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Chapter 02
[ The Tea Has No Flavor]
The Talamand territory, bestowed upon the heroine, had long been owned by the imperial palace ever since a ducal house had fallen from grace after plotting treason. No rightful lord had been found for the land since.
The late Emperor was said to have left these words in his will:
> *”Bequeath the Talamand territory to the true hero of the empire in days to come.”*
No one knew why he had left such a will.
It was fertile, good land, so nobles of all ranks had coveted it, but there had been no one worthy of the title “hero.” More than that, the current Emperor, Liam, who had ascended the throne immediately after the late Emperor, had absolutely no intention of granting that land to anyone.
But then, in these troubled times, a hero had emerged.
According to the late Emperor’s will, the land had to be granted to Odellia, who had earned the title of hero.
Hence, they had brought out **Article 145, Clause 3** of the ancient laws—a despicable statute that stipulated she could only receive her reward if she married without exception.
In truth, there was also the aim of keeping public sentiment in check by making the hero Odellia live as the wife of an ordinary noble. If power were added to this hero, whom the common people called a miracle, factions might form around her.
Not that he had the slightest intention of handing down some kind of savior who might side with the people, especially when the lower regions were already causing headaches with riots and such.
Anyway. Setting that aside.
Thus, Odellia had to make her debut at this spring’s debutante ball and find herself a husband.
“They’re dead set on burying you, aren’t they?”
Said Cedric, her comrade who had shared hardships with her on the battlefield—though in truth, he was a friend whose life she had saved several times, and who had clung to her ever since that day.
“What can I do? If they say jump, I jump.”
“……”
“What?”
“You’ll have to fix that way of speaking first if you want to debut. You know, ladies all go *ohohoho*, fluttering their fans and saying things like ‘Is that so?’—that sort of refined talk. Just don’t go into the debutante ball bellowing your introduction like a drill sergeant.”
“Ohohoho~ Like this?”
Odellia tried her best to produce a sweet, coquettish voice. But it felt like someone was strangling her throat, and she ended up dry-coughing and clutching her neck.
Already the road ahead felt rugged and impossibly long, and she stared blankly out the window with a look of defeat.
Outside the window, ladies in Empire Silhouette dresses walked daintily with parasols and fans, accompanied by maids or guardians, while gentlemen approached them with utmost courtesy and struck up conversations.
At the sight of ladies hiding their faces behind fans and smiling shyly, Odellia’s expression involuntarily scrunched up as if she’d bitten into an unripe persimmon.
“Still, you’ve come up in the world, haven’t you? Right, Odellia? This place is bigger and more comfortable than my family’s townhouse, you know?”
“Big deal. They only gave it to me to prepare for the debutante ball.”
This was the townhouse where Odellia was temporarily staying.
“So you just need to pick a husband at the debutante ball, right?”
“Does it work that way, just because I pick?”
Cedric’s eyes lit up as he pointed at himself. *I’m right here, you know.*
He was a noble—a rural one with a small territory in the south, but still a noble. Yet Odellia shook her head firmly, as if to say absolutely not.
“Why not!”
“No matter what, you’re out.”
“Why! Who gets married for love at a debutante ball anyway? Usually it’s arranged between families. You and I could live happily enough, couldn’t we? I’d treat you well, really. It’s not like I’m after your land. I’m saying this because if you use me, you won’t have to go through all that debutante nonsense.”
Cedric wasn’t wrong.
“I’ve always told you. I’ll definitely repay you for saving me.”
“Give me that help when I ask for it.”
“At the very least, financial support?”
“……You’d pick a flea’s liver clean.”
“Hey! Are you looking down on my family?!”
“Just joking. You’ve already helped me several times. If you hadn’t helped, all the people in my hometown would have died. Besides, you need money to get married too—I don’t think now is the time to be worrying about me, Cedric.”
“……Just rely on me a little.”
“That’s exactly why I can’t rely on you—you’re too skinny.”
“Odellia!”
She had only three months. To prepare for the debutante ball held in early May, even starting right now would be cutting it close, yet Odellia had no plans whatsoever.
“Ugh. Since it’s so dirty and shameless, should I just forget the territory and all?”
“Hey, don’t say that, Odellia!”
“I know. I’m just saying. Even if it’s dirty and shameless, I’m determined to get it.”
Odellia ground her teeth. Running from this kind of challenge wasn’t her way.
“Your stubborn streak hasn’t gone anywhere. So, do you have a plan?”
“Spending all day at banquets flashing fake smiles—I don’t think it’ll be that hard. If I just smile sweetly and pretend to be nice, someone’s bound to take the bait. Love, whatever—who cares if they mock or belittle my past? I’ll just fan myself harmlessly and swallow my pride.”
“You’ve got it figured out. Then why do you look like you’ve bitten into a turd?”
“Because to do that, I have to lie to myself first.”
“Ah—you can’t betray your own principles even if it kills you?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Everyone has their own line to hold. For Odellia, that line was something like the life direction she had set for herself.
“……I’ll do it. I have to do it.”
She would never avoid something just because she didn’t want to do it. Even if she hated it to death, if it had to be done, she would see it through—that was who she was.
Cedric, watching her, felt a subtle pang of resentment.
He wanted to ask: *If all you need is for someone to take the bait, then why not me?* But he still lacked the courage to say it.
—
***
After the imperial decree that the hero must undergo a belated debutante ball, high society was thrown into an uproar. This year’s debutante ball was no ordinary affair—it was held every year, but this time was different.
“A sparrow is about to drop right into the middle of the ceremony to choose the honored lady who will receive the Empress’s ring.”
Around the end of the social season, the Empress bestows a ring upon the Lady of the Year. That honoree would receive incomparable glory. Being chosen to receive the Empress’s ring was as good as being called “the empire’s most desirable bride.” She could choose her own husband freely, and the Empress would even provide a dowry herself.
This wasn’t something that happened every year—it was the first time the Empress had offered such a reward, so every house was sharpening their teeth and preparing to have their daughters chosen as the finest bride.
That also meant that the Golden Lion Hero might have soared on the battlefield, but here at the debutante ball, she would likely be utterly helpless.
“Best not try to keep up with the stork, lest you split your trousers.”
At that moment, someone cut in.
“I don’t think she needs to worry about splitting her trousers.”
Hup. Everyone fell silent. It was Crown Prince Kalix.
“She’s quite tall, you see. Probably not much shorter than me.”
At his words—whether joke or earnest—the nobles were flustered.
“Ah, ahaha! Yes, yes, she was huge when I saw her last. For a woman to be that tall… Well, a woman ought to be petite, you know, to inspire that protective instinct and all…”
When Kalix simply stared at the count without a word or any expression, everyone scrambled to read the room. *Damn that clueless fool.*
Even so, it wouldn’t sit well with him to hear his subordinate insulted outright, so the other nobles hurried to smooth things over.
“Well, b-but… if you look carefully, there must be at least one good point, right? If you marry that woman, you can get your hands on the Talamand territory!”
“W-well, she looked a bit unkempt today, but her face isn’t ugly! Women are all about styling! At least she’s not fat, since she’s been running around on the battlefield!”
“……”
Damage control wasn’t so easy. Realizing that nothing good would come out of their mouths, the nobles fell silent.
The Crown Prince showed no reaction whatsoever and simply passed by.
Watching his retreating back, the men gathered again in small groups and began whispering among themselves.
“Even His Highness the Crown Prince doesn’t seem able to argue that she’ll fail her debut.”
“That’s true too. In fact, there’s no real reason for His Highness to take her side. In the end, she’s still a commoner.”
“Right. His Majesty made a point of ordering her to attend the debutante ball. What does that mean? It means His Majesty does not acknowledge her. Just because she swung a sword around on the battlefield—how could he allow a lowborn commoner to pretend to be a noble?”
“So if she fails to find a groom at the debutante ball…”
“It’s not about finding—it’s about not being chosen.”
“…Whatever it is, if she doesn’t get a proposal, she gets no reward!”
“Obviously. Even if unsavory rumors have circulated, Talamand was once the territory of House Rubis. Would His Majesty give away such precious land so easily?”
From now on, the nobles would simply watch Odellia from afar—mimicking ladies and failing, ridiculed—like spectators across a river, sneering from a safe distance.
“But she’s the hero who led the empire to victory, isn’t she?”
One clueless young noble asked. The older, middle-aged men looked at him as if he were a greenhorn and answered.
“Hero or whatever, in the end she’s still an old maid who couldn’t get married. And on top of that, a lowborn who got all puffed up just because she did some deeds with her body.”
“Did she act that arrogant? I was there too, but I don’t recall…”
He really was utterly clueless.
“Well, she may not be married, but the more I think about it, isn’t she impressive? Even most men would struggle, yet she did it in a woman’s body. That’s an achievement everyone has to acknowledge. Haha, maybe it’s because I’m a coward, but I thought she was admirable.”
At the brat’s naive outburst, the tight-knit group began to sneer.
“Then why don’t you just marry her yourself? You could get the Talamand territory too.”
At that, the young noble, who had been laughing idly, fell silent.
*Oh-ho. So when it’s your own business, you don’t want it after all?* Their snorting faces clearly showed the inferiority they felt toward Odellia, who had earned military merit with her own body.
In truth, they all realized it—they just chose to look away.
Because it galled them that while they used the people as meat shields and enjoyed banquets from behind, a woman had earned merit and received the people’s praise.
So whenever someone showed a favorable attitude toward Odellia, they badmouthed her behind her back like this—that was the only rejection they could muster.
—
But no matter how much they whispered behind her back,
“My ears are itching. Someone must be talking about me.”
Odellia merely scratched her ear with a face that showed not the slightest damage.
“……Just don’t act like that at the banquet, scratching your ear and saying your ears itch.”
Odellia paid him no mind.
