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At the noblewoman’s sudden words, the atmosphere inside the café instantly froze. The customers who had been filling the place murmured in shock, their eyes darting between the noblewoman and Sub-Baron Evit.
Sitting by the innermost window, Alexandra and I could not hide our bewilderment. As we watched Sub-Baron Evit slowly pick up the glass jar that had fallen to the floor, Alexandra recognized the proud woman standing upright and muttered,
“That woman is…”
“Do you know her?” I asked.
“Yes. She’s the Countess of Elland, a supporter of the Emperor’s faction.”
“The Emperor’s faction… Is her family close with Marquis Even?”
“From what I know, very much so. They serve as a vassal house.”
“I see.”
Hearing her explanation, I sighed inwardly and turned my attention to the Countess of Elland. So, it had finally come. As expected, Marquis Even wouldn’t just let things slide.
The countess stood tall and confident, wearing a deep green dress lavishly embroidered with floral patterns, her dark brown hair neatly pinned up. She didn’t seem the least bothered by the weight of everyone’s gaze. As if making sure she had everyone’s attention, she let her lips curl into a faint smile.
That looks like the smile of someone who’s sure of herself.
To act so brazenly in front of such a crowd—she must have come well prepared. I wondered, half anxious and half curious, what kind of scheme Marquis Even had set up this time, and continued watching the Countess and the sub-baron.
“Are you requesting a refund… of this product?”
Sub-Baron Evit, holding the glass jar in hand, asked with a slightly stiff expression. The countess caught his look and replied with a crooked smile.
“Yes. I bought this tea some time ago since this café’s products are the latest trend and came highly recommended. But when I tried to brew it, the leaves were in no state to be consumed.”
“Hmm…”
He peered into the jar at the tea leaves. From where we sat, it was hard to see clearly, but the leaves inside looked almost black, a dark navy.
Judging by the jar and the packaging, that must be Blue Rose Tea, our new menu item.
It was, without question, the café’s most popular product since opening, and the best-selling among all loose-leaf teas. The rare blue rose leaves themselves had novelty, but the taste was exquisite too, which boosted its success. Because of its popularity, Evit had taken special care with its packaging.
The tea was unusually sensitive to the environment, so the Werner family had been commissioned to craft special glass jars for storage, and even the boxes were carefully designed. Ours was the only establishment in the capital selling tea with such painstaking detail.
So yes, the product was unmistakably from Café Roland—but Evit’s face twisted as he examined the state of the leaves.
“As you can see, these leaves have no value as a product. When I opened the jar, the stench was overwhelming. How can you claim to manage your goods like this? To sell such garbage to customers is beyond comprehension.”
“…”
“I bought it because people said the flavor was unique and good, but I nearly harmed my health! I should sue this café immediately, but out of consideration for the person who recommended it to me, I’ll refrain. However, I expect a full refund as well as compensation for both the sale of a defective product and the mental and physical suffering I endured.”
The moment she finished, the café erupted into commotion again. Shocked customers, most of whom had been sipping Blue Rose Tea, set their cups down with ashen faces.
Some had even bought loose leaves themselves; on seeing the jar, they hastily tore open their boxes to check the contents inside.
What a filthy trick.
I bit back a scowl. If I was right, the leaves inside that jar weren’t from Café Roland at all. Even if they were, there was no way Evit would have let such a batch be sold.
All our tea was under his personal supervision, and anything like that would have been discarded long before packaging.
Judging from the intact packaging, either the leaves were swapped, or they were deliberately tampered with…
It was a classic tactic: tarnish the reputation of a famous product by planting a flaw, thereby ruining both the seller and the shop’s name. Without a prepared response, it would be hard to resolve.
But the Countess and Marquis Even had overlooked something: after my last warning, Sub-Baron Evit had fully prepared for just such a scenario. They also underestimated the depth of his passion and pride for his products.
Evit studied the jar quietly, then shifted his gaze to the countess. She flinched under his cold eyes, about to press him for an answer when he finally moved.
“Pardon me, may I have your name?”
“You don’t know who I am? Hah, this is why even among nobles, there are levels. Remember it well—I am the Countess of Elland.”
“I see. Please excuse me for a moment.”
Ignoring her haughty introduction, Evit turned his back. The countess clenched the handle of her parasol in frustration at his calm indifference.
He walked to the counter in the center of the café and retrieved something from the storage space. He returned holding two large, black account books.
“When exactly did you purchase the tea, madam?”
“A week ago.”
“A week ago… Ah, here it is. Yes, clearly recorded under Countess Elland. And the product purchased then was indeed Blue Rose Tea in a jar like this one.”
“So there’s proof I bought it. Now, will you issue the refund and compensation?”
“Of course. If this truly is our product, then not only a refund but proper compensation is due.”
“What did you say?”
The countess frowned at his loaded words.
“Are you suggesting these leaves are not from Café Roland?”
“Correct. The tea you brought is not ours. I can say with certainty it was never made here.”
“What nonsense! You confirmed in your own ledger that I bought it. And where else in this entire capital—or even the whole empire—can one find tea packaged in jars and boxes like these?”
“That is true. We went to great lengths with packaging precisely because Blue Rose Tea is a special menu item, exclusive to our capital branch. The same goes for its production.”
Handing the ledger to a staff member, Evit fetched one of the Blue Rose Tea packages from the display. He untied the ribbon, opened the box, and pulled out the glass jar inside.
“All our teas are stored in these specially made glass jars, designed to maximize preservation. Blue Rose Tea, in particular, is so sensitive to the environment that we use an even more specialized jar.”
The small, transparent jar glimmered faintly with a bluish tint. He held it forward so the bottom was visible.
“Leaves produced that day are sealed immediately. At the same time, the production date is engraved on the bottom. Blue Rose Tea keeps for a maximum of three weeks. If it surpasses that period or if anything is wrong with the leaves, the magic stone set inside the lid reduces the tea to dust.”
“Wh-what?”
“It’s all written in the product guide inside the box. You must not have read it… No, you could not have. Because what you brought is a counterfeit.”
“…..!”
“You went to great effort to mimic the real thing, but you cannot fool the one who makes it. The jar and box may look convincing at a glance, but there are subtle differences. For instance, the glass tint—up close, the fake’s color is noticeably darker.”
Leaning forward, I compared the two jars. Indeed, the genuine one had a faint, pale blue, while the countess’s jar was slightly darker.
So even the jar and the box were fake?
From my seat, I hadn’t noticed—the imitation looked perfect. The realization that both packaging and contents were forged left me stunned.
If the countess hadn’t come here directly today, but instead those counterfeits had circulated in the market intact, things could have spiraled into chaos far worse than now.
The countess’s once-proud demeanor was fading fast, her face growing pale. Evit inspected the leaves she had brought once more and spoke in a low, steady voice.
“You purchased a week ago. If this jar held our genuine tea, it could not have deteriorated like this in such a short time. Furthermore, the blue roses we use are specially sourced. Even if they wither or rot, their color and fragrance remain unchanged.”
“…”
“These foul-smelling, discolored petals cannot possibly be that flower. They never could be.”
His voice, sharper and more forceful than before, rang out across the café.
