Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Meanwhile, Ellie, not understanding Alphonse’s suggestive remark, just stared blankly at the couple and the knights, confused.
Satisfied with Chloe’s flushed face, Alphonse lifted his teacup and drank the milk tea again.
The milk tea wasn’t bad. The deep flavor of the black tea, the softness of the milk, and the distinct sweetness of honey came together into a drink that anyone could enjoy easily.
‘Since your grace doesn’t like sweets, I was worried you wouldn’t like it.’
Alphonse recalled Chloe’s earlier words. It was true—he had disliked sweet things since childhood. He even remembered the nurses being surprised at how he, unlike most children, hated candy.
And yet, he genuinely enjoyed this milk tea.
‘Would I have liked it if someone else had made it?’
That sudden thought made Alphonse stop mid-sip. Then it hit him.
He didn’t like tea itself.
He liked having tea with Chloe.
***
On a lazy afternoon, Chloe was enjoying a cup of tea in the tea room to shake off her drowsiness.
Ellie was out, so she had no one to join her. That was a bit disappointing, but Chloe thought it wasn’t so bad to enjoy some peace alone now and then.
At least it would have been fine—if not for the unexpected guest.
“You’re drinking tea right now, aren’t you? I’d like a cup too, if you don’t mind.”
Startled, Chloe nearly spilled her tea.
It was a voice she hadn’t heard since coming here, but she knew who it belonged to. There was no mistaking it. It was…
“Y-Your Highness the First Prince.”
Chloe quickly set her teacup down and stood up. Leaning against the doorframe, the prince gave a wide grin.
“Sit, sit. No need to be formal between us.”
It was the First Prince of the Empire, Arthur Canossar Vladimir.
[TL: Such a unique name =_=]
Chloe hesitated as she returned to her seat. The prince strode confidently into the tea room like it was his own, flopping down diagonally across from her.
And behind him came someone else—Duke Alphonse Battenberg, Chloe’s husband.
‘Why does he look so tense?’
Even though he was her husband and someone familiar, Chloe couldn’t help but be a bit worried by the expression on Alphonse’s face.
She had heard earlier that the prince was visiting Alphonse’s office today. She had assumed they would simply talk business briefly and that would be it. So why had he come all the way here?
Chloe turned her eyes back to Prince Arthur. With the fiery red hair symbolic of the royal family messily tousled, he leaned back into the sofa like he owned the place. He was so handsome that, rather than seeming rude, his posture felt like a scene from a magazine.
Unlike the elegant and noble-looking Alphonse, Arthur gave off the image of a charming, bold man. His strong features, square jaw, and deep complexion made him look dashing, and his toothy grin often melted the hearts of many noble ladies.
Not that any of that mattered to Chloe.
“Your Highness, what brings you here…?”
Chloe asked awkwardly. Arthur rested his chin on his hand and grinned.
“I asked a cleaning maid where you were. She said you were here, so I stopped by before leaving.”
He winked at her. Arthur knew he was handsome and used it well.
In the past, the old Chloe might have been flustered. But not anymore.
“Ah, I see.”
Chloe responded calmly.
Her composure caused a brief flicker of irritation on Arthur’s face.
Alphonse coughed pointedly.
“You’re already acquainted, but nonetheless, Your Highness, this is my wife, Chloe Battenberg. Chloe, this is Prince Arthur Vladimir.”
His face was clearly, uncharacteristically stiff. Chloe had never seen him look like that before.
“Thanks for the intro, Alphonse. But…”
Arthur glanced at Alphonse, then at the tea room door.
It was such an obvious signal that even a five-year-old could have read the intent: Get out. I want to be alone with her.
But shockingly, Alphonse didn’t budge. He simply sat silently on the edge of the sofa next to Chloe.
Seeing the signal ignored, Arthur frowned slightly, then finally said,
“Could you give us some privacy? I want to have tea with Chloe, just the two of us.”
“I’m sorry. I really want to drink tea right now too.”
It was a firm refusal. And there seemed to be a bit of emphasis on ‘really.’ Chloe’s jaw dropped slightly.
Their eyes clashed midair. In the end, it was the prince who surrendered first.
“Well, I guess it’s fine. She’s your wife, after all.”
“….”
Prince Arthur was the Empire’s infamous scoundrel. Rather than helping with studies or governance, he preferred wine and women, frequently skipped lectures to go out and play, and often gave the Emperor and Empress headaches.
Despite this, he was intelligent enough to possess the knowledge befitting a prince—his problem lay in his attitude. His personality made it hard to call him a suitable successor to the throne with any confidence.
That was why, even at his age, he had yet to be named crown prince.
Setting that aside, Chloe still felt deeply uncomfortable around Prince Arthur.
This was because of something that had happened in her past. Years ago, when she was still young and innocent, Chloe had secretly harbored feelings for the prince. At a ball, she had finally mustered the courage to confess to him, but the prince had only laughed in her face.
The very next day, rumors that Chloe was in love with the prince had spread throughout high society. There wasn’t a soul who didn’t know, or who didn’t ridicule her for it.
‘That Chloe, falling for the prince? What a joke!’
‘She sure knows how to aim high for someone so lowborn!’
Remembering those days as if it were someone else’s story, Chloe sighed quietly.
In this world, it wasn’t a sin to take lovers or have affairs even after marriage. Prince Arthur still blatantly acted as though he held the upper hand in their relationship.
That fact was annoying, but he was still royalty. She didn’t have much of an excuse to outright refuse him.
With another quiet sigh, Chloe asked,
“What kind of tea would you like?”
“Something I’ll like.”
‘How would I know what you like?’
Even as she thought that, Chloe began mentally reviewing the list of teas she had on hand. What would be best?
Alphonse Battenberg was a meticulous man. Even if he had no love or interest in his bride-to-be, he had thoroughly researched her before their marriage. Especially because of that, he had to know that Chloe had once loved the prince.
“….”
And yet, Chloe didn’t know why the thought made her heart sink so heavily.
Like fumbling through endless darkness, grasping for an unknown emotion, Alphonse could only sit quietly, staying in his seat.
The tea Chloe ultimately chose was…
‘Goodness, I didn’t expect to find this one here.’
That was her first thought when she discovered the tea while organizing the cupboard.
Then again, maybe it made sense that it was there. It was the classic of flavored black teas, the alpha and omega.
Chloe quickly brewed it and brought it out to the sitting room.
After warming the cups and pouring the well-steeped tea for Arthur and Alphonse, Arthur picked up his teacup and sniffed it.
“This smells strange.”
Alphonse also lifted his cup. From the teapot on the table, a rich aroma was wafting into the air.
“It has a very flamboyant scent.”
Arthur sipped the tea like it was alcohol. His eyes widened.
“What the—? This smells like women’s perfume! What’s this called?”
“En Bergé,” Chloe replied, reading the label on the tea tin.
“But in some foreign regions, it’s also called Earl Grey.”
“Earl Grey?”
The prince repeated the name with interest.
“That’s funny. A tea that smells like women’s cosmetics is named after an Earl. Did he invent it?”
“No. But there’s a legend that he discovered it.”
Arthur tilted his head, prompting her to continue. Chloe did so.
“They say that Earl Grey was traveling through a tea-producing region when he found the local official’s young son drowning in a pond. He saved the boy, and as thanks, the official gifted him this tea, a regional specialty. That’s how the tea came to bear his name.”
Talking about something you love is always enjoyable.
The floral aroma of Earl Grey and the joy of discussing tea with someone else made Chloe feel a little better. A sincere smile began to bloom on her face.
Meanwhile, Arthur looked genuinely surprised.
“What the hell, Chloe? I didn’t know you knew stuff like this. Remember when you embarrassed yourself years ago, trying to act like a wine expert?”
“…Yes, that did happen.”
Chloe replied, her mood cooling again.
As he silently drank the tea, Alphonse asked,
“It smells a bit like flowers… and also like fruit. What is this fragrance?”
“Oh, that’s from bergamot. It’s a citrus fruit found in certain foreign regions. The oil extracted from it gives off a scent that’s a mix between floral and citrus.”
“That yellow stuff in the leaves—Is that bergamot?”
Prince Arthur pointed to the tea strainer, where the spent leaves still sat. Among the dark leaves, golden petals were scattered here and there.
“Oh, no. That’s calendula petals I added as a custom blend.”
“Blend?”
“As you mentioned, Your Highness, this tea has a scent reminiscent of perfume or cosmetics. I thought some might find bergamot’s intense aroma overwhelming, so I tried mixing in other ingredients.”
Thanks to the calendula, the overwhelming intensity of the bergamot had softened, wrapped in a gentle, sweet floral scent that made the fragrance more well-rounded.
Chloe had quietly been thinking of naming this blend Earl Grey Flower.
“Wow…”
Somehow, Chloe felt that the mischievous look in Arthur’s eyes had shifted. But she didn’t know why.
“I had no idea you had this kind of talent. Never would’ve imagined.”
The guests seemed to enjoy Chloe’s ‘Earl Grey Flower’ thoroughly, they soon emptied the teapot.
Both Arthur and Alphonse were especially fond of the golden calendula petals in the blend. Arthur thought they matched his eye color, while Alphonse felt they resembled his hair.
Of course, Chloe hadn’t picked the petals with either of them in mind.
When the teapot was empty, Arthur leaned back on the sofa with a satisfied smile.
“Thanks for the tea, Chloe. I’ve really seen you in a new light today.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Chloe replied politely. While it was true that she enjoyed talking about tea, she still felt awkward around this man.
Suddenly…
Chloe felt her hand being gently pulled by something warm. The prince had taken her hand.
“Thanks,” he said with a wink.
“Ah… ah.”
It didn’t feel good. The way he held her hand like he was her lover—it made her uncomfortable.
And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to reject him outright. She was too startled, frozen in place. For a moment, she remained still, her hand caught in his.
But the first to react was not Chloe.
“She’s my wife.”
Startled, Chloe turned.
At some point, Alphonse had risen from his seat. And more than that… Chloe had never seen his eyes like this before.
The normally unreadable red of Alphonse’s eyes now burned with clear emotion, hostility. And anger. The kind that came from someone’s territory being encroached upon.
It was a side of him she had never imagined. Even Chloe, who had done nothing wrong, felt a chill crawl up her spine.
Alphonse may have been a duke, but he was still a subject of the empire. For him to show such blatant hostility to royalty was clearly a breach of decorum.
And yet, even in the face of that menace, Arthur didn’t seem to realize what he was dealing with. His smug grin faltered, his face paling. Chloe saw the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.
Arthur recovered quickly. He let go of Chloe’s hand, then whistled as if nothing had happened. Alphonse, however, did not smile.
With a forced laugh, Arthur waved his hand as if brushing it all off and said,
“Just asking, but—Duke…”
