Chapter 40
***
It was well past noon when Dana left the stables. As she walked along the cobblestone path, her face was filled with confusion.
"I broke up.”
Noah's voice was still echoing in her head.
"Don't make that face. It's okay.”
He even smiled broadly. He wasn't just doing it out of concern for Dana's well-being, he was actually smiling like he'd just had a tooth pulled.
How could he do that?
Dana's steps skidded to a halt as she turned into the driveway.
Noah and Gene had been together for more than two years, more than enough time to count.
They'd been childhood friends, and Noah had worked so hard to become a trainer and marry her.
It was just a few months ago that he had thought about how to propose.
He'd even made a fake ring and sang a stupid song, and now suddenly...?
The gray clouds lifted and the sun shone brightly again.
The weather was as strange as her mood.
Disoriented, Dana's legs stumbled toward the lakeside bench.
She drew her knees up onto the bench as she sat down. The clouds rolled in, blocking out the sun again.
"I didn't realize until after we broke up that my feelings for Gene had long since faded.”
Given the circumstances, it was clear that Noah had asked Gene to break up with him first.
“I think she was thinking something similar. So we decided to just be friends again.”
In the presence of Noah, who spoke so casually as if it were no one's business, Dana forgot to say formal condolences like "I'm sorry" and "I feel bad.”
That wasn't the only bewilderment.
"So, why don't you come with me to Dorset next time, you haven't been to your grandfather's grave in ages.”
Dana was at a loss for words at that moment, and then Shore's trainer approached, and the conversation went no further.
It felt strange. It was strange because she couldn't figure out why it was strange.
"...."
Sitting in the distance, Dana realized that the clock tower's hands were almost at three o'clock. It was time for the tea ceremony class to begin.
With a thud, the hem of her maid's dress slid off the wooden chair. Clutching a book to her chest, she shuffled toward the main hall.
***
"You want me to blend my own?"
"Yes. In a whole new way."
Dana's hand paused in mid-air as she scooped out the tea leaves in the familiar fashion.
"There's no real recipe for tea blending, really. It's just a process of finding your own taste, or, for people like us, adapting to the taste of the master."
"Ah..."
Dana replied weakly, not really feeling herself. It was obvious that she was not comfortable with being told to do it on her own.
"Relax, it's not a test or anything."
"..."
"It's okay to mess up, you're just learning. When I was your age, I couldn't even follow a set recipe and got scolded every time."
The words seemed to embolden her a little. Dana narrowed her eyes and looked slowly around at the tea leaves and dried herbs.
"Well, then, get to work. We have plenty of time."
Celeste held up her hands, then crossed her arms, and leaned back into the chair's backrest.
To Dana's eyes, it looked like she was trying to put her mind at ease, but inwardly, Celeste was preparing herself.
‘Are you pregnant?’
She was going to just close her eyes and ask her straight up.
Yes or no, the answer didn’t matter.
It's the look that counts.
Celeste was going to read the truth in Dana's eyes, which would be revealed in an instant.
To do this, she needed to catch her opponent completely off guard, and a challenging task like 'blending in a new way' was enough to keep her on her toes.
When to speak up? Timing was everything.
Celeste watched Dana, waiting for her chance.
Her tiny hands hovered over a pot of herbs and dried fruit. Dana sniffed eagerly, testing each one carefully.
She had just begun to mix the tea leaves when her chance came.
"Dana."
"Yes?"
Celeste cleared her throat.
But strangely, her tongue didn't move. Dana's eyes narrowed as she realized that only her lips were moving.
"Uh... Nothing."
Dana blinked a few times, then turned her attention back to the bowl.
She stirred the dry tea leaves and herbs back and forth.
Finally, Dana had perfected her own blend, and with a dull, gurgling sound, the aroma wafted out. It was strong enough to make her nose tingle, but Celeste didn't feel any of it.
Why am I doing this, why am I hesitating so long?
She furrowed her brow and wondered, but she already knew the answer.
She was afraid that that beautiful, gentle child would say yes.
She was afraid she'd beg her to never tell Master Theodore, or anyone else, that she's unwillingly pregnant.
Would she then be able to turn her back on the child? Even if it meant breaking Master Theodore's orders?
"Here."
As if on cue, Dana set the teacup down in front of Celeste. Celeste shook her head dismissively and gripped the handle.
"Huh?" came out of her mouth as she pressed her nose to the cup.
What is this?
Being the timid, shy child Dana was, she expected her to just serve her a mediocre, unremarkable cup of tea, not try something new, but the flavor and search were too unique.
"What the hell did you mix?"
Dana cleared her throat and waved her hand, a little embarrassed.
"...Hibiscus, chamomile, and ginger...."
Dana's mouth rattled off a list of combinations Celeste had never imagined. It was so unconventional that it temporarily took her mind off her troubled thoughts.
Celeste stared back down at the tea, dumbfounded.
Just because she liked the girl didn't mean she could just give her a pat on the back for a job well done.
"Well... I don't think that's a very good idea. It's always better to be a little ahead of the curve on anything...."
Dana nodded, as if she'd expected that. But she didn't look too disappointed.
"Why did you make this? You kind of anticipated my reaction."
"Actually... I wasn't thinking about the aroma or flavor, not that I'm a tea drinker, anyway. I don't really know how tea tastes yet, and I knew that if I deviated from Ms. Celeste's recipe, it would be...bad."
"What do you mean, you did it on purpose?"
"Oh, no. It's definitely not a sloppy job."
Dana threw up her hands.
"It's purely... I made it for my health."
"...Health?"
"Yes."
"But Dana, tea is not medicine, that's a whole different ball game."
As soon as Celeste finished speaking, she realized she was reprimanding the child. There's nothing more irritating than encouraging someone to do something and then turning around and scolding them for it.
Fortunately, Dana didn't seem hurt at all.
"I see."
Celeste swallowed hard at Dana’s smiling face.
"But why did you suddenly think it was a good tea for sweetness, and what on earth did you see that made you put those herbs in it?"
"Ms. Celeste, you know that book you gave me before... Master Theodore's... gift... In it, the origin of the tea leaves, the ingredients, the effects... It's there...."
"You... You saw that?"
"Yes, there... There were some teas and herbs that were good for soreness, and I happened to have all the ingredients here... So I... I tried it."
Celeste was at a loss for words again.
She didn't think Dana would actually read the book. The book, stupidly thick, was more for show, for decoration.
Blending was a product of experience.
Whether you're a cook, a seamstress, or a mender, to master a particular skill, you have to learn it by doing the grunt work under a good teacher.
Who would endure the laborious hours of a master's back-breaking work when a mere reading of a book would give you the skill?
Celeste had been given a similar book by her mistress, but she had never opened it, and now... Dana read it and made it... Her bewildered gaze returned to her teacup.
A blend that was strictly 'healthy'...
The initial disappointment was replaced by a fresh shock.
"Yeah... Well... Not bad for a try...."
Celeste muttered to herself and took a sip of the tea, which didn't smell too bad considering it was supposed to be good for you.
"...But why the decoction? Isn't it for headaches or arthritis or something? I know a few of those folk remedy combinations."
"Well, I tend to get a stomach ache whenever I have a period, and it started this morning... so I thought I'd give it a try."
"Oh, you did?"
Celeste nodded and gulped down the last of her tea, and the next moment, she couldn't help but wince.
Wait, what did she just say? Period?
A pair of shock eyes turned to Dana. Her jaw dropped, but for an entirely different reason.
***
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