Chapter 83 - Half a Cup of Milk Tea

Claude gazed at the shy Kefnie and rolled his eyes at Eriksson. Was this the surprise?

Eriksson didn’t get what he was trying to convey at all; he just thought he’d done his friend a huge favour.

“Surprise! You didn’t expect this, huh? Alright, Kefnie, I brought Claude over. Look after him! I’ve got to go take a look at some stuff. See you later!”

“Hey…” Claude shouted, but the troublemaker was already gone.

The two supposed lovebirds stood awkwardly. Claude had been quite the player back on earth, but he was just an inexperienced teen now.

“Cough… Ahem, good to see you, Kefnie. I didn’t think I’d meet you here,” Claude coughed while he tried to figure out how to extricate himself from the situation and give that bastard a good beating.

Kefnie’s already pink face turned crimson from collar to hairline.

“I’m glad to see you too… Want something to drink?”

Claude stared at her for half a moment, then realised she was holding a tray and wore a waitress’s uniform.

“You.. You’re… here…”

“This is The Mermaid’s tent. I’m helping my sister out for the night.”

The girl spoke with surprising uncharacteristically bold pride.

“I see…” Claude mumbled.

Thank goodness she wasn’t there on a date with someone else. He must just have been overthinking things. Eriksson had probably brought him specifically because he heard she was working there. He supposed it made sense. His former self had had a serious crush on the little thing and his friends had read every bit of courtesy towards her on his part as a continuation of that crush.

“What do you have? I am a little thirsty,” Claude continued, somewhat less awkward now he’d figured things out.

His friends had put in all this effort, so he might as well use the opportunity to catch his breath.

“Have a seat,” Kefnie said as he led him to an empty table, her face suddenly a bright sun, “We have honeyed milk tea, honeyed flower tea, honeyed apple juice, honeyed cucumber juice, honeyed mixed berry juice, honeyed blueberry juice, honeyed orange juice–”

“–Why is everything honeyed?”

“It’s new year’s eve, of course everything has to be honeyed! Especially here–” The girl’s cheeks reddened again. “–where all the kids are looking to make couples.”

he would never tolerate.

Eriksson knew that as well, so he accepted the change of topic and ordered honeyed blueberry juice. Welikro took the mixed fruit option. Claude ordered another cup of tea, red tea this time, and asked nothing be added.

The sat and chatted as they waited for the night to finish.

“Come to think of it, why did Baron Robert have to greet Sir Fux? Isn’t he a baron? Sir Fux is only a baronet, he should have to greet Baron Robert, he’s only a half-step peer, after all,” Claude asked.

Eriksson clicked his tongue.

“Mayor Robert is the last in a three-generation limited-peerage. His grandfather was made a peer because he fought under Stellin IX in the civil war. Unlike your father, or Sir Fux, he didn’t get his position through hard work or talent, he got it thanks to his title and the connections that came with it. Thanks to all that, he doesn’t have a foundation in the town, not one comparable to Sir Fux who’s Whitestag’s only member of the Council of Dignitaries, after all.”

Claude nodded thoughtfully. No wonder his father didn’t bring Mayor Robert into the talks regarding the new trade route.

The new year’s bell rang and announced the new year, and, with it, Claude’s second year in this world.