Book 5: Chapter 4: A Cup of Something Inappropriate (1/2)
As she walked quickly through the corridor, Monica squeezed her heart, which was racing, over her uniform.
Don't tell me… don't tell me she's noticed? She's noticed that I'm the Silent Witch…
After becoming one of the Seven Sages, she had mostly kept her face hidden, so the only people who knew Monica's face were her fellow Seven Sages.
Or perhaps they were acquaintances from her days at Minerva? But Monica, who was extremely socially awkward, was mostly confined herself inside the lab, and if she had seen a beautiful woman as conspicuous as Claudia somewhere, she would remember her for sure.
I-It's just a coincidence… right…?
It just happened that she brought that topic up. It must be.
Telling herself as much, Monica opened the door to enter the preparation room. Compared to before the tea ceremony has started, there were fewer people. Almost all the maids were probably out serving the guests at the tea ceremony.
Slightly relieved by the least number of people, Monica turned to the shelf where she had placed her cans before.
”Huh…?”
Looking up at the shelf, Monica stiffened. Monica's can of tea leaves were missing.
Casey's can of tea leaves was in the same position as Monica remembered. But the space next to it, where Monica had placed her cans, was empty.
She was certain, though, that she had laid out a folded paper and put three cans on top of it.
Feeling a bad premonition, Monica's blood drained from her body.
This was not the first time Monica had been faced with this kind of situation. Just like what she had guessed.
With trembling hands, Monica lifted the lid of the trash can.
”…ah.”
Mixed in with the used tea husks and empty cans, were unused tea leaves strewn all over in the trash. she also found her folded paper.
”How could my…”
Monica crouched down on the spot helplessly. Without the tea leaves, she would not be able to make tea. This means she can't continue her lesson.
What should I do…?
Tears slowly welled up in her eyes. No matter how good a magician Monica might be, she can't rewind time.
As she swallowed a sob and sniffled, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
”What's wrong, Monica? Are you not feeling well?”
Casey kneeled down beside Monica and rubbed her back.
When Monica asked her in a faint voice why she was here, Casey scratched her cheek with a complicated look.
”I was worried about you because you hadn't come back, so I came to check on you… guess not. Sorry, to be honest, it was hard for me to stay there…”
Well, she apparently couldn't stand the tense atmosphere between Lana and Claudia and slipped out of her seat under the pretense of going to check on Monica.
Casey looked at the tea leaves strewn all over in the trash can and seemed to grasp the situation. She furrowed her brow and stared at the trash can.
”Horrible… who would do such things?”
Casey then wiped Monica's tears with a handkerchief and spoke to her in a gentle tone, as if she were a young child.
”Hey, do you have any spare tea leaves in the dorm? I think you could serve some tea you usually drink…”
”I don't have any…”
Since Monica did not drink tea in general, she never stocked it up.
If she asked Miss Isabelle, she might be willing to share it again, but she's in the middle of her class now.
While Monica sniffled softly, Casey thought for a moment before taking her own tea can.
”Just use my tea leaves. I know this means we'll serve the same type of tea, but better than ending up with nothing to serve.”
”But… I-I can't trouble you…”
If they serve the same tea, it will be evaluated as a lack of prior preparation.
Then, not only Monica, but Casey would receive a point deduction as well.
But Casey was just as nonchalant, waving her hands dismissively.
”Don't worry about that. I don't care what kind of tea served at a tea party, as long as it's tasty and enjoyable, then that's all that matters.”
Stopping her sniffling, Monica then looked at the tea leaves in the trash can.
Casey was certainly right. Most importantly, if she returned to the tea party without being able to prepare the tea, she might fail her lesson.
But…
Monica clenched her fists and stood up on shaky legs.
She then turned around before ran out of the preparation room.
”Monica! Where are you going?!”
”I-I'm sorry, I'll be back soon!”
Afterleft saying that, Monica started running off to her room in the dormitory.
＊ ＊ ＊
Lana stared at Claudia in annoyance as she bit on the butter cake.
Claudia seemed to be staring at the departing Monica, but the atmosphere returned to gloomy as soon as she was out of sight.
Her long black eyelashes lowered as she stared at her cup of tea, making her beauty look so delicate. And yet, the gloom and unapproachability she exuded were amazing in their own way.
What is this? What is this? What is this…?
Lana bit her lip then looked down at the cup of tea she had served.
Although wealthy, Lana's father was not born noble. Even he was from a wealthy merchant family, because of his contributions to the development of the city, he was given a peerage shortly before Lana was born.
Lana had been raised with the finest luxuries and trendy dresses for as long as she could remember.
Everyone said Lana was a ”blessed young lady.”
But Lana was lonely.
Among the children of families without titles, the blessed Lana always felt out of place. She didn't fit in well with the other children and was accused of bragging about her riches.
That's why she thought she would be able to make friends similar to her own if she entered Serendia Academy where most of the noble children attended.
However, in a school where lineage and prestige matter, Lana was treated as the daughter of a wealthy family with no refinement. To top it all off, her father was accused of having bought his title with money.
You have no sense of decency, no sense of manners, no understanding of the unspoken rules of nobility… The more someone said those words to her, the more Lana became stubborn.
When Lana first approached Monica, it was only on a whim.