Episode 5
Chloe couldn’t believe her ears. She had told Lady Miller in advance and took her there on her own orders, and now she was punishing Ellie?
“I took her here on my orders, so why did you punish Ellie?”
“It is my job to take care of the maids. Madam, you have no reason to interfere.”
Lady Miller said with a laugh.
This is nonsense. As the mistress of the duke’s house, it is natural that she should have seniority in giving orders, but isn’t this person now speaking as if her orders are above Chloe’s? This is a clear abuse of authority.
Chloe rose from her seat. She looked at Lady Miller with determined eyes and saw Lady Miller flinch.
“No reason? I am the mistress of this Battenberg household. How could there be no reason?”
“That, that is…”
“Lady Miller, who is your superior? Am I your superior or are you my superior? Answer me.”
Lady Miller seemed to have let her guard down, thinking Chloe was the same timid and weak Chloe she used to be. She replied in a panic, with a look of bewilderment on her face that seemed to say, ‘Oh, this is not it.’
“Madam, you are the superior.”
“But how can you place your orders above mine? I am the rightful and undisputed mistress of Battenberg. And by challenging my authority, you are challenging the authority of the Duke of Battenberg?”
“No, no way! That’s not it, Madam!”
Lady Miller stuttered, as if she had been burned. She isn’t scared of Chloe, but Battenberg’s name seems to scare her. Chloe laughed inwardly.
Chloe remembered all the humiliations that lady Miller had inflicted on Chloe in the past. It was lady Miller who had laughed and ridiculed her the loudest when lady Coleen had made her wear clothes with obvious drink stains.
Chloe commanded in a clear but firm voice.
“Remember that I am your superior. If you dare to challenge my authority and refuse my orders again, I, as the mistress of the House of Battenberg, will have no choice but to punish you as appropriate.”
“I will keep that in mind, Madam…”
Lady Miller bowed and ran out of Chloe’s room in a hurry.
***
Chloe went to check for herself and found Ellie hanging hundreds of clothes in the backyard alone as punishment.
It was early summer and the sweltering sun was getting hotter. It was too much for a young child to do alone. Chloe told Ellie that she didn’t need to be punished and took her out.
“Are you thirsty? Let’s go in and rest. Would you like some tea?”
“Really?”
Chloe smiled and nodded.
They came down to the living room with a tea caddy. But as soon as they sat down comfortably on the living room sofa.
“Oh, sorry. I thought no one was home.”
Behind the suddenly open drawing room door stood three men wearing the uniforms of the Knights of Battenberg.
Chloe noticed that they were trying to go to the West Gate, the one closest to the Knights’ Building. The quickest way to get there was through the reception room.
“Hehe, have a good time, guys.”
Of the three knights, the one with smooth black hair combed back smiled sheepishly.
As he was about to close the road door, Chloe saw that all three of them were drenched in sweat from head to toe.
Chloe, realizing that fact, shouted almost instinctively before the door closed.
“Hey, would you like to have a cup of tea before you go?”
“Huh?”
***
The three knights sat awkwardly together on a long sofa. They had obviously been living in the ducal palace for years, but this was the first time they had sat together in the main drawing room of the mansion.
Chloe, who had now four tea friends, was introduced to three men by the black-haired knight.
The man sitting on the far left and looking around the living room was Balt, the black-haired man sitting on the far right and chattering was Jacob, and the man sitting in the middle with a serious expression on his face as if the world was about to end was Cain.
“We, the commoners, dare to accept your invitation! This is an honor. An honor! Even if we don’t get anything out of it, we will take pride in what we did today for the rest of our lives. Really.”
“Ah, yes…”
Cain was seen poking Jacob in the ribs at his outburst. Chloe, unable to handle Jacob’s high tension, laughed awkwardly.
In the duke’s mansion, the knights were the only ones who did not treat Chloe with hostility.
This was not because the knights were particularly kind compared to the maids and servants, but because they rarely encountered Chloe.
Ellie, who was suddenly placed in the same place as the knights, was completely frozen. It was rare for a laundry maid and a knight to meet each other.
Chloe responded to Jacob’s endless chatter with soulless “yes,” “okay,” and “ah.” as she mulled over what kind of tea would be good for them.
There are four people drinking tea with her. They are all sweating and exhausted. They are not showing it, but they must be hot.
What kind of tea would be the most delicious to drink with such people?
Only one thing came to mind.
***
It wasn’t even ten minutes before Chloe ran into the kitchen and returned to the living room.
She came back staggering, carrying a silver platter with five glasses, five teaspoons, and a large jar containing a glowing orange liquid.
The knights and Ellie jumped up in surprise, as if they had been burned, and took what she was carrying to the reception room table.
“Oh my god, you should have told me to do that!”
Ellie spoke with a tearful face, but Chloe just smiled silently.
The five of them sat back down on the sofa and Chloe explained.
“It’s called iced fruit tea. It’s refreshing, sweet, and very delicious. Try it.”
Chloe lifted the spoon and poured iced tea into each of their glasses.
Ellie, who was surprised, tried to stop her, saying she would do it herself, but Chloe didn’t listen.
Ellie still felt sorry for the drink that the madam personally poured for her.
The knights gazed blankly into the glasses they each held.
The clear liquid, shining orange, was beautiful but unfamiliar. Judging from the sliced grapefruit inside, it looked like fruit juice, but it was a little different from juice.
The ice filling the glass and the water droplets dripping down the glass looked refreshing.
“Is this tea?”
Balt asked, his eyes wide open.
“Isn’t tea a hot drink?”
Jacob also asked.
“…”
Cain, who had a serious expression on his face, nodded silently. It seemed like he agreed with his colleagues’ opinions.
Chloe explained with a grin.
“Of course, you can drink tea hot, but you can also drink it cold. This is a strong black tea that was chilled with ice. Here, try it.”
The first to take a sip of this strange drink was Balt. Perhaps because he was thirsty, Balt drank everything in the glass in one gulp.
“Ugh!”
“What, what is it, Balt? What’s wrong?”
“This is… really delicious.”
Balt said in surprise. Ellie, who saw that, also tasted the iced tea.
“Wow! My goodness. This is…!”
Ellie stammered and cried out.
“Oh, it’s really sweet and refreshing. It’s so delicious!”
As the curious reactions from Balt and Ellie continued, the rest of the group also began to drink the iced tea one after another.
“Wow… My thirst is instantly quenched.”
“It’s a very unique taste, one I’ve never tasted before.”
“Wow, this is really… not too sweet and has a luxurious taste. I can’t believe I’m tasting something like this…”
In an instant, a commotion broke out. Chloe couldn’t help the smile that broke happily on her face.
“I’m glad you like it. There’s still a lot left. Anyone want more?”
“I!”
“Me!”
Her choice was excellent. People who were sweaty and tired would probably want to drink something cold rather than hot. So she introduced a fruit iced tea that was cool and sweet, so even first-time drinkers could enjoy it.
It wasn’t that difficult to make. Just pour the strong black tea into a pitcher filled with ice, let it cool, then add sugar syrup and fruit.
The three knights and Ellie made the fruit iced tea even more delicious than Chloe had expected. Chloe thought that it was fun to drink tea with many people.
***
The Knights of Battenberg, Jacob, Bald, and Cain, were famous for always being together like rice cakes. Everyone in the Order knew them as the “Three Musketeers” or “Three of Them.”
The three musketeers were in an uproar today because they were bragging.
“I am telling you! The beautiful Madam, with her face as kind as a goddess and as gentle as an angel, smiled and said, ‘Would you like some more?’”
Although the only people who would listen to Jacob, who boasted the best talkativeness in the Knights, were usually Balt and Cain, today several knights were sitting around with interest.
One of the knights sitting around raised his hand and asked.
“Is it that delicious?”
Jacob nodded grimly.
“Cain, am I right? It was incredibly delicious, wasn’t it?”
Cain nodded silently. Jacob continued, looking even more smug.
“That’s really… Wow, you guys who haven’t tried it can’t even imagine it. It’s a very unique, strange, sweet, and wonderful taste that I’ve never tasted anywhere else.”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
Balt showed his agreement. The people sitting around him became even more interested.
A very delicious and strangely mysterious drink and a beautiful noble lady! It would be even stranger if the topic did not attract attention.
One of the gathered knights intervened with a dubious look on his face.
“Nonsense. I saw Madam at the mansion a few weeks ago, and she couldn’t even make eye contact with anyone and seemed incapable of doing anything.”
