So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 55

Chapter 55

“I-I’m sorry!”

At her sharp rebuke, I reflexively apologized first—no thinking involved.

Then I immediately tried to cheat.

My brilliant strategy: copy Katharina, the Count’s daughter who should obviously be flawless at table manners.

But then—

“!”

“Hmhm…”

I saw Katharina, seated beside me, carefully read the room… and quietly put her spoon down as well.

Wait—what?!

That’s the same spoon I’m using!

Even Katharina—Katharina—had gotten confused, and Lady Diana had still caught it with hawk-like precision.

“Why are you apologizing? Sit.”

“Y-yes, ma’am…”

Ever since I’d moved my quarters into the ducal castle, most meals were taken in the main dining hall.

I’d sworn I’d barricade myself in my room, but, well… eating was non-negotiable.

So even if I could avoid Lady Diana at other times, mealtime meant facing her head-on.

Sure, I could have said, “I’ll eat separately,” but I didn’t have the courage.

Also—

How do you refuse to eat with an elder? I’m basically Confucian-coded. That’s not in my skill set.

Anyway, Lady Diana’s table manners were… terrifyingly perfect.

Which meant every meal came with a compulsory lecture on etiquette and “proper noble conduct.”

“Now, look closely. Standard table manners require—”

But the more she did it…

the less I disliked her.

It was like those legendary soup shops run by terrifying old ladies—where you get yelled at nonstop, yet keep coming back because, somehow, it’s still good.

Not that Lady Diana was crude or folksy in any way. She was aristocracy personified.

“Are you spacing out again?”

“N-no, ma’am!”

Still—cold as she was, it didn’t feel like she was doing this to torment me.

I’ve lived long enough to tell. This family just… sucked at expressing themselves.

It didn’t feel like they actually wanted to hurt anyone.

And maybe because I kept responding sincerely to her scolding…

I started feeling her gaze on me even outside the dining hall.

She didn’t speak to me directly, but I could feel it—sharp, watchful scrutiny following me the moment I stepped out of my room.

“The weather’s so nice today, Lady Renée.”

“I know, right~”

It was tea time with Katharina.

I’d been buried in books lately and had neglected her, so I finally came out to the garden with her.

“It feels like forever since we had a quiet moment like this—just the two of us!”

Katharina chatted cheerfully as she admired the flowers, looking—as always—ridiculously pretty.

I smiled like an idiot, enjoying the sight, when—

“Pff—!”

From behind a pavilion pillar across the way—

Lady Diana, half-hidden behind her fan while clearly spying on us, made direct eye contact with me.

“L-Lady Renée, are you all right?”

“Mm.”

Thank goodness Lia, standing behind me, shoved a handkerchief toward me in a panic.

Otherwise I truly might have unleashed an amylase attack all over the tea set.

Swallowing my cough with all my strength, I jumped to my feet.

“L-Lady Diana…?”

“Ahem.”

She looked genuinely startled—as if she hadn’t expected to be noticed.

You didn’t seriously think you were invisible, did you?!

She’d been burning holes through me with her eyes the whole time—

And behind her, Karl stood quietly with his hands clasped behind his back, clearly enjoying himself far too much.

He’s not even trying to hide it anymore!

Honestly, if I were watching this from the sidelines, I’d be laughing too.

But being the target is a whole different experience!

Only Katharina, innocent as ever, clapped her hands happily.

“Oh! Lady Diana, have you come to join us for tea?”

Katharina adored Lady Diana—like a real grandmother she’d grown up close to.

“Well… yes.”

At Katharina’s sweet tone, Lady Diana gave a reluctant nod and sat down.

Unfortunately, she chose the seat directly opposite me.

“Aha… the weather really is lovely today, isn’t it?”

Weather talk—the universal icebreaker.

I laughed awkwardly, trying to smooth things over, but—

“You. Brew the tea.”

Lady Diana gestured toward the teapot with her chin.

Straight to the point?! And she wants me to pour?!

Right now?!

The maids had always done it until now!

My eyes darted around helplessly. Katharina was just about to speak—

“Um, Lady Diana, black tea is—”

“Katharina. Be quiet.”

“Hmph…”

Instant shutdown.

And strangely… that gave me courage.

I lightly tapped my chest toward Katharina and gave her a thumbs-up.

Don’t worry. Before I got possessed, I had a Level 2 barista certificate.

Sure, there’s no coffee here and I’m brewing black tea, not espresso—but still!

I’ve drunk enough tea in this world to be sick of it.

I can do this.

I took a deep breath, grabbed a fresh pot, and began steeping.

Thanks to watching others, the process itself wasn’t difficult.

Pour.

Clear, amber-colored tea filled the cup.

The color looks… decent?

Taste was another matter.

“P-please try it…”

“Hm.”

I held my breath as I offered the cup.

Lady Diana lifted it, inhaled the aroma, her expression grave.

She looked like a judge at an elite tea competition.

Why am I this nervous…?

But hey—barista license!

I watched, heart pounding, as she took a sip—

“Hm!”

Reality was cruel.

Her brows knit instantly.

“Far too astringent. How do you manage to make fine tea taste this cheap? That, too, is quite a talent.”

A clean, surgical verbal strike.

“Come on, it can’t be that bad—let me— pff—kgh!”

Katharina, rushing to defend me, took a sip—

and spat it out immediately, with zero dignity.

So… I don’t have talent for tea either.

I was sinking into real gloom when Lady Diana suddenly stood.

She walked straight toward me and—without hesitation—rolled up her sleeves.

Then she demonstrated properly.

Her movements were sharp and elegant, and my eyes widened on their own.

That’s… skill?

I watched like a hopeless amateur before a master.

Then—

“The optimal water temperature for black tea is about this. Touch the pot and feel it.”

“O-oh… I see…”

She thrust the teapot toward me and guided my hand to it.

Warmth spread into my palm—

and I could feel Lady Diana’s own warmth against the back of my hand.

Her hands are… really warm.

I fought down a smile and looked at her.

She acted cold and prickly…

yet she was teaching me carefully, step by step.

“If you’re an archduchess, this is the bare minimum! Didn’t the Blanche family teach you even this?”

For someone who claimed she had no granddaughter-in-law, she was taking this education very seriously.

“No… I’ve never learned this before. I’m sorry.”

I’m more of a coffee person, you know.

When I admitted my ignorance honestly, Lady Diana blinked—then stiffened.

“H-hmph. Fine. Then learn now.”

After that, she moved like a robot with a malfunction—awkward and rigid in a strangely endearing way.

She really is a good person. Just terrible at expressing it.

Everyone in this family is the same.

I couldn’t help it.

I laughed.

“Thank you. I’m learning so much thanks to you… Grandmother.”

Hehe.

When I bowed with a bright smile—

“Oh my goodness! Lady Renée, keep smiling like that! In white, you look like an angel—so cute!”

Katharina laughed too, just because I was smiling.

Only Lady Diana remained silent—staring at me, expression unreadable, eyes fixed on mine.