The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 105

Chapter 105: Sweet Milk Tea and the Contents of the Pot

I asked Marie to prepare tea and, upon visiting the guest room that had been expanded in the fall, I was greeted by Alexis, who showed no change from his usual emotionless demeanor, and Cedric, who looked relieved.

Since neither Alexis nor Cedric were particularly talkative, it was probably not surprising that their conversation didn’t flow much, even when they were together. However, neither of them was the type to be troubled by silence.

“Your Grace, I apologize for showing an unsightly side earlier. I’ve calmed down now, so I came to fetch the escort knights.”

“No— I too am sorry. I had no intention of insulting you, but I apologize for my rude behavior.”

“Eh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… I was a bit surprised to hear you apologize, Your Grace.”

Though it was an honest feeling, I might have been too blunt. I wondered if I had offended him, but Alexis didn’t so much as twitch his eyebrows.

“You may not know, but I do apologize when I think I’m in the wrong.”

“Ah, I’ve just learned that now. …It’s not that I felt insulted. I merely overreacted.”

Feeling unnecessary and being looked at with suspicion was a complex I had developed during my growth process.

Although I had gotten worked up, once I calmed down, I felt embarrassed about my earlier outburst.

“If you don’t mind, would you join me for tea? Marie will bring it here.”

“Ah, I don’t mind.”

August stood behind Alexis, and Cedric stood behind me in place of exchanging positions with him.

Just feeling Cedric’s presence behind me made me relax my shoulders a bit.

Indeed, this position was more reassuring.

“Sorry for leaving you behind, Cedric.”

“No, it’s good to see you’ve calmed down.”

Almost immediately, Marie entered, pushing a wagon. Instead of the usual corn tea, a pleasant aroma of proper black tea filled the room.

She took the pot, poured tea into two cups, and immediately added a generous amount of sugar and milk from the jug, placing one cup in front of Alexis with a curious expression.

“This is a popular way of drinking tea at the lord’s residence these days. If you don’t like it, feel free to leave it.”

With that, she took a sip from her own cup.

The rich, strong tea made from high-quality leaves paired excellently with the sweetness of the sugar and the mildness of the milk.

The sweetness seemed to seep into my tired mind and body.

Alexis also took a sip from his cup, then set it down to examine its contents closely before quickly finishing the cup in one gulp.

“…The contents of that jug are sugar?”

“Yes, if you like it, you’re welcome to have more.”

While Alexis looked like he wanted to say something, Marie poured new tea into the cup. After the first serving, adding sugar and milk is self-service at the lord’s residence.

“…This amount of sugar must be quite expensive.”

“At the lord’s residence, it’s relatively freely available as a seasoning. Of course, it’s still too early to serve it outside.”

Sugar, an expensive import from the Romana Republic, is relatively cheaper the further south you go and more expensive the further north. Even nobles find it difficult to use daily, treating it as one of the tonics for nourishment and vitality.

Alexis seemed to quickly understand what “freely available” meant in the northernmost Enkar region of the country.

“…You are still an incredibly frightening person.”

Although Alexis spoke in a grumbling tone, he seemed not to doubt Melfina’s words, possibly due to their history of selling various items. Seeing him savoring his second cup slowly, it appeared that Alexis had no resistance to the sweetness.

— It’s said that the higher the latitude and the colder the region, the greater the sugar consumption.

I vaguely remembered that there was research suggesting that lower temperatures require more energy, leading to a higher demand for sugar and alcohol.

In fact, the origins of strong distilled spirits like vodka and aquavit were in very cold regions.

“At least in this lord’s residence, tea is much more expensive than sugar. If you would like to pay for it, please send tea when spring comes.”

“I promise.”

Both of us were probably still feeling the aftereffects of what had happened earlier. The conversation faltered somewhat, allowing us to enjoy our tea slowly.

The crackling sound of the charcoal in the brazier echoed. Alexis, while sipping his third cup of tea, turned his pale blue eyes toward the brazier in the room and murmured almost to himself.

“It’s warm here. Just recently, it feels like a bad dream to have been shivering in a tent.”

“The wilderness gets terribly cold. No matter what, there’s always drafty gaps.”

August nodded in agreement to Alexis’s response.

I heard that monsters attack even at night, so they set up camps, keep watch, and knights and soldiers sleep wrapped in furs inside the tents.

In the severe winter of the northern regions, the cold drops well below freezing. Even if a tent is set up to block the wind, the temperature inside and outside probably doesn’t differ much.

“Does it feel the same for you, Your Grace?”

“The tent is just a bit larger than others. Knights have somewhat better conditions because they have beds, unlike the soldiers. Many soldiers suffer from the cold seeping up from the ground.”

Glimpsing at Cedric behind me, I found that he was looking at Melfina at that moment, and our eyes met.

“Cedric, can you bring that out right away?”

“Leave it to me. May I borrow August from here, Your Excellency?”

“That’s fine.”

With Alexis’s easy nod, Cedric bowed politely, called August, and they left the room together.

“Eh, why? Lady Melfina?”

“It’s just for carrying a few things. We won’t be leaving this room, so please, August.”

Although he looked confused, seeing that Alexis had given permission, August reluctantly followed Cedric out. After they left, Alexis glanced at Melfina.

“Now, how will you surprise me next?”

“I’m not scheming to surprise you, Your Grace.”

“You’ve already surprised me quite a bit today. Whatever happens now, it seems unlikely to shock me further.”

He gave a wry smile as he lightly lifted the cup he was holding.

“It’s my first time adding sugar to tea.”

“In the capital, candied fruits were the most common processed goods.”

“That doesn’t change in the north. It’s also common to candy flower petals, like roses and violets. There are fewer vividly colored flowers here, so they’re especially appreciated by ladies. My father often gave them to my mother.”

He spoke nostalgically, then his expression suddenly darkened.

“How much did August hear?”

“…He lightly mentioned your nephew’s parents and the previous duke and duchess.”

“I see. I’ve made you listen to a boring story. It’s irrelevant to you, so forget it.”

The sound of Marie swallowing was unusually loud.

“I have something I want to say to you, Your Grace.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s better if you stop immediately dismissing or saying things are unnecessary when talking to others.”

“…But it’s the truth.”

“Whether something is relevant to me or not is for me to decide, and whether I find it boring is also for me to decide. Being told unilaterally that it’s irrelevant to you is the most frustrating.”

Alexis, with his legs crossed high, fell silent for a while, seemingly chewing over her words.

“For example, if you said that because I am your husband, I should hear everything from you about your past that you don’t want to talk about. Isn’t it painful for you to be told that?”

“Well, I don’t think that’s very polite.”

“I feel the same. If you told me that because I am your wife, I should know everything about you, it wouldn’t make me happy. If you want parts of yourself to be respected, you shouldn’t treat others’ parts lightly.”

“…You’re quite an extreme person, aren’t you, Your Grace?”

Seeing Alexis’s puzzled expression, Melfina felt a mix of exasperation and a hint of pity.

She knew that people from the north valued transactions, but human emotions aren’t things that can be exchanged equally.

It wasn’t as simple as “secrets for secrets” or “confessions for confessions.”

“It’s unpleasant to be told to reveal everything to someone you’ve just met, just because you’re a wife or husband. You can’t build trust or rely on them yet. That’s only natural.”

Alexis looked puzzled, but Melfina turned her gaze away and looked at Marie.

“For example, at first, I said that if I felt it was too much responsibility to take a young woman like Marie to the frontier, I could return to Soarassonne frequently, and eventually, I planned to find some excuse to return her to the duke’s family. But now, I know that if I said that to Marie, she would be upset.”

“Well, that’s only natural, Lady Melfina.”

She laughed softly at Marie’s slightly displeased expression.

Back then, she had thought Marie was a maid with a stoic expression, difficult to read.

“I’ve come to realize that even if you think you’re being considerate and fair, it can often be off-target or even hurtful to the other person. That’s why it’s important to make an effort to understand each other, don’t you think?”

Not intruding because you don’t want to be intruded upon. Ensuring a noble lifestyle while wanting to be left alone.

Alexis’s feelings and demands seemed more like a transactional sense than interpersonal relationships.

“You and I, our backgrounds, values, and perceptions are probably entirely different. I don’t intend to forcefully extract things you don’t want to share. If you want to say something, you can, and if not, it’s perfectly fine to remain silent.”

Alexis, perhaps unconsciously, picked up his cup and showed a bit of surprise at finding it empty.

Melfina took the pot and poured tea into his cup.

In a marriage, if Melfina made a significant mistake, Alexis would ultimately be held responsible.

If, by some misfortune, Alexis were to face ruin tomorrow, it would undoubtedly have a direct impact on Melfina as well.

Signing the marriage vow with the church is about that responsibility.

“Still, as husband and wife, there’s nothing about you that’s irrelevant to me, and vice versa.”

“…I understand. I’ll be more careful.”

“Yes, please do.”

Alexis responded surprisingly honestly, and Melfina chuckled softly, pouring tea into her own cup.

Just then, the pot was empty.