Chapter 7: Chapter 7 - Plum Flower Tea.

"Hmm… Rei. Mmm… I guess I will just call you Rei." said the King in a slightly innocent tone.

Yes, all the serious thoughts just now were only to figure out how to properly address Rei.

Rei laughed out a bit in her heart after witnessing such a cute side of the King. Then, she suddenly remembered that cup of flower tea on his table.

"Your Majesty, how about the tea?" said Rei, who sounds less tensed after that cute occurrence.

"Ah… Right… The tea. What tea is it? Is it bitter?" He asked.

"Ah?... pu… Pardon me, Your Majesty."

Despite she had pretty much guessed this possibility the day before, Rei felt that it was hard to believe this was the truth behind the breaking of the teacup that morning. Unable to hold in her laughter, Rei laughed out a bit but quickly calmed herself down. Then, she opened the lid of the porcelain cup showing the light pink contain in the cup

"Your Majesty, this is honey plum blossom tea. It is not bitter, or rather it is sweet with a sight sourness and is good for relieving cough," said Rei, explaining the content of the tea.

The King nodded a bit before reaching that cup of tea with his right hand, lifted it up, and stared at the content for a while before taking a small sip of the flower tea. And Rei noticed this weird detail.

"Why would someone use their right hand to take something from their left side?" She thought.

This weird behaviour of the King reminds Rei of some details during their first official meeting in the meeting hall the day before. Flipping through the documents and pointing in a direction which is supposed to be at the left side, he used his right hand, even though the position of the broken cup was at his right side, or rather, she hasn't seen him using his left hand ever since she met him, not even when she first met him the snow where his right hand was injured by the arrow. Rei can't help but wonder if this was just a special habit of his or if there were any hidden reasons behind this.

"Rei."

All of a sudden, the King called Rei.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" said Rei.

"Where did you get this tea?" He asked, in a frank tone.

"It was a gift given by the empress of Qin's Empire," said Rei.

"I see… So… do you have any idea where the empress got it in the first place?" He continues questioning.

"Yes, I know, it was given by an old duchess during her birthday two years ago. Her Majesty gifted it to me as soon as she got it from the duchess," said Rei.

"So, it was originally from a third party huh? Have you tried this tea before?" He asked again in a serious tone.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I had been using it every time I have some throat problems. And it works so well for me. Is there anything wrong with the tea?" Rei asked, noticing something might be a bit off.

"This tea… Can be sweeter." said the King after a short hesitation, with a slightly troubled yet serious look.

"Ah?... Haha! Yes, Your Majesty, I shall add more honey next time." said Rei, who finally can't hold back anymore and laughed out.

"Or rather, could you gift it to me? The dried flower. If you don't mind." said the King, who actually sounds like an awkward teenager that is on his puberty.

"Eh?... Ah… Of course, Your Majesty, I don't really mind about it. Should I get Mr Satoshi to pass it to you?" She asked.

"No, come by again tomorrow, I will be here." said the King.

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Rei as she bowed to the King before walking out of the room.

"This man. He can't be that rumoured cruel and heartless evil tyrannical lord." She thought.

***

The King watched the lady leaving his reading room, and then, he once again picked up that cup of tea and stared at it. But this time, he did not drink it, he smelled it a bit before calling out for Satoshi, who was hiding himself behind a big curtain.

"Satoshi, get Ben here." said the King.

Satoshi nodded, and without asking for any further details, he left the room as commanded by the King.

While waiting for Ben, the King continues to stare at that cup of tea, he looks rather thoughtful…

***

That night, Ben visited Rei in her room for the reason of providing Rei with her daily health check-up.

"I should have come by last night, but I was a bit too busy," said Ben as he checked Rei's body temperature, blood pressure and heartbeat with minimal bodily contact.

Rei's maids are watching him from the side and seem to be a bit excited.

"It's alright, Dr Ben, you had been stopping by a lot these few days to treat my fever, I had fully recovered thanks to your brilliant treatment," said Rei, who sounds less tensed compared to when she was talking to the King.

"Glad to know that. But from my observation just now, despite being fully recovered, your body is still a bit weak, I will give you some prescription to improve your vitality," said Ben as he kept away all his tools and started writing a prescription on a piece of paper with an ink pen.

"Thanks for your concern, Dr Ben. Do you need some drinks? How about a cup of tea?" Rei asked, in a friendly tone.

"No thanks. I prefer not to drink anything at this moment. For your information, tea can sometimes be a dangerous weapon." said Ben, rejecting the lady's offer.

"Yes… You are right… It can indeed become a dangerous weapon." said Rei, who suddenly sounds a bit upset.

Ben glimpsed at Rei for a while before giving out a short sigh.

"Hah… I apologise for my insensitivity. You got exiled because of a plate of poisoned snacks, am I right?" said Ben rather directly, even though he just apologised for his insensitivity.

Rei nodded.

That day, she was just helping one of the Emperor's concubines to pass a plate of snacks to the Emperor, she wasn't aware that, that plate of snacks was poisoned beforehand and she was later framed by that concubine for trying to poison the Emperor…