Volume 4 Chapter 4 Part 2 (1/2)

Volume 4 Chapter 4 Part 2

Translator: Imlartis Editor: Queenie

The first person to greet me at the residence was the butler who sent me off in the morning.

「Welcome back lady Filmina. 」

「I’m back. Um, and my husband…?」

I came back a little late so maybe he was back already. If I get too selfish that narrow-minded man will sulk and it will be troublesome. Well, I think that this side of him is also cute even though it’s unnecessarily troublesome.

At my words, the butler’s face stiffened visibly. He took a handkerchief out of his breast pocket and started wiping the cold sweat. Now, now, that man wasn’t an evil spirit was he? As long as one didn’t bother him, he wouldn’t bite. Why doesn’t anyone understand that?

Disregarding my inner mumbling, the butler started speaking with a trembling voice.

「Lord A-Agedilus hasn’t come back yet. Lady Leticiela came back first. She asks whether you’d like to join her for tea before supper… 」

「Let me see… If it’s like that, I’ll gladly join her. 」

It’s not often that I could be blessed with a chance to drink tea together just the two of us. I left the souvenirs I bought today and the parasol to the maid and followed the butler.

The room I was led into wasn’t the office where we met yesterday but a wonderful reception room. When I lowered myself onto one of the big sofas, between which a low marble table was sandwiched, my body pleasantly sank into it. A while after I settled myself on a grape-coloured sofa, I heard somebody knocking on the door.

「Come in. 」

「Excuse me. 」

The person who entered was, as I expected, the governess. Unlike this morning when she was wearing light male clothes, she was now dressed in formal male attire. She sat opposite of me, her long ponytail swinging. Behind her followed an elderly maid pushing a cart with a tea set.

「I’m sorry for making you wait. I’ll finish preparations right way. 」

At the lady’s eye signal, the maid bowed and quietly placed the teapot filled with dried indigo flower petals, together with small plates of baked sweets in front of me and the lady. Afterwards she left the reception room and in the room where there was only the two of us were left, me and the governess, I stared at the teapot fixedly. Just what was this? As I blinked my eyes the lady personally poured the clear water from another pot.

「Oh my! 」

The plain, clear water was changing color into a beautiful blue. I opened my eyes wide in surprise. The governor was watching me with a smile which seemed to be saying “got you!”. Then, she placed glass teacups and plates with thinly sliced lemon on the table. At that moment my eyes were glued to the blue tea.

How beautiful. It was a clear blue that was different than the blue of Nibbiellata Isle’s sea and different than the blue of the sky. That man let me drink many different kinds of tea but such a brilliantly colored one was a first.

「Drop of Dawn. 」

「Huh? 」

「That’s the tea’s name. To be exact, the flower’s. It’s a good imported from a foreign country and I’ve just gotten my hands on it. No matter what, I wanted to let you drink it. 」

「That’s… You didn’t have to treat me to such a precious thing…」

Was it fine to offer me such a thing instead of that man? To me, who hadn’t helped with the investigation at all and spent the whole day playing around? When I unconsciously peeked at her face, the lady laughed lightly.

「Fufu. Now then, I will show you why it’s named Drop of Dawn. 」

The lady poured the blue tea into a teacup, picked up a slice of lemon with small tongs and delicately put it into the teacup. Then, the beautiful blue gradually turned into a pretty pink. Once again I blinked in surprise. My reaction must have been as she imagined because the lady observing me let out a mischievous throaty laugh.

「It truly reflects the change of the daybreak sky, doesn’t it? That’s why its named Drop of Dawn. 」

「It’s so wonderful. It’s really a waste on someone like me. 」

「Please don’t mind it. It seemed that neither my lady, nor lord Agedilus liked yesterday’s black tea. This is just a display to gloss over that. 」

I subconsciously stiffened at those words. I slowly lifted my sight from my teacup and looked at the lady and, as I thought, she was wearing a mischievous smile. Well, it’s true that as she said, that black tea wasn’t really delicious, but to have that pointed out by the person providing it herself feels extraordinarily uncomfortable. After watching me unable to find any words and my eyes wandering around, the lady continued.

「It seems I have troubled you. For me, it will be enough if you enjoy this Drop of Dawn. 」

「Ah, yes. Thank you very much. I’m very happy. 」

「That’s good to hear. 」

Without thinking I smiled back at the lady who said so beamingly and bring the Drop of Dawn to my lips. Apparently the tea leaves themselves didn’t have much taste and only the refreshing acidity of lemon spread inside my mouth.