211 173. The princess in law handed out,

"... so this is the" souvenir "from Lord Pride...?

Me and my deputy Clark twist their necks simultaneously on the wrap handed to Alan and Eric back from Lord Pride's party.

I took over the Knight of Kingsguard duties to Arthur and Column, and the two of them came straight back from the party to visit my Knights Chief's office.

"Yes, Lord Pride said," I apologize for having celebrated your engagement and made it unimpeded, "he said. I took care of the Knights Commander and the Vice Commander.

Receive the wrap from Eric and put it straight on the table. On the side Alan was staring at the envelope with some gleam in his eyes.

Clark opens the package instead of me putting my arms together and checks the contents. Two at a time, all food I've never seen before.

"It's a dessert treat served at a party. We've already received it ourselves, so please make sure you both eat it.

Right, Captain Alan? I raised my voice so that he and Eric could tell Alan, not me and Clark.

I mean, party leftovers...? and when I accidentally leaked the word, "No, we didn't have a single shard left for what we were served!" Alan raised his voice to the taste of eating. Sure, they're all rare treats though.

"... by the way, where did Master Pride prepare this?

Alan and Eric shut their mouths and suddenly looked around at Clark, who kept saying that none of the treats had ever been seen. Me and Clark are the only ones in the Knights Chief's office. Alan, who confirmed it, lurked his voice and gently opened his mouth.

"This is a creative treat handmade by Lord Pride and Dear Tiara...!

"... what?

"... what?

Unexpectedly listening back at the same time with me and Clark.

Creation... no, rather that's good. More than that, no way is Lord Pride and Dear Tiara… such as the confectionery made by the First Princess and Second Princess herself.

I finally understand Alan's gaze and why he lurked his voice around.

"This again... you got a hell of a product, Roderick.

Clark rarely circles his eyes and peeks into the confectionery. If I snort silently too, Alan and Eric will correct their posture and say, "Please keep it a secret from the others." "And they want you to eat by the end of the day!," he said, leaving the room.

………

"... well,... it's a corner. Shall I?

I feel unwell, but Clark slaps me in the back with his mysterious treat in front of him as he continues.

Start by picking from the most familiarly shaped cake and sip. Is it a dried fruit? It also contains walnuts and tasted like a nostalgia. It's not too sweet, it's easy to eat.

Apparently, the ingredients inside two slices at a time are different. Clark picked a slice of another kind of cake just like mine and carried it to his mouth.

"... yummy. This has booze in it. What were you?

"... fruits and walnuts.

Then Clark's going to recommend me a slice of the same kind. Eat the leftover fruit in your hand in one bite and whisk the liquor cake as you go.... sure, it's my taste. The flavour of alcohol spread to my mouth, and I felt like I could eat as much of this.

"... Lord Pride,... you've really grown.

I was very young when I first saw you. That is now sixteen years old and has grown into a fine woman. "Advocate for what will become a school system, and furthermore, engage...,...

"…" I was surprised too about the dissolution of the engagement.

Clark says as if he had read my mind. I ate several kinds of cake one bite at a time to compare them to the other and checked the taste.

"... right.

Master Pride was engaged at the same time as Birthday three months ago.

First Prince Leon of the kingdom of Anemone.

I had only heard rumors, too, but the way I lined up at Birthday with Lord Pride was very picturesque. The depths could not be attempted at a glance, but he also looked like a brilliant young man.

But in ten days, Lord Pride dissolved his engagement with the prince. The day after he was returned from a top-secret visit with our Knights Alan, Column, Eric, and Arthur, that fact was spread throughout the country.

I wonder if there are any princesses or not who have disengaged in such a short period of time in their history. Moreover, relations with the kingdom of Anemone are still as good as ever… rather more intimate than before. Because the parties, Dear Pride, and especially Prince Leon, make monthly visits to each other's countries.

Due to confidentiality, I haven't heard any details from the four knights who have returned from confidential visits. All I found out for myself was that Lord Pride and Prince Leon had successfully dissolved their engagement.... This time it just didn't happen like the First Princess waving her sword herself, even though it should be better.

For once, what is conveyed is that Lord Pride withdrew for Prince Leon, who was to succeed the throne abruptly. But... is that really all?

Neither me nor Clark should think there might have been any other factor.

... Well, the Knights temporarily floated irrespective of the veracity of such rumors.

I remember three months ago, and I have an unexpected sigh of relief.

Clark asks, "Is it still tough with all the sweets," but it's not. When I shake my head and sip the soft black confectionery, they say, "If it's too sweet, give it to me".... Pretty sweet indeed. But the texture is interesting. Besides, I throw it straight into my mouth when I think that little pride and tiara made it.

"You can't tell the other knights.... when I think of that festive noise three months ago.

... Also, did you peek at my head?

Three months ago, when Master Pride's engagement was dissolved, the whole country was notified.... shamefully cheered in the Knights.

Though full of circles, it is a cheer not to mention the slight scratches on Lord Pride's background.

A significant number of knights had lost their morale in Lord Pride's engagement at the Birthday Festival, when Lord Pride's fiancée was to be determined. It was an expected reaction from there, but... I had to yell that I was careless too because most of the knights were so joyful and screaming.

As soon as it was officially announced, Alan, who probably already knew, shouted from the top of the table, "Drink till morning, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh," and held his head when he was mixed up with the knights who raised the voice of agreement to the exact Eric, Column and Arthur.

Since the fall of the cliff five years ago, I do not know that Lord Pride's popularity will remain. Rather than the rumors weathered, the fame grew, and a year ago in the annihilation battle, he used the name "Jeanne" to raise the fever among the knights. Rather, being given the name "Jeanne" rather than just a slogan, six months from then, there was no end to the subject between the knights in "Jeanne" 's hero Tan.

I can't help but dream of the knights admiring Lord Pride that he didn't belong to anyone. But I...

"... I'm happy and I wanted you to...

I inadvertently exhale a long sigh as it is. Clark slapped me on the shoulder laughing at my throat.

"When it comes to engagement, it's something with strong political factors. It would be a different matter if I would be happy just because I married Prince Leon.

You know about that, don't you? Clark picked one more table treat as he said.

"And.... if you're the one who makes Master Pride happy, you might be apart, right?

Yeah, this is delicious, too. And I look back at Clark, who whines and says: "Well, to be honest, I'm one of those people who came to terms with the dissolution of Master Pride's engagement," he said as I wrinkled between my eyebrows without drawing my intentions.

"I know how you feel, Roderick. Even I have seen Lord Pride since I was a child.... and about Arthur.

Why are we talking about Arthur there? If you ask that, Clark will arrange my share of sweets in order of sweetness from right without answering my question.

"If I think Arthur might have another opportunity to explore, well, I think it would be a good idea to consider this engagement dissolution as well.

"... Clark. What are you talking about?

"... I'm talking about Arthur's bluntness, which is definitely your concession.

Clark laughed and answered me with a smile at my throat as I dared to release it into my mouth from the weak sweetness.

"I feel like Master Pride would also allow that much out of common sense.

I have no idea what you're talking about, but I give up pursuing Clark as he seems to be in a good mood. I guess that's what it means not to give me an explanation.

I gave up half a slice of confectionery to a friend who laughed that it would be time to be sweet was the limit, wondering if my share simply wanted to eat this confectionery as well.

This engagement turned out to be unfortunate, but please, I hope in a corner of my heart that this is the time I want Master Pride to be happy.

…

A week later.

Roderick and Clark still don't know at this time that Alan's offering of a recipe for fried chicken dishes proposed by Pride to the cafeterias makes Pride even more popular.

……

"Welcome back, Jill. Good luck today.

"I'm home, Maria. Stella seems better than anything.

Open the door and laugh at my dear Maria and her one-year-old Stella. Still an unbound foothold, but he's moving forward with a full grin at me. He turned that little hand to my neck if I held her up gently.

"Did Lord Pride finish the party safely?

"Yeah. I'm sorry I couldn't join you even though you invited me around the corner.

But because I wanted you to have fun without water. And he smiles at Maria, and smiles at her forehead.

"I definitely wanted you and Stella to enjoy the party, too, but... I think that sounds like you, too.

Also at the next party, the three of us will interrupt each other, taking her hand with one arm holding Stella. I say it's what I do every day, but I can't run out of happiness.

"! Oh, yeah. … Lord Pride treats for us.

Slap your hands patsy as Maria suddenly remembered.

Confectionery...? and Maria pulled her hand at me twisting her neck. Through the hall to the living room. There was a line of plates hung with cloth on a mini table for the tea party. When Maria took the cloth away as it was, the dish was there that she had never seen. I heard from Maria that hand-cooked confectionery from Master Pride, and I'm surprised.

No way royalty cooks, etc. That's all I've ever heard, and it was all sweets I've never seen.

The samurai just brewed me some tea and I decide to eat it with Maria.

Maria put a grain of three white circles of sweets on the skewer on her mouth and her eyes glowed as she went along.

I similarly included white round confectionery in my mouth, taking care not to zero the sauce on top into my clothes. I looked at Maria with me if I noticed the sweetness, saltiness, and the unlikely softness and elasticity of the confectionery so far.

"Yummy...!

One more glaring sip of Maria. Because of her resilience, I snorted at her words too, worried that she would not clog her throat.

I had asked you to make apple jam during Maria's pleasure party, but I didn't know you were good at creative cooking either.

I wonder if he has any faults.... No, stealing other eyes and acting out of common sense like this, the queen, the king's mate, is in a way one of the biggest drawbacks… it can also be called attraction.

This time, when Lord Pride asked me to rent my mansion instead of the great hall of the castle, I wondered why, but I am convinced that this is the reason.

There can be no such thing as royalty cooking. Besides, Master Pride is the First Princess.

The First Princess wanted to change the place outside the castle to behave the dish because she wanted to hide that fact, such as acting the dish herself.

Don't even let the guards and samurai of the castle know more than the minimum. When I thought about it, my breasts lit up small enough that Maria and I had been added to the "minimum". … I blame Albert and Rosa, my friends. Handmade by my daughter, that would be a treat I don't have any more as a parent.

"This cake is delicious too...!

Maria is reaching for yet another treat if you're aware of it. It also looks like bread, but if you take her word for it, is it cake...?

"At the end of the party, all the desserts and dishes I served were gone.

I snort deeply at Maria's words that it would be nice if Lord Pride had just kept the dessert first.

... Well, Master Pride's handmade won't leave a single shard.

If you listen to Maria, the dish is pride-like recipe. The cook says the dessert is pride-like and tiara waved their own hands.

Then I nodded, "That's what I heard from the samurai," when I asked Maria if she'd run out of dessert first.

As the provider of the mansion, Maria and I were asking about this invitation from Lord Pride, but the option of "leaving" is unlikely for them in itself. It's not a matter of taste or preference, it's easy to predict without seeing that if it's handmade by Lord Pride, they'll eat it all, even if it's raw or burnt. Besides, if it's delicious, it's even worse.

"And although I was only wrapped in a few treats for a few...

Whose share...? and yet another bread. Depressed the gavel on Maria tilting her little neck in one hand. I can't judge all that either.

I enjoyed the late-night tea party as Stella looked up to our treats with envy.

I want Stella to eat this strange treat someday, too, while talking to Maria.