Chapter 25 – Tea Time  

With the Herald’s dreadfully boring closing speech, the debutante ball finally came to an end.  

Lenoa scanned the departing couples, one by one, as they exchanged farewells. A wide grin spread across her face. She felt a sense of pride, as though she had built a bridge of love for them through the debutante.  

“Lenoa, let’s leave now too.”  

Kairan, who had been mechanically responding to greetings beside her, finally spoke up.  

By then, the Grand Banquet Hall was being cleaned by servants instead of nobles. Among them, Betier, who was directing the cleanup, caught her eye.  

Lenoa decided to reward them with bonus pay for their hard work today.  

Soon, Lenoa took Kairan’s hand, leaving as the final couple and as the hosts of the event.  

***

With the tumultuous debutante over, summer had officially begun. The constant sounds of cicadas chirping and birds flapping their wings were proof of the season.  

These natural sounds also reached Queen Lenoa, who was enjoying a rare moment of leisure, reading a book one summer afternoon.  

At first, she paid them no mind, but as they continued, they became bothersome. Rising from her seat, she looked out the window.  

It was noon—bright and peaceful, with sunlight streaming in. Perhaps it was the lingering satisfaction of a successful debutante. Lenoa smiled lightly.  

She glanced at the wall clock. It was 2:30 p.m. With tea time scheduled for 3 p.m., her heart was already fluttering with anticipation.  

To commemorate the successful debutante, she would be sharing tea with the Head Maid, Betier, and her elder sister, Marhet, who was the lady of Marquis Meriel’s household.  

Lenoa had met Marhet a few times during her days as a princess, thanks to Betier’s introductions. However, this would be their first meeting since she became queen.  

The sisters’ parents, the late Marquis and Marchioness Meriel, had served as retainers to the previous king and queen. When Lenoa was born, they had sent congratulatory letters and baby gifts, further solidifying their support.  

Now, with Betier serving as Lenoa’s Head Maid, the Meriel household remained a steadfast ally.  

Although Marhet hadn’t attended the debutante, she had learned of its success through letters from her sister. She had sent Lenoa a letter filled with congratulatory words and praises.  

Lenoa vividly remembered laughing at Marhet’s chirpy writing style and tone.  

She unfolded the now-creased letter, which she had read so many times, and realized it was almost time for Marhet to arrive.  

Wearing a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a green ribbon, Lenoa left her room with childlike excitement.  

Her eagerness to meet them was such that she hadn’t even informed her secretary, Kairan, about the tea time.  

***

The royal garden, surrounded by shades of green and brown, resonated with the harmony of nature even more distinctly than the Queen’s Palace.  

“Our dear, adorable Queen Lenoa, have you been well?”  

Marhet’s voice, as lively as birdsong, was unchanged. She treated Lenoa with the same affection as her late parents had shown.  

Like Betier, Marhet had ash-colored hair, but her green eyes set her apart from her sister’s.  

The differences didn’t end there. Unlike her calm and composed younger sister, Marhet was exceptionally talkative and full of energy.  

Lenoa caught the scent of herbal tea brewed by the skilled Betier. The warm, sweet aroma blended perfectly with the atmosphere.  

“Yes, of course. The debutante is over, and Grand Duke Blandi has been helping as well.”  

Lenoa took a sip of tea as she responded.  

At the mention of his name, Marhet’s pupils dilated as though she had heard something scandalous. Setting down her teacup, she raised her voice abruptly.  

“That man… he’s nothing but trouble in every way. He’s not even royalty!”  

“Ah… but I’m the queen now anyway. He’s my secretary, and thanks to him, the debutante went smoothly.”  

“Sister, we’re in front of Her Majesty. Please stop.”  

The two barely managed to calm Marhet, who was fuming with a scrunched-up face.  

Lenoa had long known that Marhet disliked Kairan. It was understandable, in a way.  

However, she hadn’t expected her to display such hostility, even in a private setting.  

Betier gave a wry smile. Until now, she had always included at least two lines about Kairan’s actions in her letters.  

Although she had known about the events involving Kairan and Lenoa during the debutante, she had deliberately left them out of her letters to her sister.  

While Betier’s opinion of Kairan had softened somewhat depending on Lenoa’s attitude, she still didn’t like him—though not as much as her sister.  

No matter how positively she wrote about Kairan, Marhet would only see it as insincere.  

Marhet let out a sigh and raised her voice again.  

“I just don’t like that… that man. Betier says he pesters you even when you dislike it, Your Majesty. It’s no wonder the court dislikes him too.”  

“But we get along fine now. He was a great help during the debutante.”  

“Oh, really? But men should never treat women poorly. Who would want to live with a man who resembles a phoenix?”  

Marhet sneered as she sipped her tea again.  

‘A phoenix?’  

Lenoa stifled a laugh. Thankfully, she hadn’t been drinking tea at that moment.  

Marhet’s description of Kairan, with his fiery red hair and usual demeanor, even made Betier chuckle briefly despite trying to stop her sister.  

“Ah, Lady Lenoa, I have a great idea.”  

“What is it?”  

“Marry a wonderful man who will make that… Grand Duke jealous. Use the marriage to keep him in check.”  

‘What…?’  

Lenoa was momentarily stunned.  

“Sister. Her Majesty isn’t thinking about marriage yet.”  

“Well, putting marriage aside for now. Then, Lady Lenoa, become the greatest Queen no one, not even the Grand Duke, would dare to challenge.”  

Finally relaxing, Lenoa smiled softly.  

As the atmosphere returned to normal, the three women chatted cheerfully over tea and refreshments, discussing various topics.  

Lenoa, basking in the rare tranquility, found herself lost in thought. She mulled over Marhet’s lively suggestion.  

‘Is there anyone more handsome than Kairan?’  

Even when their relationship had been strained, she had always thought Kairan was handsome.  

Lenoa mentally compared Kairan’s looks to every man she had met so far.  

However, no one could match him. Even Ariel’s partner, Hereis, though undeniably handsome, couldn’t hold a candle to Kairan.  

‘Ah, there is someone.’

Lenoa managed to think of one person.  

A man with jet-black hair and deep crimson eyes. Despite his dark appearance, his smile was brighter than anyone else’s.  

Harpe Elwen, the adopted son of his nanny and the former Commander of the Imperial Knight Order.  

He certainly could rival Kairan in terms of looks, but if she had to choose just one, it was a difficult decision.  

‘Should I pick Kairan? Or perhaps warm-hearted Harpe?’  

Lenoa smiled bashfully, so lost in deciding a winner that she didn’t even notice her tea had gone cold.  

“Oh my, Lady Lenoa. What are you thinking about? Could it be someone you fancy?”  

“Sister, please! Lady Lenoa hasn’t even had her first love yet.”  

Marhet’s teasing question snapped Lenoa out of her daydream, and Betier scolded her sister.  

The three women laughed heartily, resumed their tea, and continued their chatter.  

The garden was filled with the sound of their lively conversation, so much so that they didn’t even hear the approaching footsteps.  

“There you are.”  

A man’s voice interrupted their discussion.  

The cheerful tea time atmosphere instantly turned cold. Three pairs of eyes shot toward the intruder.  

Kairan, with his fiery red hair and violet eyes, stood there. Among the three women, his gaze was fixed on one—on a woman who looked as startled as a rabbit caught by a hunter.  

“……”  

As soon as Lenoa met Kairan’s eyes, her face turned pale.  

Their relationship had improved significantly since the debutante ball, and today alone, they had met three times. Yet now, as he appeared out of nowhere, she felt an inexplicable sense of distance.  

He was the very subject of their earlier conversation.

Had he overheard anything? 

Lenoa turned her head to avoid his gaze.  

Because of this, she missed the brief flash in Kairan’s eyes.  

“I’ve been looking for you. Let’s go.”  

Kairan strode forward on his long legs and grabbed Lenoa’s hand. Unlike his usual polite escort, his actions were abrupt and completely disregarded her wishes.  

Lenoa couldn’t resist him—not this man who seemed to have reverted to their previous frosty relationship. His grip was far stronger than hers, like that of a predator unwilling to let go of its prey.  

No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t free herself.  

In the end, she found herself being dragged along by him.  

“Y-Your Grace! What are you doing…?”  

Betier and Marhet shouted in shock, but Kairan paid them no mind and left the garden with Lenoa in tow.  

Lenoa tried to smile at them, mouthing that tea time was over.  

Finally, she managed to wrench her hand free.  

The place they had arrived at was behind the Queen’s Palace—a clearing surrounded by dense foliage, though not as vibrant as the garden.  

Confirming that no one else was around, Lenoa glared at Kairan and shouted.  

“Why! Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”  

“Why didn’t you tell me anything?”  

Kairan’s counter-question left Lenoa speechless.  

Of course, she understood to some extent. It was customary for the queen’s schedule to be fully disclosed to her secretary. She even felt a little sorry for not informing him.  

But ending her tea time so abruptly was undoubtedly his fault.  

She had been enjoying a rare moment of conversation with close friends, only for him to ruin it by dragging her away like this.  

“…I’m sorry for not telling you. But just for that?!”  

The bridge they had built during the debutante began to crack.  

As Lenoa huffed and started to walk past Kairan, his voice stopped her in her tracks.  

“No… No! Actually…”  

“……”  

“Lenoa, I wanted to see you. That’s why I came looking for you.”  

Kairan didn’t miss the opportunity and cornered Lenoa against the wall of a building.  

Even though it was a bright summer day, the shadows cast over them created a faint darkness.  

Lenoa couldn’t bring herself to speak.  

He had done all this simply because he wanted to see me? 

The man who now addressed her informally and trapped her between his arms felt utterly unfamiliar.  

‘Huh?’  

Upon closer inspection, she noticed his face was flushed.  

Had he been drinking? 

If it was alcohol, it would at least make some sense. But there was no smell of alcohol on him.