CH 4.03

“……Lady Crisiona?”

“Lady Oberon.”

She’s not someone I expected to meet here. I said hello and sat down, but I was very uneasy.

‘What the hell is she doing here?’

My instincts are ringing. My ancestors seemed to be whispering next to me. Don’t let this slide.

If she’s here doesn’t that mean there is something good hidden in this tea house?

I ordered an Earl Gray while looking elsewhere and pretending I wasn’t interested in her presence. Peridot opened her mouth as I was doing this.

“Stop right now and just sell it.”

Sell? This place?

I pricked up my ears and concentrated on the conversation.

“It’s an old store, and the debt must still be piling, right? What are you keeping this place for?”

“How many times have I told you I’m not going to sell it? Never, ever!”

“Won’t you soon be unable to pay your debt if you continue to be stubborn?”

“Shut up, eat this, and leave.  Whatever you say, I’m not selling this place!”

Grandma screamed. I looked at her, holding my breath.

So, this is why Peridot came here? But Grandma, the owner, has stated that she will never sell it?

Refusing to sell despite having a lot of debt meant it was worth more than money. Because there are things more valuable in the world than money.

‘Oh, what should I do? I want to buy this place and screw her over*.’ 

*(물먹이다/ Screw someone over- to put somebody in hard situation deliberately.)

Grandma turned around and placed the teacup in front of me, making a clacking sound as she did so. Peridot was furious. I sipped my tea while staring at the rejected Peridot. I know she’s someone who can’t stand being turned down.

“It would be better for you to hand it over when I’m still showing mercy like this. Just so you know, I don’t have a lot of patience.”

What’s the point of being arrogant when you’re trying to persuade someone who doesn’t want to sell it?

My tongue clucked inwardly as I looked at grandma’s obstinate face. She must be in so much distress.

I gently raised my hand and smiled bashfully after Peridot left the store.

“Hey, Grandma.”

“What is it?”

“I think you are being threatened.”

Grandma then opened her ax-like eyes and stared at me.

“Are you not a noble lady? Why are you addressing me in honorifics?”

“I’ve never seen a grandma who could do that to Peridot.  I was impressed.”

“I used to yell at aristocrats back in the day. I used to be a nanny.”

Oh, I see. That attitude is understandable in some ways.

When I read the original work, I got the impression that there was no clear hierarchy between maids and nobles in Terran. Should I say that it’s natural for people to be nice to one another?

Of course, they were cruel to maids who do chores or slaves from desert countries or other countries, but once they became close, it was impossible to separate them.

When I think about it, if I had been a nanny, I believe I could have treated the nobles similarly.

“Is there a reason you won’t sell the store even if the situation is dire?”

Maybe it’s a shop his son built for her or a memory of his husband? Or was it a gift from the nobles who raised her?

In anticipation for something similar, I prepared to cry alongside her. But Grandma from the tea house was a greater person than I had imagined.

“Reason? Do I really need a reason?”

“Eh?”

“Oh, well! Where will I go on a date at this age if I sell this? To get old people, I need to open a tea house.

“……..!”

I see!

Grandma’s deep insight made me slap my knees in admiration.

Perhaps the author’s creativity was lacking, and the old people seemed to have nowhere to go in this world. If this was a dating place for grandma and grandpas, it was only natural that she would refuse to sell it even if offered a large sum of money.

“Ar’ ya there, Tabby?”

“Oh my goodness, I’m here.”

Just then, the store’s door opened, revealing a well-dressed grandfather. The grandfather, who was dressed in a hunting cap, coughed ‘loudly’ and then held out a rose.

“I bought it while walkin’ round because ’twas beautiful.”

“No, what exactly is this? Why did ya buy it?”

“Why else? I bought it thinkin’ ’bout ya face.”

Oh, that’s very sweet. I’m not sure where the dialect comes from, but hearing it makes me happy. I didn’t want it nor this place to get destroyed. 

‘So, what should I do?’

She’s not going to leave it alone. Peridot’s overbearing tone and eyes made it clear that her act as a proper lady would soon come to an end.

It was written in the original that since she was a child, if she wants something, she will have it at any cost, or she will destroy it entirely, so this store will soon be closed.

‘But can I just take it?’

I gnawed on the paper straw, my gaze fixed on grandma, who appeared to be having a good time.

Yes, she appears to be ‘enjoying it’ rather than looking ‘happy.’ Grandpa appeared to be in love, but Grandma appeared to be having a good time.

“Tabby! I brought you wild ginseng!”

It was then. The teahouse’s old door was opened with such force that the hinges fell off, and a grandpa with a large build appeared. It was only natural for the surprised grandma’s face to turn angry, and for the grandpa, a big man, to be slapped in the back.

“This bastard! Didn’t I tell you to open the door gently?”

“Aigoo, if it falls, I can simply repair it! In any case, take a look at this. It’s wild ginseng, wild ginseng! I dug it up to feed my old lady, Tabby!”

Whahahaha!

Big grandpa laughed out loud. The grandpa, who bought flowers on the other hand, lost his smile.

I immediately recognised their relationship after witnessing everything.

‘She’s a grandmother who is adored by all the grandfathers! And no one has won her heart yet.’

Grandma screamed and said something similar to lamentation, as if to prove my point.

“Heh, they used to be really good at it, but why are they crawling in with so many simple things now?”

You don’t care for either of them, do you? Are you waiting for true love?

As I stirred the inside of my teacup with a teaspoon, I smiled meaningfully.

The two grandfathers over there are cool, but I knew the coolest grandfather on the world. I don’t think Grandma Tabby would dislike him too.

‘Won’t she go crazy if she hears Theobalt play the violin once?’

Hehe. Perhaps this will make it easier for me to purchase this property.

It’s best to reach an agreement amicably. I’ll be able to strike Villainess #1 while protecting the grandparents’ love room!

Of course, the former has a more profound meaning, but it wouldn’t hurt to kill two birds with one stone. I hummed as I rose from my seat.

I left, leaving some change on the table, without saying goodbye to the three people who were still talking. I’m going back home to try to persuade Theobalt.