Bryn beckoned as she said that, and the servant, standing at the end of the gazebo, quickly departed.
The servant who had returned after a while said with a grim expression,
âHe told me to tell you that he was still in the Black Dragon Room and that he would be late.â
âIs that it?â
To Brynâs question, the servant answered, âYes.â Bryn looked at Lilyca, and the little girl replied,
âThere are no other options if heâs late, I will wait.â
Lilyca waited a long time. It was hard for her to stand still, and it became harder and harder since she was a child.
She stood, shifting her centre of gravity from side to side.
Even when she sent the messenger again, the only response that came back was, âIâm late.â
Then, after two hours, the servant came back with a new answer and his head bowed.
âHe told me to tell you that he canât be with you today because heâs too busy.â
Brynâs dark purple eyes shone coldly. She quickly examined her masterâs expression.
Lilyca looked surprised.
Bryn had to say something, but Lilyca spoke first.
âIs he that busy?â
Startled, the servant looked up and then bowed again.
âYes? Yes, thatâs right.â
âI see. Can you tell him not to be too sorry? Iâm sure heâs worried about making me wait. Tell him Iâm fine and not to worry about it.â
Bryn held back a laugh. The servant nodded earnestly at Lilycaâs words.
âUnderstood.â
âOh right. Can I send her with the newly made tea? Bryn, what do you think?â
âI think itâs fine.â
âReally? Then, bring me a basket. Iâm sure he would be regretful if he couldnât taste the cookies made by the chef.â
After a while, the servant left with the basket and Bryn was happy to see that.
Lilyca sighed and said,
âIf someone is too busy, they can break their promise. However, Iâm afraid theyâll feel apologetic for that.â
Bryn nodded joyfully at the good-natured innocence of her remark. Her master thought that anyone who broke their promise would feel guilty.
âIâve told you many times that you donât have to be sorry. Youâll be all right.â
He had done something so shameful; wouldnât he be disrespectful if he didnât apologise? Itâs a matter of making things right, but contrary to him, the princess had the virtue of speaking from the bottom of her heart without malice.
Bryn was truly pleased, and Lilyca said,
âThen shall we drink tea together? It would be a waste to clean up everything now.â
âI would be grateful.â
Bryn curtsied gracefully. Two hours had passed and now, the sun was setting.
The two were sitting down, watching the sunset and lanterns lit the garden peacefully.
Servants had prepared cold desserts, so they only had to bring back hot water from time to time.
She didnât know if the Crown Prince would come, so she constantly asked for hot water from the kitchen, therefore, water always arrived right away.
Lilyca brewed the tea herself, her little hands moving skillfully.
It was because she had practised countless times for today with Bryn.
She moved on the step stool, brewed the tea, filled her cup first, and then, filled Brynâs.
Lilyca raised her hand lightly, clenched her fist, and then opened it.
The servants quickly went far away so as to not hear their conversation. Lilyca looked at her hand in wonder.
âIt really works.â
âSure. Light hand signals work anytime, anywhere.â
âYou said that if I clenched my fist, on the other hand, it meant that they could come closer?â
âYes.â
Bryn answered slowly, touching the rim of her teacup.
âItâs better to be careful of hand signals when there are soldiers. They might mistake it for an attack signal.â
âReally?â
âYes, it has happened several times in history.â
At Brynâs words, Lilyca nodded.
âEven high-ranking people are struggling in their own way.â
Bryn asked anxiously,
âPrincess, are you truly okay? Arenât you upset?â
âUm, itâs all right.â
Lilyca smiled. Then, she whispered softly,
âYes, I feel sorry for you for helping me, but in a corner of my mind, I thought this might happen.â
Bryn blinked. It didnât seem like the innocent princess in front of her was accustomed to hiding her intentions and scheming.
âWhy?â
So, of course, the question was asked. Lilyca raised her eyebrows and spoke with her signature serious expression.
âWhen I go to His Majestyâs office, he is always busy with work. Then, when I ask Sir Lat he says, âI cannot go because Iâm busy today.â Even though he had promised. Thatâs what happens all the time.â
Surely, Lat had to grab his head later and push a sigh.
There were times when the little girl had said, âYou should go out even if youâre busy.â
They had answered, âUm, yes.â
His Majestyâs promise-breaking patting was famous.
âThe Crown Prince is just below His Majesty, right? Isnât he very busy then? So, I was prepared that he might not be able to come even if we made an appointment.â
âYou understand the situation of those who work,â Bryn replied with a big smile, patting her back. âAfter all, you are a princess.â
âOh wellâŚâ
Lilycaâs cheeks, not accustomed to compliments, turned red.
But on the inside, she praised herself for her quick wit. She then quickly told Bryn again that she hadnât been offended.
âBut thanks to that, I was able to enjoy drinking tea with Bryn like this, right? If I had drank with His Highness, Iâm sure I wouldnât have enjoyed it all.â
She would have been too nervous and wouldnât have been able to even recognise what the tea tasted like, Lilyca added, shaking her head.
Bryn nodded.
âIf the Princess is okay with a maid.â
Lilyca and Bryn had tea until twilight. The sky was dyed like their red tea.
As the light of the lamp seemed to be getting brighter and brighter, the sound of footsteps was heard.
A large figure suddenly popped up from the bushes.
âTan!â
Lilyca jumped out from her seat to welcome him. Bryn also got up quickly and followed suit before curtseying.
âI was looking forward to seeing you, Tan.â
âThank you. I heard your voice in the garden, so I was wondering what you were doing.â
Tan grinned.
âYou were having tea with your personal maid. Itâs rare to have a tea party at this hour.â
âBecause the sunset is pretty. Why donât we drink tea together? There are enough snacks and tea.â
âIf you invite me, I will join you without hesitation.â
Bryn quickly cleared her seat and brought out a new teacup.
Perfectly back in the maidâs position, Bryn began to attend to them.
Tan commented that the tea was very good, and Lilyca replied modestly.
âItâs the tea leaves that Lat gave me as a present. I heard that Sandarâs tea leaves are a speciality.â
âNo wonder. Iâd like to give you the specialities of Wolfâs estate, but itâs still too much for the princess.â
âWhatâs the speciality?â
âItâs distilled liquor.â
With a grin, Tan explained. Lilyca replied as she shared Tanâs smile, âI see.â
âThe snacks are new, too.â
âMy mother brought in a new cook.â
âThey are delicious.â
Tan shoved some cookies into his mouth.
The cookies were very small for him, so it was unlikely that he would be satisfied with just one or two.
Lilyca ordered more refreshments. Refreshments brought quickly by the servants piled up one after another.
Tan opened his eyes wide after tasting the whipped cream.
âThis is wonderful.â
âMy mother told the cook to make it, itâs called whipped cream. She said to use it instead of buttercream.â
The whipped cream on top of the heavy pound cake was lighter and fresher than the buttercream.
In the north, milk and butter were difficult to obtain, so this rich sweetness was a pleasure to taste only in the capital.
Itâs not that the people of the Wolf family are weak to sweets or something.
Even though, they ate sugar cubes in their distilled liquor.
âItâs good. Itâs hard to get cream in our estate because of the cold.â
âIsnât the cream better when itâs cold?â
Tan smiled at Lilycaâs question and replied, âWhen itâs cold, milk doesnât come out well.â
âI see.â
Having learned a new piece of knowledge, Lilyca stored it in her head.
As they talked, the garden darkened. So, Tan asked to escort Lilyca back.
Lilyca looked at Tan and asked,
âCan I take a look around the garden for a second?â
âOf course.â
âThen, Bryn will be the only one to accompany us. When thereâs a lot of people, we cannot walk in silence.â
Bryn grinned at Lilycaâs words and replied, âVery well.â
Tan started walking with a glass lantern, and Lilyca stood alongside him. Bryn followed a step behind them.
At night, the garden was quiet and the air was drenched with the rosesâ scent.
When she inhaled deeply, the little girl felt the scent of flowers permeate deep into her body. The silence could have been scary, but it wasnât since Tan was next to her.
It was fun just to walk quietly, but Lilyca opened her mouth.
âThank you for coming today.â
Tan laughed softly. Knowing his origins, it really seemed like a wolf laugh to her.
âI also ate something delicious thanks to you. Thank you for your hospitality.â
Lilyca smiled and he continued,
âAre you sure youâre okay?â
âWhat?â
âYou should have had a special guest today, didnât you? I was wondering if you were upset.â
âOh.â
Only then did Lilyca realise that Tan did not come by accident.
âI wasnât offended. And about His Highness the Crown Prince, I think heâs a kind person.â
âWhat?â
When asked by the astonished Tan, Lilyca grinned,
âHe has been trying to come and see me. He had tried to finish his work somehow thatâs why he kept saying, âitâll be over in a little while.â
But then, obviously, time had passed.
Thatâs why he told her that he wouldnât be able to come anymore.
She thought it was sweet that he said multiple times, âa little more and itâll be over.â Just to see her somehow.
Tan seemed to be wondering what to say because of Lilycaâs unconventional logic.
Lilyca continued, not caring much about how it looked on the outside,
âYou came here because you didnât want my feelings to get hurt, right? Thank you, Tan. Iâm sure I would have been hurt if I were alone. Sad even. However, it wasnât the case since I had Bryn and Tan.â
Tan stopped and looked at Lilyca.
Her face was smiling with a serious expression like an adult, but her eyes contained a resolve that prevented her smile to reach her eyes.
A belief that no one did really hurt her and never will.
It was confidence and faith that couldnât be dismissed just because she was a child.
If someone is not wicked enough to knock over a kitten thatâs leaning on them, or kick a puppy that happily approaches, they might as well break as a human being.
[Cristalâs NB: like if they arenât tough enough, life will break them.]
It was the kind of look he didnât like to see.
So, Tan was impressed.
Lilyca did not lead a smooth life.
Through the report, Alteos, Lat, and himself knew what kind of life she had.
And yet, even when she was hurt and desperate for affection, she didnât become a slave to these feelings nor did she sharpen her sword.
[Cristalâs NB: Lilyca didnât become mean, even when her emotional needs werenât met.]
It was a difficult thing to do, even for adults.
âYou donât have to thank me. As I said before, I ate something delicious thanks to you. Besides, I missed the rest of my work.â
Tan laughed out loud.
âI won against Lat at the rock paper scissors game.â
âReally? Against Lat?â
âYes, we were wondering which of the two of us should go, and we decided with rock paper scissors.â
Lilyca said, âit was okay for both of you to come.â Tan nodded in regret,
âBut then, who will do the work?â
âIf I had known, I would have sent a basket to Lat as well.â
âA basket?â
âYes, I actually sent one to the Crown Prince. Since he was busy, I asked him to eat what was inside while working.â
At that, Tanâs shoulders shook again and he burst into laughter.
Giving food is usually a top-down job.
[Cristalâs NB: Someone does not order their superior to eat, it would rather be the hierarchically superior person who would give the order. I guess that by doing this, Lilyca sorta subtly insulted the crown prince.]
Of course, his younger cousinâs freshly made sweets were delicious, so, it didnât matter how many she sent.
At least thatâs what Tan hoped the Crown Prince would think.
Tan chuckled, wondering if it would be taken that way.
Maybe next time, he would need to talk to His Highness.
This innocent princess didnât seem to be just naive.
She was considerate and affectionate, and she had the will to protect herself.
âThis is getting interesting.â
When Alteos had said, âIâm getting married.â Tan was concerned in many ways, but now that he looked at it, he didnât think he had to worry at all.
After going around the garden, Lilyca sighed and spoke softly in front of her residence.
Quiet enough that he had to bend his big body.
âActually, thereâs one thing Iâm anxious about.â
âWhat is it?â
âIâm worried that my mother will be upset.â
She had helped prepare the Crown Princeâs invitation and the tea party. Lilyca thought she will be very upset to hear that her daughter waited for two hours and that the Crown Prince unilaterally broke his promise.
Sheâll be very upset when she will hear the news that her daughter had been abandoned.
âIâm okay, butâŚâ
Tan nodded at Lilycaâs words.
âIf the Princess says itâs okay, Iâm sure itâll be fine.â
âIs that so?â
âOf course.â
Lilycaâs expression brightened at Tanâs reassuring promise.
âThank you, Tan.â
Saying goodbye again, Lilyca entered the room. Bryn smiled brightly and greeted Tan before closing the door.
Tan sighed and said in front of this door.
âI really hope the Empress will be fine with it.