---Two Days Later---
Bong!
The Academy’s clock tower signaled ten as the last of my tea settings were placed. Today was the first mandatory tea party day of the semester, and I had arrived early at my room to set up. While my male peers had spent small fortunes to attract potential marriage partners, my budget was far more modest. Instead of the fashionable decorations, the latest tableware, and the finest sweets available, my decorations and sweets were handmade, and the tableware was antique.
[Your skill with tea brewing and pairings is quite advanced.] Luxion floated around the room. [May I inquire how you learned all this? If your professor were to see this, he might exempt you from class.]
“It is to be expected of my pupil.” Malcador grinned, reviewing the setup closely. “Aremus, during his many days of confinement on Terra, learned everything he could about ancient humanity. One such topic was the lost art of tea ceremonies. As one of the few people who could still recall the honored tradition, I taught him everything I knew...”
A fond smile crept onto Malcador’s face. The days he spent sharing humanity’s rich history with Aremus were among the most cherished in his heart. In an era of chaos, lies, and war, those few fleeting moments kept his heart from going cold.
---Flashback---
Malcador stood beside Aremus as he patiently waited for a teapot to reach temperature. Before the Primarch, an ancient tea set from Malcador’s collection sat at the ready. Impressed with his dedication, the Sigillite placed a proud hand on his shoulder.
“Aremus, please allow me to thank you for sticking with this old man. Words cannot express the joy in my heart.” Malcador took a seat beside him. “As the last Sigillite, I feared ancient human culture and tradition would one day die with me. The more knowledge I pass on, the lighter my heart becomes.”
As the water reached the ideal temperature, Aremus removed it from the heat and poured the tea over the small eagle-shaped tea pet. He added fresh water to the pot and placed it on the heat once again.
“No need to thank me, Malcador. I quite enjoy learning about how humans lived and thrived on Ancient Terra.” Aremus looked into the fire, a great sadness settling into his heart. “The die has been cast; there is no preventing the coming tribulations. Whatever the future holds, know that I will preserve your teachings for future generations, Father.”
A wave of conflicting emotions struck the old man. Part of him felt a deep frustration that the Second Primarch was still insisting the Imperium was on a one-way course toward absolute ruin. Yet, a quiet, terrifying pity began overtaking that anger. Malcador realized no one could endure such immense misery and pain while clinging to a lie. For Aremus to suffer so deeply and still preach the same warnings, there had to be truth to his words, even if only a partial one.
“Let us drop this serious talk for now. We set aside time this afternoon to test your tea ceremony skills.” Malcador changed the subject. “Tell me, where did you get these tea leaves from? I do not believe I provided any for today.”
“Haha…” Aremus’ face tensed up. “Well, you see, I may have lifted some tea leaves from the Emperor’s private stash in his laboratory. The cookies I brought came from his stash as well.”
Malcador’s complexion paled. He had recently heard the Emperor complaining about someone taking things from his personal stock. Given his erratic behavior as of late, caused by long hours of working on the Webway Project, no one had paid it any mind. Now that the culprit had revealed himself, Malcador felt a headache coming on.
“Good gracious, Aremus. Do you have the faintest idea of the trouble you have been causing?” The old man rubbed his brow.
Aremus shrugged. “I do not see an issue. All of you disregard Alpharius and Omegon’s attempts to kill the Emperor here in the palace. Why should it matter if I sneak a few snacks and tea leaves? If we are to be honest, thank me for discovering flaws in the palace’s security.”
Unable to stop himself, Malcador began boisterously laughing. When put that way, his theft was indeed of no consequence. The problem was that he was stealing from the Emperor. If his father discovered his deeds, there would be a brawl. It was not widely known, but the Emperor kept stashes of snacks around him to munch on every so often. As most were no longer made anymore, they were extremely valuable.
“From now on, please refrain from stealing things from your father.” Malcador shoved two cookies into his mouth. “Since you have already opened these, though, we cannot let them go to waste. Pour me some of that tea. My mouth is becoming dry.”
With a smile, Aremus poured him a cup of perfectly brewed tea.
---Flashback End---
‘Why… why my old friend? Your son could see the fate of the Imperium long before you could. Did you force us to ignore him because you believed you could stop it?’ Malcador lifted his head. Why was the Emperor dead set against acknowledging Aremus’s warnings? While he listened to his other sons to varying degrees, he never paid Aremus any mind. It was mostly Valdor, the Sisters of Silence, and himself who interacted with him.
The more he thought about it, the more he believed it was because they were so similar. Both possessed unyielding wills, unwilling to budge once their minds were set. They looked identical and shared many of the same interests. The Emperor had unconsciously pushed Aremus away because the youth reminded him of his earlier days, prior to the Old Night.
As I poured the second pot of tea into the tea pitcher, the door flew open. Luxion and Malcador vanished from sight as my fiancées shuffled in, their faces sullen with sadness. Olivia followed them, bouncing on the balls of her feet with a radiant smile.
“Good morning, Leon!” Olivia approached the table, the scent of fresh-baked cookies in the air. “Did… did you make these!?”
Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre walked over, taking seats around the table. They stared at the flawlessly set table, having only seen such a marvelous setup at one of the Queen’s tea parties.
“Yes, I got up early this morning and made them from scratch.” A proud smile formed on my face. “I also made the four of you gifts, too. They are nothing special, but I hope you like them.”
I reached into my Item Box to retrieve four medium-sized gift boxes. Besides purchasing items for the tea party, I also bought the ingredients to make a popular confectionery from my old world. It had not been produced in this world yet, but the raw ingredients were plentiful. If it were just as popular here as it was back there, I would soon have a way to explain my bottomless wealth.
After handing each woman a box, they hesitantly opened it, unsure what to expect. Instead of gold, money, or precious gemstones, small brown squares awaited them. Deirdre picked one up and gave it a curious sniff.
“I have smelled nothing like this before. What are they?” Deirdre nibbled on a corner before fully committing.
The instant the bitter and citrus flavors graced her taste buds, her eyes flew open with delight. She tossed it into her mouth, then several more after that. Encouraged by her reaction, the others tried the candies and had similar reactions.
While they scarfed down half of their boxes, I poured them a cup of this world’s Earl Grey tea. They took a sip and sighed with utter relief.
“I am pleased to see you enjoy them. These delightful delicacies are called dark chocolates. In ancient times, they were quite popular among the masses. I gained the recipe from some ancient relics I took possession of a while back. If I were to sell these on the open market, do you think they would sell well?”
“Absolutely!” Olivia clapped her hands with excitement. “You should take these to market, and—”
The three women interjected, leaping to their feet. If Leon took these to market without first consulting the Queen, there would be hell to pay. She was a well-known lover of confectionery goods, and it was an unspoken rule that any noble who wanted to bring items to market had to get the Queen’s approval first.
“If I may, consult with Her Majesty before proceeding any further.” Angelica gave me a tense smile.
‘Should Mylene learn we had these heavenly sweets before her… I do not want to even think about it.‘
“Angelica is right! Talk with Queen Mylene first!” Clarice and Deirdre seconded, nodding their heads like bobbleheads.
Just like the women in my party, they looked adorable when flustered. Unable to help myself, I began laughing hysterically.
“Alright, message received, loud and clear. Before doing anything else, I will speak with our Queen.” I nodded. “How about we head over to speak with her after this stupid thing is over? Does that work for you, Angie, CC, and Dede?”
Their faces turned pale. Only one person called them by those nicknames, and it was the young woman sitting at the table with them. With embarrassed expressions, they gave Olivia a furious glare. She threw her hands up in surrender, only now remembering they had told her to keep those names private.
“Leon, I beg you, please do not use those nicknames in public. Our reputation among our fellow peers is already in tatters.” Clarice’s eyes began watering. “If they get wind of this, what little we have will disappear.”
“Just getting here today was already a tall order.” Deirdre slumped back in her seat. “Many of those we once considered friends and faithful followers have turned their anger on us. We have been acquitted of kidnapping Marie and her family, but that means nothing to our peers.”
Angelica looked down at her cup of tea, unwilling to speak on the topic. If they had asked, Leon would have straightened things out for them, but they were too proud. They did not want to drag him down alongside them.
My lip twitched with annoyance. “Who is bullying you? I will handle this matter now.”
“Leon, you do not—” Angelica’s words died in her throat.
“No, I must.” I turned to Solaris, giving him a nod. “You forget, the three of you are my fiancées. If someone harms you, it is my responsibility to deal with them. All I need you to do is accept my help and point them out. I will take care of the rest.”
The phrase “my fiancées” softened their expressions, yet a sharp tinge of bitterness mixed with their growing smiles. For their entire lives, they had longed to be acknowledged by their former partners. They had dedicated everything to those men, only for them to reject them with cold indifference. Yet Leon, someone they had been engaged to for only a short while, said it with absolute conviction. The realization that he was willing to go to war for them was a foreign experience, but it touched them deeply.
“Alright, Leon.” Angelica lifted her head, meeting my gaze. “We will do as you say.”
Clarice and Deirdre nodded. If Angelica had accepted their situation, they would follow her lead.
“I am glad we came to an agreement. Now then, I want to learn more about the three of you. Tell me a few things that no one else knows. For example, outside of what your family wants, what aspirations do you have for the future?”
It took the three a moment to think. Their entire lives had revolved around their betrothal partners. Now that their future was theirs to decide, they were not sure what to do. With no other choice, they posed the question to Olivia. Happy to share her plans, Olivia divulged everything without hesitation. For the next few hours, the four women chatted openly without concealing a thing.
---Three Hours Later---
As the clock struck one, the Academy staff went around to tell the men to clean up. I tossed the dishes and remaining snacks into my Item Box to deal with later. My duty completed, I gestured for the women to follow me to the palace.
“Can… can I really come with you?” Olivia’s legs wobbled like jello. “I am just a simple commoner. My presence would only upset her.”
“The Queen is a kind soul. She would never react that way to your presence.” Angelica dragged her along.
Olivia agreed to come, albeit hesitantly. We exited the building and began making our way to the Academy’s main gate. While we walked and talked, I noticed a familiar silhouette moving nearby. I turned to look at her, giving the battered woman an aloof smirk.
“What are you gawking at, asshole!” Marie shot me a venomous glare as she brought her wheelchair to a halt.
“You look far worse than you did the other night. Are you here to put on another show for us today?” I looked at her black and blue swollen face, along with her cast arm and legs.
Her lip twitched with fury. Marie wanted to unleash a torrent of curses on him, but the twitch sent shooting pains across her body. When the pain faded, she calmed herself before speaking.
“Hehe! Looks like you scooped up the crumbs Prince Julius and his friends left. What do you hope to gain by cozying up to those rejects?”
“Prince Julius and those pathetic fools were never worthy of Miss Angelica, Miss Clarice, Miss Deirdre, Miss Stephanie, and…” I tried to think of the fifth woman’s name, but nothing came to mind. “They were sacrificing their potential for those men. Now that they are unshackled, I will help them achieve things they never thought possible before.”
Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre held their heads high. The wounds Marie inflicted on them were still fresh. They remained deeply upset that she had destroyed their pride and ended their engagements, yet they refused to allow her to take anything more from them. With a reliable partner like Leon by their side, they wanted to live for themselves. The first step in that journey was putting this nightmare behind them, and from this moment on, Marie would only receive cold indifference.
“Let us keep moving, Leon.” Angelica tugged on his arm. “She is not worth our time anymore.”
“Well said.” I nodded, leading us toward the gate.
---3rd Person POV---
Marie watched as they flagged down a carriage and disappeared from sight. When the carriage faded into the bustling streets, her good hand gripped the wheelchair’s armrest with rage. She wanted to watch them suffer more, but they had not given her that pleasure.
‘Those stupid vixens! Just because you jump from one man to another does not make you anything special.‘ Marie gritted her teeth. ‘Once I am healed, I will push my plans forward and take that goody-two-shoes’ place as the Temple’s Saintess. With that power in my hands, no one will ever look down on me again!‘’
She was about to head to her next destination again when she felt a set of eyes upon her. The paranoid woman snapped to attention, looking around for the gawker, but only saw the guards at the gate. They were pretending not to notice her.
“Calm yourself, child. There is no need to be alarmed.” A seductive voice spoke into her mind. “If you do just as I say, you will have all the men and power you desire.”
A chill shot down Marie’s spine. It recoiled, screaming at her to flee and seek help. Yet her boiling rage drowned out the warnings, consuming her judgment as she pushed the desperate feeling down.
“Nothing in life is free. What is the cost of your help?”
“Hehe! Quite the sharp one, are you not?” The voice giggled. “In exchange for my help, I will need you to perform a few favors for me. They will not inconvenience you in the slightest, promise. Just things like acting as my messenger and getting close to a few prominent people.”
Marie’s face soured. She was not about to sacrifice her self-respect for some unknown person.
The voice sensed her hesitation, quickly correcting her. “Do not panic; I am not asking you to engage in any dirty deeds. All I want you to do is get close to them physically. If you get them into the same room as you, that is more than sufficient.”
“If it is only that, I can agree to your conditions. What do you need me to do first?”
---3rd Person POV End---
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