CH 133

The sweets-making rush has finally come to an end. In the end, King took home 8 puddings, and Dietrich and Christa took home 5 puddings each, so I’ve been making puddings ever since.

I said that it certainly doesn’t make that much of a difference between 5 and 10. However, if you have to make 27 of them, it’s not “that much of a difference”. I wonder if it’s far beyond the level of hobby cooking.

18 pieces as souvenirs for the royal family and Christa. My parents and Gabriella, the 4 people who came to stay, myself, and Katharina. This alone is at least 27. In addition, I was planning to prepare for Helmut and Isabella, so there will be more. By the way, I don’t think everyone will be satisfied with just one, so I think it’s necessary to prepare more than that. That’s why I ended up making 40 puddings. Isn’t it alright to call this a job than a hobby now?

On top of that, I was making crepes, so from the middle of it, I was stuck in the kitchen. That’s weird, isn’t it? Aren’t I just the daughter of a high-ranking noble? When did I become a pastry chef?

But when I saw everyone’s satisfied smiles, that tiredness was blown away at once. Seeing everyone smiling and chatting while eating crepes makes me feel glad that I made them. I wonder if this is the feeling of a chef. What am I going on about? It’s presumptuous to say that someone like me feels like a chef. However, neither a chef nor an amateur would be unhappy if someone who ate what they made smiled at that work.

Wilhelm and Dietrich couldn’t sample puddings here. They seemed satisfied with just eating the crepe, so after they returned home, they would eat pudding with their families for dessert after dinner. For the time being, I said that I would like to hear their impressions later, so the next time I see them, I should get them. How do the King and the Prime Minister feel about these? I’m a little curious.

Wilhelm and Dietrich who’d come on official business and Christa who was just dropping by took the puddings and went home with happy faces. I can’t help but wonder if they really just came for the food. Well, it’s fine, but…

The crepe competition is over, so I’m going to chat with the 5 in my room until dinner. I wondered if they would be able to eat dinner after eating crepes, but everyone seemed to be okay. Anyway, I also ate crepes together with them, but it seems that I can still eat dinner, so I guess everyone is like this.

“Flora, the crepe was really delicious. Thank you,” Alexandra said, smiling.

“You’re welcome,” I said.

It’s such a lovely smile. If I can see a smile like this, I think I’ll make crepes again. If you look at it from the outside, you might think that I’m a little easy, but that’s okay.

“But you’ve got a real strange hairstyle, Alexandra,” Mikoto said. “How’d you even get your hair like this?”

It seems she’s interested in Alexandra’s hairstyle. Or rather, they all were. All of them turned to Alexandra after that.

“This is a wig that Flora made for me,” Alexandra said. “So you see, I can take it off.”

“”””Huh!?””””

Everyone was surprised when Alexandra took off her wig. Well, yeah. Rather, if you’re talking about a villainess, the drill curls are key. That removing the key makes her stop being a villainess means that the wig is key to the villainess… I don’t even know what in the hell I’m talking about…

“Ah! Of course, the size of my head has also changed, and since it was many years ago, the one that Flora gave me has been replaced, so you know?” Alexandra said. “I just asked Kruck Trading Firm to prepare a larger one in the same style.”

Well, I should have guessed as much. It’s been years since I made that wig for Alexandra. I doubt she still wears it. The perm will probably wear off, and for us who were in adolescence, the size will also change. Even though it was originally jointly developed, Kruck did the manufacturing, so Victoria would probably be able to prepare the same thing.

“So you mean you got that outlandish outfit from Flora, too?” Mikoto asked.

“Yes, that’s right?” Alexandra said. “That one isn’t exactly the same, but it’s based on the dress she gave me, and I had it remade by changing the size and adjusting the proportions a bit.”

Well, excuse me for being so eccentric. Now that I think about it, I wonder what it would have been like for a child in elementary school to wear a tight dress with that much emphasis on the body line. That’s why I prepared a Princess Line dress for this soiree.

Even I was surprised that Alexandra was still wearing a tight skirt with the same colors and a similar design. Of course, the body proportions are completely different from that time, so I knew that it was a new dress, but why did you go out of your way to make it the same design and color?

“Hey, Flora! Give me a gift, too!” Mikoto said as she turned her head to me and marched up to me with tremendous determination.

“Huh……?” I asked.

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“I’m sure everyone’s thinking the same, right?” Mikoto asked. “You’ve only given Alexandra all these gifts! It’s not fair!”

Ah~… is that so? I gave Alexandra a dress and a wig, but the others had nothing like those, so I should give them something, too. I don’t mind giving gifts, but I don’t know what to give even if I suddenly say that.

Besides, it would be strange to give a gift even though it’s not a birthday or a special day. Don’t you feel strange if you suddenly receive a present on a normal day? Maybe it’s because I have the sensibility of a modern Japanese person…

However, Louisa nodded clearly, albeit with some hesitation. Katharina also doesn’t express it in words or actions, but she’s clearly looking at me with expectation in her eyes. Among them, there’s only one person…

“Kufuh, kufufuh..!” Claudia chuckled. “I’m good on that. I have this, after all!”

Then, she brought out a blue sachet that was a little wrinkled. It was something I gave to Claudia a long time ago. I know that she still kept it on her since the day we reunited.

“Is-Is that…?!” Mikoto choked, looking in shock at Claudia’s sachet. “You can’t mean that’s Flora’s handmade gift?! Louisa! Katharina! Shouldn’t we get something handmade from flora, too!?”

“Hand… handmade…” Alexandra muttered as she looked at her wig and dress.

Is she that shocked? Rather, it took a lot of time and effort to develop the wig. In terms of effort, the wig has involved a lot more work than anything handmade…

“Well, I don’t feel the same…” Katharina said. “Miss Flora personally studied cooking just for me and made me new dishes by hand… rather than a blue sachet for friendship, we are bound by something far deeper.”

“””!?””””

Everyone turned their faces in surprise at Katharina’s words. No, no… Everyone heard that Katharina was malnourished, right? Why are they still so surprised?

“If you’re going to talk like that, then there’s the magic Floto gave me and continues to dwell inside me,” Louisa said.

“””–!?””””

Something about Luisa’s way of saying is a bit erotic… I can’t help but think of something suspicious when she said that I’d given something in her that “continues to dwell inside” her. I don’t know if it’s the same with everyone else, but they’re all giving me terrible looks.

“Hey! Flora! I’m the only one with nothing! It’s unfair! Give me something, too!” Mikoto yelled as if she was the only one left out.

But was she really? Wasn’t my relationship with Mikoto unwittingly becoming codependent?

“Mikoto, you and I have the Demon Language and the Human Language we taught each other, right?”

At the start, Mikoto’s human language was clunky or unnatural. I didn’t know the Demon Language at all. But we taught each other our own words in lessons. It lives on in us both. Is that not enough?

“Uu~!” Mikoto said. “That’s right! But, but…” she began to wander around like she was conflicted.

She’s funny and cute to look at. However, it seems that she’s seriously worried about it, so I’ll follow up with her for a while.

“Isn’t it strange to give a gift on an ordinary day?” I asked. “Don’t you think that there a special gift on a special day makes it more meaningful? We will have many special days and anniversaries in the future. Isn’t it better to spend time together and accumulate gifts and memories?” I asked.

“That’s right,” Alexandra said. “We can collect many more gifts and memories in the future.”

As expected of the orthodox heroine, Alexandra. She seems to understand it. Compared to that, Mikoto still seems to be Mikoto. While we were talking like that, it was time for dinner and we headed to the dining room.

After dinner, one dessert pudding wasn’t enough for each person, but even with the spares made just in case, it wasn’t enough for some people. After that, I was kicked out of the room by the 5 because it was going to be a meeting with just them, so I had no choice but to take a bath.

I don’t know what kind of discussion took place between the five of them while I was in the bath. However, when I came out, Claudia and Luisa were going to go home after a while. After seeing the 2 off, the remaining 3 gathered in the same room again and seemed to be secretly discussing something.

I chatted with Mikoto and the others for a little bit, but basically, I was standing outside the window and ended up sleeping alone as usual. Even though Mikoto came to stay, I think her purpose was to talk to Alexandra, not me. Everyone must have been interested in Alexandra in various ways. It wouldn’t be so bad if everyone got along. There was no reason for me to stop them, so I went to sleep while letting them interact with each other.

The next morning was the same as usual, except that Mikoto was there. After doing my daily training, I eat breakfast and head to school. The only thing that is different from usual is that Mikoto is also riding in the carriage heading to the school.

I thought Mikoto was going to the school in her carriage, but she insisted on riding with me in this carriage, so I decided to go with her. There’s no reason to force yourself to ride in separate carriages, but I don’t think there’s any reason for four people to ride in a narrow carriage even though Mikoto has her own vehicle.

I understand the desire to talk while traveling in a carriage, but I can’t speak much inside the carriage. Because it shakes and is noisy, it’s not an environment where you can talk casually. Besides, if you speak too carelessly, there is a risk of biting your tongue. It’s not like you can’t talk at all, but it’s not as comfortable as a Japanese vehicle where you can talk freely.

Still, I wanted to talk to them even a little, so we headed to school together. Alexandra splits up to go to Class 3, and Mikoto and I go to Class 1. After that, we just had regular classes.

Class ended in no time, and today I hurried to the royal castle without chatting with Mikoto after school. I have a troublesome appointment today.

I’ve refused Ludwig’s invitations many times before but I can’t just keep refusing. If that’s the case, I told him at an earlier date that I was free today because he pressed to know when I would be free. When he asked about my free days, there was no way I could answer that I had no intention to make plans with him for the rest of my life. When I reluctantly answered that I was free today, he told me to come to the royal castle today.

I was invited by Ludwig, so I can easily pass through the reception. I informed them of my business and they were happy to show me the way. When I was walking around the castle with the guide, I caught sight of an unfamiliar young man and his entourage walking from the other side of the hall. The guide went to the edge of the hall and bowed his head, so I imitated them and went to the side.

The fact that the guide, who knew that he was guiding Ludwig’s guest, the daughter of Margrave Carruthers, would come to the side and bow his head, meant that the other side was of higher rank than I. I’m nothing more than a daughter of House Carruthers, but now I’m still Ludwig’s guest.

They must be even more respected than the Crown Prince’s guests, and there are only a few people who are in such a position. Even if you don’t know who it is, you can generally imagine what position they hold.

When the young man came close to me and the guide who was standing aside and bowing his head, he stared at me. Was there anything he didn’t like? I’ve also learned manners, so it shouldn’t have been so rude, but…

“Hey, you there, girl. I’ll make you my woman. Come with me, and I’ll take real good care of you.”

“………… Huh?”

For a moment, I was stunned because I didn’t understand what he just said. What did this idiot just say? It’s not like treating me like a woman or anything like that. Is it a line that you usually say suddenly to someone you meet for the first time? Either you’re crazy or you’re an ignorant bastard who thinks you can do whatever you want.

“Didn’t you hear him!?!” the Bonbons accompanying him snapped. “The Second Prince, Moritz, is going to make a girl like you, his woman! Won’t you weep for joy and sing your gratitude!?!”

They were all wound up after I ignored that brazen line. As you can see from what they just said, this guy seems to be the Second Prince. If such an idiot is the Second Prince, the Third Prince, Ludwig, will be better as the Crown Prince… I don’t know about the First Prince, but…

In the first place, looking at my appearance now, are you stupid? No matter how you look at me, I must be a noble daughter. From these people’s point of view, they might want to say that even noble daughters aren’t much different from commoner girls, but if they take such an attitude, they’ll probably get a lot of flak from those around them.

Even in an aristocratic society, there are rules, and even if the hierarchical relationship is strictly enforced, it doesn’t mean that everything goes with those below you. In the Kingdom of Ploiss, where the authority of Feudal Lords is generous and wide-reaching, Lords of territories act like Kings of their states, albeit small states, and their children are also equal to princes and princesses. Even if you are a member of the royal family of Ploiss, if you are too rude to the other person, you will receive a suitable backlash.

I want to see the face of a parent who has an idiot prince who doesn’t understand such a thing and aides who encourage it without reprimanding their master. Oh, I do know one. He is a bearded old man. Who is the other parent? From this personality, it seems like he really is Amelie’s child…

“What are you doing, Brother?”

“Huh!?” Moritz snapped. “Ludwig! You stay out of this!”

Ludwig seemed to have heard my voice and cut in between me and Moritz. Apparently, I’ve gotten caught up in something quite troublesome.