CH 20.1

“So this is the business idea I came up with.”

Ta-da! Grace showed it to Cleta. There was a squeaking sound as the floor in the orphanage kitchen twisted.

“This is?”

“Tea bags.”

“Tea bags?”

“Yes, tea bags.”

Cleta looked at the cloth bag full of crushed herbal tea, puzzled.

“I made it with muslin. There might be more suitable fabric, but it’s just temporary.”

“I see.”

Cleta could tell just by looking that the muslin Grace used was a high-quality material. While Cleta examined the tea bags, Grace began to explain.

“The Empire has advanced not only in transportation but also in travel thanks to the gates. They even exported gates to other countries, so overseas travel is possible with approval, not just within the Empire.”

The problem was the cumbersome process of obtaining that approval. Grace decided to skip unnecessary explanations.

“So many food cultures have developed, and there are many types of tea, but I got this idea when I saw the juice my husband bought at the festival.”

Thinking back, Benjamin liked black tea with a slightly bitter taste. Grace preferred making milk tea by adding two cubes of sugar and milk to the black tea that Benjamin drank.

‘I personally think coffee is better, but among them, cafe latte is…’

Despite knowing that it wasn’t worth standing in line to buy fruit juice from a street vendor, Benjamin still went ahead and bought it.

‘If he wanted to be away from me, there’s nothing I can do.’

“Just tea doesn’t have a high turnover rate.”

“Turnover rate…?”

“Well, I’m not sure if that’s the right term.”

Grace closed her mouth with a realization.

When she was here, Grace felt like a different person. She had no trouble speaking and was full of confidence.

‘It’s like happy magic, but a bit extreme.’

Being with Sally was also nice, but it felt a little different. Yes, it was comfortable.

Grace smiled and spoke as she faced Cleta, who opened her eyes wide in front of her.

“If you want to drink tea, you naturally have to put tea leaves in it, but you need a lot of tools for that, right? You also have to do a lot of dishes and it takes a lot of effort.”

“That’s right. That’s why I don’t drink tea much. Coffee…? Maybe? I’m curious about that too, but it’s such an expensive item.”

“Well, coffee hasn’t been in fashion for long. Besides, making coffee requires quite a bit of process.”

Grace nodded her head when Cleta mentioned that coffee was an expensive item. When Benjamin said it was in fashion, she responded with a casual “Oh, I see.”

‘Well, if a duke says it’s in fashion, it must be in fashion in noble society.’

As Grace spoke up to this point, she suddenly remembered something important.

“Oh!”

“……?!”

“Dunn, how was the cookie I sent you last time?”

She remembered the cookies Benjamin gave were sent here. Grace thought little of it when she sent them, but if it was also a very expensive item, Cleta would have been burdened.

Cleta gave Grace an apologetic smile in response to her question.

Grace felt a little relieved.

The smile meant “It was a little expensive, but still appreciated.”

“The kids really loved it.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear.”

Grace breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

“Yes, it’s been very popular among young children these days. I couldn’t always buy them, but I keep receiving kindness from Mr. Lindon.”

The cookies that Benjamin gave as a gift happened to be a brand that the kids liked at a reasonable price. Grace felt relieved and continued her explanation.

“It’s simple if you do it this way. Just soak it in hot water for a while and then remove it.”

It was simple and fast.

In fact, she wondered if it was okay to drink it with no ceremony.

‘I always had the impression tea should be enjoyed elegantly.’

Grace guessed that the reason why no one had thought of such a simple tea bag yet was that tea time culture was originally exclusive to the nobility. The commoners just imitated the nobles.

For the commoners, enjoying tea was not just about the taste of the tea itself, but also about imitating the life of the nobility.

Isn’t it the same on Earth? People following famous individuals to dine at restaurants they’ve visited or buying clothes worn by celebrities just for the satisfaction of it.

However, that alone cannot make it popularized.

Tea had not spread widely in the empire yet. It still occupied a large part of the culture of the nobility.

“Because it’s annoying to make.”

For people, it’s rare to have a “dishwasher” who would naturally wash the dishes. They had to clean up what they ate, and it was also annoying to throw away tea leaves.

But the tea bag could solve all of these problems. Grace thought for a moment that this almost sounded like a home shopping ad slogan.