A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 534 The Tea Party - Part 4

Oliver steeled himself, preparing mentally for the coming onslaught. Asabel noticed them, and positively beamed. She stood up eagerly, flashing them the most genuine smile Oliver had ever seen from the nobility – though, in fact, she was royalty of course – revealing a row of white teeth, a single canine that sat out of symmetry from the rest, just a little bit twisted, and just a little bit longer.

Somehow, that which should have been a blemish on her beauty only served to accentuate it. It made her seem more real, more earthly, and thus more beautiful.

That defence that Oliver had attempted to build up was immediately flattened. He didn't think he'd ever been stunned by a woman before. At least, not by a woman's smile. But Asabel effortlessly disarmed him, as though she had claws extending right through the centre of his heart. It was terrifying. How was he meant to stand up to that?

"Oliver!" She said heartily. Could any actor be that good? Could anyone seem that genuinely pleased to see him when they were not? If so, if it was indeed all an act... then she was likely the most frightening woman on the campus. But, in equal parts, if it wasn't, it was just as terrifying. She'd only met him once, at his worst.

There could be no joy in seeing him again after seeing that. "You came."

"I did, Your Highness," Oliver said stiffly, adopting the formal bow that he'd refined under Verdant's guidance.

"Oh, please. Don't be so formal. Stiffness will ruin the tea," she said, continuing with a smile. "I'm glad to see you well. I worried that you wouldn't be able to attend."

"I'm doing quite well, thank you, Your Highness," Oliver said again, disguising his thanks as something that could be interpreted another way, hoping to slide it past Verdant and Jorah's watchful eye.

"There's a handful of years between us, I wouldn't call us friends," Lancelot murmured.

Verdant ignored the comment, and settled into his seat, his back straight, and his posture elegant. He looked to be the main guest here, Oliver thought. When compared to Oliver himself, it seemed far more likely that Oliver would be his guard than anything else.

"Tea?" A quiet attendant asked Oliver from his side. Mary, Oliver guessed, given what Asabel had said earlier.

"Uhm, do you have berry tea?" Oliver said, quietly enough. It was a favourite of his. Fruit teas, he decided, were in fact, the best. They were one reason amongst many why he was so grateful for his noble position. Beautiful food, beautiful teas. What more could a man want?

He thought he'd spoken quietly enough, but Lancelot overheard. He guffawed as he repeated it. "Berry tea?" He said. "I'd heard you were a monster, not a little girl."

"Lancelot!" Asabel said, furious, though she was struggling to hold back her own smile. "That is a remarkably adorable discovery though, I must say, Oliver. For someone with such a dangerous look in his eye, a berry tea does seem quite the juxtaposition."

Oliver managed to keep his cool. "I wasn't aware the tea had such implications. But it's pleasant. I'm fond of it, and if you have it, I'll drink it."

It was with Dominus' manner he said that. Dominus wouldn't have fumbled at the revelation of a weakness. He would have been immovable, unplaceable, and simply presented it as a matter of course. Oliver carried that out as best he could, though inside he was screaming. No one had mentioned at dinner or lunch that his berry teas were odd...

"Would you like honey with that?" Mary asked, unphased. Lancelot guffawed even harder at the question, almost breaking into a full-on laugh.