Chapter 221 - Black Tea

“When are you holding your wedding, Lyudmila?”

As the day when a man and woman formally became one, weddings held the greatest interest for Valdrova. Lyudmila answered her question.

“We're planning on this autumn. I thought it would be best once I was past the early stages of pregnancy, so that's when we set the date.”

“I see.”

“It would be such an honor if you attended, Your Highness. Would you have the time?”

Count Concillus's domain was not far from the castle. If anything happened in the Land of Demons, Valdrova could rush straight over and deal with it, so she could attend anytime.

“Yes. I'll come.”

“Hehe, then I'll make a lavish invitation and send yours before anyone else's.”

“All right.”

Beaming, Lyudmila let out a playful sigh.

“Oh dear. By then, my belly will be a mountain under my wedding dress... I only hope people won't whisper about him marrying a fat woman.”

“Oh, that's right. You're pregnant. Are you all right?”

“Perfectly fine. Whenever I try to move about, they make such a fuss about me losing the baby. Honestly, I wonder who the little girls are here!”

Lyudmila laughed merrily. Valdrova gazed down at her belly.

“On that subject, Your Highness?”

“Yes?”

“I think our baby will be born around the start of winter. May I ask one favor before the birth?”

Valdrova nodded quietly, and Lyudmila made her request.

“When the baby is born, I'd like you to bless it personally.”

“M-me?”

Valdrova was flustered.

“But I don't know any magic... Odograsado would be better at something like that...”

“The Golden Dragon may be a symbol of faith, but we're complete strangers, aren't we? Besides, you won't need any magic.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Just kiss my baby's forehead and wish it a healthy childhood.”

“Oh, r-really?”

That much was certainly within her power. Valdrova nodded.

“All right. I'll bless your child when it's born.”

“Thank you! I feel reassured already.”

As their conversation drew to a close, Rize quietly joined in.

“Would you mind if I came to offer a blessing too?”

“Oh my, you would, Rize?”

“A new life coming into the world to walk upon the earth is a wondrous moment. We High Elves could hardly let such joy pass us by. Besides, I've never seen a human child being born, and I'd like to...”

Rize smiled, and Lyudmila's face lit up.

“Of course. I would be delighted!”

Then she put on a playful pout and patted her belly.

“Born with the blessings of a great dragon and a beautiful elf! My own child, and already so infuriatingly lucky. I'm jealous.”

“Then how about a devil's blessing as well?”

Penelope tactlessly butted in. Lyudmila's gaze turned icy for a moment as Penelope made her pitch.

“A devil's blessing comes with accelerated brain development, improved night vision, and priority access to important posts in hell after death, you know?”

“I'd rather my child went to heaven, if possible.”

“So I'm no use at all?”

“Hmm... I wouldn't say that.”

After giving it some thought, Lyudmila made a suggestion.

“Could you serve as the sacrifice to ward off evil at the autumn festival, then?”

“You want me strung up on a cross and burned?”

“Burning a real devil seems more effective than burning an effigy.”

“That would kill me?!”

“I'm joking. Just wish my child well.”

Lyudmila hadn't been joking at all. She laughed it off and turned her gaze toward Valdrova.

“I seem to have talked only about myself. What about you, Your Highness?”

“Hm?”

“I was wondering if there's been any progress with Regent Ferda.”

Lyudmila's eyes sparkled. Romance was always fascinating, and the best stories were about people close to you. Penelope snorted at the question.

“What progress could there be? That bashful man treasures Her Highness so much, I doubt he's laid a finger on her.”

“Regent Ferda doesn't strike me as that sort of person.”

“Hehe, that's because you don't know him, Miss Lyudmila. There's a sly little boy lurking inside him, you know?”

Ferda was so coolheaded and unflappable. It was impossible to picture someone like him behaving like a pervert.

“Don't speak ill of Ferda.”

“Oh dear, my apologies.”

Penelope looked a little repentant. It didn't last.

“But it's true, isn't it?!”

“No, it isn't. We've made progress!”

“What kind of progress?”

Lyudmila's eyes sparkled again.

“What did you do?”

“Well...”

Valdrova trailed off, blushing. Lyudmila's face brightened considerably. Whatever it was, something had definitely happened.

“Ferda...”

She struggled to speak, bringing both hands to her cheeks.

“Ferda touched my cheeks.”

“... Pardon?”

“What?”

“What do you...?”

They reacted as though someone had doused them with cold water. Even Rize, who had been listening quietly, was taken aback.

“When you say he touched your cheeks, how exactly...?”

“Like this...”

Valdrova gently tugged on her cheeks. Lyudmila and Penelope's lingering hopes of finding at least a little romance were ruthlessly crushed. Now Valdrova was truly bewildered.

“Isn't this how humans show... affection?”

“No, it isn't!”

“That's treating you like a child!”

Lyudmila and Penelope protested vehemently.

“Good heavens. There's a girl he likes, and he tugs on her face?”

“I thought our meek little herbivore of a regent had finally developed a taste for meat, but he's gone and put a cockroach in his mouth!”

“I-is that how it is?”

Valdrova looked sheepish. She had thought it was a show of affection, at least.

“So that wasn't progress...”

“Aside from the cheek-tugging, how far have you gone?”

“Well... we hold each other... I suppose?”

“A man his age would never stop at that...”

Valdrova had thought they were doing quite a lot, but Lyudmila's expression remained troubled. She looked Valdrova up and down. Despite her two fearsome horns, she had a gentle face. She was a beautiful woman with a voluptuous figure one could gaze at forever without tiring.

“This won't do.”

Lyudmila made her decision.

“For our Grand Duchess's happiness, I, Lyudmila Purity, shall intervene!”

Lyudmila sprang to her feet as she declared it. Valdrova's shoulders sank a little before her forcefulness.

“H-how?”

“You want a more intimate relationship, don't you?”

“Yes, I suppose...?”

“There's only one thing to do in that case.”

She held up her index finger.

“Pounce on the regent!”

“Ooooh!”

Penelope clapped in agreement. Valdrova didn't understand what that meant, but Rize, seated beside her, turned bright red.

“P-pounce on him? Why would she do such a thing...?”

“Because he's being so frustrating, of course! Do you know how stuffy Arwen was before I pounced on him? He could barely stammer out that he loved me!”

“Really?”

“Now he simply can't live without me! All because I took one bold step forward. You need to be bold for the sake of your relationship!”

“Hmm...”

Valdrova began giving her words serious consideration.

“I-I object!”

Rize jumped in to stop the madness. Naturally, his attempt to spoil everything just when it was coming together was unwelcome.

“You're engaged to Regent Ferda, and until you're married, I believe you should maintain a wholesome relationship, spending time together and getting to know one another—”

“What a load of stuffy nonsense!”

“Goodness me! You'd think the world had only just emerged from the dawn of creation!”

They began ganging up on Rize, looking at him as though he were the strange one. Penelope argued fiercely.

“Culture is always evolving! The idea that men and women should keep their distance is becoming a thing of the past. The trend is toward greater openness!”

“What kind of openness?”

“Well, since you ask—”

“Ladies.”

Just as Penelope was about to make an obscene hand gesture, Luri intervened.

“Kindly keep your conversation refined during this refined teatime.”

Her tone was thoroughly businesslike. Her eyes were anything but. They blazed with a single resolve: put those fingers away, or die. Naturally, Penelope had no wish to die, so she withdrew her fingers.

“Since this is teatime, why not discuss tea?”

“Tea...”

Penelope lowered her gaze to her cup before speaking.

“Let's talk about tea, then. Rize?”

“Yes, let's.”

“Suppose Her Highness Valdrova here says she's thirsty. Would it be right to keep her waiting?”

Rize knew the question she'd thrown at him wasn't simply about tea.

“Tea tastes best when brewed with the finest leaves, clean water, and the proper technique.”

“Would that justify keeping the great Crimson Dragon waiting?”

“Still, if she waits just a little...”

“Even if she'll die without tea right this instant?!”

“W-what?!”

Penelope pressed her advantage while Rize floundered.

“I-if it's that bad, she should drink water, not tea...”

“Exactly!”

“W-what?!”

“Her Highness is thirsty right now! What use is the finest tea in that situation? Water she can drink immediately would taste far sweeter!”

It made sense, but Rize couldn't concede the point. After much thought, he came up with a good counterargument.

“Wait a moment. Water that has barely touched the leaves can hardly be called tea.”

“What?!”

“Besides, that would make for a more unpleasant experience than simply drinking water.”

“Hmm...”

That was true as well. As Rize calmly argued that the tea needed time to steep, Penelope glared at him in displeasure before speaking.

“Then...”

“Yes?”

“What if she puts the leaves in her mouth and pours hot water straight in?”

“... Pardon?”

“Wouldn't that actually be best? She'd be tasting the flavor of black tea as it brews right inside her mouth. That way, she could enjoy practically every flavor, couldn't she?”

“You're an absolute genius!”

Lyudmila gave her a thumbs-up. Penelope's logic was making Rize dizzy, while Lyudmila hadn't given it any thought at all. She was simply enjoying the situation immensely.

“There is a time for everything. A time for flowers to bloom, a time for fruit to ripen, and a time to eat it. I would like Lady Valdrova to enjoy that pleasure at the proper time—”

“Bah!”

Unable to stand it any longer, Penelope shouted.

“What do you know, butting in like this?! You're just food in disguise!”

“F-food in disguise?!”

“Dragons have their own circumstances, humans have theirs, and elves have theirs! What would an elf like you know about a relationship between a human and a dragon?!”

“I-I only want them to have a wholesome—”

“I've dated over a hundred women! I know how women think inside out, and I can confidently say I understand men just as well!”

“I was only saying that between a man and a woman—”

“Have you ever dated a woman? Have you ever dated a man? You've been a virgin for thousands of years! What would you know about relationships?!”

“Well...”

“You want Her Highness Valdrova to die of thirst without ever getting to drink her tea! You bitch—no, bastard! You're the true enemy of women! The enemy of this village! The enemy of the Grand Duchy's territory!”

“U-ugh...”

Under Penelope's barrage of abuse, Rize's eyes finally filled with tears. He didn't dare speak, afraid his voice would betray them. Certain of a crushing victory, Penelope raised her arms to celebrate, but she was premature. Until that moment, she had never dreamed there was a separate final boss.

“My lady, and ladies.”

It was Luri who spoke to put an end to the argument.

“Some light board games have now been prepared in the recreation room. Would all the women, and only the women, kindly leave?”

“Well, shall we? Come, Your Highness.”

“All right.”

Lyudmila and Valdrova rose from their seats.

“I-I'll be toddling along too.”

Penelope stood as well, warily watching Luri. Only Rize, being a man, remained seated.

“Ah.”

Seeing Penelope rise, Luri stepped into her path. There seemed to have been a misunderstanding, so she clarified.

“I said only the ladies were to leave.”

At her emphasis, Penelope sat down and Rize stood up instead. Luri, who had been standing so politely, pulled a chair over and sat opposite Penelope.

Silence settled over them. That silence had an icy blade, and it was pointed at Penelope's throat.

“Any last words?”

Through the fog that seemed to fill Penelope's head, these were the words that surfaced.

“And yet... the Earth moves?”

* * *

“Did you enjoy your ladies' gathering?”

Valdrova nodded at Ferda's question.

“Yes. It was friendly and fun.”

“I'm curious what you talked about.”

“What we talked about...”

Valdrova sifted through the conversations that came to mind and compressed them into a single phrase.

“How to make black tea?”

“Black tea?”

“Rize and Penelope seemed to argue a little over it. Rize must have been upset, because he teared up.”

“Did he?”

An argument over black tea was odd enough. Rize crying was even stranger. What on earth had happened?

“Speaking of which, Ferda, can you brew black tea?”

“Of course.”

“I'd like to try a cup you've made...”

“I'll prepare one for you.”

Ferda handled the tea service with practiced skill. After the delicate process, he handed her a cup of beautifully colored black tea. Valdrova carefully brought it to her lips.

“How is it?”

“Delicious.”

“Good. I steeped it for just the right amount of time.”

As Ferda spoke with satisfaction, Valdrova stared at him. She recalled the conversation at the ladies' gathering.

“Could you steep it a little less?”

“But then it wouldn't develop its full flavor.”

Unable to think of a reply, Valdrova told him this instead.

“I'm thirsty.”

The argument had been so emphatic. Surely it was worth trying a cup at least once? That was what Valdrova thought.