Chapter 44


    udia nced at Violette who was doing her task silently.


    Violettes straight back had rxed. As she slipped her long flowing hair behind her ears, she meticulously scanned the paper. Following the movement of her hand, there were some scratching voice from the tip of the pen.


    The thin wrinkles between her eyebrows made her look sharper. udia was sure that the him from before would misunderstand that expression as Violette feeling unhappy because she didnt like doing the work. He had lowered his evaluation of Violette as he liked.


    Presently, he had realized that he had a very narrow field of view. Its true that her expression could be interpreted like that with a nce. But anyone wouldve realized that it was a misunderstanding after staring at her for a while.


    asionally, her frown became faint, and her thinned lips would loosen. The way she bulged her cheeks made it looked like she was pouting. She would tilt her head and ponder for a while before her face suddenly turned bright. Immediately, she would start moving her pen.


    Apparently, Violette was much more expressive than what udia had imagined.


    Her usual calm attitude might not be a lie, but her current rxed appearance also might not be a fake.


    Now that she had hung her hair over her ears, udia could see Violettes face even clearer.


    Initially, he thought that her eyes were dark, but they were brighter than he expected. Her hair color was gray, but it had more white hue than ck. Her eyshes were so long that they seemed to have shadows. That might be the reason why her eyes gave off a strong impression. udia thought that her lips were bleeding red, but it was because her skin was white. They were actually a soft pink color.


    udia knew that Violette was beautiful. She always had been beautiful since the beginning, and she became fascinating and gorgeous over time. But not even her change ever made him lost his mind over her.


    So he thought that he wouldnt be fooled by Violettes appearance now. And yet the more he looked at her, the more he realized how shallow the way he had perceived her.


    Ah Umm, this


    ...!!


    Violette suddenly raised her head without warning, making udias shoulders shook. The reason he didnt scream was that he was so surprised to the point his voice became hoarse. If it wasnt thanks to that, he would have raised his voice, showing his unsightly side.


    As a prince and as a man, he was d that he didnt do that kind of silly thing, but he couldnt stop himself from drawing back from her.


    Er?"


    Nnn. Im sorry. What is it?


    udia corrected his posture and tried to disguise his surprise by clearing his throat. Even so, it sounded so fake that Violette could probably see right through him. But before she couldment anything, udia immediately changed the topic.


    Thankfully, Violettes next words were about what she wanted to say to him. Um, its this


    Something wrong?


    udia leaned a little to see the part Violette pointed at. He read the letters traced by Violettes thin fingers silently, but the list of words and numbers he saw seemed to have no problems.


    This is the fixtures of the salon, right?


    The term salon didnt necessarily mean the room that was currently owned by the student council. Most students would link the salon with this ce, but there was another simr salon here in the academy.


    Students were free to use that salon, and the basic rest facilities were avable. The academy salon was also under the control of the student council.


    Its about this tea leaf.


    Oh Its the usual one.


    There were no particr problems with the numbers, and the brands were the same they usually served there.


    Not understanding what Violette wanted to say, udia reflexively frowned. It didnt mean his mood had worsened, but he was just pondering on the question he couldnt answer.


    However, Violette cowered a little. In contrast to udia, her eyebrows were lowered, like she was wondering if she could continue to speak.


    Shes also good at reading facial expressions, huh?


    The things he didnt know about Violette had increased again.


    ...Continue.


    Ah yeah. Is there any particr reason for choosing this tea leaf?


    Weve been using it for a long time, and we just didnt have any reason to change it. Moreover, Markts tea leaves are perfect in quality and taste.


    Markt was the brand name for the tea leaf. Actually, most of the things used in this academy were purchased from there. Not only the academy, but many nobles. It was a first-ss brand that guaranteed its quality and taste. Honestly, udia didnt think there were any other brands with more value than Markt.


    He thought it would be the same for Violette.


    Then, how about changing the brand once?


    We can try, but


    To be honest, udia didnt understand. Of course, it was a good thing if they could get better quality than what they had now, but if such a thing existed, it shouldve reached the princes ears.


    Its from a country called Cardina. Im sure the name of the shop that carries the product in Jria.


    Cardina Ive heard about them.


    Since udia had memorized the geography of the world, he naturally had heard about Cardina before. That country was a popr tourist destination, but its agricultural wasnt that advanced. It had lots of greenery with beautiful mountains and riversndscape. Unfortunately, visitors would have to face a lot of inconveniences when visiting the country.


    udia never went there before, but from the information he had received from other people, he had never heard of Cardina producing anything that would make the students in this academy satisfied.


    Probably, Violette sensed udias puzzlement. She nodded once and started exining from the beginning.


    Cardinas local products are certainly not famous. It cant even hold a candle to Markt in the general evaluation. They also dont export much of their products, so I believe it will be impossible to prepare the tea for the whole school. Even so the student council is only managing the salon, right?


    Yeah. The dining hall and item purchase are under the jurisdiction of the academy, not the student council.


    Perhaps because most of the students at this academy are nobles, this academy values autonomy and entrust various decision-making rights to its students and their representative, the student council.


    Thats why the student council handles the fixtures of the salon. But naturally, the academys staff would manage the dining hall and the item purchasing since the scale was too different.


    But how did it rte to Violettes remarks?


    Actually, its currently the best season to pick tea leaves in Cardina. The harvested local products from Cardina will be sold over the course of one year. But naturally, they have to process the leaves again to make sure they can preserve it for a long time. Thats why the taste dramatically drops.


    This was somethingmon. To make sure the preserved products wouldnt deteriorate, the producer couldnt just keep it in the storage. Thats why they had to give something up to make up for it.


    And the quickest way to extend the storage time was sacrificing the taste.


    Still, the product was sble, probably since it was the mainstream tea among themoners. But the students in this academy were particr about their food and drink. Of course each people had their own preferences, but they most likely rated a cup of tea not from its value, but the quality of the product.


    Then why do you rmend Cardina?


    Not only that udia didnt find Markts price to be a problem, but he also couldnt find a reason why Violette wanted to change the brand if the taste didnt exceed the current one.


    Its true that the taste will drop once they are processed, but there are exceptions. Currently, they will sell fresh tea leaves, and the taste is on its best. But the sales period is pretty short.


    ...Violette, did you ever drink it?


    Several times in the part This is my personal impression, but I remember that it tasted than Markt.


    I see


    Knowing whats good was also mandatory to stand on the top. Everyone could have their personal tastes, but having the eyes to judge the good and bad of things was essential.


    No matter how cheap and good the products were, what they had to learn was whether the value was proportional to the price. Thats why first and foremost, they had to try a lot of good products.


    Whatever Violettes preferences was, her tongue deserved a credit. Her position was even more excellent than a nobledy. Not even udia was confident that he had better taste than her.


    Maybe I should try it once...


    As udia pondered in silence, Violettes expression gradually became clouded with anxiety.


    Violette wondered whether she went out of line. Maybe she shouldnt say anything. She was too focused on her tasks and rushed headlong to make a clear solution, but in the first ce, Violette wasnt an assertive person.


    It''s because she was used to being scolded, no matter if she had an opinion or not.


    Um As I thought, lets just stay with Markt. Cardinas local tea is only avable in this season and the sales period is also limited. Im sorry, please forget it.


    For Violette, udia not saying anything like this was like a calm before storm. Thinking that she had wasted the princes time, she reached out to take the paper on the table to get back to the work immediately.


    But before Violettes fingers could touch it, the paper was already in udias hand.


    ...Thank you for your valuable opinion.


    Eh but,


    I cant burden you with the procedure to change the brand. Leave the rest to me.


    Changing the name of the product already exceeded the typographical editing frame.


    For a moment, there was clearly a surprise on Violettes face, but she immediately hid it. udia noticed that, making him feeling somewhat awkward. He averted his eyes.


    udia didnt know yet how he should act to Violette. His impression towards her had improved a lot, but there was still a barrier between them. He couldnt forgive her just yet.


    But every time udia saw a glimpse of Violettes side that he didnt know, his heart would make a noise. Even himself didnt know what was the meaning of his pounding heart.


    E-err Thank you very much.


    Its me who should say thank you.


    Then that makes us even, right?


    Was it only his imagination that Violette sounded a bit cheerful? Did he misheard how she sounded like she had rxed her tension?


    From the corner of his eyes, udia could see Violette covering her mouth with her hand


    When he saw that she was smiling, was it just his wish?


    Um, Vio


    Eh udia, youre here?


    ...!!


    Oh, are you alright!?


    Eh? Miss Violette? Why are you here?


    Surprised at how the door suddenly opened, udia immediately stood up. His knees hit the table at the abrupt movement, but he suppressed himself from yelping out of pain. The furniture in this room was very sturdy, making it very tough. Naturally, the softness of the princes skin couldnt protect his bones and they screamed in pain. Filled with pain and dissatisfaction, udia red at his close friend who just entered the room.


    Mira Knock the door before you enter