Chapter 44: Tea! Cakes!
A carriage rolled along the highway, carrying with it two precious princesses of Shadowstep — Alicia and Elidranthia. The Count had tasked them with attending a tea party hosted by several of his and Duke Bron’s vassals.
“Hm… the Count’s city is smaller than this. Are we still in his territory?” Alicia asked as they arrived in the city governed by Viscount Kerbeck. It wasn’t a large city, but it had more stone houses, and the marketplace bustled with more life compared to Shadowstep’s.
“Viscount Kerbeck controls a major trade route leading toward Shadowstep,” Rodrique explained. “This land used to belong to the crown, but it was reassigned to the Count’s domain during the reforms fifty years ago.”
“How large is Father’s territory, Rodrique?” Elidranthia asked.
“Our land holds six villages and two cities. One is managed directly by the Count, and the other by Viscount Kerbeck.”
“Hm… Viscount Kerbeck was amicable at the clinic, but you made it sound like he doesn’t like my father,” Eli said, narrowing her eyes. “Was there a reason for that, Sir Rodrique?”
“Well, calling it distaste might be too harsh, Lady Elidranthia. The Viscount is relatively new and has yet to find his footing among our ranks. I’m sure your visit will please him greatly.”
Ahh… so he disliked my father and cursed his fate for being assigned under a backwater count. But since I’m a high-level mage, he’s trying to win me over instead. Damn, I’m getting rusty — I didn’t even catch his motive at dinner yesterday.
Eli gave a wry smile at the realization. In this world, there was no such thing as a nice guy. Everyone had a reason to be kind — either to gain favor or to invest in future prospects. She reminded herself not to get too close to these socialites.
“Alicia, please don’t get too close to Viscount Kerbeck, alright?” Eli pleaded.
“Ara? Were you worried I was going to be poached by Viscount Kerbeck? Don’t worry, Milady. My loyalty will always be with you. Here, let me hug you!” Alicia said, patting Elidranthia’s head and spreading her arms wide for a hug.
“That’s rude, Alicia,” Rodrique said, wondering how she could be so shameless. Didn’t she just sell out her lady for a mere sword yesterday? She claimed her loyalty lay with her, but when Jadenbale gave her his sword, she did a complete 180 and jumped on board to persuade Lady Elidranthia to continue with her clinic.
Though she ended up convincing her in a totally unexpected way, Rodrique couldn’t help but wonder what went through that birdbrain’s head. Was she loyal or not? Where did this girl’s loyalty lie? Was it money? was it fame? but she clearly ahd rejected those? or was it…. The church? She did mention about goddess?
In the end, Rodrique was left with more question than he could answer as he pondered Alicia’s nature.
“Ugh! That’s not what I meant, Alicia…” Eli pouted but accepted the hug anyway. She sighed at her own hypocrisy. Wasn’t she no different from the other socialites? Here she was, pandering to Alicia so she would stay and serve Shadowstep.
“By the way, what’s her name?” Alicia asked Rodrique, snapping him awake from his pondering. Yeah. she is too dumb to be scheming something. I thought I already taught her this.
“She is Leina Kerbeck, the third daughter of Viscount Kerbeck. Ah, we’ve arrived,” Rodrique replied as the manor guards knocked on their carriage.
As expected from a peaceful, prospering territory, their mansion was luxurious, with flowers adorning the courtyard. The three-story manor had been constructed using earth magic, similar to the one in Shadowstep, but its walls were plastered with chalked cement that gleamed white under the sun—unlike Shadowstep’s rugged brown exterior.
Just as Alicia and Elidranthia expected, a girl in a white dress sat like a porcelain doll in one corner of the courtyard. The white table before her lacked any blemishes, as if it was bought yesterday. It was the kind of elegance honed over many years—training required to become a proper noble.
When Eli stepped down from the carriage, the girl waved her hand. Her smile was sweet, unlike Eli’s, whose expression was more of a polite façade. She then took her butler’s hand and approached the carriage.
“Greetings, Lady Leina. I hail from Shadowstep. You may call me Lady Elidranthia.” Elidranthia curtsied. Leina curtsied back with more elegance.
“Greetings, Honored Mage Elidranthia. What a lovely day it is. I am sure our dessert and cakes will entertain you. The goddess must have blessed us to have such a prime mage as our guest.” Leina smiled.
Her response was unexpected; it almost made Elidranthia tilt her head. According to what Laura had taught her, she was supposed to reply with Lady Elidranthia, then demean herself as a vassal and extol her host’s virtues and loyalty. But the response Leina gave seemed to take pride in herself and her territory while diminishing Elidranthia’s status.
Well, it’s not like I care much about status to begin with. I just need to be amicable for my own good. If I act haughty, I’ll just suffer later inside the Royal Academy.
“Of course, Lady Leina. Shall we, Alicia?”
“Yes. Let us see the beauty of Kerbeck’s territory. If their wares are as good as they advertise, it would make protecting them—and the empire—worth it!” Alicia replied.
“Protecting us? What do you mean? Ever since Kerbeck’s territory was assigned under Shadowstep, I do not recall you ever sending soldiers to cull monsters.” Leina frowned at Alicia’s haughty statement.
“Oh, you didn’t know? Shadowstep is located next to a monster forest. We have a stampede almost every season, Lady Leina. In a way, we are protecting the entire kingdom by living there, yours included. Without us, the monsters would surely ravage your territory as well—seeing how this city only has wooden planks for walls. Isn’t that right, Lady Elidranthia? We just repelled a particularly nasty stampede a month ago. That’s why we held that healthcare event. It was dangerous—our city was almost overwhelmed. Brave knights lost their hands during the onslaught, and firebombs exploded outside the walls.”
“Alicia, such scenes should not be spoken of before a lady,” Elidranthia frowned.
But Leina had already taken the bait. In truth, she hadn’t wanted to attend this tea party, entertaining a rural noble’s daughter—moreover, her superior—just because she happened to be a mage.
She was sure Elidranthia wouldn’t know a thing about capital fashion and she didn’t even know Elidranthia’s taste. Kerbeck’s territory also lacked dedicated knights. Unlike in Shadowstep, knights were loathed here; their work was scorned, much like how people viewed police in America. Many thought all the knights did was lounge at the gates all day, occasionally chasing random wolves that happened to eat people and they got paid more than even craftsmen with years of experience.
But when Alicia told her about heroic deeds—how romantic and tragic it was to fight to the death against monsters—it piqued her interest.
Her plan to impress Elidranthia with tea and cakes until her departure soon evaporated, giving way to the innocent curiosity of a child.
“Oh my, I didn’t know Shadowstep’s knights were such brave warriors. Could you tell me more?” Leina said, her tone polite but edged with curiosity.
“Of course.” Alicia bowed. Once everyone was seated, she launched into a dramatic retelling of the stampede—how monsters poured from the forest, how her spells blew them to smithereens, and how Shadowstep’s knights stood unyielding against the tide. After shamelessly celebrating her own heroics, she moved on to the aftermath.
“So that’s what happened in Shadowstep. I didn’t realize it was that dangerous. Does this really happen every season?”
“Yes. It looks dangerous, but there hasn’t been a single death so far. We have the best knights, not just the fancy ones from the capital. My father’s one of them, actually. Have you heard about the time we crushed a bandit gang in the wilderness?”
Elidranthia, knowing when to stay quiet, savored her tea and cakes. The tart, though plain in appearance, hid a layer of lemon zest and sweet cream that melted on her tongue. The herbal tea followed — rosemary and ginger with a hint of turmeric — a sharp counter to the sweetness of the dessert.
“And then,” Alicia continued grandly, “came Lady Elidranthia’s moment. The battle wasn’t truly over until every soldier could return home. It would’ve been a pyrrhic victory without her! Thanks to her healing, even those on the brink of death rose again to embrace their families!”
Elidranthia nearly spat out her tea. Alicia had chosen now to put her on the spot. She shot her maid a glare.
“Ahem. I apologize for my maid’s… enthusiasm,” Eli said stiffly. “I assure you, our deeds were nothing so dramatic. I simply did what any healer would — tend to the wounded as best I could.”
“Oh my… you don’t need to be so modest, Lady Elidranthia. Everyone knows you and Alicia are Althemer’s new prominent mages. Even the girls in the capital speak about you. I can introduce you to them if you like.”
“Ah. That would be wonderful. I’d love to hear about them over tea in the royal academy. I heard you’ll be studying there as well?” Elidranthia cheered in her mind. This way, she wouldn’t be lonely in the acadmey. She could forge bonds with others.
“Yes. My father wanted us to get closer, so despite our financial difficulties, he enrolled me in the academy. I hope you’ll take care of me there, Lady Elidranthia. I’m glad to be your vassal.”
“Hm? You have such a nice house—how come you’re in debt?” Alicia asked bluntly.
Eli almost smacked her forehead. How could this girl be so blessed and yet so tactless? Couldn’t she read the room?
“Well…” Leina’s smile turned sheepish. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but my father often holds parties in the capital. It’s necessary to secure trade routes with other nobles. He also told me I’ll marry Lunifere from Duke Luca’s household in ten years. Despite being only twelve, I already have a fiancé, ehehehe. He’s twenty though. What a shame… no romance novel for me.”
“Oh…” Eli took a sharp breath. Reality hit her all at once—how women were treated in these medieval times.
“Let’s eat the cakes,” she diverted the topic. “The tea’s gone cold. Would you like some biscuits, Alicia?”
“Thank you, Lady Leina,” Alicia replied, completely unfazed by the topic of arranged marriage. After all, to her, this world was not real, it was from a novel. Let alone arranged marriage, she would not bat an eye about slavery. It was a common fantasy trope after all. It would be best if they exist, that way Alicia could become a hero by freeing them.
Thirty minutes later, Rodrique entered, bowing slightly. “My apologies, young miss. I’ve disrupted your fun, but Milady must visit several of Count Shadowstep’s vassals. I hope you don’t mind us leaving now, or she’ll have to camp in the woods.”
“I would never let Lady Elidranthia camp in the woods. You may take her, butler. Please keep her safe. I trust your knights will do their duty.”
“Of course, Lady Leina. Shadowstep’s knights are the best in the country against monsters.”
And so, the bitter taste of the tea party lingered in Eli’s heart as she left the Kerbeck household.
“Good grief. We have to do this four more times?” Alicia complained, thick-skinned as ever.
She really couldn’t read the room.