Shadow Queen

Chapter 47

This is because it was an impromptu answer that she had never heard from Sian in the past.

“The water is boiling.”

“Yes? Oh!”

Surprised, Elena tried to grab the silver kettle reflexively, but was surprised by the heat transmitted at her fingertips and pulled away her hand. Her hand was tingling because it was so hot.

“Are you all right?”

“Fortunately, I don’t think I burned myself.”

“I’ll do it.”

Sian rolled the silver kettle around the canvas on the desk and put it down under the brazier.

“I’ll do it now. You asked for a cup of tea, didn’t you?

Elena, who was embarrassed by a mistake she had never made before, quickly took over the silver kettle and transferred boiling water to the manifold. It was to cool it down to the most suitable temperature for the black tea leaves brought today while maintaining the same temperature.

‘What an ironic thing. I can only make tea after I become someone else.’

Sian, the emperor of her past life, enjoyed tea. Among them, he preferred the deep taste and aroma of black tea from the eastern continent, which was served across the sea. Elena, who became the queen, had cooked tea for the Sian. She tried to express her sincerity toward Sian, not her ostentatious etiquette when he said “mindfulness.”

Those who tasted Elena’s own tea praised it in unison. It was also often said that young people in society should see and learn.

Once, was it? He didn’t even look at it. Even the mixing of words was contemptible, but the tea party was too much. But now that the couple’s relationship has been cut off, and they were completely strangers, she couldn’t believe they were having tea together for the first time. She wondered if there was more contradiction and discord than this.

“Did you learn tea ceremony formally?”

“It’s a basic thing that a lady should know.”

Sian sat silently in his chair watching Elena. She was close to perfection, from the small preheating process to the height of pouring water, the tea leaves sprinkling to scatter, and the process of throwing away the first water.

“Here you are.”

Elena poured out a cup of tea with a clear yet deep aroma. Sian, who took the cup of tea elegantly, first enjoyed the tea with the incense, and tasted the deep depth of black tea with tea water. Although he was cool, he did not drink it aloud even though it was still hot tea.

“…”

What is this? Elena looked at Sian’s reaction with a bit of nervousness.

“It’s amazing.”

Sian’s first words, when he tasted only two sips of tea, were admiration.

“Does it suit your tastes?”

“Did you say tea ceremony was a basic skill?”

“Yes? Yes, I did.”

“What a humbling remark. It’s a deep taste that I’ve never tasted in the palace before.”

“…!”

Sian lavished praise on each sip of black tea. He also quickly offered an empty cup of tea as if he were proving that it was not an ostensible thing.

“Can I have another drink?”

Elena filled the empty tea cup with a half-way face. Sian savored the black tea in an elegant and disciplined manner in accordance with tea ceremony. He really wouldn’t be able to do that if Elena didn’t fit his taste. It was noticeable that he enjoyed the tea very much.

‘You’re lying, aren’t you.’

Elena couldn’t believe the current situation. In her past life, she went mad to attract Sian’s attention. But he didn’t give a single glance. As if such a past life was a lie, Sian praised Elena by drinking black tea. When Elena kept blanking out, Sian asked.

“Won’t you drink?”

“Oh! I’m going to drink it now.”

Elena poured tea water into a teacup and sipped. Despite the tea that was personally brewed with her favorite teacups and high-end black tea, it was hard to tell whether it went into her nose or mouth.

‘That’s enough. I don’t have a grain of regret left with this.’

Elena wanted to thank God if there was one. By treating Sian with her own tea, she was able to let go of her lingering feelings.

Elena, who felt relieved, raised her chin. She had the courage to look into Sian’s eyes, which she had never looked straight into.

‘May the Empress be happy.’

She wanted to wish him happiness now because the time she loved him was more precious compared to anything else.

The tea in the multi-pipe ran out of water without a break. She didn’t bring a lot of black tea leaves in the first place, so she couldn’t make more.

‘How long are you going to be here?’

Sian did not turn until the tea water exposed the floor. The awkward silence was prolonged because there was no subject to continue the conversation. Whether such discomfort was her exclusive property, Sian left behind and took a leisurely tour of the studio.

“He’s very late.”

“I see.”

“…”

Elena closed her mouth at the silence that came back. It was not easy to continue the conversation to the extent that it seemed like this person was a wall.

‘I can’t do it anymore.’

Unfortunately, she thought it would be better to go back after this today.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to see him today… So I’ll come back next time.”

Elena wanted to escape the awkwardness as soon as possible, so she hurriedly put the tea sets in the basket and prepared to go back.

“Your Grace, I’ll be on my way first.”

“Where are you going?”

Sian asked, looking at Raphael’s canvas hanging on the wall.

“… The library. I have to stop by.”

She had to go to the library for the disguise, and she had to come out with May to bring out the tea ceremony set. By now, she would be working outside the academic institute, so they planned to return to the dormitory together in time for her return. That way, Anne’s doubts could be avoided.

“That’s great. I’m on my way to the library, so let’s go together.”

“T-together with Your Highness?”

Elena asked back. She was embarrassed when he asked him to go with her after even showing her nuance.

“Is there a problem? I remember seeing you for the second time in the library.”

Sian embarrassed Elena with his insensitive eyes and speech. That’s why Sian was difficult because he kept acting out of common sense.

“Are you going to stand there?”

“That’s…”

Elena blurted her words. She didn’t want to accompany him. It was uncomfortable, and she wanted to stay quiet as if she didn’t seem to be there while disguised as Lucia if possible.

‘If we go outside like this, I’ll get attention.’

Sian was the crown prince who would lead the empire in the future. Of course, the women he spoke to were forced into the mouths of people. Elena didn’t want that. Ren alone was too much, but it could be hard to pretend to be Lucia if she was out in other people’s eyes.

“What’s wrong? Do you have anything to say?”

“…”

“Or I’ll just go.”

At Sian’s urging, Elena followed suit and left the studio. As the two people who left the annex walked side by side, the eyes of the students were concentrated regardless of gender.

“Look over there, it’s Your Majesty the Crown Prince.”

“Who’s the woman next to him?”

“I’ve never seen her before? Are those real glasses… even though they look so tacky?”

“Oh, it looks like she’ll fall apart. No matter how much you say it’s in the academy, you have to filter out kids like that.”

The situation that Elena feared quickly became a reality. Unlike boys who just stop out of curiosity, girls were eager to downplay whoever it was if they could get Sian’s attention and become empress.

‘You said the empress suffered a lot when she was in school. This is why.’

A laugh came out of the eyes of the female students who were staring at her as if they were going to eat her. A human being is so shrewd. If she revealed that she was Princess Veronica, those who couldn’t even make eye contact with her now wouldn’t be looking at her and trying to eat her.

‘I can ignore them, but the problem is Ren. I hope we don’t bump into each other.’

In the meantime, she had no chance to run into Ren because she traveled to the western annex on a road that nobody used anymore. However, on the way now, students went the most, and it was crowded. There is no choice but to have a higher chance of bumping into Ren.

“Your black tea was very delicious.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

While walking toward the library, Sian praised Elena as if the deep taste of black tea did not go away.

“That’s why.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Can I have your tea again next time?”

“…!”

Elena stared at the proposal saying the following, but didn’t know how to answer. Every word and every action Sian said right now was confused with the appearance in Elena’s memory. Eventually, Elena couldn’t answer Sian’s request until she reached the library.

“Well, Your Highness, I’m off…”

It was time for Elena, who wanted to wrap up this uncomfortable trip as soon as possible, to say goodbye.

“What kind of combination is this?”

Elena’s face was darkened by the unexpected sound of him coming in. She turned her head in the hope that it wouldn’t be, and there stood the worst man. It was Ren.

“Does our freshman have talent? It’s not anyone else, but Your Highness.”

Ren looked at Sian and Elena alternately with a grinning face and mocked them. It wasn’t something he could do in front of Sian, who would take the throne in the future, but this lunatic didn’t seem to care about that. Elena’s mouth was burning when the worst she feared became a reality.

“Hello, Ren. I see you again.”

“Who are you?”

“What?”

“Why is it so hard to find your face.”

“Oh, it’s kind of weird, isn’t it? The academy is a bit wide, so…”

Elena, sweating around, could easily infer that Ren was looking for her with just a few words of conversation.

‘What should I do?’

Ren alone was too much, but she was with Sian next to her. She had to pass the situation wisely somehow, but she couldn’t find a way. Under such circumstances, the words of Sian, who had been silent, were opened.