Chapter 44: One side is only a part after all.

Claudia glanced at the now-silent Violet.

Her formerly ramrod-straight back had curved, and as she tucked the falling strands of hair behind her ear, her eyes scanned the pages with uncompromising focus. Several times he heard the faint scratch of the pen nib.

A faint crease sat between her brows, making her look almost stern.
In the past, Claudia would probably have misinterpreted that expression as her hating the work and being in a bad mood, and he would have silently downgraded his opinion of her.

Now he could admit how narrow his vision had been.
Yes, at a glance it could look that way, but if you watched for even a moment you’d understand.

The crease would occasionally soften. The downturned corners of her mouth would relax. She’d puff her cheeks in mild irritation. She’d tilt her head in thought, then suddenly light up and set the pen racing.

Violet, it turned out, was far more expressive than he had ever imagined.

Her usual calm demeanor wasn’t a lie, but this slightly loosened version wasn’t an act either.

When she tucked her hair behind her ear again, her face became even clearer.

He had thought her eyes were dark, but they were surprisingly vivid.
He had thought her hair was black, but it was actually a gray closer to white.
Her lashes were long enough to cast shadows, perhaps the reason her eyes left such a strong impression.
He had believed her lips were strikingly red, but that was only because her skin was so fair; in truth they were a soft pink.

He had always known Violet was beautiful.
From the very beginning her looks had been lovely, and as time passed they had only grown more enchanting and dazzling; never once diminished.

So he had assumed he was long past being swayed by her appearance.

Yet the more he looked, the more he realized how superficially he had seen her all this time.

“…Um, this—”

“—!!”

Their eyes suddenly met without warning.
Violet blinked in innocent confusion while Claudia’s shoulders jumped dramatically.
He didn’t cry out only because shock had seized his throat; otherwise he would have let out an embarrassingly undignified sound.

As a prince, and above all as a man, he was honestly relieved he hadn’t, but he still instinctively recoiled.

“…Are you all right?”

“Ngh… sorry, what is it?”

He straightened, gave an exaggerated cough to cover it, and quickly changed the subject before she could comment.
As intended, Violet remembered what she had wanted to say.

“Um, this part…”

“Something wrong?”

He leaned forward to see the section she pointed to, and two shadows fell across the single sheet.

He silently read the words her slender finger traced.
To Claudia they looked like perfectly ordinary terms and numbers.

“This is… supplies for the salons.”

By “salons” he didn’t mean only the student-council-affiliated room they were currently using.
This salon was the one people usually pictured, but similar lounges were scattered throughout the academy.
The others were open for general student use and equipped with basic resting facilities. All academy salons fell under student council jurisdiction.

“It’s about these tea leaves.”

“Ah… they’re the usual, though.”

The numbers were fine, and the brand was the same.

Not understanding what she meant, his brows drew together reflexively.
It wasn’t irritation; he simply tensed when faced with a question he couldn’t immediately answer.

Violet seemed to shrink a little.
In contrast to him, her brows lowered, and she hesitated, unsure whether to continue.

(So she’s good at reading people’s moods too.)

Another thing he hadn’t known.

“…Go on.”

“Ah… yes. Well, are these tea leaves chosen for any particular reason?”

“We’ve always used these; there’s never been a need to change. Marukt leaves are impeccable in both quality and taste.”

Marukt was the brand name, and nearly everything the academy used came from them.
Not just the academy; most nobles did the same. It was a top-tier brand with guaranteed quality and flavor.
Frankly, Claudia didn’t know of any brand that surpassed Marukt.

He had assumed Violet felt the same.

“Um… would it be… out of the question to try a different brand once?”

“It’s not out of the question, but…”

He honestly didn’t see the value.
If something clearly superior existed, he would have heard of it.

“It’s from Caldina. I believe there’s a shop in Juralia that carries it.”

“Caldina… I’ve heard the name.”

Thanks to his geography lessons, he knew of Caldina, of course.
But it wasn’t particularly famous; neither as a tourist destination nor an agricultural region.
It had abundant greenery and beautiful, preserved mountains and rivers, but was inconvenient to reach.
He only had secondhand knowledge, yet he had never heard that Caldina produced anything capable of satisfying this academy’s students.

Violet must have sensed his skepticism.
She nodded once and began explaining from the beginning.

“It’s true Caldina isn’t well-known, and by general reputation it can’t even touch Marukt. They don’t export large quantities, so we probably couldn’t secure enough for the entire academy. But… the student council only handles the salons, right?”

“Yes. The cafeteria and school store are managed by the academy administration.”

Because most students were nobility, the academy valued autonomy and entrusted many decisions to the students; or rather, to the student council that represented them.
That was why the salons’ supplies fell to the council, but the cafeteria and store were simply too large-scale for students to manage alone.

How did that connect to her point?

“Actually, Caldina’s tea harvest happens right around now. Caldina tea is harvested at this time of year and sold over the following year, but because of that, the processing for long-term storage drastically reduces the flavor.”

A common story.
Preservation merely prevents spoilage; it doesn’t maintain peak condition.
And to extend shelf life, something must be sacrificed; most often flavor.

Even so, it still sold, so perhaps it was popular among commoners.
But the students here, for better or worse, had refined palates.
Individual tastes varied, but discerning quality was knowledge, not preference.

“Then why recommend Caldina?”

Price wasn’t an issue here, and if the flavor didn’t surpass the current one, there was no reason to switch.

“It’s true processing lowers the taste, but there’s an exception; right now, before processing, it’s sold in its peak state. Of course the sales period is very short.”

“…You’ve drunk it before, Violet?”

“A few times long ago… Personally, I remember it being more delicious than Marukt.”

“I see…”

Knowing good things was part of a leader’s duty.
Personal preference was free, but the ability to judge quality was essential in every field.

No matter how valuable something cheap and good might be, what they needed to learn first was value commensurate with price, and price commensurate with value.

Above all, exposure to many fine things.

Regardless of her taste, Violet’s palate was trustworthy.
Far more discerning than the average noble lady; and something Claudia himself lacked at the moment.

(…Trying it once might not be bad.)

As he silently pondered, Violet’s expression grew increasingly anxious.

Had she overstepped?
Should she not have spoken up?
She had been too focused on doing the job properly and charged ahead with the best idea, but asserting herself had never been her strong suit.

Whether she spoke or stayed silent, her role had always been to be scolded.

“U-um… let’s just leave it as is. It’s only available this season, and the sales period is limited anyway. I’m sorry; please forget I said anything.”

She tried to head off punishment before it came; another ingrained habit, just like falling silent.

She had wasted his time, so she reached to retrieve the sheet in plain view between them and return to work.

But before her fingertips could touch it, the paper slipped away and landed in Claudia’s hand.

“…That was a valuable opinion. Thank you.”

“Eh… but—”

“I can’t let you handle the actual change procedure, so I’ll take this one.”

Changing the product name went beyond simple typo correction.

The page swayed in Claudia’s grasp.
Violet’s surprised face flickered in and out of view, and feeling suddenly awkward, Claudia looked away.

Even he still didn’t know what he wanted to do about Violet.
His impression of her had improved dramatically from rock-bottom, but walls remained on both sides before he could fully trust her.

Yet every time he glimpsed an unknown side of her, his heart made an audible thump.
He didn’t understand what that heartbeat meant.

“Ah… um, thank you very much.”

“No, I’m the one who should thank you.”

“Then we’re even.”

Was it his imagination, or did her voice sound a little brighter?
Did the air seem to lighten, or was that an auditory hallucination?

In the corner of his vision, he thought he saw her cover her mouth; as though she had smiled.

Just wishful thinking, probably.

“V-Vio—”

“Hey, you’re working in here?”

“—!!”

“Are you okay…!?”

“Eh, Lady Violet? What are you doing here?”

Claudia had startled and tried to stand at the sudden opening of the door; his knee slammed into the hard table with a loud thud.
He swallowed the cry of pain along with every ounce of irritation and glared at his best friend who had just barged in.

“Mira… knock before you enter…!”