Run away 14

Chapter 14

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Placing the strainer inside the two teacups, Rosette lifted the lid of the glass case and poured the tea leaves into the teacups, the floral scent wafting into the air and relaxing her tense mind.

Then she picked up the teapot, which had magically boiled water, and poured it over the leaves.

It was a familiar act that she did every day, but she felt herself stiffen as Theodore's gaze fixed on her.

The teapot was quite heavy, filled with hot water, and Rosette's hand trembled slightly as she held it.

"Give it to me."

Theodore, who had been watching her the whole time, took the teapot from Rosette's hand.

For a split second, she felt the hand that had touched her heat up. Rosette's ears flushed slightly, but she managed to keep her composure.

Long fingers wrapped around the handle of the teapot and slowly poured hot water into the teacups.

His actions seemed nonchalant at first glance, but on closer inspection, he was delicately pacing himself.

"Is this how you do it?"

"Yes, more slowly."

As she watched him, Rosette suddenly felt her mind snap back to reality at the sound of his voice.

Rosette swallowed hard as she realized that the handsome man's action was somehow stunning in its own right.

She could feel herself relaxing, perhaps because of the gentleness of his behavior, which was out of character for his somewhat abrasive temper.

When Theodore had finished pouring the hot water, he took the teacup and sniffed the aroma several times before taking a sip, his throat moved slightly and his lips, too red for a man, glistening with the tea.

Rosette couldn't help but stare at his full lips.

And the memory of that day came flooding back.

The events of the day that had come so quickly, like a chain reaction in her memory. The lewd kiss she'd shared with him, drunkenly, had come back to her in a flash.

"It smells good."

His lips parted as he continued to describe the tea. His tongue, too, was ruddy, as if it had been ground from a rose.

Rosette's recollected face and gaze showed her puzzlement, and Theodore smiled as if he could read her mind.

Rosette's accent rose in pitch as she lowered her gaze in surprise at his reaction.

"It is, isn't it? It was my favorite tea during my time in the kingdom, so I'm sure it will suit your taste as well."

"I've never tasted it before."

"That's because it's tea from a warmer region, and our kingdom doesn't have many seasons."

"But the flavor is somewhat familiar."

"How perceptive of you. Ever since it was discovered to be good for insomnia, not only lavender tea has been made, but perfumes and oils and things like that, and the largest exporter was the Kaisen Empire, so you must be familiar with it."

"I see."

"Yes. It's also good for your health, and I like to drink it after a fatty meal to aid digestion and freshen up my mouth."

At his interested response, Rosette eagerly began to explain. The atmosphere in the carriage, which had been somewhat stiff, was now filled with the warmth of the tea.

"Interesting. You seem to enjoy tea quite a bit, don't you?"

"Why, if you like it, you'll know it naturally, that's why."

Theodore's gaze was fixed on Rosette's face as if nails had been driven into it by the bubbly tone of her voice and her cheerful expression. Even though he couldn't hear what she was saying or how she was saying it, the act of talking to someone about their interests intrigued him.

And somehow that wasn't a bad thing, so he listened quietly.

Encouraged by Theodore's reaction, Rosette began to talk about herself, as if the floodgates had opened.

"The Kingdom of Hercia is called the Land of Gastronomy, and it's not just tea that's delicious. My mother told me that there was a food I hated when I was a kid, but when she changed the recipe, I thought it was something else and ate it right away. It's really interesting, isn't it? There are so many different kinds of seasonings, and so many different recipes. If you get a chance, you should try it sometime......."

Rosette stopped herself from saying the words that were about to come out of her mouth. The words had nearly escaped her throat as she wished they could try the food of her homeland together.

Her words were inappropriate, as they were not that close, and once the deal was done, they would never see each other again.

Realizing it, Rosette trailed off and was silent for a moment before speaking up.

"Ah... I don't think we'll have a chance with food... and if you don't mind, I could bring you some tea from my room, I have a few more varieties than just this one."

"Sure."

Rosette smiled up at him, feeling confident by Theodore's positive response. There was no reason for her to be nervous and shaky when he was treating her so casually.

She was destined to be with him anyway. She could just chalk it up to an accident.

"You're finally looking better."

"What?"

"You've been so stiff lately. You've been avoiding me all the time."

The nuance was that he knew she'd been avoiding him. His tone sounded sad which made it all the more confusing.

"Avoiding you? I think it’s your mood."

"You should know better."

Even pouting? Surely Rosette was mistaken, but her instincts kept telling her otherwise.

Besides, the fact that he was now in the carriage was also questionable. It would only make sense if he was unhappy that Rosette had been avoiding him.............

"Is it because of the kiss?"

"Ah!"

His direct words caused Rosette to spit out her tea. Theodore's face was splattered with a mixture of her saliva and tea water. At the sight of his tea-soaked face Rosette was mortified.

"Ah, my, I'm so sorry."

Theodore, suddenly caught off guard by the tea spewing from Rosette's mouth, reached into his cloak and pulled out a handkerchief. It was a dark silk handkerchief that matched him well.

"Let me wipe it off for you."

Rosette snatched the handkerchief from his hand and began to carefully wipe his face. She was terribly embarrassed by the amount that had splashed out, and she wiped more thoroughly.

He was a man with swords and fought battles but his skin was poreless and smooth, and up close, it was even more porcelain clear and clean. His eyes were even more enchanting than Rosette's, with their long eyelashes. A tall nose, and lips as glossy as the finest freshly picked fruit.

The heavens were unfair, but perhaps not so unfair, for this man had a very dirty personality.

But Rosette didn’t think he'd ever treated her that badly... Perhaps he was being nice because he needed her.

As Rosette's mind raced with thoughts, Theodore suddenly opened his eyes, nearly causing her to stumble backward.

"Have you finished watching?"

"Oh, my God. What, what?"

"My face."

And now he knows mind reading? Rosette scrambled back to her feet, her heart racing.

"It was, uh, an accident of sorts... yeah, a bump in the road."

"Well, I seem to recall that the contact was quite prolonged......."

Rosette interrupted him, realizing that every time he opened his mouth, he'd spew out something hot.

"Here, have another cup. It'll help you sleep better."

Rosette's face was flushed, first from her earlobes and now to the nape of her neck. It was an honest reaction that Theodore was tempted to tease her further, but the way her clear eyes looked as if she might cry if he said any more, he thought it best to leave it at that. At her request, Theodore closed his eyes tightly.

"Tea's fine. I’ll close my eyes for a moment but I don't want you to attack me again while I'm sleeping."

"What? No, no one will attack you."

Rosette waved her hands in the air, feeling the heat in the carriage. Theodore watched her fidgeting and muttering to herself, "Oh, my God, how crazy," and then he chuckled. She looked back at him with a puzzled expression, but his face remained serene, as if nothing had happened.

She had tea with him, which was not as awkward as she thought it would be, and then they arrived at their destination.

After hours of driving, they arrived at the Ville Bronze neighborhood. Rosette and Theodore disembarked from the carriage together. Soon, the lord of the place and his entourage approached and bowed to the emperor. Rosette was surprised to see that everyone recognized her, as she had become a celebrity.

Her holy-looking white carriage and her mysterious appearance could not fail to mesmerize anyone. Add to that her mysterious abilities, and the small murmurs amongst the people present seemed to draw attention to Rosette.

When she looked around, she saw farmland all around her, but what she noticed was that most of the crops were withered, even though it was harvest time.

Even the cornfield on her right had turned to mush beyond repair. There was no way a new crop could be planted on that land, let alone harvested.

Rosette's brow furrowed slightly at the sight.

The lord of the land straightened and began to describe the current situation to the emperor.

"As you can see... the crops are all dying due to an unknown disease."

"How long have the symptoms begun?"

"Over two months now. It hasn't been long, but it happens to be during the harvest season... so many people have lost their entire year's crops."

The crops were rotting, withering, and worthless. In some places, the soil was even ruined, and the stench was so foul that you couldn't help but cover your nose.

"I thought it was caused by some insects, so we used strong pesticides and called experts, but they kept telling me that they couldn't figure out the reason... I don't know what to do, and it's also a headache to dispose of the unusable crops."

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*TL’s note: sorry for the late post. I was out of town

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