Chapter 46. Tea Time (1)
When Cecilia saw the other girls glance over at Meisel, she scoffed inwardly.
‘Looks like Meisel is up to her tricks again.’
It was almost as if the girls had been ordered not to speak until Meisel said something first.
Among girls their age, Meisel was practically royalty in the social scene.
No matter how high-ranking the duchess was, she had no ties to the North.
To these girls, Meisel—who could ruin their social prospects right away—was the scarier one.
The tea room suddenly went completely quiet.
The duchess, unaware of the tension, just smiled calmly.
‘Should I say something?’
Cecilia cleared her throat quietly.
‘If I speak up now, I might win some favor again…’
But she didn’t want to sit back and watch the duchess, whom her brother served, get treated poorly.
Just as she was about to speak—
“I heard the roads were easier this year since the ground froze early.”
Meisel finally spoke, acting like she was being generous.
The other girls, who had been silently panicking, let out small sighs of relief.
“That’s good to hear.”
The duchess replied peacefully and gave a signal to the butler.
“Serve the tea.”
At her words, the maids came in carrying trays.
‘Huh? What’s this?’
Cecilia blinked in surprise. She had expected a buffet-style setup with treats laid out on a table.
But instead, the maid placed a personal tea tray just for her.
The centerpiece of the tray was a mini cake shaped like a “B” for Blenheim, topped with cream, strawberries, and berries.
Surrounding it were mini puddings, tarts, and cookies—each arranged like a piece of art.
The sweet fruity scent made Cecilia’s mouth water.
‘Wow… I’ve never seen a one-person tea tray like this before.’
She looked up, expecting to share her surprise.
But the other girls looked both impressed and uncomfortable.
Cecilia quickly guessed what was going on.
‘Meisel probably told them not to touch the food.’
She had been on the receiving end of that tactic before.
Back when she had clashed with Meisel at a tea party, her mother had begged her to invite Meisel over to make peace.
Meisel had shown up, ignored all the carefully prepared snacks, and left after gossiping with her friends, making it clear she was displeased.
Cecilia didn’t care personally, but her mother had been upset, which made Cecilia furious.
‘Though my brother was even more furious than I was.’
But today, it didn’t seem like Meisel’s plan would work.
If the snacks had been served buffet-style, no one would notice who ate and who didn’t.
But with individual trays, it was obvious who touched their food.
After the girls left, the duchess could easily tell who was on her side—or not.
The girls were probably staying still for the same reason.
“This gathering is just to greet each other, so please don’t feel pressured. Enjoy the treats comfortably.”
Of course, unless they all agreed not to eat anything.
‘No way I’m letting that happen.’
Cecilia boldly picked up her fork.
She cut a piece of the cake and took a big bite. The creamy, sweet flavor mixed with fresh strawberry juice—it was amazing.
‘The palace chef is really good.’
When the others saw Cecilia happily chewing the cake, their faces stiffened even more.
Just then, the duchess’s blue eyes swept across their empty hands.
There was no malice in her gaze, but it was hard to ignore.
Finally, the girls started picking up their forks one by one, still glancing at Meisel.
“How does it taste? The chef really tried hard to impress you girls.”
The duchess turned to Lady Roselle, the daughter of a count, sitting on her left.
“It—it’s delicious, Your Grace.”
Maybe because the duchess had spoken to her instead of Meisel, Roselle looked flattered.
“Not only is it tasty, but the cake is so pretty I almost didn’t want to eat it.”
The duchess leaned in with a smile.
“Right? It’s not easy to make it look that nice while keeping the inside soft and moist. The chef was worried at first.”
‘Did the duchess design the tray herself?’
Cecilia looked again at her tray with admiration.
If the duchess had personally selected and arranged everything, she clearly had excellent taste.
Cecilia suddenly found herself very curious about this duchess.
The appearance of the Grand Duchess was a far more interesting topic for an article than the latest capital trends or the view from the Duke’s castle.
“This tart with all these fresh fruits—feels like I could drink ten cups of tea with it!” said Karina, another noble lady sitting next to Meisel, trying to flatter the Grand Duchess quickly, as if afraid Roselle might outshine her.
Seeing the two ladies rushing to please the Grand Duchess, Meisel twisted her lips into a smug smile and spoke up.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace, but I wonder if I should even eat such a dessert.”
The tea room fell into a sudden silence.
With a subtle smile, the Grand Duchess asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“In Blenheim, fruits in spring are considered rare,” Meisel replied, lowering her eyes modestly.
“The roads are often blocked, making it hard to transport them. Of course, Your Grace may not be aware… But having so many fruits on one dessert feels excessive. I guess that’s just how we are in the North.”
‘What is she talking about?’ thought Cecilia, frowning. Calling a few pieces of fruit “extravagant”? It was the most absurd thing she’d ever heard.
“Well, that’s awkward,” the Grand Duchess said with an uncomfortable smile.
“I didn’t realize the Avoir family was having such a hard time.”
“What?”
“Not being able to eat fruit in spring—that’s unimaginable in the capital.”
The Grand Duchess looked at her with sympathy.
“I-I didn’t mean it’s just our family…”
“At least here in the Duke’s castle, don’t worry about it. Enjoy as much as you like. Right, Whitley?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” the butler replied. “The Duke himself gave orders to keep the castle well-stocked with fruit.”
“I only said I liked fruit, and the Duke went this far,” the Grand Duchess added with a smile.
Meisel’s face instantly turned pale.
Then the Grand Duchess clapped her hands.
“Oh, we must send some fruit to the Avoir family too.”
“No, please, Your Grace—”
But the Grand Duchess ignored her protest and called for the butler again.
“Whitley.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Make sure Meisel takes plenty of fruit with her when she leaves.”
“Understood.”
“Does anyone else want some too?”
“No, thank you, Your Grace.”
“Of course not,” the other noble girls replied, struggling to hide their laughter.
Cecilia pressed her lips together to avoid laughing out loud.
Just like that, the Avoir family was now seen as a poor household that couldn’t afford fruit in spring.
‘To crush Meisel without even changing her expression… The Grand Duchess really is on another level.’
While Meisel sat red-faced, the Grand Duchess calmly enjoyed her pudding.
By now, the other girls were starting to catch on.
‘The Grand Duchess clearly isn’t on Meisel’s side.’
The tone of Meisel’s letter, in which she asserted that she had essentially been promised a position as the Grand Duchess’s lady-in-waiting, was very different from this.
And the Grand Duchess wasn’t at all intimidated by Meisel’s presence.
‘Well, obviously. No matter how much of a big shot Meisel thinks she is, she’s just the queen bee of a tiny northern town. She’s no match for someone from a powerful capital family like the Fasie.’
From then on, the mood of the tea party completely shifted.
With Meisel out of the spotlight, the atmosphere became much more relaxed. The Grand Duchess seemed to know a lot about each family and their territories, and brought up interesting topics for everyone.
Then it was finally Cecilia’s turn.
“Sir Norton is your brother, isn’t he? He’s one of the knights I trust most in Blenheim.”
“That’s very kind of you, Your Grace. My brother is always saying how honored he is to serve you.”
Cecilia blushed a little at the Grand Duchess’s warm smile.
Meisel, clearly annoyed, suddenly jumped in.
“Isn’t it true that Cecilia writes for a magazine read by commoners? Maybe she should tell Your Grace about that.”
“A magazine?” the Grand Duchess asked curiously.
Meisel saw her chance and eagerly continued.
“What was it called again? Something about Northern gossip?”
“It’s called News from the North,” Cecilia replied quietly, her face flushed.
Since the Grand Duchess had shown no interest in her, Meisel was now trying to redirect the spotlight to Cecilia and possibly mock her in the process.
Cecilia bit the inside of her cheek hard.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
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