Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: Aunt's Brandy Tea
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"Aunt, it's been so long."
I reflexively offered a light bow in greeting, but Grand Princess... the one who almost never leaves her residence for fear of getting tangled in scandals or politics...
No, her sudden appearance was utterly bewildering.
She rarely showed herself even at official events—not to mention to anyone besides Mother and Father—and no one would ever expect her to be sipping tea in my room, greeting me warmly.
It would have been far more likely for Mother to have a third... no, fourth child.
The advice given to palace workers—"Don't approach His Majesty's or the Crown Princess's quarters unless it's a national crisis"—wasn't given lightly.
"You've grown so much since I last saw you, Elizabeth. It feels like just yesterday you were a little girl, and now you've become a woman who makes men pine for you."
"Well, it's been ten years. How have you been?"
"Oh, wonderfully. Frederica takes such good care of me that I want for nothing. I've been passing the time in blissful leisure without even noticing the years slipping by."
"Hee-hee~ That's a relief."
I smiled, but my lips twitched on the verge of a spasm.
For someone who'd been living so carefree to suddenly appear and hold a private meeting with me... unease crept up my spine.
"I'm curious what brought you out of your residence after all this time, Aunt."
"Then sit down, dear. I can't very well talk to my niece while she's standing."
"Yes."
Her subtle words implied this would be a long chat, leaving me no choice but to approach the table where she sat.
Clink!
Aunt set down her teacup and lightly snapped her fingers. A chair I hadn't touched slid back with a soft rumble, turning invitingly toward me. Before my seat, a teacup and cookies floated neatly into place from thin air.
Aunt's object manipulation magic, which I'd seen now and then as a child.
It looked effortless on the surface, but it was advanced magic that even most senior mages struggled with.
Due to the massive mana drain on activation, despite being invented centuries ago, it remained impractical—impossible to replicate in magical devices—and purely a show of skill.
Yet Aunt cast multiple instances simultaneously without batting an eye.
The sheer mana reserves and control she displayed were terrifying every time I witnessed them.
"What tea would you like?"
As I eyed the teacup spinning gracefully with its handle angled for easy gripping, Aunt smiled and floated a teapot hovering in midair toward me.
All of them exuded a soothing, fragrant aroma from high-quality leaves, making it hard to choose.
"I'll have whatever you're drinking, Aunt."
"That won't do."
Not "Pick something else because there's none left" or "It's my favorite, so choose another." Just... "That won't do."
"Pardon?"
I couldn't fathom why sharing her tea would be a problem, so I tilted my head in confusion.
Aunt chuckled heartily, waving her teacup gently as she explained.
"This is fermented grape tea, boiled down thickly several times. It wouldn't be right for you."
"Fermented... grapes...?"
Eating fermented grapes was rare enough, but boiling them too?
Such a food or tea wouldn't exist in the Empire...
It did.
There was exactly one.
Brandy: wine made from fermented grapes, distilled and aged once more—a spirit.
"......"
Heavy drinkers sometimes called liquor "tea" or "juice" in their slurred speech, but I never imagined Aunt would do the same.
It was so absurd I found myself staring at her pitifully without thinking.
"Aunt, don't beat around the bush—just admit it's brandy."
"Aside from the alcohol coming from grapes instead of leaves, what's the difference?"
"It's not leaves at all."
"They call things not steeped from leaves 'tea' too, don't they? So anything not steeped from leaves can be called tea."
"That's sophistry."
"Hee-hee~ When the Emperor's sister calls it 'tea,' who cares about logic?"
"Sigh..."
My head throbbed.
Mother and William were enough of the nonsense-talkers around me. Why did a calmer, younger version of Mother have to appear before me now?
I recalled her as more reserved and elegant in the past, but thinking back, whenever I'd seen Aunt before, someone else had always been there too.
Never had we faced each other alone in a room like this.
Sisters gonna sister—without a mask in a private space, she was the spitting image of Mother.
She was better than Mother, who never wore one even in front of others, but she wasn't dropping hers around me either, so no real difference.
"Do you have any Earl Grey?"
"Of course, my second-favorite tea. Earl Grey it is?"
"Yes."
I nodded, glancing at the teapots. All but one vanished, and the one wafting a subtle bergamot scent drew near, pouring into my cup.
"That's a relief—your second-favorite is actual tea."
"The maids give me side-eye if I only drink grape tea, so I'm sneaking it now too."
"It would have been great if you'd just quit."
"Hee-hee~ Impossible."
Aunt smiled with her eyes, pointedly lifting her cup to her lips.
Now that I knew what it was, each movement carried the scent of oak and alcohol.
It was premium brandy—even I, who didn't care for spirits, could tell from the rich aroma.
"The fragrance is wonderful..."
"Is it? Good. I picked the leaves and bergamot myself."
"Could you tell me where later?"
"Of course."
Delighted by my praise, Aunt sipped her tea... no, her liquor, smiling warmly.
"I've heard that Howard Baron boy has been up to some amusing things lately."
"Howard Baron...?"
My face, relaxed by the tea's warmth, stiffened instantly.
After ten years, the first thing she mentions is William?
Alarms blared in my head.
If Aunt was Mother's younger self, she'd definitely take an interest in him.
As an entertaining toy.
I could block stray cats I couldn't even approach or control Emily's pace myself, but not Mother or Aunt.
Aunt wasn't bad, so meeting him wasn't a huge issue—but Mother using my birthday as an excuse soon after was.
"No..."
William was in danger.
Grave danger.
With no buffer and just days away, if he drew affection from both Aunt and Mother so quickly, he'd shatter.
"Hoo..."
I wet my lips with tea to calm my turmoil.
Then I smiled back, meeting Aunt's gaze.
"Ha-ha, why would you take an interest in William, Aunt? He's got no connection to magic."
"True. A boy who can't handle a drop of mana wouldn't catch my eye."
"So how did he...?"
Instead of answering, Aunt patted her thigh and lifted the cloth draped over her lap.
"The other day, Hume Earl—er, now it's Hume Margrave?—anyway, he sent this to me via a palace maid."
"Ah."
The cape William had designed recently for the Magic Division.
The "cape with blue lines" they'd imbued with special meaning to prevent infighting now rested in Aunt's hands.
"A special mantle for those who've encountered pure mana fragments? Those prideful mages wouldn't make it themselves."
"Right."
"So I looked into who pulled off this clever stunt."
"Uh-huh..."
"Turns out he's close to you. Even the Emperor and Crown Prince seem fond of him, and he's making quite the bold moves among the nobles. piqued my curiosity."
"Ah..."
It was over.
Aunt's eyes on William mirrored Mother's when she found an amusing retainer.
"I'd like to meet him. Elizabeth, could you summon him to the palace soon?"
"......"
I fiddled with my teacup handle, biting my lower lip softly.
Summon him to the palace?
Easy enough.
I was even grateful for the excuse.
But not this weekend.
I planned to monopolize him then—no way I'd let anyone else dip in.
"I could, but he's so busy it might have to wait until after my birthday."
"Really?"
"......"
Her cold smile and piercing stare choked the air from my lungs.
Lying more here would surely prompt bolder action from her.
Mother would. I would.
Aunt was no different.
"Sigh..."
I felt doomed.
Why wouldn't the world leave William alone...
"...This weekend, no more than an hour."
I nodded glumly, offering the bare minimum I could tolerate.
If even that was refused, I'd resist to the end—whether she crashed my birthday or visited the atelier unannounced.
"An hour is plenty."
Thankfully, she accepted my begrudging concession without protest.
"I do have a conscience, you know. I won't keep my niece's boyfriend for long."
"......"
She added something that suggested her conscience was a bit lacking, but I didn't point it out—lest the time get extended.