Chapter 34: Tea Party

Perda is a noble.

He was born into the Rosnova knight family.

His title was that of viscount, and he was a vassal of Duke Houston.

As he belonged to an honorable knight family, Perda received strict education in basic manners.

Although he was expelled from his family under the name of the fiancée of Duchess Valdrova, he managed to reach the status of a great noble by becoming an archmage.

Even so, Perda was far from being a sociable person.

In the Rosnova family, he had no opportunities for being an illegitimate child, and when he was an archmage, he rejected relationships with others.

‘He never touched anything that others prepared.’

After having been on the verge of being poisoned several times, he stopped eating anything prepared by others.

Even when his body could no longer die from poison, he remained the same.

Instead of strengthening human relationships, his strategy was to use them through hatred and then discard them.

That is why this was the first tea party in all of Perda’s life.

One hour before the tea party.

“This is the leisure hall where, after the marriage, Perda and my lady will be able to enjoy various activities. The tea party will be held here.”

Ruri first led Perda to the agreed place and explained everything step by step.

As it was Perda’s responsibility to escort, she familiarized him with the environment beforehand.

Perda directed his gaze toward the terrace.

“You can see the west from here.”

“It is designed so that you can focus only on leisure.”

Definitely, the feeling was different.

The demonic lands, with their gloomy tone even under the sun, made one sink into deep thoughts, but this place only conveyed tranquility.

It was perfect to relax while watching the sunset.

“And the tea party will take place here.”

Two chairs and a table placed to enjoy the view of the terrace.

On top there were two cups of tea, a tray with preservation magic, and a variety of decorated desserts.

Everything was showy and unfamiliar to him.

“What are these sweets?”

“Macarons, montblanc, pastries have various names. From among about 150 varieties of desserts that selected pastry chefs from the imperial family can make, I chose 20.”

“I see.”

Perda was about to let it pass, thinking it had been a great effort, but suddenly reflected on her words.

That she had selected them personally meant.

“Does that mean you tasted them yourself?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“All 150?”

When he emphasized it, Ruri frowned.

“I understand what you are thinking. Do you think I ate them on a whim?”

“Isn’t that normal?”

Perda answered honestly.

After having seen her eat honey enthusiastically in Escolea, he could not deny it.

Ruri frowned.

“You are being disrespectful. I prepared this tea party very carefully. I tasted everything once more to make sure I had not overlooked anything and selected the best. Not everyone can endure that effort, and yet you do not understand?”

It only sounded like she had eaten 300 desserts.

Her expression was so impassive that anyone would have fallen for it.

Even Perda, as distrustful as he was, would have believed that expressionless face.

If she had not made a decisive mistake.

“You have sugar on your lips.”

At those words, Ruri ran her finger over her lips.

White powder came off her mouth.

She looked at it for a moment and naturally brought it to her mouth.

“I only needed to check if there was poison. My lady would not fall to mediocre poisons, but Perda is human.”

“I see.”

“You do not believe me. Are you treating me like a pig?”

“How could you be a pig? Your loyalty is like that of a dog, if anything.”

Perda nodded slightly.

“You would be a pig-dog.”

“Please, let me hit you at least once. I beg you.”

Ruri showed an irritated face.

Perda did not like pain, so he had no intention of accepting.

At that moment, Ruri glanced at the sun and took a step back.

The time was approaching.

“I will go bring my lady. In the meantime…”

Ruri gave him a threatening look.

“Do not touch the tray.”

“Do not worry.”

Because I am not you.

Ruri left the hall to bring Valdrova.

Perda remained waiting calmly.

‘This will be the second time I see her.’

In his memories, he had only clearly seen her face once.

At the engagement, he barely saw her chin, and when she lost control of her ferocity, he was too busy to pay attention.

This would be their first real conversation.

‘The first time…’

A feeling of uncertainty came over him.

‘Where should I start…?’

He touched his lips.

If it were a normal meeting, it would be enough to go with the flow.

But this meeting was due to Valdrova’s anxiety.

And Perda did not have an answer for that.

That is why he had consulted an expert on the matter, Zed Swallow.

— That? Just pretend you don’t know anything.

Zed Swallow.

A man who, acting as a womanizer, had conquered many women.

— There is no need to explain it. It is enough to show it with actions. There is no need to ruin the atmosphere with heavy topics. Play dumb and lighten the mood.

Perda considered that it made sense.

Perhaps he should apologize, but it was not appropriate on an occasion like this.

‘Maybe the best thing is to act as if nothing happened.’

Not bringing the problem to the surface was also an option.

The important thing was that Duchess Valdrova would not feel insecure.

Perda prepared himself mentally and waited.

— My lady is entering.

Ruri’s voice was heard from outside.

The door opened.

Perda prepared to greet.

“Welcome—.”

He was left speechless.

Not even someone like Perda could avoid being unsettled.

Red hair and golden eyes.

A face so beautiful that not even a painting could capture it without offending it.

It was not there.

‘A dragon knight?’

The one who entered was a dragon knight.

A helmet and armor designed to awaken instinctive human fear.

Although in Perda that fear was replaced by confusion.

At the same time, he felt it was familiar.

‘Now that I think about it, it was at the engagement.’

It was the armor he saw when he left after spilling the engagement drink.

That meant the one inside was Valdrova.

Why was she wearing that armor?

Perda looked at Ruri behind her.

Their gazes met.

Ruri shook her head.

A clear gesture of “do not ask.”

Perda organized his thoughts and spoke politely.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, my queen.”

Then, her hands came together delicately, and the dragon-shaped helmet nodded slightly.

Her movements resembled those of a clumsy noble debutante.

Clang, clang.

She walked stiffly across the carpet and sat in front of Perda.

Creeeak—

The chair creaked.

Despite the weight of the armor, it did not break.

‘As if nothing…’

Perda recalled Zed’s advice and spoke.

“I am very glad that you proposed this meeting.”

A nod.

Only that as a response.

An awkward silence took over the place.

Everything seemed to have stopped.

Cold sweat, heavy breathing.

Perda spoke again.

“It is armor worthy of the power of a dragon.”

A nod.

She responded again only with a slight movement of her head.

“How have you been all this time?”

“……”

He brought up a topic that could not be avoided if he wanted to converse.

Valdrova made a circle with her thumb and index finger.

“Then you have been well. I am glad.”

A nod.

Perda felt like he was going to die.

He wanted to sigh to release the tension, but he did not even dare.

His chest burned with nerves, but it felt like a sealed pot, suffocating.

Meanwhile, Ruri poured tea into the cups, perfectly fulfilling her role as background.

At least he had to moisten his dry throat.

Perda took the cup.

‘Now that I think about it, does that helmet have an opening for drinking?’

He glanced sideways to see how she would do it.

Valdrova remained seated in silence, her gaze lowered.

“Can you eat or drink with that armor on?”

“……”

She touched her helmet, brushing it, and tapped near the lips.

Then she raised her head, as if she had just realized something.

It seemed she had not even thought about it.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you took it off?”

No, no!

She shook her head strongly.

Her determination not to show her face under any circumstances could be felt.

Even Perda, who was trying to act normal, began to feel overwhelmed by that uncomfortable atmosphere.

‘She proposed the tea party and doesn’t eat or drink…’

If at least they talked, it would be less awkward, but not even that.

‘She is definitely upset.’

Valdrova had made Perda think that he was tiring her.

And even so, he was joking as if nothing had happened.

It was truly pathetic.

So he decided to apologize.

“I am sorry.”

Clang!

Valdrova’s armor trembled.

“I dared to cause concern to Your Grace, and even so I have been joking like this. It was a miserable thought. I should have apologized first…”

— …

“You may criticize me if you wish. I was the one at fault, so whatever you say—”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

Perda was startled.

The voice echoed inside the helmet.

The contrast in tone was already noticeable, but what truly surprised him was something else.

The voice itself.

From inside the helmet came a deep voice, like that of a warrior.

“It’s just…”

Valdrova also seemed surprised by her own voice and covered the mouth part of the helmet.

“It’s just… I… don’t speak… it’s not because I’m angry, nor because Perda did something wrong.”

The head of the terrifying dragon knight fidgeted shyly with her fingers.

“I-it’s just that I can’t talk with Perda… that’s why I… couldn’t respond…”

“Ah.”

Then Perda remembered something.

What Ruri had told him at the engagement.

‘Social phobia.’

People were difficult for her.

Of course.

He knew that, and even so had thought she was upset.

He had been so focused on himself that he had forgotten that about her.

“I am sorry. I was careless. Forgive me.”

“No… I am the one who is sorry… I called you and then stayed silent…”

“No, it was me…”

They apologized to each other until the conversation abruptly stopped.

In that heavy atmosphere, Perda did not dare to speak.

He even thought about looking for some spell to break the silence.

“Ehm…”

Valdrova, with difficulty, resumed the conversation.

“I… put on this armor…”

Perda waited for her to finish.

“Ruri… said that my expression shows a lot.”

Perda tilted his head.

“You mean that your expressions show?”

“If I am in human form… they say everything shows on my face. Then… when I see Perda, I don’t know what expression I am making…”

She hesitated, but finished the sentence.

“That’s why I put it on.”

The ending slipped out and she covered her mouth with both hands.

“It’s… very foolish… right?”

The warrior’s voice trembled with fragility.

Her behavior made it clear.

How difficult it was for her to hide her emotions.

‘Truly…’

Not being able to hide it meant purity.

That is why, even if she covered herself with armor or used a heavy voice, she could not hide what she felt in her heart.

‘She is beautiful.’

That is why she was beautiful.

Perda responded.

“It is not. I also… even now… am trembling.”

Valdrova raised her head and looked at him.

He could feel her gaze scanning him.

“That is a lie.”

Valdrova said.

“Huh?”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t seem so calm… I stutter and all that… but Perda seems fine.”

“It is because I want to make a good impression. I am pretending not to tremble.”

“Is that so?”

She reacted as if she did not understand.

Valdrova had shown her embarrassment, so now it was Perda’s turn.

“Lately I have not seen you because I was also afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“My mana contains darkness.”

“Darkness…?”

“Yes. My mana contains darkness. That is why I was worried that that darkness might harm you. And because of that…”

Perda looked at her again.

His blue eyes shone like sapphires.

“I did not have the courage to see you.”

“……”

There was no response.

Valdrova fidgeted with her fingers, clenching and unclenching her fist repeatedly.

As if trying to contain something growing inside her.

“Perda…”

And then, with a restrained voice.

“Were you worried about me?”

“Yes. Was that presumptuous of me?”

“No… that… makes me a little happy…”

Then he saw it.

All that behavior was that of a delicate girl.

“Does that make you happy?”

The intimidating helmet nodded slightly.

“Until now, I never thought that someone would worry about me… aside from Ruri. People think I am strong. And I am. But… Perda, you fear that I might get hurt, right? That’s why… somehow, that makes me happy.”

She placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm her emotions.

“What Perda gave me that time…”

That day when she suffered from a ferocity she could not control,

“What I felt… was something I had never felt before.”

Valdrova recalled that moment with a voice full of emotion.

“Something warm and soft running through me… I think if someone hugged me, it would feel like that. Something like that can’t hurt me, right?”

“I-is that so…?”

“Yes.”

Her hands moved restlessly again.

Her legs intertwined nervously.

Despite her solemn tone, her gestures were clearly those of a young woman.

“Just being like this… already makes me very happy. This moment where I am in front of you, Perda… makes me very happy… so much that…”

Valdrova’s voice suddenly cut off.

“Ah.”

As if she had become aware of something she had not noticed.

“Are you alright?”

“I-I’m sorry, but… can I… stand up…?”

“Huh?”

“I-it’s just… I… if I stay like this… I think I’m going to… scream… and that would be a bother… I-I’m sorr…”

Valdrova trembled, not knowing what to do, and then—

“I’m sorryyy!”

She apologized and immediately jumped from the terrace.

Perda and Ruri looked down in silence.

At a glance, the height was abysmal.

But neither of them thought that Valdrova could be harmed.

Ruri, who had remained like mere background, spoke.

“Well, with this we can consider the tea party a success.”

She took a dessert from the tray and brought it to her mouth.

Perda observed the place where she had fallen and reflected on her words.

‘Yes.’

And then he understood.

‘Valdrova is a woman that simple.’

A pure woman, incapable even of properly looking at her fiancé’s face.

And even so, carrying that burden, she had forced herself to act like a queen.

‘But the world is not so forgiving.’

That he also knew.

Even that simple happiness was too much for her, as if the world tried to crush her.

The beasts that lunged, the corruption of the empire, her past, everything pressed on her without rest.

‘I made a promise.’

To protect what she loves, and to make real what she had always desired.

That the name of Valdrova would cease to be synonymous with fear and become one of joy.

For that, what Perda needed was determination.

‘Sometimes, with resolve.’

If necessary, with cruelty.

The fear of hurting her could no longer make him hesitate.

His sense of duty became fuel and ignited his extinguished heart once more.

***

The next day, Perda called Zed and told him his plan.

After hearing it, Zed asked.

“Are you in your right mind?”

It was quite a rude question, but surprisingly it was the most moderate thing he could say after thinking it through.

That was how absurd Perda’s plan was.

“You’re saying you’re going to rob the empire’s warehouse?”