“Ugh, I really don’t think we’re gonna be done with this by tomorrow, Sakura.”
“Really? You only have three walls to finish setting up,” Sakura replied as she inspected Medrauta’s handiwork. For someone who wasn’t exactly experienced in construction, the silver-haired knight had actually done a pretty decent job.
Due to their circumstances, the group had managed to get permission from the instructors to begin setting up their booth ahead of time. Usually, the booths were a predetermined size and style that groups simply decorated after being assigned their spot in the festival. However, Sakura had come up with an idea that required them to remodel the entirety of the booth in order to produce an accurate and immersive atmosphere.
“Three walls, the roofing panels, and the doors. I still don’t get how these things are supposed to work. They slide into... What? The walls?” Medrauta asked, looking at the diagram that Sakura had provided her.
Sakura nodded. “Yes. That is the standard design for a tea house. The sliding doors allow for ease of transition between partitions in the structure. Since the booth is quite small, we will only have two partitions, one being the ceremony room and the other being the waiting room.”
Medrauta nodded, scratching her head. It wasn’t too difficult of a concept for her to wrap her head around, but it all just seemed so incredibly detailed just for a cup of tea.
“The tea ceremony is an art that has been refined in Higashi for millennia. It is an integral part of our culture, and I wish for this experience to reflect that,” Sakura explained as she noticed Medrauta’s confusion about the complexity of the structure.
“Well, I’m lookin’ forward to having a cup myself. The way you’re talking makes it sound like it’s gonna be the best damn cup of tea I’ve ever had,” Medrauta grinned.
While tea was a relatively popular drink in the empire, there was never really any special significance or ritual ascribed to its consumption unlike the tea ceremony that Sakura had introduced to them. In fact, much of the empire’s beverage refinement went to alcoholic drinks and kafe, a particularly bitter dark-colored drink that originated from Kharadshah.
With her questions answered for now, Medrauta went back to work on the booth. She’d managed to finish the flooring and one of the walls already, but the sun’s position in the sky was slowly waning.
The booth was located in the heart of the campus grounds where the festival would be held, and a quick glance to the sky told Medrauta that there were only around six or so hours left of daylight.
As Medrauta went back to hammering away, Sakura waved to the group that had just come out of a nearby building.
“Riku! I trust everything went well? Does anyone need any special coaching?” Sakura asked with a wink. For some reason, Rosaline and Leticia both winked back.
Riku raised an eyebrow and nodded, understanding the ladies’ intent. “Yes. Although it started slowly, most of them learned the procedure fairly quickly. However, there was a slight hiccup with Lady Viviane’s brewing technique.”
“E-Eh!? Me!?” Viviane exclaimed in shock. “B-But you never said anything to me!”
“I had forgotten to mention it in the heat of the moment. Forgive me, Lady Viviane.”
“Hm... That’s a shame,” Sakura remarked with a rather innocent tone.
“...Indeed. However, Dame Leticia and Lady Rosaline were simply exemplary. Perhaps it might do Lady Viviane some good if she were to receive additional instruction. Alas, I really must be getting back to my business.”
“Of course,” A mischievous grin danced on Sakura’s lips as she failed to suppress it. “As it so happens, I am quite free at the moment. Perhaps Lady Rosaline and I can tutor Lady Viviane while Dame Leticia aids in completing the booth’s construction?”
Rosaline clapped her delicate hands together in a charming expression of delight. “A wonderful suggestion, Lady Sakura.”
Meanwhile, Leticia was already moving toward Medrauta and striking up a conversation with her as she picked up a few construction tools on the way. It seemed all three girls were in total sync with whatever scheme they were trying to pull off.
“H-Huh!?” Viviane’s gaze flickered between Rosaline and Sakura in an amalgamation of confusion and surprise. She’d been looking forward to spending time with Medrauta, after all. “It’s alright! I wouldn’t want to impose!”
“You aren’t imposing at all, Lady Viviane.” Sakura stated as she moved closer to the blonde noblewoman. “Rather, I would be delighted to share my culture with you firsthand. It has been a while since we’ve spent some quality time together, hasn’t it?”
“A-Ah...” Viviane couldn’t find a way to refute that. Sakura had become one of her closest friends after helping her gain the strength she possessed now, but despite that, the two hadn’t found much time to spend together lately. “In that case, I’d love for you to give me a few pointers, Lady Sakura. I still haven’t fully repaid you for your help either...”
“Oh come now, there’s no need for that between friends,” Sakura smiled, placing an arm around Viviane’s shoulders stealthily and urging her away from the booth. She snuck a quick nod to Rosaline who nodded in turn.
“Hold on.”
Sakura, Rosaline, and Leticia all froze at the sound of Medrauta’s voice.
S-Shit! Did she find out!? Sakura’s eyes widened in panic as she exchanged worried glances with Rosaline. Likewise, Leticia fumbled as she attempted to think of a way to distract Medrauta without being too obvious.
“Where’s Gwenhwyfar?” Medrauta’s gaze was locked onto Riku, causing the tension that Sakura, Rosaline, and Leticia were feeling to immediately dissolve. “I thought she went with you?”
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“She did. Unfortunately, she was pulled away by Duke Castellia during the brewing session. It seemed like there was something urgent they needed to discuss.”
“...Right. I’ll leave y’all to it, then. C’mon, Leticia. Let’s finish this up before nightfall.”
“Y-Yeah!”
Sakura and Rosaline both breathed a sigh of relief, and with that, they departed the scene with Viviane in tow. Riku walked with them for a brief while before splitting off on his own, and the three ladies soon found themselves alone and in the middle of the academy gardens.
The gardens served as a heavenly vista of floral varieties, second only to the gardens found in the imperial palace. Even the meticulously maintained grounds of the imperial academy couldn’t compare. In the center sat a large octagonal gazebo carved from marble, giving it a grand and majestic appearance that allowed nobles to bask in the view while enjoying some condiments of their own.
Normally, it was a popular date spot for couples, but today it was empty thanks to the festival preparations that were going on. Sakura and Rosaline guided the confused Viviane onto the gazebo, gesturing for her to take a seat before taking one themselves.
“Um... Weren’t we going to brew some tea?” Viviane asked.
“And how exactly do you brew tea, Lady Viviane?” Sakura asked in reply.
“H-Huh!? Well... It’s... You put the ground powder in a pot of boil—”
“Pardon my interruption, but you mistake her question, Lady Viviane,” Rosaline interjected gently. “What Lady Sakura wishes to know is how you handle the leaves and how you heat the water. While such things may seem insignificant to some, it makes all the difference in the outcome.”
“I see...” Viviane paused to think before answering this time. “Well, it's my first time making tea in the Higashi style, but I’ve followed Sir Riku’s instructions quite carefully. First, you sift the finely ground powder gently, then you add the water heated to just under a boil, and then you whisk?”
“But how long do you whisk? How much water do you add?” Sakura asked. “When will you know if it’s ready?”
“Well... Sir Riku said to whisk until the tea appears frothy, and the water should be just enough but not too much? Around the height of the powder that’s in the bowl, I think!”
“That’s right. Just enough, but not too much,” Sakura nodded. “Do you know what happens if you add too much?”
Viviane shook her head.
“The tea loses its flavor,” Sakura said. “And you must begin brewing a new bowl instead. Even the most potent tea can lose its taste when too much water has been added, and with too much whisking, the tea loses its consistency. It becomes like foam, intangible and ephemeral. A shadow of its former self.”
Rosaline nodded, now warming to Sakura’s theme. They’d arranged this beforehand, but she hadn’t been told any specifics. “Lady Sakura is right. And water is just like time. If you wait too long, even the best cup of tea becomes bland.”
“...Lady Sakura, Lady Rosaline. The two of you aren’t talking about tea, are you?”
“...When will you be ready?” Sakura asked. Though it was frustrating to watch Medrauta and Viviane flirt while they were supposed to be getting work done, it was infinitely more frustrating for her to watch Viviane constantly retreat from her desires. “You can’t keep stringing her along like this, Lady Viviane.”
“And more importantly, you can’t keep doing this to yourself,” Lady Rosaline added.
Viviane dropped her gaze as her lips formed into a thin line. Her eyes fixed on her shaking hands. Those once-frail fingers of hers had shot so many arrows that their tips were now calloused. It was proof of the strength she’d gained. Despite that, she couldn’t help but feel so hopelessly inadequate when attempting to confront the torrent of emotions that swirled within her.
“...I understand your intentions, and I’m glad that the two of you care so much for Medrauta and I, but I would thank you not to intervene in our relationship.”
Normally, that would’ve been the end of it. All three ladies were well-versed in noble customs and etiquette. To continue pushing the point would be dreadfully rude, but Sakura did it anyway.
“Lady Viviane,” Sakura began as she reached out and grasped the noblewoman’s hands. “You are the one who taught me that decorum need not define me. That it was fine to break free from tradition so long as it was out of benevolence. I shared the secrets of my clan with you so that you could fight, and now I wish to share my confidence with you for that same reason.”
“...It is the same for me, Lady Viviane,” Rosaline said. “I have not known you for long, and we were in different classes, but my knight and yours have been close friends. Leticia says that the sole reason she found her courage to become my knight was because of you and Dame Medrauta. Because of that, both her and I owe our union to the two of you. Please, allow us to repay that debt.”
For a moment, it looked as if Viviane would relent, but she puffed her chest out and stuck her nose high in the air as if she were attempting to perform her best impression of Gwenhwyfar.
“H-How arrogant! You dare make assumptions as to my feelings for Medrauta!? H-How shameful! I’ll have you know that she is solely my knight and nothing else! H-Hmph!”
The two ladies stared at Viviane in disbelief, and even Rosaline couldn’t help but burst out into a hapless peal of laughter.
“Lady Viviane!” Sakura managed to exclaim between gasps. She had completely abandoned the prim and proper persona that she usually wore and exploded into a fit of cackling. “You wouldn’t even be able to fool a child like that!”
“Lady Viviane, you surely jest!” Rosaline laughed. “Oh my, I certainly have never witnessed such an abysmal attempt at deception! Perhaps it was sarcasm that you intended to employ?”
“U-Ugh! Is it really that obvious!? It can’t be that obvious!” Viviane protested in vain.
“It most certainly is. Even if Leticia had not told me about your relationship with Dame Medrauta, I would have been able to see the depths of your feelings for her,” Rosaline replied.
“Lady Viviane, I believe it is time for you to gather your courage,” Sakura stated. “But you needn’t do so alone. While I am not as experienced as Lady Rosaline in the art of romance, I believe I can offer some quality advice as well.”
Viviane appeared to consider their statements thoroughly. She knew that it was unfair to make Medrauta wait, especially when they both desired each other so strongly. But their union went against the teachings of the Avalyne Church, a power that resided on the same echelon as the imperial family.
Though Aluvsha’s scripture did not expressly forbid a union between the same sex and neither did the empire have a particular law that forbade it either, the church refused to recognize or perform the sacred ritual of vows for such marriages.
Because of that, Viviane’s marriage with Medrauta would be impossible in the empire, and she had grown up thinking that she was responsible for providing the family an heir as the only child.
Even so... Father accepted it so quickly. Viviane bit her lip in consternation. The church forbids it, but... is it really so wrong?
She shook her head. In her heart of hearts, she already knew the answer. She had fallen irrevocably in love with Medrauta, and nothing could ever change that. Besides, the churches of Kharadshah and Higashi both worshiped Aluvsha, and same-sex marriages were more than welcome there.
Plus, the vows held no matter where they took place thanks to the sacred ritual conferring Aluvsha’s blessing regardless. So long as a union was recognized by the creator god himself, not even the Avalyne Church could overturn it.
So... What am I still afraid of?
Viviane looked up at the two ladies who had expressed their strong desire to help her realize her romance. Their eyes were ablaze with determination, just as hers now lit up with that same resolve.
“Thank you, Lady Sakura. Lady Rosaline. Now then... Where do we start?”