Book 15: Chapter 28
Drinking afternoon tea wasn’t a custom in the North – at least, not before I captured the North. Because the North lacked access to the mana from the elven spring water, the North almost froze entirely. Relying on the Moon Fox Tribe, alone, to raise the temperature didn’t warm it up enough for them to be in the mood for an extra party at noon. The custom actually came from the elves.
Elves loved the sort of drink made from tree juices. Humanity didn’t share the same tastes, but they were similar. Ever since the elves’ Imperial Capital rose from the ground and under Vyvyan’s leadership, elves developed a hobby for having tea in the afternoon, but they wouldn’t eat anything. Of course, very few elves enjoyed having beer and rabbit thighs at noon as Lucia did. The nobles and vassals residing in the North tried to adopt the practice in order to live as the imperial family did. Honestly, Ling Yue and I disparaged the flavour of the tea. Anthropoids didn’t consider the tea extracted from plants to be fantastic. Nonetheless, Ling Yue eventually got used to it.
There was basically no work in the afternoon. After finishing my discussions with Nara, I could let my subordinates take over. The North had recovered from Freya’s outrageous acts during my absence, as well. Consequently, I could leisurely kick back at noon. Freya was on duty in the office. The various vassals and nobles were busying themselves in the Imperial Palace, while I was in the flower garden, enjoying afternoon tea with my moms.
Mommy Elizabeth still made me sigh. I didn’t intend to tell Vyvyan about what happened between me and Mommy Elizabeth, though. I was no longer willing to agitate Vyvyan again. She was already uneasy about Dragon Mom. If I added to Vyvyan’s list of aggravations, she might’ve done something I didn’t want her to.
The three of us sat at a small circular table. On the table were simple snacks and a pot of amber-coloured tea. In front of us were plain white tea cups with a clear tea swishing inside.
Vyvyan still hadn’t picked up her teacup. Instead, she looked at me with an affectionate look. She had her left hand gently placed on my thigh underneath the table. Meanwhile, on my right hand side, Dragon Mom was mumbling in an extremely nervous manner. I knew she was far more nervous than eager at the table. She never had afternoon tea before, and I was aware she prepared for a long time for it, so she had to be trying to recall every minute detail she needed to pay attention. She looked forward to having tea with me. She didn’t want to ruin our time together. I didn’t punish her for what happened at the dining hall before, but she felt guilty about what ensued. Subsequently, she kept repeating to herself over and over to not allow a problem to happen a second time.
I picked up my cup of tea and had a drink. The taste was the kind you’d find outside the forests of Duargana. It was the nice scent of mana and the forest. I shut my eyes; I could seemingly see the forest and feel the soothing warm sunlight as the tea swished in my mouth. It was as if I was drinking tea from my homeland.
After my mana flowed smoothly, I could feel lots of things that I couldn’t feel in the past, such as the taste of the tea. Seeing me take a drink, Vyvyan, too, raised her cup and had a small sip. She shut her eyes to savour the taste of home that she’d been away from for so long. Dragon Mom picked up her teacup in a flustered fashion. She was afraid that she’d stain the tablecloth with a drop of tea. She took a sip.
“Without the forest there, would we still be able to feel this beauty?” I wanted to ask that very badly, but I suppressed my curiosity. Instead, I looked at Dragon Mom and, with a smile, asked, “How is it, Mom? This tea should be from the forest close to the elven Imperial Capital with the greatest abundance of mana. The tea should taste fantastic, so I don’t know if you’re used to it.”