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Helga, uncharacteristically elegant, sipped her tea. Feeling the aroma of the tea spreading across her lips, she removed the teacup from her mouth.

“Hmm. The soup is salty.”

“It’s not soup, it’s tea.”

“Blanshe. The guest is the King.”

She spoke with a stern tone toward Blanshe, who had poured the tea.

“If the guest says it’s soup, then it’s soup.”

“What kind of…?”

The finances of the Izakhel Duke Family were always tight. The mansion had no luxury items, and all the furniture and decorations were either practical or inexpensive. That didn’t mean they used cheap stuff, though. As befitting a ducal family that had produced heroes who left their names in history, the atmosphere was dignified enough, even if not lavish or luxurious.

The Izakhel Family’s shift to such a frugal lifestyle was entirely due to Bella’s influence. To rebuild the family, which had fallen into ruin due to Duke Fred’s massive debts, she led by example, cutting back on luxuries and practicing temperance. Following her lead, the mansion’s servants also joined in, creating a modest atmosphere.

Only the minimum number of servants worked in the family. As a result, most of the chores were handled by Blanshe, Bella’s bodyguard knight.

After going through the trouble of serving tea to a guest, why am I hearing this?

Helga handed back the teacup she had been drinking from.

“Please brew it again.”

“Picking a fight…?”

“With this attitude, do you think you can marry the Count?”

“?! What does brewing tea have to do with that!”

For a moment, Blanshe flared up, but Helga shook her head at her.

“You still have a long way to go, Blanshe. Housekeeping is the foundation of supporting a spouse. And brewing tea is the basics of the basics. If you can’t even do this, how do you plan to marry the Count?”

“Ugh…”

Blanshe was at a loss for words. It was frustrating, but Helga wasn’t entirely wrong. Honestly, Blanshe was acutely aware of her own shortcomings.

She had boldly declared she would become Tristan’s concubine, but her housekeeping skills were woefully inadequate. For her, it was easier to handle a person than to brew tea. Given her upbringing, it was unavoidable, but this level of incompetence would surely disqualify her as a concubine.

As if reading Blanshe’s thoughts, Helga puffed up with pride and said, “Wendy, show her how it’s done.”

“Huh? Uh… okay…”

Caught off guard, Wendy began brewing the tea. It was something she had done countless times before.

“When brewing tea, you have to be careful like this…”

Moving her hands delicately, Wendy started steeping the tea leaves. There were a few minor mistakes, but she managed to brew the tea without any major errors.

“Here you go…”

“How is it, Blanshe? This is the tea Wendy brewed.”

“Hmm. Definitely…”

Blanshe couldn’t help but be impressed as she sipped the tea Wendy handed her. She wasn’t an expert on tea, but it had a much stronger aroma and flavor compared to the one she had brewed earlier.

“Hmph. See that? The skill of the Count’s fiancée?”

“Helga!”

“Why are you calling me? Wendy, the Count’s officially recognized fiancée. Hehe…”

“But… because of me… the Princess and the Count…”

“That’s not Wendy’s fault. The Count was just too hasty.”

“I still feel responsible… I should have stopped the Count…”

Wendy was at a loss. When Tristan had proposed to her, she had been so happy she could have jumped for joy. But then he immediately declared their engagement in front of Bella, Helga, and Blanshe.

Wendy had never expected him to announce it so soon. Shocked, she even started hiccuping. Bella had a heated argument with Tristan. Wendy tried to mediate, but it wasn’t easy. In the end, Wendy was more or less forcibly placed under the protection of the Izakhel Family by Bella and Blanshe.

“If this keeps up… if the Princess and the Count don’t get married… I…”

Wendy hung her head low, looking pitiful. Blanshe gently patted her head.

“Don’t worry, Wendy. The lady may have said those things, but she didn’t mean them.”

“That’s right, Wendy. If you think positively, isn’t it just one less competitor?”

“Helga, do you have to say it like that?”

“Why not? It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

Helga smirked and crossed her legs the other way. She hadn’t been opposed to Wendy’s engagement in the first place. She had somewhat anticipated this situation.

Helga had considered Wendy a rival even before Bella. A young girl who had secured a place by Tristan’s side at such a young age. Her keen instincts had warned her that Wendy was someone to be wary of. And as expected, Wendy had taken the position of Tristan’s fiancée.

So, for Helga, it wasn’t much of a surprise. Well, she hadn’t expected Tristan to boldly announce it like that, but…

“Wendy, you’re quite something. I thought you were extraordinary from the first time I saw you.”

“Huh? Me, extraordinary…?”

“Hmph… That innocent expression, like you don’t know anything. It’s scary. Terrifying.”

“Huh??”

Helga scrutinized Wendy from head to toe. When they first met, she was just a kid, but now she had grown quite a bit, with curves starting to form. For her age, she was definitely developing quickly.

Still, she had a lot of youthful features, looking delicate and fragile. Yet, with that body, she had completely captivated the Count. So, men really do prefer younger women, huh? No, but isn’t she too young? Could the Count really feel desire for someone like that…?

For a moment, even Helga, uncharacteristically, almost had a normal thought, but it was fleeting.

‘Whatever. In the end, I’ll be the first to bear the Count’s child.’

Helga smiled inwardly. Her appearance was at its peak now. With her determination, she felt like she could get pregnant once a day. Ah, if only she could return to the Count’s side right now…

“Enough, it’s your turn now, Helga.”

“…Huh? My turn…?”

“Yes. Here you go.”

Blanshe handed the teapot to Helga.

“Don’t tell me you can’t do it. Not if you plan to marry the Count.”

Blanshe’s lips curled into a smile. Helga also responded with a laugh.

“Everyone has their own expertise.”

“Don’t change the subject. Didn’t you just say brewing tea is the basics of housekeeping?”

“Sigh…”

In the end, Helga took the teapot.

“I swore I’d never brew tea again…”

*

*

*

“…So, you ended up like this while trying to brew tea?”

“Ahahaha…”

Bella looked at the shattered remains of the teapot with a dumbfounded expression.

“If the teapot had been a bit sturdier…”

“Even if it were made of steel, it would have shattered with that much magical power poured into it.”

To brew the tea, Helga had started by using her magical power to boil the water. That much was standard procedure. But the problem was the output.

Helga was a member of the Wolfbert Family, known for their strong physiques. Particularly, her lightning-infused magical power enhanced her body’s speed and strength. A strong body was necessary to handle the wild, unpredictable power of lightning.

A teapot is weaker than the average human body. It was only natural that it exploded the moment she poured her lightning magic into it.

Thanks to the explosion, Helga, Blanshe, and Wendy were kneeling before Bella, who had come running at the sound.

“Blanshe, why didn’t you stop her?”

“Sorry…”

“Helga isn’t exactly a modern human. How could she possibly brew tea?”

“Princess??”

“Yes… But even so, I thought she could at least manage that much. It was my mistake.”

“Huh? Am I being ignored right now?”

“Keep your mouth shut, Helga.”

Bella looked down at Helga with cold eyes.

“You’re the kind of person who would destroy the house while trying to do housework.”

“Well, destroying the house is the root of housework…”

“Enough. You stay kneeling and reflect. And Wendy.”

“Eek! Y-yes!”

Wendy, who had been swept up in the atmosphere and was kneeling, flinched.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, so why are you kneeling?”

“I didn’t stop Helga either…”

“Wendy, even you couldn’t stop a charging boar.”

“Um, Princess…? Your metaphors have been a bit off lately…”

“S-sorry…”

“No, it’s a good thing you didn’t recklessly step in. Stand up.”

“Y-yes…”

As Wendy stood up hesitantly, she froze in place.

“Wendy?”

“My, my legs are numb…”

Holding onto the wall, Wendy’s legs trembled. It was a pitiful sight, or perhaps cute. Was it this sight that made Tristan fall for her?

Bella couldn’t help but sigh.

“Sigh…”

“S-sorry! It’ll go away soon…”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just Tristan…”

Bella muttered as she stared at Wendy.

“Really… I wonder if he’s a lolicon…”

“N-no! The Count isn’t like that…”

Wendy vaguely knew the definition of a lolicon—a man who prefers young girls. She reflexively denied it to defend Tristan. But…

‘If the Count isn’t a lolicon…?’

If she denied that, wouldn’t it mean she was also denying that Tristan liked her?

“Uh… maybe… he is… a lolicon…?”

Wendy was starting to get confused too.

 

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