Editor Group: Liber Reverie
But now that Mielle knew Annie could no longer send her back to prison without Aria’s permission, she chose not to listen to what she said, but to fight with her, looking angrily at her. Mielle, who had got the Inducing Flower, was no longer the former Mielle.
“Are you crazy!” Who are you staring at?”
That kind of behavior by Mielle roused Annie’s anger, and the relationship between the two became so bad that it couldn’t get any worse.
No matter how much Aria had allowed it, it was not an act to do with her master in front of her. After seeing Annie roll up her sleeves to see if she might even have a fight, Aria cut in between the two.
“Annie, I need you to help me get ready to go out. And, Mielle, can you get me a cup of tea this afternoon?”
“Yes…? Yes!”
Aria had always drunk tea, but there was only one reason why she asked her to prepare it. It was a signal to get ready and poison the tea.
Knowing this surely, Mielle replied with great joy.
“I’ll start getting it ready right away!”
“So be it.”
Then she disappeared like an air.
“… Why is Mielle preparing for teatime from now on?”
There was no visitor, and at best, Aria and some maids were all present. Annie’s expression was like asking, “Why are you making such a fuss?” A couple of hours was enough even if they prepared it very carefully.
Aria explained the reason for her inquisitive face.
“We will have a guest.”
“A guest?”
“Yes. A guest that Mielle would love very much.”
Annie, who was convinced of Mielle’s behavior when she heard she was going to have a guest, erased the question from her face.
“Ah, so it was. By the way, who the hell is the guest Mielle will like? Is there anyone like that?”
“There is, of course.”
‘Of course, Mielle doesn’t know the person will visit.’
“I need to have a tea time in the afternoon anyway, so I have to get moving busily. Can you help me get ready?”
“Yes! Miss. By the way, may I join you at the tea time, if you don’t mind? I am wondering who Mielle is waiting for.”
To Annie’s naive question, Aria answered with a smile of her own accord.
“Yes, do it. It’s nothing new.”
In the first place, the question was not worth worrying about because it was tea time, which would not be established without Annie. As Annie didn’t know it’s tea time to tease herself, she hummed, helping Aria dress up.
It was Baron Burboom’s building where Aria dropped by after being dressed up. There was no room to step in because of guests that flocked due to the Baron’s thriving business, students at the academy, and businessmen wanting to participate in the new gathering.
“… I am ashamed to serve you this way.”
The Baron bowed his head and apologized to Aria, as she opened her eyes wide when she got off the carriage because she didn’t know it was too crowded.
“No, you are taking care of my business, instead of me.”
But it was Aria, not Baron who had to apologize. Because he had helped Aria, who had been hiding from the beginning, with all his best, he naturally managed the people involved in Aria.
“It’s going to affect Baron Burboom’s regular work, so we’d better buy a suitable building.”
“I’m very fine. I don’t care.”
Perhaps he was worried about Aria’s care for nothing because of him, and Baron Burboom shook his head firmly and enthusiastically appealed that he was okay. “I’m glad Lady Aria didn’t bring Annie,” he replied with a small giggle.
“It’s not just because of the Baron. I feel the need for it. I can’t rent the Baron’s office forever.”
Because of the exponential growth in wealth, she needed someone to manage it; she would buy a new building, hire someone and he would manage her work and property.
“Then, shall I find out which building is good?”
“Do you have time to do that?”
“Of course, I do.”
‘I don’t think so.’ Annie’s grumbling came to her mind that the Baron was too busy to meet her. If was not only that, and as she saw the Baron’s building, she was sure because it was extremely crowded with people.
Aria shook her head slowly, thinking that his loyalty was too much. If she would leave her job to Baron Burboom, he would have to die from overwork.
“It’s okay. It’s not that difficult, and there is a building I’ve already thought about. I have something to do right now, so I’m going to buy it later, so I’ll decide slowly.”
Besides, it wasn’t today’s business. The purpose was to sign a document recommending a person to fill the vacancy in the imperial palace. This was because she had received an official letter asking her to recommend those who had performed well at the academy as low-ranking officials of the royal family.
And the list included Hans, who had been killed in a wagon accident in the past. However, he now achieved the best performance at the academy with Aria’s full support and his own efforts and became an important person who Aria was unable to keep away from. Furthermore, he was also close to Jessie.
Aria checked that his name was included in the document, and signed it with admiration that there were many things that had been changed because of the hourglass.
“Are you sending it to the Imperial Castle right away?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then please send another letter, too. I want you to send it to the Crown Prince.”
“… to His Highness?”
‘Why don’t you deliver it yourself?’ Aria, who read the question, personally explained why.
“I’ve got a schedule for this afternoon. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but it suddenly happened. So I want you to send both of them.”
“I see.”
As Baron Burboom had handled Aria’s business without saying anything, he sent his servant to the Crown Prince to deliver her letter.
In the meantime, while talking to promising businessmen about their business and working on her schedules, a letter from Asher arrived quickly.
[All right. But I’m a little upset because you found someone who’s not me, so I ask you to explain it later on and why.]
Aria laughed a little in the cute reply, and returned to the mansion, after finishing her schedule.
Mielle must have waited for Aria to come back, and the first face she saw as soon as the carriage stopped was none other than her.
“Mielle, are you ready?”
Mielle nodded with great joy at the question. “Yes! Of course. If I just bring the tea in, it’s over.”
“You know you have to control the amount, right? It’s going to be a big problem if it’s too much.”
“… don’t worry.” At the secretly whispering voice, Mielle replied confidently, “Just trust me.”
‘Well, you have to be careful. You don’t know who is going to drink that tea.’
While Aria changed her out-of-town clothes and rested for a while, refreshments were served at the garden table on the second floor. Normally they would unify the color of the cups at tea time, but this time it was a different color to indicate which tea was poisoned. Annie’s teacup was full of colorful flower decorations, and it was a colorful teacup she might like.
Mielle, who had poisoned the bottom of the teacup in advance, asked one thing to Aria for her successful plan. “Don’t let Annie see the empty teacup.”
At the words, Aria could tell how much poison Mielle had put on the teacup. If the purpose was to have an upset stomach, it would have been difficult to tell the difference with the naked eye. But the only reason she was saying that was because…
‘How regretful you will be when you find out later.’
Despite several warnings, Mielle chose to do so herself. Now that she had ruined her life by making the wrong choice several times, she would deserve to realize it now…
“It’s not difficult.”
It was a piece of cake. In addition, Mielle’s guilt could be heavy. Aria rose from her seat when she realized it was time after hearing a carriage outside the open window.
“Then, shall we go down to watch the fun sight you have prepared?”
Aria stepped forward, hoping for the last of Mielle, who had made a foolish choice until the end.
* * *
The table in the garden on the second floor was a little too small for tea time, perhaps because Mielle had fully prepared. It was also because it was not the purpose of enjoying tea in the first place.
Aria, who was the first to visit the garden on the second floor, took a seat after checking the poisoned teacup.
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