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Alexandra was staring at the teacup she had just set down with a rather peculiar expression. I noticed her eyebrows twitch slightly as she examined the flower tea in the cup.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Why hasn’t anyone invested in such a marketable flower tea and café until now?”
“Hm?”
I wasn’t sure what she meant at first, but I gave a casual reply to her sudden question.
“Well, Alexandra, you already know it’s because of Baron Evitt’s circumstances, right? It’s the power struggles among the nobles. To them, a mere ‘Baron’ title is nothing noteworthy.”
In my opinion, they were simply blind fools. Of course, one’s rank wasn’t meaningless in business, but it wasn’t everything either. Having a higher title was a bonus, but not having one wasn’t necessarily a problem. Many successful merchants had risen without noble status. In Evitt’s case, though, his tangled connections and poor situation had turned his baronship into a shackle. After all, he had abandoned his rightful inheritance and chosen the lesser title of Baron for himself.
“I understand that much. What I’m wondering is— even if Baron Evitt lost out in the investment race because of noble strife, I can’t imagine perceptive nobles simply passing on such a product.”
“That’s true. Not all nobles rejected him, after all…”
Baron Evitt was closer to the neutral faction by nature. Now that I was investing and Lucius was supporting him, he had naturally drifted toward the aristocrats’ side, but outwardly, he still stood as a neutral.
Alexandra thought for a moment, wrapping her hands around her teacup before speaking again.
“Even if it’s just in nearby Sinadelli, this product became so successful that its fame reached the capital. It’s already treated as a specialty there. In high society, Café Roland and its flower tea are always topics of conversation.”
“It’s definitely too good to just leave alone. Honestly, I wondered the same. Even if Evitt was ostracized, nobles eager for profit wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.”
“Exactly. And among the neutral nobles, there are plenty who could have invested. Yet no one stepped forward. Why? Even if the aristocratic faction was against him, neutral nobles had no reason to care. If anything, the more discerning ones should have seized the chance.”
“Yes… but since they didn’t, it can only mean someone deliberately blocked them from investing.”
If the nobles weren’t complete fools, they wouldn’t miss such a chance. Which meant it wasn’t that they overlooked it— they couldn’t. Someone had made sure no one invested in Baron Evitt.
But who, and why…?
Why deliberately sabotage his business?
As I pondered this over my half-empty teacup, Alexandra smiled faintly.
“I knew you’d catch on, Tiana. To be honest, I’ve been troubled by something lately.”
“Troubled?”
“You hadn’t been attending society gatherings for a while— with everything going on, and with your health too. During that time, I started going to different ladies’ and noblewomen’s gatherings, just out of boredom.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I didn’t restrict myself to any faction— I attended gatherings of aristocrats, imperials, neutrals, all of them. But the atmosphere felt strange.”
She took another sip of tea before continuing.
“There was one gathering in particular with neutral ladies and noblewomen. But after a while, some from the imperial faction showed up. And then they started talking about Baron Evitt as though it were the most amusing thing.”
“What did they say?”
“They talked about who he was, how he became a baron, what his café business was like… things like that. They didn’t openly bad-mouth him, but the conversations were subtly unpleasant. Oh— they also mentioned the foreign investor who backed him.”
“Really? What did they say?”
“Um…”
Her lively storytelling suddenly halted. She glanced between me and Lucius, hesitating. From the way she avoided Lucius’s eyes, I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be anything good.
Sensing her unease, Lucius spoke quietly, teacup in hand.
“What did they say?”
“…”
“Alexandra. It’s fine. Speak.”
“…They called the investor some ignorant, useless, ridiculous person who had nothing better to spend money on…”
Clack!
Lucius slammed his teacup down the moment her words left her lips. Alexandra flinched and averted her gaze from his hardened expression. After a tense pause, Lucius spoke again, his eyes sharp.
“And? That wasn’t all, was it?”
“They also said… that this foreign investor didn’t know their place.”
“…They dared say that?”
His low voice seemed to press heavily onto the table. Watching his dark expression, I sighed softly. I already knew enough to guess what Alexandra had overheard. If I didn’t stop him, he’d interrogate her on the spot about which ladies and noblewomen had spoken.
“Calm yourself, Lucius. They didn’t even know who the investor really was.”
“Tiana, but—”
“Yes, what they said was wrong. But rather than being angry at their words, we should focus on who’s behind it. Clearly, someone envies this ‘foreign investor.’ That phrase ‘not knowing their place’ makes it obvious.”
This wasn’t something that would just blow over. If such conversations had already surfaced in society, then low-quality rumors about the investor must have spread.
“Alexandra, you said imperial ladies and noblewomen attended those neutral gatherings? What about others?”
“Um… yes, it was similar in other neutral gatherings too. Imperials attended there as well.”
“And aristocrats’ gatherings?”
“I didn’t see imperials at those.”
“And their conversations— were they mostly the same as what you told us just now?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Then the hand behind this belongs to someone from the imperial faction.”
Just what kind of rat was hiding in the shadows, pulling strings like this? It was a contemptible move, but clever in its own way— the slowest, surest way to tarnish a reputation.
Lucius met my eyes and nodded in agreement.
“Anyone who managed to sway the neutrals like this isn’t ordinary.”
“Exactly. The fact that imperial ladies keep showing up in neutral gatherings means the rumor has already spread widely. They prepared this in advance. Quite thorough, aren’t they?”
“And since the neutrals haven’t restrained them, it means the imperials are already deeply shaking their ground.”
“Most likely. Whoever it is, they must have significant influence to push their way into the neutral faction like that.”
Not just anyone could rattle the neutrals. Even if weaker than the other two factions, they still maintained their own firm walls. Whoever had the power to breach those walls— that person wasn’t from an ordinary family.
“Lucius, do you have anyone in mind?”
“…There are a few nobles I suspect. But it may be dangerous to say here. Allow me to investigate further and report to you later.”
“All right.”
It was a relief that he had suspects already. I wanted to ask right away, but considering the setting, I restrained myself. Instead, I smiled faintly at him when he gently held my hand. Then I turned to Alexandra.
“Thank you for telling me. Otherwise, I might not have known.”
“No need to thank me. Society has felt unsettled lately, so I was paying attention. And when I kept hearing the same conversations at every gathering, I knew something was off.”
“You judged correctly. Since those words have spread, we’ll need to be cautious from now on.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
She smiled brightly, and I returned her smile.
But if the ‘foreign investor’ was being targeted, it meant Café Roland wasn’t safe either. Whoever that noble was, the investor’s chosen product would be their next target. After all, what better revenge than seeing the investment fail?
We wrapped up our discussion with Alexandra and passed the time with lighter conversation. About an hour later, while sipping a new blend of flower tea, I suddenly thought of something and summoned Baron Evitt.
“Your Grace, did Lady Werner not arrive yet?”
“Ah, no, not yet.”
He gave a slightly troubled nod. It was already past eleven, yet she still hadn’t shown. Could something have happened?
“Seems she’s running late.”
“I’ll inform you as soon as she arrives.”
“All right, thank you.”
As he stepped away, I carefully wrapped my hands around the new teacup. Its smooth, soft texture felt pleasant in my palms. This teacup too was a new product from the Werner family.
“This is strange.”
This time, I was the one to speak first. Alexandra tilted her head.
“What is?”
I looked at her, still admiring the new teacup.
“Angelica. I sent her an invitation for this morning, but she hasn’t come. She’s not the type to disregard the time.”
“Could something have come up?”
“Perhaps… but even if something urgent did happen, Angelica would have at least sent a message.”
Knowing her meticulous nature, she wouldn’t be this late without a word. Alexandra seemed to agree as she pursed her lips.
“You’re right. Lady Werner is far too thorough for that.”
“Something must have happened. We should try contacting her.”
Angelica had been just as excited as I was for today’s opening. This was also an opportunity to showcase the Werner family’s new products. For her to be this late— it didn’t make sense.
I was about to call Jane, who was waiting a short distance behind me, to send a message to the Werner estate when the sound of the entrance door opening reached us.
“…Isn’t that Lady Werner?”
“Yes, it is. But…”
The atmosphere quieted. When I turned toward the door, there stood Angelica, her face flushed, looking nothing like her usual self.
