After breakfast, the duchess immediately hogged Nero for herself. The youngest lord listened to her mother's stories. Stories that seemed to never run out, but Nero indulged her. They were too immersed in their own world that they skipped lunch. Although their starvation had passed, they were still hungry. It was a good thing that tea time exists so they could placate their rumbling stomachs.
The duchess' parlor reminded Nero of the greenhouse where one of his classes studied botany. A mini dome built with glass walls and roofs and instead of herbal plants inside, the space was filled with potted greeneries— a contrast to the main garden, which was a riot of color. Duchess Mirae appears to enjoy gardening.
Raena appeared by the entrance doorway, followed by two maids, each holding a tray. Nero quietly watched them as they set up the round table at which he and his mother sat. An emerald-colored tea pot slid into his peripheral vision, and was tilted to pour its contents into his cup. Nero fixed his gaze on the steaming Earl Grey tea.
"Nero, you appear dissatisfied; is the tea not to your liking?" Duchess Mirae inquired worriedly as she set down her own cup. Nero threw a glance at the tea pot.
"It's too hot," he responded, which garnered amused looks from the people around him. Nero sighed then lifted a finger to point towards the glass roof that shaded them from the blazing sun.
"The weather," he continued, then further explained when none of them could fathom his words. Drinking something hot in a scorching weather actually helps to cool the body down because it causes us to sweat more quickly in order to get rid of the excess heat. However, with nobility's layered clothing, sweat was bound to dry up, which was unhealthy. Not only was it time-consuming but showering frequently throughout the day to remove the odor can harm the skin and hair.
When he was finished explaining, they all looked at him with wide eyes and their jaws dropped. It was startling to hear Nero speak for so long, but what stuck with them was his unexpected knowledge. Not to undervalue their lord, but science was a very advanced subject in the empire.
It was even more astonishing given the fact that Lord Nero had not attended the academy yet. My, what a smart master they serve!
Duchess Mirae was also surprised but was quick to let out a smile, one that looked both proud and fond. "What do you recommend then, my son?" she asked.
Nero was quiet for a moment, recalling if this world already discovered cold beverages. They didn't. Despite the fact that ice was already a concept due to the existence of magic, Linda had only spoken of tea and warm water in her very detailed story-telling.
"Do we have some lemon?" Nero replied with another question instead.
It had to be Nero's imagination, but it appeared that the servants assisting him during his tea time with the duchess had doubled. He was unconcerned about this so he kept pouring boiling hot water into a bowl of black tea bags. Nero took the lemons and swiftly cut them in half while the tea bags steeped for a good five minutes. He then took another pitcher and poured in all of the fresh lemon juice.
Once he had stirred in the lemon juice, Nero then added sugar. To make sure of the taste, he took a sip. Once the bitterness was barely there, he added baking soda. Nero was surprised that this ingredient existed already but then again, he was in a world of fiction. There was bound to be loopholes and inaccuracies.
The crowd gasped when the drink started to fizzle. They were visibly shaken and wanted to question what Nero was doing but they kept their mouths shut because of hierarchy. Duchess Mirae was also taken aback but curiosity got the best of her and she trusted her son.
"Sir Finn has arrived, my Lord," Raena announced once she appeared by the doorway once again after being gone for a while.
'Just in time.'
"Bring him in," Nero ordered.
A man dressed in white robe bowed down to his presence. He introduced himself as a low level mage. Well, it's not like there were any high mages in the second and third dukeships. Those who possessed high spiritual intellect were kept in Monrell, the first dukedom. Nero doesn't really care about the mage's rank as long as he could make some ice. Nero handed Sir Finn a small pitcher of warm water and instructed him to cool it.
Sir Finn nodded, although perplexed. The mage thought to himself what a bizarre request it was. 'Make it cold but not frozen.' He has never heard of that before. Was it even possible? He contemplated as he raised his hands and activated a small stone with inscribed texts on it; a magical rune. Luckily the mage was skilled at controlling the temperature and they didn't have any trouble.
The drink will not be refreshing right away and must be consumed after it has been refrigerated overnight. But looking at the sweat that trickled on the others' faces, Nero was pretty sure none of them can wait that long. Since it was a technology deprived world, there were no refrigerators so he had to make do with the available resources. After a few more stirs with the cold water, Nero asked the mage to once again cool it till it was chill.
Once Sir Finn was done, Nero took a sip once again as everyone watched in bated breath. Curiosity completely changed their feelings when the youngest lord let out a satisfied look. A small smile was plastered on his face as he grabbed two cups. He then ordered the mage to make a block of ice much to their amusement again. Nero was too tired to explain ice cubes so he just crushed some ice and put it in the drinking glasses. He poured the iced tea and added a sprig of mint and a slice of lemon. Once stirred, he delivered it to his mother.
Duchess Mirae would be lying if she said that she wasn't feeling skeptical but looking at the dark orange drink, it was very tempting. She mumbled a thanks to her son before she brought the cold glass to her lips. A burst of cool sweet flavor filled the inside of her mouth. She can't help but sigh. Heavens, that was so refreshing. Absent-mindedly, the duchess leaned back her cushioned seat and quietly enjoyed the cooling sensation she was feeling. Nero was pleased to see his mother's contentment. He spun around to see the servants looking at them with interest.
"Go on." He gestured to the drink. It was a good thing that he used the whole pack of tea bags so there was enough for everyone. They were hesitant at first but gave in to temptation. It was silent as everyone took their first sip but was immediately broken once they took their first gulp of the iced tea.
"Oh my, this is delicious!"
"You can barely taste the bitterness!"
"Exactly what we needed in this scorching heat."
"Everyone appears to be having a good time." A low and firm tone halted the merry chatters. The grins on the servants' face fell and they bowed down in unison. Nero took a sip and eyed the man that entered without warning. Well, it's not like he needed one anyways.
"Your Highness," the servants greeted the Duke of Lanchaster.