“Come to think of it, Your Majesty. When I went to the royal library, there were hardly any books about monsters or Beltrum, why is that?”

“Books?”

Aspeiran stopped the court lady who came to ask about the dessert menu and looked at me. He raised an eyebrow and said.

“The previously published books related to Beltrum had many errors, so they were all collected. The researchers are in the process of making new books with accurate information.”

“Aha.”

“But why books? If there’s something you want to know about Beltrum, it would be faster to ask the researchers. They have a lot of reference records.”

“Ah, well.”

I scratched my cheek. I guess I have no choice but to say it.

“I haven’t been able to meet the researchers since opening the farm. I think they’re in the lab though.”

Haha. As I laughed awkwardly, Aspeiran frowned.

Then he dismissed the court lady standing beside him.

“Your Majesty?”

“Shuria.”

Aspeiran got up from his seat. Then, reaching out his hand to me, he said.

“Let’s have dessert somewhere else. Follow me.”

The place Aspeiran took me to have dessert without warning was the reception room on the 1st floor of the Beltrum Research Institute.

When I gave him a look asking why we came here, Aspeiran finally opened his mouth.

“Do you know where the tea leaves and tea set are?”

However, what he blurted out was not an explanation of the situation, but a rather abrupt question.

I was startled, but I faithfully answered the question.

“I have it all figured out. I often came here to brew tea and have snacks.”

“That’s good. Then brew some tea and wait here.”

“What? Wait, where are you going?”

When I asked in surprise, Aspeiran lightly tapped my forehead with his finger and said.

“I’ll be back before the tea gets cold.”

With that, he walks away without hesitation. I stood there with my mouth agape, and after a while, I finally mustered up the courage to protest.

“…What the, who does he think he is, Guan Yu?”

However, there was no one here to hear my complaint, nor anyone who knew who Guan Yu was. I closed the door and staggered into the reception room, plopping down on the sofa.

Honestly, I was a bit dumbfounded.

Not only did he suddenly bring me here saying we’ll have dessert somewhere else, but now he’s telling me to brew tea? On top of that, he left me here and went somewhere alone!

“I wanted to eat the dessert made by the head chef of Cronen Palace…”

Muttering gloomily, I got up from my seat. Disappointment is disappointment, but I should at least prepare the tea. Because I am a loyal and cool subordinate.

The tea leaves and tea sets were all in the tea room attached to the reception room. I went in and rummaged through, noticing that there was plenty of milk left that I had brought this morning.

“Since it’s come to this, should I treat Asfe to my special milk tea?”

I don’t know if he’ll like it though. Hmm.

“Whatever, he’ll have to eat what I give him. The cook is always the king!”

Shouting words that could be suspected of treason in this world without a care, I boiled water and warmed up milk with a clatter.

Since I often ate snacks in the reception room as I had told Asfe, I had a perfect grasp of the location of each item.

Thanks to that, it didn’t take long to find everything I needed. After throwing them all into a trolley, I moved to the reception room with the just-boiled water and warmed milk.

As I sat on the sofa waiting for the tea to steep, I heard groaning sounds from somewhere.

“Neck, my neck! Ow! Ow!”

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”

It sounded like someone was getting beaten up. Where is it coming from?

I jumped up from my seat. And at the same time.

Bang!

The reception room door swung open with a thunderous sound.

‘An intruder!’

Reflexively taking a defensive stance, I gulped. If necessary, I’d have to subdue the intruder, even if it meant using violence…

But very fortunately, the one who entered through the open door was not an intruder, but Aspeiran who had left me behind.

To be precise, Aspeiran with an armful of researchers’ collars in both hands.

“…Aaaargh!”

Fortunately, it wasn’t! I hurriedly ran towards the door.

“What in the world is going on, Your Majesty!”

Aspeiran raised his palm to stop me from approaching. Then he throws the researchers into the empty space next to the sofa.

Aspeiran coldly said to the researchers sprawled on the floor.

“Kowtow.”

“Yes, yes…”

“The charge is dereliction of duty. Begin.”

The researchers quickly assumed their positions. With that, a scene similar to the day I first met the researchers unfolded in the reception room.

It means the researchers started writing their reflections while lying face down.

“Your Majesty, I didn’t intentionally neglect Lady Shuria, I was really just too busy with work…”

“Write your excuses in the reflection. I’ll read it later and judge.”

Groaning, our head researcher Prom pressed his head against the paper again. The other three researchers lined up beside him, Sek, Titira, and Kiri, were the same.

So that’s where he went, Aspeiran went to punish the researchers.

Dereliction of duty… Indeed, one of the tasks Aspeiran entrusted to the researchers was to teach me, so in a way, it is dereliction of duty.

As I was watching the researchers with glazed eyes, Aspeiran turned his gaze to me.

“The tea?”

He really looks for tea as soon as he sees me. Fortunately, I had everything prepared.

“It’s not cold yet. It just finished steeping.”

I quickly sat on the sofa and poured the strong black tea into a teacup. I was about to add milk when Aspeiran spoke in a very perplexed voice.

“Why are you pouring milk?”

“I wanted to treat you to my special milk tea, Your Majesty?”

“…Go ahead.”

With Aspeiran’s permission, I started making milk tea with excitement.

The ratio of black tea to milk is 1:1. If there’s more milk, it becomes bland and not as good. And exactly three sugar cubes.

When I plopped the sugar cubes in, Aspeiran seemed to let out a small groan, but I ignored it.

Now, just stir it well…

“This is my special milk tea!”

I handed the finished milk tea to Aspeiran with a proud smile. He raises the cup with narrowed eyes.

Aspeiran’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he brought the teacup to his lips.

What will his reaction be? In mild tension, Aspeiran finally assessed the taste.

“…Why the hell would anyone drink this?”

“Is it not to your liking?”

“It’s too sweet. It feels like the sweetness is burying the aroma of the tea leaves.”

Oho, I see.

I kind of expected it. Our Asfe is a typical northern duke-style lord.

Still, the reason I tried to feed him was to take a small revenge on Asfe for leaving me here―now I know the reason, but still.

I’m satisfied now that I’ve seen that face scrunch up. I picked up the teapot.

“Then I’ll brew new tea! I’ll go boil some water…”

“No, it’s fine.”

Hearing that, I thought Aspeiran wasn’t going to drink the tea. But surprisingly, he took another sip of the milk tea.

“Your Majesty!”

“I can’t throw away something you went to the trouble of making.”

Aspeiran said that even though his brows furrowed with each sip.

You threatened me, saying the Roakin treasury isn’t a pushover, so why are you tormenting yourself for that reason!

I reached out to Aspeiran and tried to dissuade him.

“Don’t force yourself to drink it! I’ll drink it!”

“That’s right, Your Majesty~ Give it to me instead. I’m curious about the taste because I like sweet things.”

Sek chimed in with a flirtatious tone while scribbling his reflection. Aspeiran mercilessly threw a cushion at his head.

“You, shut up.”

“Ow ow.”

Sek quickly pressed his head against the reflection paper. In the reception room that became peaceful once again, Aspeiran stubbornly finished all the milk tea I gave him.

Aspeiran’s face was slightly paler than usual as he got up.

“Then I shall take my leave now. You guys get up too.”

“Yes!”

The researchers stood up in unison. Aspeiran glared at them and sternly said.

“Go and tell Shuria what she wants to know. And don’t even think about slacking off again.”

“O-of course!”

Having finished his business with the researchers, Aspeiran now looked at me.

My heart felt somewhat proud at his face that had softened slightly compared to when he looked at the researchers.

“I’ll see you later, Shuria. No need to see me out.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Take care!”

After Aspeiran left, only the four researchers and I remained in the reception room.

Prom coughed while looking elsewhere, Sek grinned from ear to ear, Titira fidgeted her fingers anxiously, and Kiri was lost in dreamland as usual.

In the end, I spoke first.

“You guys weren’t avoiding me on purpose all this time, right?”

“No way!”

Prom jumped up from his seat. Then he said while harrumphing.

“We were just too busy to even go check on you once.”

“For nearly 2 months?”

“Of course—”

“Actually, Shuria. The image of you exploiting and working us to the bone without hesitation lingered like a nightmare, so we unconsciously tried our best to avoid you…”

“Sek! Have you no shame?!”

Prom started hitting Sek roughly. Titira tried to stop the two and got hit for no reason, Kiri kept sleeping, and I clapped my hands on the side.

Aha, so that’s what it was. I thought they were deliberately giving me the cold shoulder and trying to bully me. It’s fine then.

Feeling satisfied, I separated the tangled Prom and Sek. It was easier for me to separate the frail researchers with strength than giving Sammum a bath.

The round, widened eyes of Prom, Sek, and Titira simultaneously turned to me. I put my hands on my hips and shouted confidently.

“Now, shall we go study? Let’s finish quickly!”

The place the researchers took me, who was urging them, was the underground floor where all the research facilities of the institute were gathered.

“Where are we going?”

I asked Titira, who was closest to me, trying to memorize the intricately twisted path. She whispered in a small voice.

“We’re, we’re going to the archive…”

“There’s an archive underground?”

“You’ve been frequenting the research institute all this time and you didn’t know?”

Prom reprimanded me as if he found it pathetic. Anger suddenly surged up.

‘Is that something to say? You told me never to poke around facilities other than the farm!’

The second round of researcher punishment was about to break out. I clenched my fists.

But then Prom suddenly trembled and distanced himself from me. Then he muttered haltingly.

“R-right! You, you might not know. Yeah.”

“?”

Why is he like that all of a sudden?

I wanted to ask, but we had already arrived at our destination, so I decided to let it slide. Sek opened the door, still dreaming.

Beyond the door, a cozy archive filled with bookshelves is revealed.

“Wow—”

I exclaimed in genuine admiration.

“It’s really messy.”

“Ahem!”

Prom couldn’t refute and only coughed a few times. That’s how messy the inside of the archive was.

Books haphazardly thrown on the floor, making it hard to find a place to step, paper bundles scattered all over the place. The bookshelves were also in disarray with books crammed in a mess.

These people, they really don’t clean up at all.

‘Let’s see.’

Shall I film a grand cleanup season 2?

I rolled up my sleeves.

“Since we’re here, let’s clean it up thoroughly.”

“I-I’ll recommend some books, so come here quickly!”

“Hurry!”

“This way…”

“Zzz—”

As soon as I opened my mouth, the researchers hastily changed the subject. Do they dislike cleaning that much? It feels rewarding once you do it.