“All right. Now please sign it, Your Highness.”
“Karnov, I did write that I would grant anything, but it needs to be within my capabilities…”
“I won’t ask for anything unreasonable.”
“Really?”
She didn’t want to take signing lightly… Asha murmured to herself as she carefully filled in her signature on the wish ticket. Once she finished, she handed the completed “wish ticket” to Karnov.
“I… Is it done now?”
Karnov looked at the wish ticket for quite some time before giving a faint smile and nodding his head.
“It’s done now.”
“But you promised not to ask for anything unreasonable.”
“I promise. Why are you so nervous? Are you afraid I’ll eat you?”
“But even with just this signed wish ticket, anyone would feel anxious!”
Asha said urgently, but Karnov only smirked and didn’t revoke the wish ticket. Instead, he carefully folded it and put it in his embrace.
“I will eagerly await the day to use the wish ticket, Your Highness. Well then, I shall be on my way to deliver a letter to Viscount Ceilistria.”
Saying so, Karnov bent down and pressed his forehead against Asha’s hand before turning away.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
“…It seems like things are progressing smoother than expected. I bought out the abandoned bread factories for a low price.”
Baroness Saratov reported, following Asha as she moved back and forth between the cooking station and the oven. Asha looked up, her eyes fixed on what was inside the oven.
“Those breadcrumb factories… It’s that factory, right?”
Baroness Saratov, who read the words “Isn’t it the black factory of Valery?” swallowed by Asha, smiled reassuringly, as if to say not to worry.
“There were no rumors of it being a failed factory due to a bug infestation. Thanks to my purchase, the factory owner should be able to breathe easier.”
While Asha agreed with her words, she couldn’t help but sense that if Valery found out that she was the one who bought the factory, there would be a small uproar.
“What about the packaging for the Phoebe powder?”
“We’re almost done thanks to Mariya’s very enthusiastic work. It’s just my feeling, but…”
Baroness Saratov said, leaning her head with a cautious expression.
“It seems like she’s working with Lady Mura. Or perhaps Lady Mura is giving her advice.”
“Mariya and Meu… Mu… Lady Mura?”
Asha opened her eyes wide. Although Baroness Saratov said it was just a feeling, she seemed almost certain.
“Mariya’s style and colors have changed slightly, oh, but for the better. It seems like Lady Mura has given her advice. It looks like Mariya has moved to a building owned by the Aylau family.”
“Wow, they haven’t known each other for long, and yet things are progressing so quickly?”
“It seems like Lady Mura has a really high opinion of Mariya’s artwork.”
Asha recalled the last time she saw the two of them together. They definitely got along well. Mariya admired Mura, and Mura was in awe of Mariya’s talent.
“The preservation issues are almost sorted out as well. If we’re lucky, we might be able to release it by the end of the year. Anyway, what are you baking, Your Highness?”
Asha was about to inquire further about the situation between Mura and Mariya, but Baroness Saratov’s gaze shifted elsewhere. It was directed towards the oven, from which a thick, sweet, yet refreshing aroma emanated. Asha smiled and pushed the rolled tart dough.
“I’m making something called tarte Tatin. Have you tried it before?”
“Tarte Tatin?”
“It’s like an apple tart that’s made upside down. Lightly burn it and put the caramel-like sugar syrup on the apple and bake it for a long time. Then, the apples become caramelized. The sweetness intensifies, and the texture becomes soft and slightly chewy.”
“Oh my…”
“We place the tart pastry on top of the caramelized apples, and bake it so that the apples are on the bottom. It just needs another thirty minutes. It’s going to be delicious. Do you want to try it?”
Just by listening to the explanation, Baroness Saratov eagerly nodded her head. Asha let out a mischievous smile.
“Sure, take your time enjoying it. We can chat some more.”
She placed a crispy tart crust with heavily glazed syrup, topped with caramelized apples, and a dollop of whipped cream on a plate.
“Ah, ah…”
The rich and nutty flavor of the caramel permeated through, while the apples inside melted tenderly. The crispness of the tart crust combined with the chewy texture of the apples, all enveloped by the cream.
“Is it delicious?”
Baroness Saratov nodded without even being able to answer. Asha smiled brightly and laid out several plates, slicing the tart. Lise, who was looking at her next to her, helped her.
“Grandfather, Maternal Grandfather, Ivan, Alyosha, Lise, and Pavel.”
Asha looked at the slightly remaining tart and made a groan. It would be great if she could share it with Karnov too…
“Olga, would you like more? It doesn’t taste good once it gets cold.”
“Of course!”
Asha smiled contentedly as she watched the little star particles spark and fizzle above Baroness Saratov’s head. Though Baroness Saratov tried her best to elegantly maneuver the spoon, the speed at which she ate somewhat overshadowed the gracefulness of her actions.
By the time Baroness Saratov had almost finished her plate, Asha smiled and broached the subject she had prepared.
“Olga, I have something to ask you.”
“Yes? What is it? Please tell me!”
Baroness Saratov seemed to think it was business related, as she reached her hand toward the pile of documents placed aside. Asha gently placed her hand on top of Baroness Saratov’s hand, stopping her.
“Olga, I heard you recently went shopping.”
“Shopping? Me?”
“Yes. It was just recently. You bought a beautiful painting, right?”
“…!”
At the moment Asha smiled, Baroness Saratov swallowed a gulp of saliva. Countless thoughts raced through the baroness’s mind.
“That’s, that… The Marquis of Oleg organized a lot of things before he went north this time.”
“Yes, he said he was going. I heard it, too.”
“There are a few paintings… Since I come from a family of merchants, don’t the high-ranking nobles look down on me? So, I thought it would be good to have a few valuable paintings…”
“Lies. You bought it because a Meura painting that you like came up for sale.”
“…!”
“I didn’t say I was going to take it away, so don’t act all catty like that.”
“C–catty?”
Baroness Saratov questioned with a flustered voice. In the meantime, Asha brought up the main point.
“At our house, we recently acquired two paintings by Meura, right?”
Baroness Saratov looked at Asha as if she heard something strange when Asha referred to it as “our house.”
“So, I was thinking of holding a small exhibition. Gathering a few paintings by Meura… What do you think?”
Baroness Saratov stood up from her seat in surprise, holding a spoon in her hand.
“Are you planning to unveil portraits of His Majesty and Her Highness? What kind of exhibition is this? In a salon, with the aristocrats…”
“Oh! No, no. It’s not like that. I recently acquired a country house. I thought of organizing it nicely and having an exhibition there. Selling tickets… um, tickets ranging from ten karousas to twenty karousas? So that anyone can come.”
Baroness Saratov nodded at Asha’s words and suddenly looked worried.
“There are many wicked and malicious people in the world, aren’t there? There might be people who want to ruin the artwork just because it’s by a famous artist…”
“The knights will prevent that from happening.”
“Th,the knights?”
Asha nodded her head. She hadn’t asked yet, but it seemed like it would turn out a certain way if she persuaded one of her grandfathers.
“Yeah, so don’t worry about that. But speaking of which, I had something else in mind. Do you know about confetti?”
“C,confetti?”
“You know, the candy and snacks they usually call kiss candies.”
“Oh! That. The sugar confectionery with almonds or nuts inside?”
“Yes, that! I was thinking of making confetti with chocolate. Dip almonds or hazelnuts in chocolate and sprinkle them with something like sprinkles on the outside. Since the exhibition will be held around the end of autumn… What if we distribute them to the visitors, one by one, at the entrance of the exhibition hall?”
“Why, why?”
“Um… why? Because I wanted to try making confetti, but isn’t it a bit weird to make just one? If we make a lot, it’s a bit much to eat all of them, so how about sharing them?”
“Then sell them! If it’s your confetti, even though I haven’t tasted it yet, I guarantee it will sell like hotcakes!”
“Heh.”
Asha clapped her hands together and smiled.
“This isn’t just ordinary confetti, it’s confetti made with chocolate. I thought it would be nice if people ate them and ended up buying more of Olga’s chocolates, so I wanted to share them.”
“…!”
“Oh, so the point is… I was wondering if I could borrow Olga’s painting. Is that okay?”
“Of course, I was planning on lending it from the beginning!”
Baroness Saratov shouted. Asha burst into laughter.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
“Your Highness!”
“N,Natalya.”
“Natalya!”
Asha bit her lip desperately, trying not to laugh. As soon as Asha set foot in the garden, Natalya, who had been playing with a ball by herself, looked up eagerly and ran toward her.
And when the Marchioness of Tataricha, who was a little late as she was giving instructions to put the tarte Tatin, of which Asha had only cooked the apples, in the oven, saw her daughter trying to hug the princess, she hurriedly rushed over.
Asha hugged Natalya once and let her go, then smiled at the Marchioness of Tataricha. The Marchioness of Tataricha swept her hair back and quickly said.
“Your Highness, please forgive my daughter’s rudeness. This child is really…”
Marchioness of Tataricha sighed deeply. Natalya stuck her lips out towards her scolding mother and looked at Asha with sparkling eyes.
“Your Highness, I didn’t know you were coming.”
“I came in a hurry, so I didn’t have a chance to tell you in advance.”
“Shall we go to our cabin? I filled the album a bit more. You still haven’t seen it, right?”
Natalya grabbed Asha. The marchioness looked as if she would sell her soul to the devil if she could have her daughter, who was as omnipresent as honeybees in sugar syrup, at the table.
Asha waved her hand to assure the marchioness it was okay, then followed Natalya deep into the forest behind the mansion. Natalya walked briskly, and Asha gathered the hem of her dress to show her knees and followed behind Natalya.
However, when they reached Natalya’s cabin after crossing a small stream, Asha noticed that Natalya’s mood was gradually sinking.
“Um, Natalya?”
Natalya stopped and turned to look at Asha, suddenly speaking up.
“Am I being too rude to you, Your Highness?”
Asha’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected question.
“Huh?”
“Or maybe, it hasn’t been long since we met, and I’m acting too friendly?”
Natalya had a pained expression on her face. Asha blinked, taken aback.
“Why are you suddenly saying that?”
“Mother keeps scolding me, saying that I’ve been disrespectful to you.”
“Do you feel that way too, Natalya?”
Natalya pursed her lips. It seemed like she wasn’t quite convinced that she was treating Asha well. Asha neatly adjusted the dress she was wearing, then reached out and held Natalya’s hand.
“Okay. I wanted to talk about this too. Let’s call each other by our names when we’re alone. How about that?”
“What?”
“I’m Anastasia, so you can call me Asha, and you’re Natalya, so… Natasha.”
“…!”
“Let’s make it our little secret, and only use those names when it’s just the two of us. What do you think?”
Asha said, facing Natalya’s green eyes. Natalya blinked and muttered.
“…Asha?”
