Chapter 7 – Part 1(His Highness the Crown Prince’s Declaration)

I wish he had given me some warning before saying that. The sudden news made my heart race.

The Crown Prince hurriedly clarified.

“I don’t intend to dismiss you. Though it’s embarrassing to admit as your master, I can’t feel at ease until we catch the person who tampered with your belongings in this palace.”

“Ah, I see.”

So, it wasn’t about being fired.

‘You could have led with that!’ I thought to myself.

Relieved, I set my teacup down with a clatter.

The Prince then asked me, more cautiously than before,

“Temporarily moving to the Empress’ Palace seems like the best option. What do you think?”

“There isn’t really a choice, is there?”

The corners of his eyebrows dipped slightly.

When I had just been promoted to being in charge of the Prince’s tea, it was hard to read his expressions. But after spending more time with him, I had learned to understand them.

‘Now I get it. That’s a mix of a sad and apologetic look,’ I thought.

I began to speak softly to reassure him.

“Still, moving from the Crown Prince’s Palace to the Empress’ Palace feels like a promotion. I like it.”

The Prince’s face brightened. Watching his delicate eyes and lips form a smile was heartwarming.

“The Empress’ Palace will provide you with good protection. And from now on, I, as the Crown Prince, will make every effort to court you.”

“Like you mentioned this morning?”

“Exactly. If you were to reject my courtship, you would become known as the maid who turned down the Crown Prince of this empire. Given the nature of high society, this will likely enhance, rather than damage, your reputation.”

The Prince’s eyes turned sad, as if imagining my rejection.

After taking a sip of tea, he continued,

“Even if you refuse me and rumors spread, Duke Oscar will handle it.”

Had he already arranged everything? Was this why he skipped lunch and left the Crown Prince’s Palace?

The Prince might be more considerate than I had given him credit for.

“I’ve instructed the head maid about your transfer. Today will be the last time I drink your tea here.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

I had grown attached to the Crown Prince’s Palace, and now I had to move to a new place.

A bittersweet smile spread across the Prince’s face.

“I’ll miss it too. I’ll miss seeing you every day and drinking your tea. I’ve never had tea as good as yours.”

“I hear that a lot.”

When I puffed up with pride, the Prince genuinely smiled.

“Last winter, the head maid tasted the tea you blended and recommended you to me personally.”

“The head maid did that?”

What? I thought I got this job because of my father’s bribery.

“Count Marnel’s tea leaves were extraordinary. When asked in return, he said his daughter Erica blended them. That’s why I offered you the position as the maid in the Crown Prince’s Palace.”

This was completely different from what I had thought!

The so-called bribe my father sent was actually a set of teas I had blended?

And it wasn’t even a bribe, but a legitimate gift?

“So, I wasn’t a nepotism hire.”

I had been scouted fairly based on my skills without even realizing it.

“My talent is amazing!”

I lifted my chin proudly.

“My tea is quite good, isn’t it? After moving to the Empress’ Palace, should I blend and send three types of tea to the Crown Prince’s Palace every week?”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Currently, I was blending and sending three types of tea to the Empress’ Palace every week. So, I just needed to send them to the Crown Prince’s Palace instead.

This wasn’t an attempt to secure additional allowances after moving to the Empress’ Palace.

A bit later, the Prince finished his refreshments, and our tea time ended.

I carefully packed the teapot and teacups onto the tea trolley.

The Prince offered to help clean up, but I stopped him.

“There’s no one around to see now, is there?”

As I pushed the trolley back to the tea storage room, listening to its familiar rumble, I felt a mix of emotions.

“This will be the last time I walk down this hallway.”

I had planned to save up while working here for a few years, combine it with the money from home, and open a tea shop.

“But my plans haven’t changed much.”

I’d save up while working at the Empress’ Palace and open my tea shop in about four years. And I’d make it the best tea shop in the capital.

With thoughts of my future tea shop in mind, I pushed the trolley energetically.

I soon reached the tea storage room and found the head maid waiting outside.

I had lost count of how many times she had come to see me. Usually, it should be me going to her, not the other way around.

“Hello, Head maid!”

“Hello, Erica. Are you having a good day? Did you have lunch?”

“I had lunch at the servants’ dining hall earlier. Thank you.”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen the head maid at lunch today either. She must have been busy.

She spoke to me,

“I heard from His Highness that you’re moving to the Empress’ Palace.”

“Yes, it’s sudden, but it’s true.”

She looked at my face for a moment, confirming that I wasn’t surprised or hesitant, and then smiled gently.

“You’ll do well at the Empress’ Palace, Erica.”

“Haha, thank you.”

“It’s a sudden transfer, but it’s not uncommon for servants to move between palaces, so don’t worry.”

While she explained various things to me, Archie appeared. It seemed she had called him in advance.

“Erica, starting tomorrow, Archibald here will be in charge of serving tea to His Highness. Please give him a brief handover.”

Archie exclaimed energetically,

“I’ll do my best!”
Despite having to give up the kitchen work he loved, Archie was full of enthusiasm. It was admirable.

‘I can’t let such a good kid struggle like I did,’ I thought.

Time was tight, so I decided to teach him as much as possible quickly.

* * *

Three hours later, I had given up trying to teach Archie to distinguish tea leaves immediately. Instead, I was labeling each tea caddy in the storage room.

“Number 1 is from the southern part of the empire, number 2 is from the western highlands, number 3 is from the southeastern valleys, and so on. I’ll leave notes, so take your time memorizing them.”

“Yes, Miss Erica. I’m sorry…!”

“No, it’s okay. It must have been a shock for you too, considering how sudden this all is.”

I continued explaining,

“We’ll categorize the teas into superior, medium, and lower grades for clarity. Even the lower grade isn’t actually bad; it’s suitable for making milk tea or blending with strong flavors.”

In my classification, superior teas were rare leaves that were hard to find outside the palace. Medium-grade teas were equivalent to FTGFOP grade in my past life, very high quality. Lower-grade teas were akin to those sold as premium in the tea shops around Fountain Square.

Additionally, I had several flavored teas left over from blending batches for the Empress’ Palace recently.

“If I rotate those, Archie should manage quite well.”

It was up to Archie to drink, study, and survive during the time we had bought.

“Archie, you can blend bergamot tea, right? And remember, the Crown Prince enjoys chamomile tea after dinner.”

“Thank you, Miss Erica. I’ll do my best!”

His enthusiasm never waned.

Just then, someone knocked on the door of the tea storage room.

When I opened it, I saw Cecil standing there, her golden eyes, much like Lady Pavia’s, sparkling with curiosity.

Why had the beloved assistant come to the tea storage room?

“What brings you here, Cecil?”

Cecil answered excitedly,

“Erica! It’s almost time to serve dessert to His Highness. He asked me to let you know.”

“Aren’t you in charge of administration?”

“Ahaha…”

Cecil laughed awkwardly.

Who had sent Cecil on such an errand? I had heard there was some hazing in the administration department. Was that it?

I was very curious, but Cecil looked so happy that I decided to let it go.

Leaving Archie to brew his tea, I prepared chamomile tea and headed straight to the dining room.

The atmosphere in the dining room was different than usual. There were more servants than usual, making it bustling.

Moreover, the head seat of the table was empty. The Crown Prince was sitting in the center of the long table.

“Well, that’s technically a head seat too,” I thought.

Maintaining a professional demeanor, I set up the teacup in front of the Prince. Perfect timing—the sand in the hourglass had just run out.

I poured the perfectly steeped chamomile tea into his cup and set down the teapot. Just as I was about to explain the blend as usual, the Prince stood up and extended his arm towards me.

‘What is he doing?’ I wondered.

When I looked at him, he playfully wiggled his elbow, as if signaling for me to take his arm.

It was unmistakably the gesture of a gentleman about to escort a lady.

I placed my hand on the Prince’s arm. He then led me on a leisurely walk, taking a large half-circle around the main dining room’s long table to the seat directly opposite where he had been sitting.

The Prince pulled out the chair and seated me comfortably. Then, he carefully laid out the extra tea set I had brought and even poured tea for me.

Earlier, the Prince had publicly declared his intention to court me.

‘I didn’t expect him to be this extravagant!’

The Crown Prince’s unexpected action caused the servants in and around the dining room to gasp in shock.

Within less than an hour, every servant in the Crown Prince’s Palace would know about this.

“Is this really okay?”