I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! Volume 7, page 13
“That is a good idea. And even better, we can plant a Spirit Tree cutting in their new settlement, so they can travel freely between the duchy and the capital,” Ele added.
“We can?!” Lord Glen asked, shocked by the suggestion.
“Lady Chelsea created the second Spirit Tree of Origin, did she not?” Ele said. “If I tell it that we would like to plant a branch in the place she will eventually live, it will happily offer one. Alexis, would that be all right?”
Did the king know only those with proper qualifications could use the Spirit Trees? I glanced over at him.
“Yes, that’s fine,” he said with a simple nod, not even asking for clarification. Given that Lord Tris was already using the Spirit Trees to travel between Chronowize and Celesark, I suppose it made sense that the king would understand.
“Are you also fine with this arrangement, Glen?” Ele asked.
“I have no objections. Once their training and information exchange are complete, I’ll speak with them and begin making preparations,” Lord Glen said.
And so, the path forward for the Nox Tribe was set.
+++
Since Lord Glen still had matters to discuss with His Majesty, I left the king’s office on my own and made my way to the Royal Research Institute to meet with the Chief.
“You’re still in your travel clothes. Did something happen?” she asked, eyeing me with suspicion as I stepped into her office.
“Actually...”
I gave her a quick summary of everything that had happened during our inspection.
Her jaw dropped. “There’s a massive space beneath the Karya Megaflora Cluster? The underground has a mana drought while the surface has an overabundance? And a shrine appeared aboveground? That’s...way too much to process all at once,” she muttered, then glanced back at me. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said, shaking my head.
She let out a relieved sigh. “Just to confirm... What did the observation team members say they’d do after the shrine appeared?”
“They were all excited to investigate it.”
She paused to think. “If they were that motivated, then we can consider the investigation underway. I’ll need you to submit a formal report soon.”
“Understood,” I said with a nod. The guide had mentioned I’d be writing one.
“Also—you’re off for five days starting tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
“Researchers who return from fieldwork are required to take a five-day break,” she explained. “If you kept working while exhausted, it would affect the quality of your research.”
“I see.” It had been my first time on an inspection, so I hadn’t known.
“That’s that. Go home for now.”
“Thank you very much.”
With a grateful bow, I left the office.
+++
Though I was exhausted, I couldn’t seem to fall asleep. As I lay in bed, tossing and turning, Cyril appeared on her little floating cloud.
“Can’t sleep?”
“No...” I sat up with a sigh, and she floated closer, stopping right in front of my face. “A lot of surprising things happened during the inspection.”
I started recounting the events at the Karya Megaflora Cluster bit by bit. As I spoke, Cyril nodded and gave soft little hums to show she was listening.
“You must’ve been on edge the whole time.”
“Maybe... Now that I think about it, you weren’t there for the inspection, were you?”
Cyril wasn’t the only one missing; Root hadn’t been there either. When I asked about it, a mischievous smile curved across her face.
“You said it was a work trip, so we stayed home. We had too much time on our hands, so Root took me to the Spirit World and gave me a little tour.”
As she spoke, she projected an illusion onto the wall.
There was a forest with glowing blue ground and tree trunks that looked like glass, just like the Spirit Trees. A flower field where tiny Spirits danced in a flurry of petals. An orange waterfall poured from a floating island into a sparkling lake below. Every scene was more magical than the last—beautiful, dreamlike, and completely unlike anything I’d ever seen.
“Oh, right! Did you give Glen a seed yet?” Cyril asked once the vision faded.
“Ah...”
So many things had happened that I’d completely forgotten!
“You haven’t? Then, have you at least decided on the design?”
“Um... I was thinking about something that could change between a brooch, a necklace, or an earring, depending on the metal fittings...”
I told her about Lady Euphoria’s brooch for inspiration, and she nodded enthusiastically. “That’s so cool! So, what design are you going with?”
“I want it to be something Lord Glen and I can wear as a matching pair...”
“Yeah, but what design?”
“Urgh... I haven’t figured that part out yet...” I confessed, slumping my shoulders.
“Then it’s time to get thinking. You’ve already heard my and Root’s opinions—why not ask a friend next?”
Lady Noel came to mind. “That’s a great idea. I’ve got the next five days off, so I’ll ask Lady Noel for advice!”
“Well, now that’s settled—you’d better get some sleep. Come on, under the covers.”
At her urging, I snuggled back into bed.
“Good night, Chelsea. I’ll pull you into the dream world so you can drift off nice and easy.”
“Thanks, Cyril. Good night.”
And with that, I was asleep before I knew it.
10. The Tea Party
The next morning at breakfast, I mentioned to Lord Glen that I was thinking of inviting Lady Noel to a tea party during my time off.
“I think that sounds like a lovely idea as long as you’re not still tired, Lucy,” he said with a nod. But then, his expression shifted slightly, a faint frown appearing as he gave me a look I couldn’t quite read.
“What is it?” I asked, tilting my head curiously.
He gave a wry smile, almost as if embarrassed. “Can I invite you to a tea party too...?”
“O-Of course!” I blurted out, louder than I intended.
I hadn’t expected him to ask something like that, and I could feel my cheeks burning. Seeing my flustered reaction, Lord Glen smiled warmly, clearly pleased.
Trying to compose myself, I continued, “Um... I was thinking of holding my tea party with Lady Noel at the Sargent Margraviate’s villa here in the capital.”
This time, it was Lord Glen’s turn to look confused.
“But you live in the royal residences now. As a research fellow at the Royal Research Institute and my fiancée, you could easily host the tea party in your private quarters, a guest salon in the castle, or even the parlor at the Institute. Why choose the Sargent villa?”
I had originally considered holding it within the citadel, but then I remembered something my mother, Ariel, had once told me: “If you ever want to have a proper private chat with a friend, use the villa.” That had convinced me. Still, I wasn’t about to tell him that, so I shared the other reason I’d come up with.
“Well, last time, Lady Noel invited me to the Wisteria family’s villa for a tour of their botanical garden, so I thought it would be nice to return the gesture and show her around our villa this time.”
It was something I’d genuinely thought about before, so it wasn’t a lie.
I smiled as I said it, and although Lord Glen looked like he still had something on his mind, he gave a small, reluctant nod.
+++
After breakfast, I returned to my room to begin preparations for the tea party.
First, I wrote a letter to Lady Noel inviting her.
“I’ve been given a five-day vacation. Would you like to come to the Sargent Margraviate’s villa for tea? If the timing is inconvenient, perhaps another day instead?”
Once I sealed the letter, I handed it off to my maids for delivery.
Next, I found Miss Micah and asked her if she could prepare the food and sweets for the tea party.
“Leave it to me~!” she said, her tail wagging as she clenched her fists with enthusiasm.
Finally, I made my way to the Sargent family villa to inform the estate’s butler of the event. I told him that I’d be hosting a tea party there, that the only guest would be Lady Noel, and that Miss Micah would be in charge of the food.
“Understood,” he replied with a bow. “Where would you like to hold the tea party? You may choose from the gardens, the greenhouse, your personal quarters, or the parlor.”
“Lady Noel enjoys plants, so...”
“Both the gardens and greenhouse are surrounded by greenery,” he offered. “Since the exact day has yet to be confirmed, might I suggest you choose based on the weather? If it’s sunny, the garden would be ideal; if it rains, the greenhouse.”
“What a wonderful idea. Please have both prepared—whichever fits the weather on the day.”
“As you wish. I’ll see to all the arrangements.”
When I returned to my quarters at the royal residences, Lady Noel’s reply had already arrived.
“I’ll visit you in the afternoon, two days from now!”
Her handwriting was cheerful and full of energy, and I couldn’t help but laugh reading it.
The next day, Miss Micah and I finalized the menu, and I also took time to hand out the souvenirs I’d brought back from our trip to the Bazrack Duchy.
Then, at last, the day of the tea party arrived.
Right after breakfast, I headed to the villa to get ready. I changed into the dress I’d set aside for the occasion, had my hair done, and even put on a little makeup.
It was my very first time planning and hosting a tea party by myself, so I was incredibly nervous. As I paced around my room, wondering if I’d forgotten something, my maids Gina and Martha—who had come with me—gently patted me on the shoulders to reassure me.
“Lady Chelsea, your preparations are perfect.”
“If anything unexpected happens, we’ll handle it right away. So no need to worry.”
“Thank you,” I replied. Their confidence eased my nerves a little.
I chatted with them to keep myself from overthinking until word came that Lady Noel had arrived.
When I hurried to the entranceway to greet her, I found her standing there with a great big grin, her hands clasped in front of her chest like she was praying to the heavens.
“Lady Noel, thank you very much for coming,” I said. Is this the first time I’ve ever welcomed a guest like this...?
“Lady Chelsea, thank you so much for inviting me! Oh wait, that sounds way too formal, doesn’t it?”
“Ah—”
Ever since we’d become friends again, we’d dropped the stiff, ladylike politeness between us. But the moment I became the host, I’d automatically slipped back into it.
“Um... Thanks for coming, Lady Noel?”
“Thanks for having me?”
We tried to redo our greetings more casually, but neither of us was sure we got it quite right. When our eyes met, we both burst into laughter.
“I was really looking forward to this!” she beamed.
“I was looking forward to having you over too. The weather turned out lovely today, so I had the garden prepared for lunch. Let’s take a walk through it on the way,” I said, offering her my hand.
“Okay!” she replied brightly, placing hers in mine without hesitation.
“Let’s go, then.”
When I visited Marquis Wisteria’s villa, Lady Noel had pulled me by the hand to show me around. Now it was my turn to lead. Hand in hand, we strolled through the vibrant garden paths.
Miss Micah was already waiting for us when we arrived, her tail wagging excitedly.
“This is Miss Micah, the chef who prepared our lunch today.”
At the simple introduction, Micah gave a little spin and a spirited Radzuel Empire-style bow, her smile beaming with pride.
“I’m Micah, Chelsea’s personal chef from the Radzuel Empire~!”
“I caught glimpses of you at Chelsea’s birthday party, but we’ve never met properly. I’m Noel, daughter of Marquis Wisteria.” She offered a graceful curtsy, then shot Micah a playful glare. “You called her just ‘Chelsea.’ I’m jealous!”
Micah blinked, ears twitching. “But you’re her friend too, right~? Just use her name as well~!”
Noel sucked in a breath and whirled toward me. “We’re friends! Can I just call you Chelsea?”
“S-Sure,” I said, wilting under her eager stare. Noel’s cheeks glowed as she flashed me a big smile.
“Great! Then call me Noel, okay?”
“O-Okay, um...Noel,” I managed.
Noel squealed and hugged me like an overexcited puppy.
While I tried to keep my balance, Martha cleared her throat. “Shall we serve lunch?”
Noel and I laughed, released each other, and slipped into our seats. I nodded to Martha, and the maids brought soup, salad, and warm bread.
At a nearby outdoor stove, Micah raised her voice. “I’ll fry up the main dish right now so it’s extra hot and tasty~! Please wait just a moment~”
Oil sizzled as a delicious aroma drifted over. Soon straw-shaped croquettes were set before us.
“Cream croquettes today~! They’re piping hot, so be careful~!”
Noel and I offered our thanks to the earth gods. I forced myself to start with soup and salad while the croquettes cooled. Noel attacked hers at once, cutting off a bite and blowing on it twice before popping it into her mouth...
“...!!!”
Apparently still scalding, she waved her hands in silent agony.
“Are you okay?” I asked once Noel had stopped fanning her mouth.
She gave an enthusiastic nod. “It was super hot, but soooo yummy!”
Hearing that, Miss Micah beamed and wagged her tail with delight.
Once my croquettes had cooled enough to eat safely, I took a bite. The crispy coating gave way to a creamy, savory filling. It tasted so good, I felt like I could keep eating them forever.
For a while, Noel and I fell into content silence as we ate.
“I’ll be starting on dessert now~!” Miss Micah called cheerfully, moving around the small outdoor kitchen with ease.
“Ooh, what’s she making?” Noel whispered to me.
“I’m not actually sure,” I admitted, shaking my head.
“Really?!”
As we spoke, Miss Micah ladled thin batter into a hot pan, cooking up crepe-like sheets. After stacking a few of them, she poured a mysterious liquid into the pan and brought it to a simmer.
Then, she returned the crepes to the mixture, her mouth curving into a smirk as she announced, “Today’s dessert is crêpe Suzette~!”
The moment she added another ingredient, a burst of brilliant blue flame shot up from the pan.
“Huh?!”
“Whoa, amazing!”
Noel and I both yelped in surprise as Miss Micah looked incredibly pleased with herself.
Once the flames died down, she plated the crepes, topping them with a scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of orange sauce, and a sprig of mint, then brought them over.
“Please enjoy~!”
I cut into mine with a fork. The chewy crepes, slightly bitter citrus sauce, and sweet, cold ice cream blended together perfectly into a far more delicious combination than I’d imagined.
“Miss Micah’s food is just too good...” Noel mumbled between bites, fully entranced by dessert.
When we’d finally eaten our fill, I brought up the real reason I’d invited her.
“So, about this tea party...” I began. I skipped over the details about how the necklace-shaped seed came to be and explained that I wanted to give Lord Glen a seed in the form of an accessory but was completely stuck on the design.
“It’s a taste-related dilemma, huh?” Noel said with a dramatic groan, tapping her chin in thought. “Hmm... Have you and His Highness gone anywhere together recently?”
“We did. We traveled to the Bazrack Duchy for work.”
“Wait, don’t tell me... You went to the Karya Megaflora Cluster?!” When I nodded, she practically leapt across the table. “No way! That place is filled with enormous plants, right? I’ve always wanted to visit! How big were they?!”
“The tulip petals were about the size of my bed.”
“They were that big?!” she shrieked, before slumping back into her chair with a sigh. “Okay, okay, focus... So, if you two went somewhere together, maybe you could tie the design to that trip.”
“You mean...use it to represent our memories from the journey?”
“Exactly! Flowers, animals, scenery—you must’ve seen all kinds of beautiful or unique things together.”
I hadn’t thought of that. My mind raced through everything: the intricate artwork in Duke Bazrack’s manor, Lady Euphoria’s matching brooch, the towering plants, the pink mammoth, the strange transport device, the Nox Tribe... And then, it came to me.
“The beanstalk...”
The giant beanstalk with its elegant white flower blooming at the top had left a strong impression on me. It was beautiful, striking, and not too flashy for Lord Glen to wear.
“Did something come to mind?” Noel asked.
“Yes,” I said with a decisive nod.
Noel grinned. “You’ve got a totally different vibe now! You’re not stressed anymore.”
“It’s all thanks to your advice, Noel. I really appreciate it.”
“We’re friends! I’ll give you advice anytime, so you’d better do the same for me, okay?”
“Of course!”
We laughed together, and with that, our warm, cheerful tea party came to a close.
Epilogue
I’d planned to sketch out the blueprint for the accessory-shaped seed today, but there was one problem. Not only was I on vacation, but so was Lord Glen, and over breakfast, he’d casually asked what I had planned. If I try to work on it now, there’s a real chance he’ll walk in and see everything...!
Since I wanted to keep it a surprise, I decided to sneak off to my private lab at the Royal Research Institute. It was the perfect place—quiet, tucked away, and the only other person around would be the knight stationed outside.
