Episode 7
No matter how indifferent one might be to others, this situation was enough to spark curiosity.
What on earth was the reason? Could it be that she liked tea? So much that she overcame her fear and made a request for it?
It was the reason for Alphonse Battenberg, who was supposedly so uninterested in others, to show even a sliver of interest in that woman, Chloe Battenberg, and her tea.
***
Chloe, ever since her days as Park Hajeong, had never once refused a request to brew tea. It was because there weren’t many people around her who enjoyed tea, and if even one person showed interest in it, she felt genuinely delighted.
This remained unchanged even after being thrown into a completely different world.
But…
“Ah, I’m really sorry, but today I have plans with Kiel and…”
“Oh, my! I just remembered something urgent!”
Kiel suddenly slapped his forehead as if recalling something.
“Really?” Chloe asked, startled.
“Yes, really. Ah, such a pity. I was looking forward to tasting your tea, Madam. Well then, I’ll take my leave for now!”
Leaving those words behind, Kiel bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle to both the Master and Madam before disappearing with astonishing speed.
Watching this, Alphonse thought once again that Kiel had a sharp sense of timing.
In the end, the reception room was left with just Chloe and Alphonse.
Chloe felt awkward for no particular reason. Of course, she would—it was because he was her husband, though not by choice. They were bound together by a loveless marriage, and they were not close at all.
Until now, Chloe had only encountered Alphonse during dinner, and even then, their exchanges were limited to polite greetings and official, business-like conversations.
The more she thought about it, the more awkward she felt. Chloe shook her head, trying to dispel the discomfort.
“What kind of tea would you prefer?” she asked.
Alphonse glanced at the tea containers that Chloe and the butler had brought.
He had never tasted tea in his life. To him, tea was nothing more than water brewed with dried plants—a barbaric drink.
“I’ll have whatever my wife prefers,” he replied indifferently.
Chloe was at a loss. The worst answer to the question ‘What shall we eat?’ was not some expensive or divisive dish but rather ‘Anything.’
Naturally, Chloe had little to no knowledge of Alphonse’s tastes or dietary preferences.
How could she know what her husband liked when they had never had a personal conversation?
Still, she couldn’t let her frustration show. Alphonse’s gaze remained as intimidating as ever.
“Ah, yes. Please wait a moment,” Chloe said.
She carefully examined the tea containers she had brought and deliberated. What kind of tea would be best? Which one might suit her husband’s palate?
Before long, the trivial matter of her relationship with her husband faded from her mind. Her expression turned serious, resembling that of a tea enthusiast eager to introduce her favorite drink to someone else.
Finally deciding, Chloe took the tea leaves to the kitchen, brewed them just right, and returned with a tray holding a teapot, two cups, and a strainer.
“Please enjoy,” she said, straining the tea leaves into Alphonse’s cup.
Alphonse looked at the tea with a neutral expression. The reddish liquid shimmered beautifully in the pristine white cup, and steam rose, carrying a subtle, dry aroma.
Is this what she loves so much?
Holding the cup in his hand, he studied it for a moment before taking a sip.
Chloe watched him nervously, feeling like a contestant on a talent show awaiting a judge’s verdict.
The tea she had chosen was a well-balanced, unflavored black tea with a slightly bold and weighty taste—subtle yet sophisticated, a blend that was unlikely to offend anyone’s palate.
I hope he likes it, Chloe thought as she observed Alphonse’s expression.
After taking a few more sips without changing his expression, Alphonse finished the tea.
The rich malt-like aroma and silky, smooth finish lingered in his senses. Contrary to his initial prejudice, the flavor was neither light nor unsophisticated.
“I enjoyed it,” Alphonse finally said, placing the empty cup on the table and standing up.
Startled, Chloe quickly looked up.
“A-Are you leaving?”
Alphonse gathered his belongings, thanked her politely, and prepared to leave.
Just as he reached the door, he turned slightly and said, “Next time, may I have tea again?”
Chloe’s face lit up with a smile, as if painted with joy.
“Of course!” she replied, her voice warm.
What Chloe didn’t realize was that Alphonse briefly glanced back at her face before exiting the room.
***
As Chloe was going up to the bedroom after finishing her tea, a maid stopped her.
She said she had a letter.
“A letter? For me?”
Chloe tilted her head and accepted it.
When she entered the room and opened it, it was an invitation. It said that the Marquis of Belladonna was holding a party.1This party isn’t one of the grand parties that both genders attend. What I mean here is the typical setting of tea parties, but with coffee instead of tea.
“Ah, I see.”
Chloe, being a duchess, must be social. Thinking so, Chloe lay down on the bed and carefully examined the invitation.
Chloe briefly searched her memories to recall who the Marquis Belladonna was, but it was no use.
Chloe had been a social outcast since her first tea party after her marriage, which she had botched, and was in disgrace. To her, the Marquis Belladonna was almost completely unknown.
There was no other reason to refuse. Besides, it was a duty for a noble woman to establish the family’s prestige through appropriate social activities. (Chloe had not done so before.)
Chloe had no difficulty in deciding to attend the party. She wanted to see the atmosphere of the social circle, see what kind of people were there, and eat something delicious.
***
“I heard that Mrs. Battenberg is very knowledgeable about tea?”
On the day of the party, at the Marquis Belladonna’s residence.
According to Chloe’s rumors, the Marquis Belladonna was the only coffee importer in the country and the biggest patron of the merchants. Perhaps that’s why coffee was served as a beverage at the party. Next to the table, a young man who seemed to be a servant was constantly pouring hand-drip coffee.
Chloe, who attended the party, just wanted to sit there quietly. It was her first time in society and she didn’t know what kind of people the other nobles were. So this time, she decided to focus on attending, and just quietly eat some snacks while observing the atmosphere around her.
That was her plan.
“Oh my, tea?”
How did word spread so quickly in the social circle that I like tea? It was probably information leaked by the trading company that imported the tea for Chloe. Importing such a large quantity of tea at once isn’t common, after all.
Lady Sienna, feigned looking around as if catching on belatedly, then covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry. Haha. It’s just so surprising. You see, in my province, we don’t drink boiled water with dried plants in it.”
Does that mean coffee beans are animals, not plants? Chloe felt slightly offended by Sienna’s blatant jab.
Encouraged by the sycophantic chiming-in of her so-called close friends—or perhaps a maids—Belladonna Marquess seemed even more confident as she spoke with a smug expression.
“My uncle, Viscount Raphaelo, once gifted me this thing called black tea. I tried it, but it was incredibly bitter and unpleasant. The taste is truly an acquired one for someone as unique as you, Lady Battenberg.”
“Indeed. It’s quite different from the deep, rich bitterness of coffee.”
The two seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Chloe watched their gloating conversation for a moment before finally opening her mouth.
“I’m curious, where exactly did your uncle first encounter black tea? Because black tea is neither bitter nor unpleasant at all.”
“What? What are you saying?”
As if her boiling point was low, lady Belladonna’s voice immediately rose.
“Have you even had black tea, Lady Battenberg? The tea I drank was very bitter. My uncle said that’s just how black tea is supposed to taste.”
Perhaps worried that her uncle would be misunderstood as someone who regularly drank bitter, unpleasant boiled leaves, she quickly added.
“Well, he hasn’t touched black tea since then, so I suppose he didn’t find it particularly appealing either.”
Chloe stirred her coffee leisurely before replying.
“Whether it’s boiled dried leaves or roasted beans, it’s only natural that drinks taste bitter and unpleasant when not prepared properly. Perhaps your uncle needs to relearn how to brew black tea, Lady Belladonna.”
“You’re saying my uncle brewed black tea incorrectly?”
Her voice was filled with disbelief. Lady Belladonna turned red, visibly flustered.
“Are you implying that my family member doesn’t even know how to brew tea properly?! Are you insulting my bloodline?”
Is that such a severe insult? Chloe was taken aback by Belladonna’s hypersensitive reaction. Keeping a composed expression, she calmly explained.
“Not at all. Please calm down. The bitter and unpleasant taste in tea comes from tannins, a compound that only releases when tea leaves are steeped for too long or handled improperly, such as being squeezed. Properly brewed black tea is smooth and aromatic without any bitterness.”
The bustling noise of laughter and chatter at the tea party table suddenly subsided. Chloe seized the quiet moment to continue, her voice steady.
“Tannins only emerge when tea is oversteeped or mishandled. Well-brewed black tea is soft, fragrant, and never bitter.”
A moment of silence followed. No one laughed or chatted; everyone seemed to be gauging the mood of the host, Belladonna Marquess.
She, the subject of all attention, looked as if she had suffered a grave insult. Her eyes were wide, and she trembled with rage, as though Chloe had dealt her a knockout punch.
Witnessing this reaction, Lady Sienna, one of her friends, nervously glanced around and eventually broke the silence.
“Proper tea-brewing methods don’t really matter to us. Only someone who enjoys it should know, isn’t that so, Lady Belladonna?”
Her words were clearly an attempt at consolation. Finally, Belladonna seemed to regain some composure, returning to her usual haughty demeanor.
“Well, yes, Lady Sienna. For those of us who don’t drink tea, such things are of no importance.”
Her words were pointed, directed at Chloe, accompanied by a sharp glare. Chloe, unbothered, simply sipped her coffee.
As the two ladies indulged in their self-congratulatory narrative, another woman at the table turned to Chloe and greeted her warmly.
“That aside, Lady Battenberg, it’s such a pleasure to see you after so long.”
“It’s a pleasure for me as well, Lady Horton.”
“Truly. I remember you once hosted a party and had quite the difficult time, didn’t you? Has it been a year since then?”
