Chapter 462 - Afternoon Tea (1/2)

Berengar sat at his dining room table, sipping on a cup of coffee. Though he had just drunk a glass of the substance not long ago at the cafe, he was well known for drinking at least three cups of coffee a day. As he was sipping on his drink, he quietly observed the reactions between the young man and woman sitting across from him.

The King's sister had a scowl on her face as Adelbrand introduced himself, though she was aware that her brother had been working on finding a suitor for her to act as a cover for their secret taboo relationship. She was beginning to get the feeling that Berengar was not living up to his promise to be with her.

After all, it had been months since the King promised that he would enter a relationship with his sister, and yet they have done little more than a hug and hold hands. The teenage Princess became impatient and wanted to be more intimate with her precious big brother.

However, as she began to pressure him, Berengar conveniently found a man to remove the pressure from his sister's actions. Thus she was forced to entertain Adelbrand for afternoon tea. Henrietta was dressed in a lavish gown befitting a young woman of her position, and Adelbrand was dressed in his black and gold full-service dress uniform.

The medals that he had earned through gallantry were proudly displayed upon his chest, as well as the sash that signified him as a member of Austria's foremost order of Chivalry. Where other women might be impressed by these honors, Henrietta was uninterested at best. After all, when compared to her precious big brother, how could a man like Adelbrand interest her. Ultimately, Adelbrand was the one to break the silence as he began to address the girl with a cheerful tone.

”So Henrietta, I hear that you are close to graduating high school. Have you thought about what you will do after you have received your education?”

This was a stupid question; she was a Princess and didn't need to do anything. Despite this fact, she did want to be helpful to her brother in some way; thus, she reflected upon this comment for some time before answering the young Duke.

”I will probably go to Kufstein University and get a degree in Biology so I can aid my big brother in the development of his Kingdom....”

Adelbrand sighed as he heard this; no matter what he talked about with this girl, ultimately, it would swing back to the topic of Berengar; he was beginning to understand why the King was so desperate to get her a man. Her obsession with her brother was something that would not easily be undone.

The young Duke greatly desired to give up on his attempts to pursue the Princess then and there, but under the ever-watchful eye of the King, he would not demonstrate such a weak will. Thus he was forced to continue the awkward conversation that would inevitably speak about Berengar.

”That's a noble goal; we could always use more scientists; I just never figured that a woman like yourself would be interested in such a subject...”

Henrietta scoffed in remark to Adelbrand's statement and immediately chastised him for his comments.

”Well, I have to do something to be useful to my brother. Adela is working on cultural improvements, Linde is the intelligence director, Honoria is a master of Naval Warfare, and Yasmin... Well, I don't exactly know what she does yet, but I'm sure she will be useful to big brother in some way...”

Adelbrand immediately wanted to slam his head on the table as he heard this retort; the girl made it sound like she was one of the King's wives. He did not know if she was intentionally being obstinate or simply unaware of how everything she talked about returned to the topic of Berengar. Thus he tried to switch the subject to Biology, which she appeared to be interested in.

”What do you like about Biology? There are plenty of other scientific fields you could go into.”

Henrietta took a sip from her teacup before going on a small rant about the field of Biology and why she found it fascinating.

”Biology is the study of life and how we all came to be. If I can help my brother put an end to disease, which is the cause of so much suffering to the people of his Kingdom, why would I not want to get involved in the field?”

Berengar immediately peaked his brow as he heard this; currently, his biology department was somewhat lacking. After all, his Physician Ewald was among the head biologists in his Kingdom, and the man was far from the genius that Aldo von Passau was. Henrietta had a good head on her shoulders, but he had never expected that the girl would take an interest in biology.