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Cre-eak—
“Your Grace, Your Grace, the Duke and Duchess, we have arrived.”
The carriage came to a stop, and one of the knights accompanying the escort opened the door. Stepping out slowly while receiving Lucius’s escort, a familiar two-story building appeared before me, its design and atmosphere immediately recognizable.
After hearing Baron Evit’s account, I had taken the time to come to the enemy’s territory directly, and as expected… The new café of Marquis Even in front of me resembled Café Roland’s capital branch almost perfectly.
I couldn’t help but frown at the thought behind constructing an identical building. I had wondered just how similar it would be, but this could easily pass for a twin building.
“Indeed… it’s remarkably similar.”
Instead of Baron Evit, whom we had met two days ago, Lucius—who had accompanied me today—commented after observing the building. He furrowed his brow as he spoke further.
“Even if they used the same contractor, it would be believable. The intricate details and finishing touches on the building are exactly the same.”
“True. Even the wooden signboard and the bell at the entrance are identical.”
“When he said he was opening a flower tea specialty shop, I half-suspected, but I didn’t expect it to be this identical… Marquis Even has made a rather audacious move.”
“Indeed. He’s no ordinary opponent.”
It hadn’t been long since he had disrupted business with counterfeit products. Soon after, he opened this new café, so preparations must have started long before.
Perhaps it had been planned from the beginning: using counterfeit products as a disguise to disrupt business while secretly preparing to open this café. The ultimate goal was, after all, to launch a new café aimed at Café Roland’s capital branch.
Using such a bold tactic right away… he’s no ordinary person.
Whether in politics or business, his ambition was immense. I wondered how someone like him could have gone unnoticed for so long in the original story. Even if the author intended him to be that kind of character, suddenly appearing as a villain in the conclusion without any foreshadowing felt somewhat abrupt. A bit lacking in plausibility, if I were honest.
Well, whatever the case, it’s useless to dwell on the original story now. Whatever reason Marquis Even awakened earlier than in the original, what matters is the current situation.
He had already shaken the neutral nobles, consolidated power, and opened a new café to interfere with Baron Evit and me, his investor.
For now, the task was to respond methodically to the situation before us. That was why I had come to scout the enemy’s position today. If only there were something here to use against Marquis Even…
“One of you follow me; the rest stay on standby.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The captain of the knights at the front answered Lucius, and the others saluted before moving to one side with the carriage. I smiled and nodded at the knights who had braved the heat, then walked with Lucius toward the entrance.
Ding-dang—
Passing through the door held open by the captain, we entered the café, the refreshing chime of the bell echoing as we stepped inside. The staff, visibly shocked by our entrance, were left behind as we slowly surveyed the interior.
Unlike Café Roland’s capital branch, which had seating on both sides of a central entrance, the entrance here was at the far left, making it easy to see the entire café from the doorway. There were fewer visual obstacles than I expected, and the open space felt remarkably spacious.
The interior is larger than I imagined. I thought they would copy everything exactly, but it seems they added slight differences toward the back.
Otherwise, the overall atmosphere was similar to the capital branch—no, from the outside, it seemed identical, and inside it appeared even more so.
“W-welcome, Your Grace, Your Grace, the Duke and Duchess. It is an honor to have you visit our flower tea specialty shop, ‘Allerre.’”
A man who seemed to be the manager approached Lucius and me, speaking with visible nervousness as I casually surveyed the interior. He seemed completely unprepared for our visit. Naturally, it was rare for a noble couple to visit a café newly opened by Marquis Even at this hour—a highly improbable occurrence.
It was just past 11 a.m. We had breakfast at the mansion and departed shortly afterward. There was a reason I had chosen this particular time.
I wanted to check when there were an appropriate number of customers. Before lunch, a few patrons would come for morning tea. At Café Roland’s capital branch, this time would still be crowded, but here, there were just enough customers—about ten or so.
“This way, please. I’ll guide you to the best seats.”
“Understood.”
We followed the manager, his face tense, toward the inner seating area. The café patrons’ eyes were fixed on Lucius and me, their gaze unyielding. Our visit had clearly caught their attention.
Normally, I wouldn’t visit Marquis Even’s café. But this is a special circumstance.
Normally, a noble like me and Lucius would never step into a café run by a pro-Emperor faction noble. But this time, it was necessary, and so we had no choice but to go personally.
It was awkward for Baron Evit to visit himself, and he had to remain at the capital branch. I had considered sending a proxy after consulting him, but in the end, I decided to go myself.
I was curious to see how they had made it, and it seemed wise to observe directly—and perhaps have a cup of tea while I was at it.
Alexandra was busy with preparations for Rael and Angelica’s engagement and wedding, so she couldn’t accompany me. I had originally planned to come alone. But for some reason, last night Lucius insisted on accompanying me.
“Let’s go together. I’m worried leaving Tiana alone there.”
“We’ll just check it out and have tea, that’s all.”
“Still… there’s a chance we might encounter Marquis Even. Now that the captain has returned, we should go together.”
“…Very well.”
I couldn’t stop Lucius once he made up his mind. Somehow, he seemed more sensitive when it came to matters involving Marquis Even. Even bringing along the recently returned captain suggested as much.
Among the knights waiting outside was also the vice-captain. Come to think of it, the knights escorting us today were all senior members of the Duke’s order. Normally, only highly skilled knights would be assigned to my protection, but today was even more special. Lucius clearly showed caution toward Marquis Even.
“This way, please.”
The manager led us to a central seat in the café. Sunlight streamed in just enough, while the ceiling lights cast a soft glow on the table, creating a cozy and elegant atmosphere.
Being at the center meant all eyes were on us, but it was ideal for surveying the café. I nodded at Lucius, who had pulled out my chair. I smiled at him, took a seat, and he sat opposite me.
Once we were seated, the manager, still stiff, carefully placed the menu before Lucius, forcing a polite smile.
“Thank you again for visiting ‘Allerre.’ We have a special flower tea menu available only at the main branch. Please refer to it when choosing your tea.”
“What is the special menu?”
“Ah… the special menu is at the top of the first page. It features flowers in season. This week’s special is Lavender Flower Tea.”
“Lavender, huh…”
Opening the menu as he instructed, the first thing I saw was the week’s special menu—exactly like the seasonal menu from Café Roland’s main branch in Cindelle. While the main branch rotated monthly, this café rotated weekly, but otherwise, it was an exact replica. They hadn’t just copied the capital branch—they had taken the main branch’s offerings as well.
I couldn’t help but laugh lightly to myself, both impressed and annoyed. I composed myself and said to Lucius:
“This week’s special… I want to try it. What do you think, Lucius?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Then two Lavender Flower Teas, please.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
The manager hurried off with the menu. He entered a door near the counter, likely the preparation area for the teas.
That must be where they prepare the teas.
It didn’t seem to be an open kitchen like the capital branch. I wondered how the important flower teas would be served. While waiting, I turned to Lucius.
“Lucius… what do you think of this place?”
“It strongly feels like an intentional copy of the capital branch. Everything resembles it—it could be called a second branch.”
“Exactly. We haven’t tried the tea yet, but we can make an educated guess. From the exterior, interior, to the menu selection… if they copied everything this closely, the tea itself should be similar as well.”
“Since Marquis Even opened it with confidence, the taste is probably quite close.”
“Evit Baron’s skill is not easily replicated… I’m curious to see how close it really is.”
The packaged teas from the capital branch were readily available, so acquiring Baron Evit’s tea wouldn’t be difficult. The real question was how accurately Marquis Even could reproduce the quality and taste. Did he find someone as skilled as Baron Evit?
Ten minutes passed. The tea took longer than expected to prepare, since they were brewing it fresh.
To pass the time, I remembered something I needed to discuss with Lucius.
“Lucius… I have something to tell you.”
“Yes. What is it, Tiana?”
I smiled gently, seeing a hint of relaxation on his face, and spoke:
“Have you heard about Baron Tibben’s daughter? I heard she died in an accident on her home estate…”
As I began, Lucius’s expression froze for a moment.
“…Tiana, how do you know about her?”
The low timbre of his voice betrayed a trace of surprise.
