The Evil Queen's Beautiful Principles - 6

 

The Princess and the Apprentice Maid 4

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It's been three weeks since Alicia arrived.

Thanks to Alicia's hard work, the cleaning is done and the tower is much easier to live in.

The shelves, though a bit warped, were also beautifully finished.

"Alicia! Make me a cup of tea."

"Yes, certainly!"

A few moments later, Alicia brought a tea set and made a pot of tea, albeit a little awkwardly.

“Here. It is beruan.”

"Alicia…I'm afraid you're wrong. This tea is a dimble.”.

"Huh? Oh wow… I’m sorry."

"Yes. You're supposed to have a good memory, why is that?

"Honestly...I'm not interested in what kind of tea it is. I don't really care what kind of tea it is, because tea is tea, and they're all the same. That's it. When I was living outside, I couldn't enjoy tea in an elegant way.”

Well, I'm sure she was right.

She told me before that she needed money to make a living.

In such a situation, I don't think I could afford to say I want tea from specific places.

…But still…

Now that she’s in my service, she needs to remember them.

"Hey."

Lightly, I poked her.

“I'm sorry.”

“It’s fine... Now, I can teach you about the world of tea. Different teas taste very different. For example…yes. Alicia, go and get all three of the cans on the second shelf.”

"Yes, certainly.."

I take the tea leaves out of the can she gives me and pour the tea into the cup little by little.

"For example, this is dimble, and this is the beruan you were talking about. Can you compare them?"

Because the color is almost the same, it's hard to judge this tea by appearance alone.

But if you put your face close to it, the smell is quite different.

“Hmmm... Yes, now that you mention it, they might be totally different? I think the beruan one might be thinner?”

“Exactly. Now try this one. It’s Wilson.”

“Woah! It's totally different! I mean, what a gentle taste!"

“Isn't that right? You see, tea is very deep. Besides, since they are so different, don't you think people have their own preferences?"

“That’s... Well, yes."

“So if you're going to be at my side, you'd better learn your tea.”

I smiled at her and she made a face.

…If you weren't scared by my magic story, why on earth do you have that look now?

"Princess Luxeria. There's too much to study. I can't learn that well.”

"Oh, it's okay. It's okay. You have a wonderful memory. You have a great memory, and you should use it to the fullest. ...Now, let's learn languages first, shall we? You'll have to study with me.”

“Wh-what!"

I caught her tightly as she tried to escape, and then I began to study.

Now that I don't have a tutor, I have no choice but to study on my own.

Fortunately, textbooks, materials, and study tools are delivered by regular mail from the royal palace.

Every once in a while, I'm given an assignment to check my progress, and when I return it to the palace, it's graded and sent back to me again.

I remember thinking at the beginning that…it was something like a correspondence course.

“Ugh. My head feels so heavy and it's making me dizzy.”

When she finished studying, Alicia felt dizzy.

She studied language arts.

First, reading and writing, then the correct pronunciation used at the royal court.

“Are you okay? What's wrong with you?"

“No, no, no. It's just that I've been taught so many things that my head is starting to hurt."

“Indeed. Well, that's good to know."

“...But, Princess Luxeria. It's not very efficient if I study with you, is it? Because we are studying completely different things.”

She really did notice such things.

“Indeed, if it's just a matter of efficiency, it's faster to study on your own. ...But, you see, this is not a matter of efficiency."

"...?"

“I want you to learn everything you can since you're working here. Knowledge, experience, and…well, especially knowledge. Even if you don't need it now, you might need it later. For example, when you grow up and get a different job. You may feel it as a burden when you learn it now, but you won't feel it as a burden when you can keep up with others. So if you have a chance to learn, you shouldn't miss it, and I don't want you to miss it.”

“Princess Luxeria. You’re very kind."

“What? Oh, why are you talking about that now?"

“It’s nothing...but usually there is no one who really wants to teach…a commoner child like me. And yet you want to do it yourself, mistress!"

"Like I said, stop calling me that. And then, well...you were the first one."

“What's that?”

"You didn't run away when you heard of my magic, did you? I've never seen anyone do that before."

“But it's ..."

“...It's not easy to stay in a place where you might be in danger, even if it's for a living.”

“...Is that…so?"

“Yes. That's why I wanted to give you something worthy of your determination."

I'm did not lie.

I didn't...but I didn't really mean it either.

I'm teaching her to study for the future.

The more knowledge she has, the better, if she ever leaves this tower.

This is true.

But at the root of it all, I don't think of her as just a maid.

To me, she is my first friend in this world, and she is like a sister to me.

That's why I'm hoping she gets a little something out of it.

But I'm too embarrassed to say it...though.

“...Thank you…"

She smiled shyly.

“No, you don't have to thank me. ...Well, Alicia. I'm sorry you're so tired, but could you please go get us the food? You've used your head a lot, and I'm sure you'll enjoy eating now."

"...Yes!"

And so we had a nice dinner together.

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