Kays Translations

Chapter 229: A Splendid Tea Party

The townhouse erupted into chaos. Naturally—all the members of the royal family had arrived. Wondering whether this was truly acceptable, I glanced at Brother Alex and found his expression tense. Apparently, even he had not expected this.

The surprise Brother Alex had prepared had somehow become a surprise for him as well. His stomach was probably tied in knots.

“Welcome to House Heine’s tea party. Please forgive us for receiving you on such short notice.”

We bowed with Brother Alex. At times like this, the rest of us were not supposed to speak; as the host and eldest son present, Brother Alex would handle the greeting.

“Please raise your heads. We cannot speak comfortably like this. Today we are not here as royalty, but as fellow nobles—members of House Crystal.”

His Majesty spoke with a perfectly serious expression. Even so, that disguise made sense for Her Majesty the Queen, Crown Prince Theodore and Princess Daniela, but surely not for the King himself.

I pushed aside the thought and concentrated on calming myself.

“You see? I told you this would overwhelm them. Even Lord Alex is unsettled. Julius, you have not met him before, have you? This is Theodore.”

Her Majesty the Queen gently urged forward a handsome, dignified young man close to Brother Alex’s age.

“I am Theodore Crystal Spencer.”

For some reason, he bowed deeply, and every movement was flawless. This man would be the next king. I hurriedly returned the greeting.

“I am Julius Heine. Welcome to our home.”

“I’ve heard a great deal about you. Let’s dispense with excessive formality today; this is practice for the evening party.”

His smile was dazzling. Almost any young lady would have been captivated by it. All I could manage was a vague smile in return.

“I apologise, Lord Julius. Originally, only Mother and I were meant to attend, but word escaped and our party grew.”

“What is wrong with that? The more guests there are, the more realistic the practice becomes.”

Her Majesty laughed. I was almost certain she had been the one to invite His Majesty and the Crown Prince. Both men were smiling, while everyone else struggled to keep pleasant expressions on their faces.

Thus began a tea party seemingly designed to give everyone stomach pains.

After the guests exchanged harmless pleasantries, it was finally time for tea. Today’s gathering used a standing format to imitate the evening party. We selected sweets and moved about the room while conversing.

“Julius, what became of the matter I entrusted to you?”

“My apologies for the delay, Your Majesty. I recently completed the icehouse plans. I also included a reference table for the magic circles, allowing the design to be adjusted for icehouses of different sizes.”

“Excellent. This will make food storage much easier. I shall arrange for icehouses to be constructed throughout the kingdom at once.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Wait. Was the icehouse design about to spread across the entire country? Surely not. I instinctively looked towards Her Majesty the Queen, and our eyes met.

“Do not worry. Your name will not be announced, Lord Julius.”

“Ha ha! The rumours were true—you truly have no desire for fame. If I were a magic-tool maker, I could never surrender such an honour so easily.”

Crown Prince Theodore smiled brightly. His cheerful presence seemed to lift the mood of everyone around him.

“Julius, did you create something else?”

“So Lord Julius is more than a magic pharmacist.”

Brother Cain and Lady Meeka approached. Neither appeared to know about the project, so I explained the icehouse. They were astonished, then became intensely interested when Axel and Ijidol mentioned the shower magic tool.

“A magic tool that convenient exists? I would love one in my room.”

“So would I. It’s small enough that one could be installed in an academy dormitory with only minor renovations, isn’t it?”

“Renovating the academy dormitory without permission would probably be unwise.”

I could only smile, although the idea of a portable shower magic tool was appealing. Perhaps a compact shower stall was possible. While I considered it, the two asked eagerly whether I had invented tools to simplify laundry and cleaning.

“Lord Julius, are you planning to invent even more magic tools? Perhaps you should finally call yourself a magic-tool maker.”

“I-Is that so? Do you think the same, Princess Daniela?”

This was a trap. If I did not resist, everyone would turn me into a magic-tool maker. Brother Alex came to my rescue.

“Princess Daniela, Julius wishes to advance magic potions. He has always intended to leave magic-tool development to our younger sister, Rosalia.”

“That is unfortunate. Still, if Lady Rosalia will continue his work, then the future is promising.”

Princess Daniela smiled. Somehow, Rosalia’s career as a magic-tool maker had now been decided for her. She was probably creating new tools in the Heine Margraviate even now.

That was it—I could give Rosalia my ideas for a washing machine and vacuum cleaner. With the concepts and a few hints, she should be able to construct them. I was counting on you, future Magic-Tool Princess.

“I also heard that Julius instructed the Royal Magic Pharmacists’ Corps in producing several types of potions. I would very much like to hear about that.”

“Of course, Your Highness. The Corps will surely be pleased that you are taking an interest in magic potions.”

And so the splendid tea party continued. Before long, everyone’s tension eased, and we practised our manners in pursuit of still greater refinement.

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