Wriothesely's POV
So...
How do we go about this?
Having cuffed Mallory and thrown him downstairs by the door after Neuvillette pressured me that he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, we went back upstairs and sat down.
This is awkward.
I'm not sure how to start the conversation and Neuvillette doesn't look like he will.
But, surprisingly-
"Before anything else, I would like to correct an assumption you made just now." He spoke up suddenly.
"An assumption?"
Which one?
"It wasn't him or whomever he works with that was sending you tea on a monthly basis. That was me."
"Oh."
...
Wait-
"What?"
"I'm the one who has been sending you tea." He repeated.
But-
"Why?"
Even if you beat me to death, I wouldn't be able to give you a single reason why Neuvillette would feel compelled to send me tea.
"It started out with a request from Sigewinne. When she found out that I would be acquiring springwater from Liyue in the near future, she asked me if I could find a way to obtain some tea from Chenyu Vale for you as she thought you were sad about failing to do so yourself."
Right.
It did all start with Chenyu Vale tea.
"But why didn't you just leave a note?"
"I assumed Sigewinne would have informed you of this matter."
And for once this was a completely fair assumption.
Though...
"What about the rest? This has been going on for years now."
"After that first time, Sigewinne returned all excited about how you were, and I quote 'jumping in joy'. She also brought along a list of what I assumed were your favorite teas. She said she would pay me back if I managed to acquire them when I purchased my water."
"So Sigewinne has been paying for my tea?"
"No, of course not. I wouldn't take a child's hard-earned money."
So you've been paying for my tea?
That question, however, remained on the tip of my tongue.
"I also took the liberty to send you some teas other than does on the list. I hope they still suited your taste."
"Yes... Yes, they did..."
What the hell?!
If I added everything up, that was millions of mora spent on tea!
Most of them were either teas sold in extremely limited quantities or incredibly expensive ones.
Even I don't go that far.
But the biggest question to me right now was:
"How did you go about buying tea anyway?"
I didn't need anyone to tell me that he had a dislike for tea.
I also heard the girls laughing about it in secret.
That's why I found it weird when just now he said he wanted some.
...
!!
"Neu-vil-lette!"
"Yes?"
"You knew it from the start, didn't you?!"
The fact that there was something wrong with the tea!
You must have noticed something before I even brewed it, that's why you asked for some!
And you still drank it?!
"You damn crazy bastard!"
You-
You damn crazy dragon!
"Do you want to die?!"
"I wasn't sure and besides, I already told you that it doesn't affect me. It can't kill me."
Neu-vil-lette!
"The water might not but I sure will if you don't start developing some common sense!"
Tsk!
That's it!
"I'm telling Sigewinne!"
"Your Grace, there is no need for that-"
"Yes, there is! And for god's sake, stop speaking so formally when we're alone!"
Hmph!
Let's see what you get from that stubborn daughter of yours!
He seemed to sink deep in thought for a moment before his eyes lit up.
He looked up at me with knowing eyes and a thousand warnings seemed to go off in my head.
"Would you like some special tea, Wriothesely?"
"Special tea?"
What's going on?
"It's one of a kind. Only one batch of it exists."
"Oh?"
Wow!
I want it!
I-
Wait.
"Are you trying to bribe me?"
"Yes. It seemed to work for Furina so I thought I would try my luck." He revealed straightforwardly.
I resisted a strong urge to bang my head against the wall.
How is it possible that no secrets have leaked from Palais Mermonia when he's like this?
"No."
I'm not falling for this a second time.
"What a pity. I made it for myself to try and find some tea I would like, but since I don't like it and you don't seem to want it, I guess I will have to throw it out."
Hmm?
Stop right there!
"You made it?"
"Yes, but I suppose that doesn't matter now that you don't-"
"Hand it over!"
He snapped his fingers and a small simple box appeared on my desk.
Immediately I took it and stashed it safely inside one of my drawers.
I'm still gonna tell Sigewinne though.
He deserves a scolding.
"You're still thinking of telling Sigewinne, aren't you?"
The question came suddenly and completely unexpected. It shocked me so much that I couldn't help but flinch.
"It appears my assumption was correct."
"You-"
"I've been dealing with Furina for hundreds of years, Wriothesely. If you want to fool me, you're going to have to try a little harder."
If you knew then why did you give me the tea anyway?
But...
It's not like I only have one trick up my sleeve.
"Didn't you say you would throw it out if I didn't take it? In a sense, I'm just taking your trash. How is that a fair bribe?"
He chuckled and this time I caught it.
Wow...
That's...
That's something else...
While I was most definitely not stuck being mesmerized, he tilted his head slightly to the side, leaning on his hand.
"You have quite the glib tongue, my dear Duke. Though, you might want to examine your yields." He smiled.
Huh?
Aside from being incredibly beautiful, that smile of his was giving me an incredibly ominous feeling.
Without breaking eye contact, I reached down and took the box out of the drawer.
I slowly lifted the top and-
"Neu-vil-lette!"
It was empty.
There was probably never any tea made by him in the first place!
That would actually make more sense! I can't see Neuvillette making tea in this life or the next one.
He-
He tricked me!
He tricked me and I walked right into it!
Happily too!
Damn it!
And-
And-
That's totally not fair!
What's with that teasing smile?!
Who are you to tease?!
Have I been teasing him too much?
Did I rub off on him?
No!
I want the innocent and easy-to-fool Neuvillette back!
You know, the blank-faced one!
The one that doesn't instantly KO anyone with a smile!
Damn it!
This is so unfair!
If you didn't learn how to tease in hundreds of years, you can't just start doing so now!
Not when we have to spend time together!
Ah!
My poor heart!