Huh? Isn't that considered a lower seat?
He had assumed he would sit at the higher seat, which was traditionally the position of honor.
Perhaps the customs were different here compared to Earth.
If Theo sat there, where was he supposed to sit?
As he fumbled with the situation, Sebas, who had followed behind, walked over and pulled out the chair at the honored seat for him.
It must be my seat, he thought, but according to his common sense, that was the honored seat.
"Sir Damien, please take a seat," Sebas said.
Damien hesitated about whether it was appropriate to sit in the honored seat, but Sebas's voice prompted him to just go ahead and sit down.
"Ah, thank you. Um…excuse me," he said, bowing his head slightly to both Theo and Sebas as he took his seat.
"Now then, I will bring the tea, so please wait a moment."
"Y-yes, thank you."
As Sebas left the room, Damien expressed his gratitude while Theo remained silent, her gaze still lowered.
Once Sebas was gone, an uncomfortable silence filled the room.
It didn't seem like a suitable atmosphere for casual conversation, and moreover, the distance between them made it hard to speak up.
In fact, Damien was bewildered by the stark contrast between Theo's demeanor now and yesterday's cheerful spirit.
He had been so lively the day before, and now his mood seemed so low it felt like the world was ending.
He couldn't understand how he could be so eager to watch him yesterday, yet now he wouldn't even turn his face toward him.
According to Sebas, Theo had wanted to have a tea party, but nothing about his demeanor suggested that at all.
Just as Damien was about to open his mouth to thank him for his hospitality, Sebas returned with a cart pushed by an elderly woman who had been sitting next to him the day before.
"'…Phew.'"
Damien couldn't help but sigh at the sudden shift in the atmosphere and turned around to look at Theo, who also wore an expression that said, I messed up.
He realized he probably wore a similar expression, and they exchanged glances.
He forced a wry smile while looking at him, but Theo immediately looked down again.
What on earth is going on with him?
With that kind of attitude, he couldn't help but think of nothing but bad scenarios.
As he pondered these thoughts, Sebas and the elderly woman began to set things up, placing a tea set and an array of colorful tarts on the table.
"Today, we have prepared tea leaves from Argland. The sweets have been made by Natasha here, and they are seasonal fruit tarts."
Sebas poured tea into the teacups.
Though Damien didn't know much about Argland tea leaves, they looked and smelled like ordinary… no, rather expensive tea.
"Sir Damien, how many sugars would you like to add?"
"Thank you, but I don't need any sugar."
Sebas asked, but it wasn't that Damien was trying to be polite. He simply preferred his tea and coffee without anything added.
Suddenly, a loud crash sounded.