Act 9. Will There Be a Breakthrough?

I let out a sigh when I arrived back home, 'I resolved the problem with Max, but what should I do about the tea tasting party?' A novelty tea party. It was an easy thing in concept, but I honestly didn't have any confidence about it. 'If I spend too much money preparing for this tea party then my father might kick me out.'

It wasn't strange for me to be moved when the ladies at the tea party offered Merilyn some tea. In this world, the value of tea was extremely high. It was so expensive that middle-class people couldn't even dream about having it.

'What I drank today was white tea… which is more expensive than regular tea.'

There were many different types of tea which were divided by their acidity or how they were fermented. However, the raw material for each tea was the same; it was a tea tree called Camellia sinensis. Among the various types, white tea was made by collecting the sprouts that still had silver hairs on them, which meant that there was only a limited quantity that could be made. This was the reason why it was so expensive.

'I'll have to prepare a tea similar to that to avoid bringing disgrace to Rose…'

Although I no longer cared if my image was damaged, it was different for Rose because she had been gaining reputation in high society for a while now. If I invited people to a tea tasting party and served them average tea, then the people who'll find fault with my halfhearted attempt might criticize Rose as well.

'Is there any solution to this?' As I was thinking hard about the different things I could do, I heard a voice at the door.

"My lady, this is Merilyn."

"Come on in."

With my permission, Merilyn opened the door and came inside. In her arms, she held a bouquet made up of various types of flowers.

"Wow, they're pretty," I exclaimed.

Merilyn smiled and nodded. "Aren't they? I went out to the garden for something and saw how delightful they were, so I decided to bring some in to put in the vase."

"Yes, they certainly look wonderful." I stared blankly at the vivid flowers for a while when a thought suddenly came to mind.

'Wait, yes. That's it…!' I approached Merilyn and opened my mouth. "Merilyn, by any chance…"

Her eyes shined brightly as she nodded. "Of course. There's a lot of them."

I smiled with satisfaction at her answer. 'Alright. I may not be able to pass the test to become a member of the tea tasting party, but with this, I should be able to save face.'

* * *

The next day I tried to go for a walk early in the morning, but Merilyn stopped me from doing so. "My lady, you can't go on a walk in those clothes," she said.

"Why?" I didn't understand. Even though I was wearing a chemise, which was meant for indoor wear, I wasn't planning on going anywhere far away, just in front of my house.

"It won't be long before the sun rises. You must wear a gown and a hat to protect your delicate skin."

'It was true that I turned red if I stayed in the sun for too long because of my sensitive skin.' I understood her concern after hearing her explanation.

"Alright," I said.

Merilyn smiled softly at me when I accepted her request. "Then I'll get you ready."

I sighed as I watched her. 'I don't know why Merilyn can't leave me alone these days.' In the past, I clearly remember that she didn't interfere with anything I did, but now she was meddling in everything I did. I actually felt very awkward having someone take care of me and be concerned about me.

'Is it because I lived alone and away from my mom in my past life and am now an only child?'

Merilyn approached me with a gown and hat in hand. "I'll dress you up, my lady."

It was strange. She was treating me like a child, but instead of getting offended, I let out a laugh.

"Why are you laughing, my lady?" she asked.

"It's nothing," I said and looked at her. If she continued to act this way towards me, I knew I was going to get attached. I decided to hold back what I was going to say. Someday, I was going to leave this place and she was someone I would have to say goodbye to. It was better for me if I didn't become affectionate towards her.

"Thank you," I said once she finished getting me ready.

She smiled sweetly at my words of gratitude. "It's no problem."

I stared at her for a moment then lowered my gaze. 'Let's not get my hopes up. This way… I won't be hurt again,' I repeated silently.

* * *

I looked around the garden while walking with Merilyn. 'It seems that there are roses, pansies, and all kinds of other flowers.' Since it was early summer, the flowers were in full bloom, making them more beautiful than ever.

'Will roses and these flowers work?'

As I was about to cut off a rose stem with the flower scissors I brought, someone called out to me.

"What are you doing here?"

I looked back and saw Max staring at me. "Oh… When did you arrive?"

"Just now," he said with an irritated look.

I studied his expression and sighed. 'What is he upset about this time?'

He then pointed to the flower scissors I was holding. "Why are you holding something like that? It's dangerous."

'Dangerous? It's just a pair of scissors…' It was absurd for him to say such things, but I knew that he was going to keep bothering me if I didn't answer him.

"Oh… I wanted to pick some roses."

Max raised an eyebrow at my response. "Why would you do something like that when you can order someone below you to?" he asked, even though he was a commoner himself. His words reminded me of the fact that he was a difficult person to understand by my standards.