Four days had passed since I started praying with Madam Olan.

Today was the day of the tea party hosted by Madam Olan, so I woke up early from my nap.

Madam Olan came down to the first floor. Her hand didn’t leave her forehead. She was full of irritation due to a headache.

Even during morning prayers, she staggered, overcome with drowsiness.

Madam Olan, who left the mansion before dinner and enjoyed parties until dawn, took a nap after morning prayers. But she often frowned, seemingly unable to shake off her fatigue.

As I poured her tea, she asked in a sharp voice.

“Did you sleep well? You look good.”

“Did you sleep well? I have insomnia, but I slept soundly yesterday.”

Her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing me sharply, as it wasn’t the answer she wanted.

“Really? Weren’t you uncomfortable?”

“Thank you for your concern about my sleeping arrangements.”

“Who said I cared about your sleeping arrangements!”

“I was negligent. From now on, I’ll prepare your bed.”

“No, no! The maids do a good job, why bother with such things!”

“Yes, we shouldn’t take away their work.”

In my first life, I became dejected by the harassment. I trembled, fearing snakes might come out of the bed, and even said there were frogs, but the servants had already cleared them away, making me a liar.

Looking back now, it was ridiculous.

Why did I cling to this marriage so desperately?

“You…”

“Yes?”

“The guests have arrived.”

The butler announced the arrival of the guests.

Madam Olan glared at me with displeasure before getting up to greet the guests.

Today, she’s hosting a tea time with her relatives and acquaintances. They were all Madam Olan’s people. Those who were close to her and would take her side.

Elena was already at the entrance.

“Now that you’re part of this house, you should greet them properly.”

“Yes, thank you for arranging this.”

“Be careful not to make mistakes in front of the ladies.”

“Yes.”

“Elena has been praised for treating the ladies well so far, but I’m not sure about you. Please show the ladies the dignity of royalty you learned at the palace.”

As Madam Olan’s voice mixed with laughter ended, the ladies entered.

“Miss Elena, you’re becoming more beautiful by the day.”

“Welcome, madam. You always say such kind words, meeting you is always a joy for me.”

“You speak so beautifully too.”

“I’ve prepared tea from the East today. This way.”

“Oh my, such a precious thing.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The three ladies, who were conversing with Elena with faces full of favor, saw me and their expressions instantly turned cold.

I could even feel the chill in their eyes.

‘Just like before.’

In the past, I was intimidated by their gazes. Even though they were people unrelated to me.

“Welcome.”

Madam Castella is Madam Olan’s sister-in-law. Madam Henson is an acquaintance who flatters Madam Olan, who has become a viscountess. And Madam Riel, who came with them, runs a medium-sized clothing store in town and acts as Madam Olan’s informant.

They are the people who will spread what happens at today’s tea party to the outside world.

“Elena has been attending salons and learned about Eastern tea culture. Thanks to her, we often enjoy it together. I wanted to share it with you ladies, so I invited you.”

“I’ve heard that the East is deeply versed in tea.”

“I’ve heard it’s good for the body, but this is the first time I’m drinking it here. I envy you for enjoying such a refined culture.”

“I heard it’s so expensive.”

“I’m glad to be able to serve the ladies with good things. We even have tea utensils. It’s a product we brought in with difficulty last month.”

As we sat down, a maid brought a dark walnut-colored rectangular wooden box. The lid of the elegant wooden box opened. Inside were delicate tea utensils.

“Oh my, how cute.”

“They’re pretty.”

Elena took out the black teacups, tea pots, and other tea utensils and arranged them on the table.

The ladies marveled at the pottery, smaller than regular teacups, not flashy but with a heavy color.

Meanwhile, desserts to accompany the tea were also brought out.

“The color is lovely.”

“Tea is said to soothe the stomach and be good for the body.”

She arranged teacups on the table for each person. After taking out all the utensils, she ordered the maid to take away the wooden box.

“I heard that in the East, they value tea time as much as we do. While waiting for the tea to steep, they take deep breaths to calm their mind and body.”

She crumbled the clumped tea leaves, put them in the teapot, poured in the prepared hot water, and closed the lid.

Then Elena placed one hand on her chest and closed her eyes quietly.

“Close your eyes and feel the air and nature. Release your fatigue and tired mind through breathing.”

After spending a long time with her eyes closed and taking deep breaths with the ladies, Elena poured tea into the ladies’ cups.

The tea was dark and murky, though you could see the bottom.

“Now, please try it.”

Elena picked up her teacup first and took a sip, and the ladies followed suit.

Two of the ladies frowned at the overly strong taste but smiled without showing it, while Madam Henson praised it excessively.

“Oh my, it’s strong. I like how the aroma fills my entire mouth. So this is Eastern tea.”

“Yes, I’m glad it suits your taste, Madam Henson. As expected, you have a refined palate.”

“It’s strong, but not bad.”

“The flavor is deep too. It’s very sophisticated.”

Madam Castella’s gaze turned to me after savoring the tea.

“But it seems the princess doesn’t enjoy tea. You haven’t even touched it.”

Everyone looked at the teacup placed in front of me. I hadn’t even picked up the cup.

“Oh my, to ignore such sincerity like that.”

“As royalty, don’t you know how to drink Eastern tea?”

“Since no one invites her, she must not know the trends.”

As Madam Olan sighed and complained, the ladies agreed.

“Oh dear. Even so, that’s too much. How will you lead a viscount’s household in the future?”

“It must be hard for you, madam.”

“It’s already difficult with a royal daughter-in-law, and she’s not even a proper royal…”

They substituted the rest with sneers.

“Please eat. Elena put her heart into making these Eastern desserts. They melt softly in your mouth and are good to eat with tea.”

Madam Olan offered the ladies the small desserts, about the size of two fingers, placed in front of each of them, while looking at me.

“Even if you don’t drink the tea, try the dessert. Don’t embarrass us any further.”

This time, they just looked at me as if they wouldn’t eat unless I did.

‘I fell for such an obvious ploy before.’

When I pressed with the fork, the dessert cut easily. I cut it in half and put it in my mouth. It spread like melting snow when I pressed it with my tongue.

“It’s delicious.”

Madam Olan and Elena alternately looked at my mouth and the halved dessert. Their eyes trembled.

“Then let’s taste it too.”

As Madam Riel picked up her fork, everyone cut off about a third and ate it. At that moment, Madam Riel screamed and stood up, turning pale. She spat out the dessert she was eating onto the floor.

“Wh-what is this!”

She retched, then took a mouthful of tea and spat it out.

“Madam! What’s wrong?”

“Kyaa! B-bug! There’s a bug in the dessert!”

Madam Henson pointed at the dessert Madam Riel had been eating. A thin leg with hair was sticking out of the cut surface of the dessert.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Why is that there?”

Everyone except me stood up in shock, and the other ladies retched, worried they might have eaten bugs too.

Madam Olan glared at me.

“Don’t tell me you…?”

“What do you mean, madam? You said Elena made the desserts, didn’t you?”

Of course, I had switched them. When everyone’s attention was focused on Elena taking out the tea utensils, I switched Madam Riel’s dessert with mine.

“You, you…”

“Miss Elena! What on earth have you done?”

Madam Castella shouted angrily at Elena.

“It, it wasn’t me! The chef made the desserts!”

“Ha, how do you manage the mansion’s kitchen for bugs to get in like this? How could you… after inviting people…”

“I’ll scold the chef and fire him. To ruin the tea time like this, I’m so upset.”

As Madam Olan took out her handkerchief and sniffled, the ladies suppressed their anger.

The teacups tipped over as the ladies stood up in surprise, making a mess of the table.

The maids hurriedly cleaned and wiped the table.

The ladies, seemingly in a bad mood, didn’t sit down.

“Eastern tea calms the mind. You must have been shocked, let me brew it again for you.”

I gestured to a maid to bring the tea utensil box that had been put away.

When I lifted the bottom of the box, a tea tray appeared.

“It’s a good item, we should use it properly.”

I placed the teapots and utensils arranged on the table onto the tea tray with grid-like holes.

The teapot had also tipped over in the commotion, leaving only a little tea leaves.

I discarded the remaining tea leaves and rinsed the teapot with hot water. I put crushed tea leaves inside and poured hot water until it slightly overflowed outside the small teapot, then covered it with the lid.

“What are you doing…”

“Brewing tea when you don’t even know how.”

“First, we pour hot water over the tea leaves to wash off any impurities on the surface. We don’t discard this water but collect it to warm the teacups and teapot.”

I collected the first tea used to wash the leaves in another bowl, rinsed and warmed the used teacups, and poured it onto the tea tray.

“Oh, you pour it right on top?”

“Yes, the tea tray is originally for discarding tea water.”

I poured hot water for the second time, closed the lid, and poured the first tea water over the teapot to warm it.

Instead of pouring the second tea water directly into the ladies’ cups, I poured all of the second tea water into the empty bowl that had collected the first tea water. Then I poured a cup for each of the ladies.

The clear and elegant tea color made even their hearts feel at ease.

The teacups were warm, and just holding them brought warmth to their hearts.

The ladies had sat down at some point and were savoring the tea. Their tense expressions softened.

“Wow, the princess knows how to brew tea well.”

“Oh my, it’s completely different from before. It warms me from the inside.”

“To think it was this kind of tea… I love it.”

“Please drink.”

I offered tea to Madam Olan and Elena, who had stiff faces.

In my second life, Duke Haiman ascended to the throne himself and enjoyed luxury. He encouraged me, trapped in a cage, to enjoy it too, so even though I didn’t want to, I learned how to brew tea.

“Would you like some more?”