I was now leaning comfortably back on a oneseater sofa, leisurely crossing my legs and supporting my chin with one hand.

In that position, I poured tea into a new cup with the other hand and quickly slid the saucer with the cup in front of him.

Ellen might have been attached to Philip, but did she ever pour tea directly? I wondered.

‘Ah, the butler would usually pour it, right?’

Now the butler is injured.

“I was too kind. I’ll call the maid.”

“What?”

Philip was really confused by my words.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen that expression. Despite my efforts, I kept breaking character.

“……”

I finished the remaining tea in the cup as if I didn’t know anything, but Philip’s questioning gaze didn’t leave me.

Then I started wondering what Ellen would have done in this situation.

After a brief thought, I pushed my tea cup towards Philip.

“What is this?”

“Whether it’s the shock of receiving the divorce papers or not, I don’t remember the details.”

“……Yes?”

“You’ve never poured tea for me, have you?”

Philip scratched his temple, looking really confused.

“Do you need a doctor, ma’am?”

“What?”

“I know the divorce was shocking, but……”

“Yes, it was shocking. But I don’t need a doctor. I just don’t remember part of it, so just tell me how we drank our tea.”

Philip coughed a few times.

“You always filled my tea cup, ma’am, when we drank tea together.”

I was the one who became confused.

‘So I poured tea well, what’s the problem?’

After a brief thought, I gestured to Philip. Seeing is believing.

“So do what I did, please?”

Philip’s forehead furrowed.

“……Yes?”

“Is pouring tea difficult?”

He closed his mouth. Seeing that made me even more curious. Why he reacted like that.

“You can explain it in words.”

Perhaps he was shy, Philip’s cheeks blushed slightly.

Philip leaned on the right armrest of his sofa.

“You bent down to my eye level, holding the teapot with both hands, and filled my tea cup.”

I understood the gesture of politely pouring tea with both hands.

But?

“You bent down?”

“Don’t you know, ma’am?”

I stood up from my seat and bent down next to him. It was almost a kneeling position.

“Like this?”

Philip looked at me blankly and shook his head once.

“……No. It’s similar but different.”

“What’s different?”

“You twisted your waist slightly.”

Philip demonstrated by slightly twisting his waist. One shoulder naturally jutted forward.

‘Gosh, what a surprise!’

The pose he showed me was one often taken by fashion models during a shoot. It was fleeting but captivating.

Certainly! Here’s the translation:

It was an utterly unnecessary and embarrassingly awkward position to assume while pouring tea. It would have been better if it had only been that pose.

“After pouring the tea, you looked up at me with the tip of your finger in your mouth.”

“Whaaat?”

It was absurd and mindboggling. Ellen, who on earth was this character?

The embarrassment Ellen wore on her face became mine.

“Really? When, when did I do that?”

“Well, whenever you have tea with me….”

“Only when we’re alone?”

Philip looked at me with puzzled eyes. His face seemed to say, how could you not remember that?

“The shock of the divorce must have been too great. The honorable lady of the Duke’s house is divorced.”

“Ah, no matter what, there will be no reversal.”

A wariness crept back into his eyes. He must have thought I was putting on a show to cancel the divorce.

“You don’t have to reverse the divorce. Just answer if you only did that when we were alone.”

“Whether someone is around or not, whenever you have tea with me, you always….”

“Goodness! Are you crazy?”

“…Yes?”

I couldn’t believe Philip’s words.

“What about dignity? Didn’t you stop me?”

“At first, I did. But you didn’t listen. You said it was your wife’s joy and happiness.”

“That’s insane.”

“…”

“I guess she’s gone mad.”

“…Yes?”

“I don’t remember that part.”

“…”

“I’m not even a maid, how could I pour tea like this? No, even a maid wouldn’t do it like this?”

Philip’s face was one of utter disbelief.

“For years… If you do it yourself and then ask me….”

I slammed down the teapot with a bang. Philip flinched.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

I could see why Philip’s cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

While Ellen’s behavior might have been tolerated, if the recipient were sane, it would have been embarrassing.

“I’m uncomfortable.”

“You? You’re talking to me?”

“Yes, to you. And to the me of the past. I must have been mad when I came to this foreign country.”

“Yes?”

“You were not sane either. How could you allow such garbagelike behavior?”

Even though Ellen was a villain, she must have been completely subservient to Philip.

Of course, there were scenes where she fawned over Philip. But those were scenes where she was excusing herself after tormenting Marlboro or Laila.

‘No, is this woman sane?’

Who would have thought that behind the villain’s face was this side of her?

‘Or is the author who made her move like that the crazy one?’

For a moment, I thought I might have to move according to the character’s personality. But no matter how I thought about it, that was impossible.

After brief consideration, I decided just to go my own way.

‘Reversing the attitude is a staple menu for a villain, so it should be fine.’

I declared firmly to Philip, who was gaping like a fish.

“Philip, forget the Ellen of the past.”

“Yes?”

“It will never happen again.”

“Yes?”

“You know that.”

I sat back down.

Stupidly repeating “yes” and looking confused, Philip picked up the teacup in front of him.

“You may do as you please, madam. I too prefer normal behavior. I was just surprised by your sudden change in behavior.”

He obediently nodded and pushed the teacup I had poured to one side.

“I wish you wouldn’t pour tea as if it were for the servants.”

With one hand, he casually poured it, meaning he wouldn’t drink it.

“Don’t worry.”

From now on, I wouldn’t be pouring tea for Philip.

I called a maid and instructed her to pour tea for Philip. The maid standing beside the table politely filled Philip’s cup.

Philip sipped the tea, alternately glancing at the merchandise I had brought and me.

It was strange that he was hanging around here when he should have been busy.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

When I asked first, Philip answered as if he had been waiting.

“You’ve been acting unusually these last few days. I was wondering if something happened.”

I was inwardly embarrassed.

“Now that it’s all over, what does it matter how I behave?”

He slowly nodded in agreement.

“Do you not enjoy sitting here and drinking tea with me… Do you have any business?”

Count Philip Morris did not seem to like my question. He dismissed the maid and calmly said,

“I’ve thought about it, ma’am.”

He would have liked to buy the building I spoke of. But my ambition was too great, and he did not have the means to buy it.

“Even if you combine all the houses you intended to give me?”

“Yes. It’s too much. Besides, I intended to give you just one from the list.”

“The twostory house in the slum alley is that one, right?”

“Ahem!”

He coughed loudly.

Seeing that he couldn’t look me in the eye, I knew enough that there was a problem with that list.

“Would you really go there, ma’am?”

What’s this child selling as a potion, to me, who already knows the original work?