Side Story: Madam's Secret Tea Party
In a reception room located in the private area of the royal palace's upper floors, I relaxed on an opulent sofa.
I sensed the presence of my awaited guest approaching from beyond the door.
Anticipating what was about to unfold, I stood up briskly.
Almost simultaneously, the door burst open with a *bang*! A woman with a charmingly youthful face rushed in, beaming with a radiant smile.
"Ahhh! Welcome! I’ve been waiting for you!"
With a vigor unimaginable for someone of her petite stature, she tackled—or rather, hugged—me with great force.
Reflexively, I reinforced my body to withstand the impact.
With a resounding *thud*, the Queen of our kingdom hurled herself into my arms and hugged me tightly.
"… Your Majesty, as I always say, you should carry yourself with dignity befitting a Queen.”
I remarked with a resigned sigh.
Liliana, the mother of the Doristan Kingdom, puffed out her cheeks indignantly.
"Oh, Anne, you’re so serious! It’s just us at our tea party today; surely I can let my guard down a little. Even a queen needs to relax sometimes!"
"I understand how you feel, but you always seem to be letting your guard down.”
"That’s not true at all! And as I tell you every time, when it’s just the two of us, call me Lily!"
Looking over at Helena, the head maid, I saw her sigh in exasperation behind Lily.
"As usual, I’ve ensured we won’t be disturbed, as per Her Majesty’s request," Helena informed me.
Given that only Helena was present, I had guessed as much. However, I couldn’t openly acknowledge it due to my position.
When she married into the royal family, Lily’s family held a lower noble rank, so she was adopted as a daughter of my family to facilitate her royal match.
Thus, she is legally my younger sister.
Originally, I was engaged to the crown prince—now the king.
However, due to various circumstances (primarily the prince’s change of heart at the time), the engagement was annulled.
When Lily became the reason for this, political maneuvering made her my family’s adopted daughter.
That period brought with it numerous rumors and unpleasant memories.
But Lily has always been a dear friend and sister to me, both then and now.
For that reason, I must support her as the Duchess Ellisfeed.
Gently peeling Lily off me, I softly chided her as usual.
"Lily, you mustn’t trouble Helena. She has been a benefactor, ensuring you grow into a fine Queen while I couldn’t watch over you at the palace."
"I always do my best as the Queen! Right, Helena? Please, Anne, let me just be *me* when it’s just the two of us..."
With puppy-like eyes, Lily gazed at me pleadingly.
Ah, I can never bear to see her look so sad. I always end up giving in.
"Goodness, you’re hopeless. It’s truly a wonder how you manage as queen."
"I think so too! Haha!"
Lily chuckled, mimicking my shrug before plopping onto the sofa opposite me.
I couldn’t help but smile wryly at her antics.
"Alright, onto the report. As I mentioned before, the second prince of Samonar is staying at my residence."
As Helena prepared the tea, I briefed Lily on recent events.
Cristea encountered Prince Kaldor and his attendants, disguised as merchants, in the marketplace.
Although it seemed coincidental, it might have been arranged by Leon-sama.
Among the items they handed over was an aphrodisiac, which, upon testing, was discovered to function as a magic-enhancing drug.
She even made it taste better, though it retained its original effect.
An altercation arose over these discoveries, revealing the prince’s true identity. As a result, my family took him in under the guise of offering protection.
Despite the sudden turn of events, they were served Ellisfeed’s secret curry recipe, which resolved the matter smoothly.
This led to a discussion about repurposing Samonar’s fodder crop, Idika, as food.
"... And that’s the gist of it."
When I finished, both Lily and Helena stared at me in stunned silence.
"... Just what is Cristea-chan? She wins over foreign envoys with cooking, discovers new uses for aphrodisiacs, and tackles food supply issues?!"
"She’s a remarkable young lady, especially for someone newly enrolled at Adelia Academy."
"... Even as her mother, I can’t fully grasp how she turned out this way…"
Years ago, she was at constant risk of death due to magic power overload.
But then she stabilized her magic, developed an interest in cooking, and began transforming animal fodder into food, earning her the dubious nickname of the “repulsive food-eating young lady.”
Unbeknownst to us, she formed multiple contracts with sacred beasts Kurogane the Fenrir and Mashiro the Holy Bear.
"She may be eccentric for a noble’s daughter, but as long as she grows up healthy, I’m satisfied. Though it would be nice if she stopped making us worry so much."
At her birth, when we learned of her magic power overload, I felt deep guilt for not giving her a healthy body.
But Stewart reassured me, saying, "I’m just glad you and our daughter are safe. Let’s cherish her together." I was so grateful for his words.
Though, I never expected him to become such an indulgent parent.
"Ehe.”
"… What is it, Lily?"
"You were smiling quite blissfully. You were thinking about Stewart-sama, weren’t you?"
"…"
"See? Spot on! You’re still so lovey-dovey. Well, we’re just as in love!"
"True, the aphrodisiac wasn’t necessary for either of us."
"Oh, I wouldn’t say that. It’s handy when magic potency matters. I’m grateful to Cristea-chan! I wish she were my daughter."
"That’s…"
"No, I’ve given up on that. The sacred beasts wouldn’t allow it, after all. Even His Majesty has resigned himself."
"I see..."
"But if my Ray manages to win her over, that’s another matter entirely, right?"
"You haven’t given up at all!"
"Ray isn’t indifferent to her, you know. Since we married for love, I can’t force a political marriage on him."
"Oh, goodness…"
Though Cristea seems unaware, marriage proposals come in daily, not just from the crown prince but also from other noble families.
Even Norman, Stewart’s cousin’s son, has harbored feelings for her since childhood.
Stewart, being the overprotective father he is, continues to guard her closely. Honestly.
Perhaps it’s time I taught Cristea about love.
"Well, we’ll just have to see how it goes.”
"Huh?"
"Ahhh! Leon-sama?! Geez! This is a private tea party!"
Though the room was warded, it seemed to pose no obstacle for Leon-sama, the kingdom’s guardian. Taking an apple pie baked by Cristea from Helena, he bit into it messily.
"Sorry, sorry. Just got back from the Ellisfeed tasting event."
"Tasting event? What’s that about?!"
Lily exclaimed.
I hadn’t heard of it either. Today was supposed to be about testing Idika as food, wasn’t it?
"Turns out Idika can be cooked like Lars and made edible. And Ojou’s dishes with it? Simply delicious."
"”Wh-what?!"”
Lily and I shouted simultaneously.
No way. No one told me about this…
"Oh, by the way, Ray and Norman attended the tasting. They’ll bring the envoys tomorrow."
"Ray went to the tasting? No fair!"
Lily pouted. Ignoring her, I stood abruptly.
"Lily, I just remembered something urgent. Please excuse me."
"Wait, Anne! I want to go too!"
Leaving Lily to sulk, I hurried home.
Don’t worry, Lily.
Leon-sama likely brought back enough for you as well.
What do you think about this chapter?
