Volume 6 Chapter 6 Patricia
Patricia's deep, clear green eyes stared at Al, making him feel nervous as he scratched his head in a flustered way.
"Lady Patricia, I'm glad to see you well."
"Yes, thanks to you, Sir Al. I'm happy to see you today. Please, have a seat."
Al was offered a chair that looked elegant with beautiful carvings. In front of it was a table covered with a pure white tablecloth, and a shiny silver tea set was placed on it.
"Uh, okay..."
As Al bowed to the Viscountess Tara and the knight Joanna around him, he sat down in the chair. The chair had a soft cushion covered with embroidered fabric, making it comfortable to sit on. While feeling a bit fluffy, Al noticed Patricia sitting across from him, with Viscountess Tara next to her. Both of them had a maid helping them pull out their chairs, and their movements were very graceful and natural.
Not sure what to do, Al looked around, and one of the maids placed a cup in front of him and slowly poured tea into it. The lovely aroma of the tea spread throughout the room.
"Wow, it smells nice."
Al couldn't help but whisper. At his words, both Patricia and Viscountess Tara smiled warmly. The tense atmosphere seemed to lighten a bit.
"Al, is this your first time having tea?"
"I think I might have experienced it in middle school... but I don't remember at all... I'm sorry."
Al quickly corrected himself. He thought he remembered that they had studied manners in class a few times, like drinking tea. However, Al believed he would never have such an opportunity, and he couldn't remember what the teacher had said at all.
"Don't worry about it. Well, you should hold the cup with one hand, and just don't slurp it loudly, that should be fine. Do you want sugar? You'll want milk, right?"
Sugar? Al thought that was such an expensive thing, but maybe that's how noble tea was. Not really knowing, he replied, "Please, whatever you think is best."
"Al is the same age as Naresh, right? Your father is a knight, isn't he?"
"Yes, he governs a small village in the Sipree Mountains. I'm the third son, but luckily, I get to go to middle school, and I'm in the same class as Sir Naresh."
Maybe Al's information came from the Adventurers' Guild. Or perhaps Naresh or Kane were the sources. While drinking tea, Viscountess Tara asked Al various stories about his adventures and what happened when he met Patricia. Al felt nervous about the way he spoke and the atmosphere around him, sweating a lot on his back as he tried to answer. Meanwhile, Patricia was watching Al with a smile.
"I understand, Al. Thank you for sharing so much. Starting tomorrow, you should come here at this time to drink tea. Lord Radyard's work can wait until after. I'll let him know. Is that okay with you, Lady Patricia?"
Patricia nodded several times. Viscountess Tara turned her gaze back to Al.
"Well, it seems the expedition team will set out in a week, so we have until the day before that."
Viscountess Tara nodded at Al's answer. For now, this should be enough.
"Well then, I'll take my leave."
Al said this as he stood up, wiping the sweat from his palms on his clothes. He then thanked Patricia and Viscountess Tara before leaving the room.
* * *
"He's only 15, so I guess it's understandable, but he seems a bit lacking in spirit and a little unreliable."
After Al left, Viscountess Tara sighed and murmured. However, Patricia smiled slightly and shook her head.
"Sir Al is very dependable when it counts. Meeting him was thanks to the guidance of Lord Tempest; it was fate."
There was something dreamy in her tone. Viscountess Tara shrugged her shoulders, just like before.
"Lady Patricia, you're quite taken with Al. It's good to see you cheerful, but you need to be more aware of your position as royalty... Lady Patricia, you do have a fiancé, right?"
At Viscountess Tara's words, Joanna nodded.
"Yes, the heir of the Marquis Taggart family. However, the princess has never met him."
"I see. The Marquis Taggart family is from the west, right? I wonder what happened there?"
At Viscountess Tara's question, Joanna shook her head.
"I don't understand. The territory ruled by Marquis Taggart is quite far from Count Senety, where we were. I have no idea what position they took in this political change."
Margrave Rain's territory is next to the Tempest Kingdom, but there is very little news coming in. Viscountess Tara, who is from the Tempest Kingdom and the Count Senet family, asked her husband, Viscount Lester, to find out more information. So far, she only heard that Marquis Prentis had taken control near the capital, but there has been no news from other areas.
"Well... that's a troubling situation. For now, we have no choice but to wait for more information to come in. Joanna, I'm sorry to ask you, a knight, but please help my maids get along with Lady Patricia quickly. It would be great if there's something other than Al that interests Lady Patricia..."
"Yes, I will look into it. Thank you, Mrs. Tara, for listening to the princess's request this time."
Joanna gave a polite knightly bow, and Viscountess Tara smiled graciously.
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