“Yeong-ae. I heard that Asdel is very hard to obtain. Is that correct?”

“…Yes. That’s correct.”

“However, this hard-to-obtain flower was found at the Rosentia Estate. Are you still going to deny it?”

“I…”

“If Yeong-ae has never actually seen or possessed Asdel, you can simply state that fact.”

“I…”

“Have you never seen it?”

“…No. I have seen it.”

“Where did you see it?”

“That is…”

As I hesitated with my response, I quickly turned my head.

Thinking that the situation had become a bit awkward, I realized that it could actually be a good opportunity to show our hand.

I turned my head toward Blake.

When he nodded towards me and then spoke, “I gave Asdel as a gift to Rosentia Yeong-ae.”

At the unexpected voice, everyone in the conference room was surprised and turned to look at Blake.

Then, their gazes shifted to me.

It was evident how they must be perceiving Blake and me now.

Given my previous experience at the tea party hosted by the empress, I was familiar with the situation.

Soon, Blake stood up slowly from his seat.

“Marquis Warren. Is that statement true?”

“Yes. It’s true.”

When Marquis Ers asked again, Blake repeated the same answer.

“Emperor.”

Then, Blake glanced at the emperor and made a brief gesture.
“I, too, have some relevance to this case. May I add a few words here?”

“Please proceed.”

“Thank you.”

As the emperor granted permission, Blake’s eyes turned towards me. We exchanged a brief glance, and soon Blake began to speak.

“To explain the incident of me giving Asdel as a gift to Rosentia Yeong-ae, I believe I need to share some events that occurred prior to that. Firstly, I assume everyone here is aware that I was in charge of overseeing the recent scholarship program.”

“Marquis Warren, we are aware that you were in charge of the recent scholarship program. But is that related to the current situation?”

One noble, agreeing with Blake’s words, spoke up.

“Yes, that is why a connection has been established between me and this incident. At the time, Rosentia Yeong-ae, with an interest in the scholarship, was gathering various materials. She sought advice from me and visited my mansion. Back then, we served Rosentia Yeong-ae the Asdel, a gift received from Her Majesty, as tea.”

To gauge people’s reactions, I quickly scanned the conference room. Some noblewomen who attended the empress’s tea party nodded their heads, indicating that they were already familiar with this story.
“Rosentia Yeong-ae, who tasted the tea, was greatly impressed by it. Witnessing her appreciation, I wanted to present the tea as a gift before she left, but unfortunately, I had none remaining. I decided to inquire with Her Majesty about it before reaching out again. Shortly after informing Her Majesty, I regretfully learned that she no longer had Asdel, and I couldn’t obtain it.”

“Then, how did Marquis manage to acquire that rare Asdel?”

In response to Ersz Marquis’s question, Blake turned his head towards him. With a composed demeanor, he continued speaking.

“Asdel is not inherently a rare flower. It’s merely uncommon in this region due to its mismatch with the empire and geography. As you may have gathered from Yeong-ae’s earlier statement, Asdel is a variety commonly used for tea in the western desert.”

Even before Blake finished speaking, the conference room gradually became noisy with skeptical glances.

“Yes, I personally went to the western desert to acquire Asdel.”

As this unexpected response emerged, everyone expressed astonishment, sharing comments like, “I had my doubts,” or “Just saying it couldn’t be obtained would have sufficed, but to personally retrieve it to keep a promise, that’s impressive.”

“But why did Marquis Warren personally…”

“I can’t believe…”

“Everyone, please be quiet!”
As Marquis Ersz raised his voice, the voices of the nobles subsided once again.

“So…, ahem. Allow me to ask again for confirmation. Are you saying that Marquis Warren went to the western desert personally to acquire Asdel just because Rosentia Yeong-ae liked it?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“As you may know, the western desert is a considerable distance away, even within the empire. Moreover, the journey is perilous, and one cannot simply go there recklessly.”

Ersz Marquis’s words clearly contained a deliberate intent. While not a direct question, he was asking why Marquis Warren voluntarily took on the arduous journey.

Certainly, there was also a hint of suspicion about the relationship between Yeong-ae and me. Merely going through the harsh desert just because Yeong-ae liked the tea was by no means an easy feat.

Hence, it was only natural for everyone present to have such doubts. Even I had questioned why he went to such lengths when he brought Asdel for me.

“During the trial of the attempted poisoning of Her Majesty, do you ask me why I went through such hardship?”

However, this was a matter strictly personal. In other words, it was a question that no one could openly ask. Blake, with a displeased look, directed the question back at Ersz Marquis.