Even in the self-assured words Annette confidently presented, there was no response from Crot for a while. Annette, thinking that the thoughtful Crot was contemplating, did not press him.

In my view, there was no reason for Crot to refuse her proposal, so I naturally thought he would accept.

While Crot remained silent, Annette spoke to Sera, who was standing by.

“Sera, will you bring that here?”

She wanted to demonstrate that she could speak elegantly and politely even when addressing someone lower in rank. The incident where she lost her temper in the garden a while ago had been erased from her memory.

Even if she were to recall it, she could simply say it was an unavoidable accident caused by the cunning Stella.

Living in a world where what she said became law, and her desires were inevitably fulfilled, becoming the empress here was a natural occurrence for Annette, and the process leading up to it was a kind of test to fulfill that destiny.

Of course, she boasted to herself that she had excellently passed that test.

A while later, Sera brought a quite substantial jewelry box.

Sera carefully placed the jewelry box on the table where the two were facing each other.

It wasn’t possible to accurately determine what was inside, but just by selling the pearls and gems decorating the jewelry box, it seemed like one could easily afford to buy an entire house.

Crot’s expression hardened quickly as he looked at the jewelry box.
Annette thought that Crot was tense due to an overwhelmingly extravagant gift, and she smiled graciously, as if understanding everything.

Annette, riding this momentum, turned the jewelry box in the direction of Crot and opened the lid in front of his face, revealing its contents.

Inside the jewelry box were not only gold bars but also various gems. Just by taking what was inside this jewelry box and selling it, one could probably live without working for a lifetime.

“What is this?”

“It’s nothing special. It’s my small, sincere gift for you, teacher. It’s a token of my gratitude for the great teachings you will give me in the future.”

“I’ve already received enough favors from His Majesty, the Emperor.”

With Crot’s response, Annette smiled as if she had expected that and gently closed the lid.

“But it’s ridiculously insufficient money to repay the debts of the family.”

At Annette’s nonchalant response, Crot’s face darkened abruptly. Until now, Annette had thought that Crot, who had exposed his flaw, was simply feeling embarrassed.

She was confident that if she could cleanly erase that flaw, Crot would undoubtedly become her person.

Thinking she had presented an irresistible condition, Annette awaited Crot’s response with a noble smile. However,

“If you have finished saying what you want, can you leave now?”

Crot, standing up with an expression that seemed like he might burst into anger at any moment, asked.

“No, why…”
Annette was curious about why Crot did not answer immediately and stood up. Could it be that he was trying to protect some meager pride?

“If you wanted to make me your princess’s person, you should have looked into why I am diligently repaying the family’s debt, which even the Emperor won’t cover. Just now, Princess, you disappointed me as much as those I dislike and loathe with the same actions. I hope you won’t take away my precious time for such incidents in the future. Well then.”

Crot, leaving a bewildered Annette behind without saying anything, exited the Violet Tea Room.

Annette’s pride was hurt, and Crot’s gaze, which had regarded her like a bug, was disgraceful, making her hands tremble.

“Princess, the tea is ready.”

A maid who had no idea about the recent situation carefully placed the teacups and teapot from the tray onto the table.

However, Annette, already fed up with the situation, didn’t even want to look at such things as teacups.

“Are you making fun of me now?”

“……What? I don’t understand….”

The maid, unfamiliar with English, stood there cluelessly, glancing at Annette and Sara. Annette, who couldn’t stand even the sight of her standing there foolishly, forcefully swept the teacups and pot off the table.

With a crash! The sound echoed as the delicate porcelain teacup set fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.

“Eek!”
The startled maid involuntarily let out a scream, quickly covering her mouth.

“Did I hit you? Why are you screaming?”

Annette asked with a stern expression. The maid, trembling, hastily lowered her head and knelt down.

The shards of the broken teacup pierced her knees, leaving red stains on the carpet. Annette’s expression became even more menacing as she saw this.

“Do you know how much this carpet costs? Even if you sell your body, you can never afford it! What are you going to do?”

The maid was on the verge of fainting. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Princess, please forgive me just once. I made a mistake.”

“Sara.”

Annette called Sara with a cold tone. Sara, who had been pitifully looking at the kneeling maid, quickly lowered her head, realizing that showing too much sympathy might lead to trouble.