Tea Time
Tea Time
His head ached from Ref's atrocity.
He wanted to question why she had acted so willfully, but it would have been a wasted effort.
Spilled water could never be gathered up again, after all.
Having barely regained his composure, Daniel spoke.
"Ref. Listen carefully. To put it simply, all of the women you proposed 'tea time' to have a certain degree of affection for me."
Flabbergasted beyond words, Ref blinked vacantly.
If she had heard such words in any other situation, she would have laughed it off as ridiculous posturing, but right now she could not possibly treat it as a joke.
It was because she could feel their gazes in real time.
"......They have affection for you? Don't tell me, you mean romantic affection?"
"I'm not certain, but I suspect that...... is likely the case."
They had interacted for nearly two years, exchanging all manner of help back and forth.
It was difficult to imagine that romantic affection had not settled in over that time.
Ref, who had heard Daniel's confession, opened her mouth, her voice trembling slightly from shock.
"So, what you're saying is......."
Ref, who had been gauging the reactions around her, lowered her voice uncharacteristically.
"I rubbed my friendship with you in the faces of women who like you? Is that why they're all so angry?"
Daniel remained silent.
It did not take long for her to realize that this was a sign of affirmation.
Because of that, a sense of despair rose from deep within Ref's heart.
"Shiit......."
At this rate, she might end up as minced meat before she could even build up a real friendship.
Her throat burning for no reason, Ref lifted the glass in her hand and downed her wine.
Daniel, who had been looking at Ref with pity, let out a low sigh.
"Ref. It's too early to give up. Although you've committed a terrible deed, that doesn't mean there's absolutely no way to extricate yourself from the situation."
Ref, who had pulled the wine glass from her lips, raised a hand and wiped the corner of her mouth.
"A way to extricate myself?"
"Didn't you say you'd be having a separate tea time after the banquet ends? There, all you have to do is prove that the relationship between you and me is nothing. Then the misunderstandings will be cleared, and you'll also be able to achieve your goal of 'getting friendly in advance with the women who will become the Empire's key figures,' won't you?"
Was he telling her to turn a crisis into an opportunity?
As far as Ref could see, it wasn't wrong, nor did there seem to be any other method in the current situation.
"Alright. You're right. Running away from here would only make things worse. Honestly, it feels like walking into a lion's den, but I'll give it a try."
"That's a good mindset. Since my path ahead will be easier if you explain yourself well, I hope you......."
Daniel stopped midsentence and flinched, then closed his mouth.
It was because Chief of the General Staff Arman was approaching from nearby.
"Chief of the General Staff."
As Daniel gave a light nod of greeting, Arman smiled quietly.
"Major General Daniel. Congratulations on your promotion."
"I have merely been granted a rank beyond my station."
"Your humility remains unchanged. I wished to speak with you briefly about whether the responsibility upon your shoulders is beyond your station or not. Is that alright?"
Was he intending to discuss his future treatment?
Daniel, who had tensed up without realizing it, answered.
"Of course."
Arman, who was pleased with Daniel's words, looked down at Ref with a benevolent smile.
"Young lady. Would it be alright if I borrowed Major General Daniel for a moment?"
Ref, who knew it was a formal question, nodded her head.
"Of course."
"Thank you for your consideration."
Having spoken thus, Arman winked at Daniel and walked off somewhere.
Since it seemed he was meant to follow, Daniel also walked after Arman.
Ref, who had seen Daniel off, placed her empty glass on the table and took a deep breath.
'Stay calm. If you just keep your wits about you, adversity can be overcome.'
Contrary to her resolve, however, her hands were trembling minutely.
'Honestly speaking.......'
She was fucking terrified.
*
The banquet came to an end before nightfall.
It was because the majority opinion was that it was improper to enjoy a banquet for too long in a time when the National Crisis Unification Law had just been enacted.
The end of the banquet meant the beginning of the ladies' tea time.
"Alright. It seems everyone is gathered, yes?"
In the Imperial Palace's indoor garden, the voice of Emperor Selvia rang out brightly.
In front of a round table laid with the finest refreshments, Frien, Lucy, and Ref each sat in their places.
Selvia, having looked them over, continued speaking with a delighted air.
"First of all, thank you all for accepting the invitation. I had been wanting to talk with all of you who are devoting yourselves to the Empire, you see. I was wondering how to arrange a meeting when Ms. Ref first brought up the topic, so you don't know how grateful I was."
Everyone's gaze turned toward Ref.
As their cold glares were deeply burdensome, Ref broke into a cold sweat. Frien smiled.
"Thanks to Ms. Ref, we have been able to enjoy refreshments with His Majesty the great Emperor. How glorious this is. I also feel that fate is truly wondrous."
"......You mean fate?"
"Yes. If Ms. Ref hadn't met Major General Daniel in Belanos, we wouldn't have a chance to converse so amicably like this. What a miracle this is."
A hint of killing intent was glimpsed in Frien's eyes as she mentioned Daniel's name.
Lucy and Selvia were also staring at Ref in silence.
Ref, feeling as if she were surrounded by beasts of prey, let out an awkward laugh.
"Ahaha......."
It was time for a desperate excuse, if only to survive.
"Call it a miracle if you will, but it's hardly a pleasant memory. At the time, Major General Daniel only approached me to use me politically, you see. So I still harbor some bad feelings about it."
It was a lie.
The truth was that she'd shed such bad feelings long ago.
But since this seemed like the only possibility for survival, she had gambled.
Perhaps that had worked, for the expressions of the women looking at Ref subtly relaxed.
"Bad feelings, you say. I had thought that if you had a close friendship, you held good feelings for each other, but it seems that wasn't the case?"
At Frien's words, Ref nodded her head.
"An ill-fated relationship is still a relationship, in a way. Though it's lessened now, it can't be helped that some of the old resentment remains. Of course, I have no intention of seeking revenge now. Major General Daniel Steiner is the important diplomatic partner of Belanos."
They weren't close personally; they merely had a public relationship.
One by one, the beasts eyeing Ref as she made this excuse hid their fangs and retracted their claws.
"It's a shame that you hold ill feelings toward Major General Daniel. I'm not sure what Ms. Ref thinks, but Daniel is a better person than you'd imagine, so please don't hate him too much."
"His Majesty the Emperor's words are correct. Because the Major General is a wonderfully good person. You think so too, Major Lucy, don't you?"
"Ah. Yeah."
They had decided that if she wasn't a romantic rival, there was no particular need to confront her.
Ref, feeling the heavy atmosphere grow peaceful, thought she had survived and changed the subject.
"More than that, it's not easy for women to gather and have tea time like this during wartime, is it? Since we've come together for once, why don't we chat about a light topic? Like our ideal type, for instance......."
Ref flinched the moment she said it.
It felt as if she had brought up a topic that should never have been spoken of.
"An ideal type, she says."
Frien, who had received Ref's words, wore a gentle smile.
"My ideal type is someone who looks at others without prejudice, just as they are. He has so many other good points, but I can't ramble on about them by myself for an entire hour. I am earnestly praying that one day he will look back upon me."
Selvia's brow furrowed on one side as she listened to Frien.
It was because she had a vague idea that the ideal type Frien was speaking of was Daniel.
Even Selvia, who wasn't very interested in religion, was not unaware that Frien had been going around the Glory's Holy Flame Cathedral calling Daniel a saint.
"That's a noble mindset. Though it seems unlikely that prayer alone will lead to progress."
"Your Majesty the Emperor's words are truly gracious. But you need not worry about that. I recently shared a meal with that person and watched a movie together as well."
They shared a meal and watched a movie? This was the first she'd heard of it, so Selvia was surprised despite herself.
However, not wanting to be outdone, Selvia moved her lips as if nothing were wrong.
"That's good that there's progress. I also recently spent time alone with someone my heart goes out to. Perhaps because the mood was ripe at the time, the kind of acts lovers do......."
As if embarrassed, Selvia blushed and waved her hands.
"It's nothing. I'm not sure what kind of nonsense I'm spouting."
Because of that, the air that had turned peaceful grew heavy once more.
Was this what it meant to be the sovereign above ten thousand?
As Ref saw it, Selvia seemed to have quite the talent for needling others.
In reality, though Frien was smiling on the outside, she could be seen secretly grinding her teeth.
Lucy too was silently staring at Selvia within the subdued atmosphere.
It was by no means a kind gaze.
In a situation akin to a cold war, Selvia casually lifted her cup and took a sip of black tea.
Within the quiet atmosphere, their gazes crossed sharply.
Though smiles hung on everyone's lips, even a fool could tell they weren't sincere.
In a place that was no different from a silent battlefield, Ref thought to herself.
'Daniel, you crazy whoring bastard......! What the hell have you been going around doing!?'
If she had known it would be like this, she would never have peddled Daniel's name.