TOPWL 44

Yudit, who had escorted Isiah back to her seat, also sat down. The guests were eating and chatting about the performance. Isiah, who had been silently gazing at the dessert, finally spoke.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

“I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to you, I was able to get through a difficult moment. It was truly… a beautiful song.”

Isiah took a spoonful, then set the spoon back down.

“The days will grow colder soon. You shouldn’t visit the gravesite at dawn anymore.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m saying, instead of clutching a gravestone and weeping, you should come to my palace and share a cup of tea with me.”

Yudit was reminded of the early morning on the day of Hiore’s banquet, when he had visited Lillia’s grave.

‘Sister. I’m entering the competition. I don’t know if I’ll do well, but thanks to your protection, I’ve safely reached adulthood and now I’m able to take part. So I’ll do my very best.’

After that, he had hugged Lillia’s gravestone, as if embracing the one he missed most. It seemed Isiah had witnessed that moment. Embarrassed, Yudit flushed.

“I… I’ll visit you often, then.”

“Not too often. That would be tiring. Once a month would be best.”

Isiah replied firmly, and Yudit couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. In moments like this, she truly resembled her daughter.

“Yes, I shall do so.”

Yudit rose and looked around. The banquet was already winding down. Although there had been some unexpected events, everything had turned out well—perhaps even for the better.

He sensed someone’s gaze and turned in that direction. Hiore was glaring at him with a displeased expression. Please, don’t cause any more trouble, Yudit thought as he turned away.

But trouble did come. A servant, while distributing wine glasses, tripped and spilled wine all over a tapestry. A sharp crackle reached their ears, making everyone turn in unison. A massive tapestry that adorned an entire wall now bore an ugly wine stain.

“Oh, heavens…!”

Gasps echoed throughout the hall. A beautiful work of art had been marred in an instant. The servant who had spilled the wine was ghostly pale.

“Something… something caught my foot… I’m truly sorry…”

He collapsed face-down on the floor, heedless of the shards of glass scattered across it. The nobles looked on with pity in their eyes. Even to the untrained, the tapestry’s artistry was evident. To ruin such a piece—it must have felt like the end of the world for the servant.

Yudit looked down at the trembling man, his figure pitiful. Most of the servants had been personally recommended by Selena and were experienced in their work. There was no way someone so seasoned would trip over nothing. The spill had happened near where Reginald and Hiore were seated. Clearly, one of them had orchestrated something.

Yudit stared quietly at the wine stain, then looked over to the table beside him. There were still some unopened bottles of alcohol there. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind. He picked up a bottle of white wine.

“Oh my!”

“Heavens…!”

The guests let out shocked murmurs. No wonder—they had just watched Yudit pour white wine over the tapestry already stained with red wine. It was no accident; he had done it on purpose. Without pause, he raised his voice and called out to the servants.

“Bring me some cloth, quickly!”

The servants rushed to obey. Yudit pressed the cloth against the tapestry, blotting the stained area. From time to time, he added more white wine.

Then something incredible began to happen. The red stain—believed to be permanent—started to lift.

“It’s disappearing!”

“How… this is a miracle.”

Some crossed themselves in awe. It was a surprising sight, but not a miracle. Yudit had read in a book that white wine’s acidity could neutralize and lift red wine stains.

After about ten minutes of scrubbing, the tapestry looked nearly good as new, as if nothing had ever happened. Even Yudit, who had only known the theory but never put it to practice, marveled at the result. All those countless hours in the library had finally paid off. The servant looked at Yudit and the tapestry, still in disbelief.

“Are you hurt?”

“N-No, I’m fine.”

The servant choked out the answer. But that couldn’t be true—he had taken a hard fall and knelt on broken glass. He was likely too shaken to feel the pain. Yudit leaned in and whispered.

“You’ve done well. Everything’s been resolved, so don’t worry. Just hold on a little longer. Tonight’s banquet owes everything to you and your fellow servants.”

The servant stared at him in shock. He had expected to be beaten and banned from ever working a banquet again—yet here was Yudit, offering him words of comfort.

“I’m so sorry. And… thank you.”

Yudit smiled gently as the servant bowed his head. There had been a bit of trouble, but things had turned out well enough. He let out a breath, only to realize that many guests were still looking at him. Why? Then it dawned on him—it was because he had cleaned the stain from the tapestry. To them, it must have seemed extraordinary. Some had even made the sign of the cross. Though it was common knowledge to anyone who read, the rarity of such books likely meant few had ever heard of it.

At last, the tables were cleared, and the final course—tea—was served. This was a part Yudit had taken special care in preparing. The guests’ expressions softened as they sipped.

“What kind of tea leaves did they use? The aroma is delightful.”

“Indeed.”

Fortunately, the tea was well received. Once the guests had had enough, Yudit slowly stood and addressed them.

“Is the tea to your liking?”

“The scent is truly lovely. Where did the tea leaves come from?”

A noblewoman who had earlier been curious about the leaves raised her hand.

“The tea leaves are from the Wuton region.”

“Wuton…? Really?”

The woman asked incredulously. And with good reason—tea from Wuton was known for being coarse and bitter, a far cry from the smooth and mellow flavor of this tea.

“And I also blended in a herb called ‘Ja’ from Herut.”

“‘Ja’?”

This time, one of the envoys made a sour face. In Herut, ‘Ja’ wasn’t considered a herb at all—it was treated as a pesky weed. If left unchecked, it would sap the nutrients from other plants.

“This tea is the same one a friend of mine drank while traveling from Herut to Adanauer.”

It was Yasin’s story. During the days when he and his husband had wandered the desert without a coin to their names, they would boil a full kettle of tea to survive the freezing nights—tea made from cheap leaves brought from Adanauer and random herbs gathered from the sands.

And yet, Yasin had said it was delicious.

Later, his merchant husband struck it rich in Adanauer, and they could afford the finest tea. But Yasin would still think back to that desert brew—bitter, sweet, and full of the scent of sand. One day, in a marketplace, he spotted ‘Ja.’ Though treated as worthless in Herut, here in Adanauer it was sold as an herb. It seemed even weeds had their use in the right place and time.

When Yasin brewed the tea again, he realized he hadn’t been mistaken. The blend had a distinctive taste and fragrance, not inferior to any premium tea. It wasn’t nostalgia that made it taste good—it was simply good. The tea leaves and the herb, unimpressive on their own, came together to create something remarkable.

Whenever he missed those times, Yasin would make the tea again. So when he saw Yudit struggling over the menu for the banquet, he cautiously recommended his tea. The flavor, the fragrance, even the ingredients—all aligned perfectly with Yudit’s vision. Without hesitation, Yudit had chosen it as the final course.

“As I mentioned earlier, today’s banquet was composed of dishes and drinks from both Adanauer and Herut—sometimes separate, sometimes blended. Does anyone here know why I designed the banquet this way?”

It wasn’t a question meant to be answered. Yudit paused for a breath before continuing.

“Because I believe that the harmony between Herut and Adanauer is the path we must take forward.”