Chapter 10

Lirika whispered to Brin.

"Maybe something came up and he's running very late?"

"Let's send a servant to find out."

As Brin gestured, the servant standing at the end of the row quickly left.

A short while later, the servant returned with a dark expression.

"He said he will be late from the Black Dragon Room."

"Is that all?"

In response to Brin's question, the servant replied, "Yes, that's all." Brin looked at Lirika, and Lirika responded.

"If he's going to be late, we won't wait."

Lirika waited for a long time. Standing still is hard, especially for a child.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Sending another messenger would only result in the same message: "He's going to be late."

After two hours, the servant returned with a bowed head and a new answer.

"He said he's too busy to come today."

Brin's deep purple eyes glinted coldly. She quickly checked her master's expression.

Lirika looked surprised. Before Brin could say anything, Lirika spoke first.

"Is he that busy?"

The servant, surprised, lifted his head and then bowed again.

"Yes, that's right..."

"I see. Please tell him not to feel too guilty. He must be worried about making us wait. Tell him I'm fine and not to worry."

Brin suppressed a smile. The servant nodded seriously at Lirika's words.

"Understood."

"Oh, right. Can we send some new pastries with you? Brin, what do you think?"

"I think it's fine."

"Okay? Then bring me a basket. He might be disappointed not to taste the pastries made by the chef."

After a while, Brin watched the servant leave with the basket and felt delighted. Lirika sighed and said,

"Even if someone is busy, they might break a promise, and I'm worried they might feel guilty about it."

Brin nodded, enjoying the naive kindness that assumed the one who broke the promise would naturally feel guilty.

"I've told him several times that it's fine not to feel guilty. He'll be fine."

You've done something that deserves an apology, and if you don't apologize, you'd be considered rude. But Brin knew that Lirika was saying this with genuine sincerity and no malice.

Brin, feeling pleased, said,

"Then shall we have tea just the two of us? It would be a waste to put it away."

"I'm honored."

Brin elegantly bowed. Two hours had passed, and it was now past tea time, with the sun setting.

They brought lanterns into the garden bathed in the sunset and sat down.

The desserts were prepared to be served cold, so they only needed to bring hot water.

Since they didn't know when the Crown Prince would arrive, the kitchen kept the water boiling, and it arrived quickly.

Lirika made the tea herself. Her small hands moved skillfully, having practiced countless times with Brin for this day.

She placed the teapot on the tray, poured the tea into her cup first, and then into Brin's.

Lirika raised her hand lightly, making a fist and then opening it.

The servants had moved far enough away that they couldn't hear the conversation. Lirika looked at her hand in amazement.

"It really works."

"Of course. A light signal to call a servant works anytime, anywhere."

"Then, making a fist means to come closer, right?"

"Yes."

Brin, touching the rim of her teacup leisurely, said,

"Be careful with signals when there are soldiers around. They might use it as a signal to attack while pretending to call a servant."

"Really?"

"Yes, it has happened several times historically."

Lirika nodded, thinking, "Even high-ranking people have their own troubles."

Brin asked worriedly,

"Princess, are you really okay? Are you not upset?"

"Hmm, I'm fine."

Lirika smiled. She said in a low voice,

"I'm sorry to Brin for helping, but I thought this might happen."

Brin blinked. The innocent princess before her didn't seem like someone who would be familiar with plots and schemes.

"Why?"

Naturally, the question came out. Lirika frowned and said with her characteristic serious expression,

"Whenever I go to the Emperor's office, he's always busy working. Then, when Lat the Chancellor says, 'It's the appointment today,' the Emperor often says, 'I'm busy today, I won't go.'"

Then Lat would always groan and sometimes plead, "You have to go even if you're busy."

"Hmm, that's true."

The Emperor's casual breaking of appointments was well-known.

"The Crown Prince is next in line, right? So he must be very busy. I was prepared for the possibility that he might not be able to come even if we made an appointment."

She patted her chest and solemnly said, "I understand the situation of someone who works hard," making Brin laugh and respond,

"Indeed, you are the princess."

"Ah, what for."

Lirika's cheeks turned red, unaccustomed to compliments. But inwardly, she secretly praised her own perceptiveness. She quickly reassured Brin that she wasn't upset.

"Still, thanks to this, we can enjoy tea with Brin. If I had it with His Highness, I wouldn't have enjoyed it fully."

She shook her head, saying, "I would have been too nervous to even taste it."

Brin nodded.

"If you're fine, Princess, then I, as a lady-in-waiting, am also fine."

Lirika and Brin enjoyed tea with the sunset. The sky turned red like the tea.

When the lanterns seemed to grow brighter, footsteps were heard.

A large figure emerged from the bushes.

"Tan!"

Lirika stood up happily. Brin quickly rose and bowed.

"I greet you, Sir Tan."

"No, it's fine. I heard voices in the garden and wondered what was happening."

Tan smiled.

"You're having tea with a lady-in-waiting. Having a tea party at this hour is quite rare."

"Because the sunset is beautiful. Tan, would you like to join us? We have plenty of pastries and tea."

"If you invite me, I won't refuse."

Brin quickly tidied up and brought out a new tea set. She resumed her role as a lady-in-waiting.

Tan praised the tea, and Lirika humbly replied,

"Lat gave me these tea leaves. I heard they are a specialty of Sandar."

"Ah, I see. I'd like to give you a specialty from the Wolf territory, but it might be too much for you."

"What kind of specialty?"

"Distilled spirits."

Tan grinned, and Lirika exclaimed, "Oh, I see."

"The pastries are new too."

"Mother brought a new chef."

"They're delicious."

Tan quickly ate the pastries. Given his size, a couple of pieces wouldn't satisfy him.

Lirika ordered more pastries. The servants quickly brought them, and they piled up.

Tan's eyes widened when he tasted the whipped cream.

"These are delicious?"

"Mother asked the chef to make them. It's called whipped cream. They might use it instead of buttercream."

The whipped cream on the heavy pound cake was lighter and fresher than buttercream. In the north, it was hard to get milk and butter, so such rich sweetness was a pleasure to be enjoyed in the capital.

It wasn't that the people of Wolf were weak for sweets; they just ate sugar with distilled water.

"Good. It's hard to get cream where it's cold."

"Wouldn't cream last longer in the cold?"

Tan smiled and replied, "Cows don't produce as much milk in the cold."

"I see."

Lirika stored this new knowledge in her mind.

As they chatted, the garden grew dark. Tan offered to escort Lirika to her quarters.

Lirika looked at him and asked,

"Can we take a quick walk in the night garden?"

"Of course."

"Then I'll just take Brin. Too many people would ruin the tranquility."

Lirika smiled, and Brin replied, "Understood." Tan started walking with a lantern, and Lirika walked beside him. Brin followed a step behind.

The night garden was quiet, and the air was filled with the scent of roses. Breathing deeply, it felt as if the fragrance permeated her body. The silence could have been scary, but with Tan beside her, it wasn't.

Just walking quietly was enjoyable, but Lirika spoke.

"Thank you for coming today."

Tan smiled. It seemed like a real wolf's smile, perhaps because he knew the castle's history.

"Thanks to you, I got to enjoy some delicious treats. Thank you for the hospitality."

Lirika smiled, and he continued,

"Are you really okay?"

"Hmm?"

"You had a guest today, right? I was worried you might be upset."

"Oh."

Lirika realized that Tan's visit wasn't coincidental.

"I'm not upset. And I thought the Crown Prince was considerate."

"Really?"

Surprised, Tan asked, and Lirika grinned.

"He kept trying to meet me. He must have been saying, 'I'll be there soon,' while trying to finish his work."

But it must have taken longer than expected, so he eventually couldn't come.

She thought his constant attempts to meet her, saying "I'll be there soon," were considerate.

Tan seemed to be pondering how to respond to Lirika's unconventional logic. Lirika, not paying much attention to his expression, continued,

"But you came to make sure I wasn't upset, right? Thank you, Tan. If I were alone, I would have been upset. I might have been sad. But with Brin and Tan here, I was fine."

Tan stopped and looked at Lirika.

Her face was serious, like an adult's, and it made him smile, but her eyes held a trust that made it impossible to smile.

She believed that no one had ever truly hurt her and that no one would ever try to hurt her.

It was a different kind of trust and affection, not something to be dismissed as childish.

It was the kind of trust that made you want to protect, like not wanting to drop a kitten that trusted you or kick a dog that approached you happily.

Tan was impressed.

Lirika hadn't had a smooth life. Altair, Lat, and himself knew well what kind of life she had lived.

Despite that, she didn't become bitter or sharp.

This was difficult even for adults.

"You don't need to thank me. As I said, I enjoyed the treats. Besides, I skipped some of my work."

Tan grinned.

"I won rock-paper-scissors against Lat."

"Against Lat?"

"Yes, we decided who would come by playing rock-paper-scissors."

Lirika said, "Both of you could have come," with a hint of regret, and Tan nodded.

"But then who would do the work?"

"True. If I had known, I would have sent a basket to Lat too."

"A basket?"

"Yes, I actually sent one to the Crown Prince. He's busy, so I thought he could eat while working."

Tan laughed, shaking his shoulders. Sending food was usually a top-down gesture.

Of course, it would be fine for a young cousin to send new pastries, saying they were delicious.

But it might not be.

Tan chuckled, thinking about how it might be interpreted. He would need to talk to His Highness next time.

This innocent princess seemed to be more than just innocent. She was considerate, kind, and had the character to stand by it.

'This is getting interesting.'

When Altair said, "I'm getting married," there were many concerns, but now it seemed there was no need to worry.

After walking around the garden, they stopped in front of Lirika's quarters. She sighed and said softly,

"There's just one thing that bothers me."

"What is it?"

"I'm worried my mother will be upset. She helped me prepare for the Crown Prince's visit, and I waited for two hours. If she hears that the Crown Prince broke the appointment, she'll be very upset."

"But you're fine."

Lirika's words made Tan nod.

"If you're fine, Princess, then you'll be fine."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Tan's assurance brightened Lirika's face.

"Thank you, Tan."

She bowed again and went into her room. Brin smiled and bowed to Tan, closing the door.

Tan sighed in front of the door and said,

"I hope Her Majesty is fine."