By Some Unbelievable Twist, I Became the Villainess’s Older Brother - Chapter 16.2
The First Princess smiled and signaled to the attendant with her eyes. Tilen closed the door behind them and stood before her.
“Why are you standing there? Sit down. This is fennel tea. Please try it.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Enoch nodded and sat on the sofa she indicated. The First Princess pushed the teacup she had personally filled toward him.
Enoch took a sip. Knowing little about tea, he couldn’t properly tell what it tasted like.
Out of courtesy, he took two more sips and pretended to savor it before immediately setting the cup down.
A quiet silence passed between them. Enoch rested both hands neatly on his knees without moving, while the First Princess looked him over once with clear eyes.
Enoch pretended not to notice. Instead, he stole glances as he observed her.
Her face certainly resembled Adelio’s, but her air was entirely different. Adelio felt playful yet projected an unapproachable nobility, while the First Princess seemed comfortable and gentle, giving an impression of warmth.
Yet if forced to choose between them, Enoch thought he would choose Adelio.
‘At least with that man, one look at his face tells me what sort of mood he’s in.’
Despite the First Princess’s pleasant face, he couldn’t read her thoughts or intentions at all.
It was the same now. Even after offering Enoch a seat and sitting down herself, she did not say a single word to him.
‘She’s making me anxious… Why isn’t she saying anything?’
But the silence continued for a long time. It remained even when a lady-in-waiting entered, set down another pot of fennel tea, and departed. The First Princess said nothing throughout.
The unfamiliar surroundings already made Enoch nervous, and the person who summoned him remained silent. His anxiety steadily grew. It felt as though cold sweat might begin running down his face.
…Why had she asked him to come if this was all? Could this be some kind of test of his limits?
Or was she trying to draw him into speaking first? But Enoch had nothing to say to her.
In the end, beneath the First Princess’s cool gaze, he had no choice but to keep sipping tea.
If he had known it would be like this, he would simply have refused the invitation. He had never imagined the meeting would be so uncomfortable. Enoch sighed inwardly.
With nothing to say and no response forthcoming, the awkwardness grew as time passed. He gulped so much fennel tea out of discomfort that even the second pot was already nearly empty.
Enoch lowered his eyes and toyed with the cup. As he stared blankly into it, he suddenly felt someone’s gaze.
When he snapped his head up, the First Princess was smiling at him. Enoch was so startled that he nearly choked.
“Is it to your taste?”
Enoch looked at his empty cup and smiled awkwardly.
“Pardon? Ah. Yes. It seems to be excellent tea, both in aroma and flavor.”
“I see. It is made with fennel leaves and seeds found only in the northwest. If you wish, I will have some prepared for you. What do you say?”
Though Enoch thanked the First Princess for her kind offer, he shook his head. The tea was pleasant enough, but he did not particularly enjoy tea in the first place, so there was no need to go that far.
But she appeared to be a woman whose actions preceded her words. She had already pulled the bell cord and summoned a lady-in-waiting.
She ordered the woman to package some fennel separately and poured more tea into Enoch’s empty cup. Trickling sounds echoed quietly through the office.
“But Sir Enoch, you look a little unwell. Are you truly alright?”
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