“Yes, my name is Cecil…”

Cecil spotted me and blinked like a rabbit. I said,

“Cecil, this is the servants’ dining hall. The staff dining hall is on the other side.”

“I know, but if I go there, I might run into the head aide.”

“Won’t you get your allowance cut off if you run away like this?”

“I’m not running away! I’m just here to eat.”

Cecil’s face crumpled as the head chef said,

“Our meal time ended a while ago, though.”

Cecil clutched his growling stomach and collapsed onto the table like a jellyfish out of water. The head chef clicked his tongue.

“A young one shouldn’t go hungry. Would you like some leftovers?”

“Thank you so much, Chef! I won’t forget this kindness.”

Cecil’s face lit up with relief. I watched the head chef personally prepare a meal for Cecil and couldn’t help but smile.

‘Now that His Highness has declared his intentions publicly, things might change, but it’s hard to imagine how.’

No matter what His Highness did, wouldn’t it be enough for me to just continue like this?

Chef Kelsey and Archie didn’t seem like the type to change their attitudes over something like this. My relationships with my friends at the Rose Palace likely wouldn’t change either.

‘Who cares what others whisper about? It’s not my business.’

I just needed to be more careful with the tea trolley. If it really bothered me, I could ask the head maid to change the lock on the tea room.

Maybe it will all pass without incident. I hope so.

I just wanted to continue enjoying this kind of life. I spent the afternoon idling near the kitchen, watching the head chef prepare snacks for His Highness’s tea time.

I also got to taste quite a bit under the pretense of sampling.

Afterward, I went to the tea room to prepare the black tea and wheeled the checked tea trolley to the office.

“Your Highness, I brought the tea.”

I called out in front of the office, but there was no response. The guards who usually stood at the door were absent, and there were no sounds from inside.

“May I come in, Your Highness?”

Out of courtesy, I called out once more before opening the door slightly. The office was empty.

“Should I wait a bit?”

I hesitated, unsure whether to wait or ask someone about it. At that moment, His Highness appeared with a few guards and his aide in tow, walking briskly.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I just arrived.”

“Good.”

His Highness smiled as he looked at me with a pleased expression. Then he turned to the aide and instructed,

“Derek, go to the Empress’ Palace and get the records of the northern iron mines’ production and reserves for the past two years.”

“Your Highness, we just came from there…”

“…”

“Yes, I’ll go right away. It will take some time.”

The aide quickly complied, taking a guard with him as he left. His Highness opened the office door wide and personally pushed the tea trolley inside. This time, it rolled smoothly over the threshold.

The people near the office murmured at the unusual sight of the roles being reversed.

His Highness leisurely seated me on the sofa and attended to me himself. Although it was an extraordinary scene, I couldn’t enjoy it comfortably. The people outside made me restless.

His Highness glanced at me and gave a small nod to the guard, who then positioned himself at the door, causing the onlookers to scatter.

Only then could I fully appreciate His Highness serving me tea.

His movements were surprisingly graceful.

“Three years in a school, even a dog can recite poems. I guess twenty years of being served teaches you how to serve.”

He set the teacups on the table without a single clink.

Then, judging the remaining time in the hourglass, he swirled the teapot before pouring the tea.

That’s unexpected.

I was surprised that the Crown Prince seemed to enjoy serving me and that he shook the teapot impatiently, not wanting to wait for the tea to steep properly.

Given His Highness’s usual precise personality, I expected him to wait exactly as long as the hourglass indicated.

Thinking that, I looked at His Highness.

As he poured tea into the cup, His Highness asked, as if feeling a bit awkward,

“Does the tea taste worse if I shake the teapot like this?”

“It should be fine.”

I chuckled at the silly question.

As always, His Highness had many questions during this tea time.

“Do you prefer ham sandwiches or watercress sandwiches?”

“What criteria did you use to choose today’s tea?”

“Which cheese do you like the most?”

“Do you enjoy having jam with your cookies?”

He certainly had a lot of curiosities.

Still, it didn’t feel like an interrogation anymore, so it wasn’t bad.

Knowing His Highness’s true feelings made our conversations much more comfortable.

‘I think it was a good idea to have an open talk with His Highness earlier.’

When we ran out of topics to talk about, a brief silence fell between us.

I savored the scones I had brought as tea food.

They were delicious when freshly baked and hot, and they were just as good now, even when they had cooled. Chef Kelsey was truly the best.

I glanced at His Highness to see if he was also enjoying the delicious scones, and our eyes met.

I took a sip of tea while maintaining eye contact with His Highness.

‘His Highness’s expression looks a bit uneasy. Does he have more to say?’

As if confirming my suspicion, His Highness set down the half-eaten scone.

Then he said,

“You can no longer work as a maid in the Crown Prince’s Palace.”

It was a sudden and unilateral announcement.

I spat the black tea back into the cup I was drinking from.

‘The atmosphere was so nice, and now I’m suddenly being fired?!’