“Ta-da! It’s ‘Anti-War Milk Tea’.”
“What?”
Lyudmila’s eyes, which were half-closed, widened in surprise.
“We had a peace treaty a few years ago with the Noctis Elves. It’s a milk tea we released back then. I don’t know what to name it, so I’m calling it ‘Anti-War Milk Tea’.”
“Oh…”
Marchioness Tataricha, despite the sudden contact, welcomed the girls without being flustered. She seemed more touched by the fact that her daughter had brought friends on a whim. She didn’t even mind that one of the friends was the daughter of a competing marquis.
“Originally, it’s milk tea brewed with strawberry-flavored black tea, but this one is brewed with herbal tea containing dried strawberries, and I added strawberry jam. It helps you sleep deeply when you drink it!”
Asha said so, once again recommending the milk tea. It was a warm milk tea with a tint of pure pink. It seemed that Asha had informed Marchioness Tataricha that the biggest room with a bed should be given to Lyudmila, considering her situation.
Lyudmila, wearing the pajamas Natalya wore as a child, hesitated by holding a glass even as Natalya gulped down her milk tea.
“Does Lyuda not like strawberries?”
“Oh, no. It’s not that… You must have been ten years old when the war ended and there was a peace agreement, but I’m ashamed to think that you were doing your part back then…”
Asha noticed Lyudmila’s heavy sinking depression and shook her head with a keen expression, then looked to the side and shook again.
‘Why even Natalya?!’
Natasha held an empty glass, falling silent, while Lyudmila held a full glass. Asha, glancing at them with a frustrated expression, put down the milk tea pitcher.
“No, we can’t do this. Let’s start with this.”
“Yes?”
“It’s the practical part of the purification ritual.”
“Yes…?”
Asha took out what she had in the box. She was only going to pull it out before they went to bed, but now it seemed that the first thing to do was to distract them.
“What is this… a hat?”
“Yeah. A nightcap. I made it for Natasha and Lyuda. I have one for myself too!”
The hat, designed to wrap around the head in a round shape, had ample folds along the edges and a splendid lace was attached along the ends.
“I made it out of Lyuda’s fabric. You know, something especially soft. The lace was actually leftover from my dress… But it still looks pretty, right? Originally, I planned to take my time to give it to you, but I brought it now.”
“I’ve never worn a nightcap in my life. Well, I wore it once… only once.”
Natalya said with a look of surprise, but Asha didn’t mind.
“I haven’t tried it either. Have you tried, Lyuda?”
“Oh, when I was young.”
“But nightcaps come off even if you wear them.”
Natalya pointed out the uselessness of the sleeping hat, but Lyudmila looked back with a puzzled expression.
“What? No, isn’t a nightcap adjustable with strings?”
“With such flimsy ribbons, it will surely come off while sleeping.”
“But sleep masks don’t come off either.”
“Why do you use sleep masks…? And sleep masks do come off.”
“They don’t come off… Well, how does Lady Natalya sleep?”
“Very well. I sleep however I want. Occasionally, I fall off the bed, though.”
Lyudmila fell silent for a moment when she learned that Natalya Bagration, who was the greatest envy of the noble ladies of this era – not surpassing Alexei and not surpassing Karnov – had rough sleeping habits, to the point where she fell out of bed in her sleep.
“Fall off the bed…? But Lady Natalya is fifteen now.”
“Your words are too much.”
“Aren’t your sleeping habits worse?”
Asha shook her hands.
“I, Princess Anastasia, command you. Hurry up and put on your nightcap, ladies.”
As Natalya examined how to wear the nightcap, Asha laughed and placed it on Natalya’s head.
“Oh. There’s more room than I thought.”
After tying the ribbon tightly under the chin, the nightcap still hung loosely around the back of Natalya’s head.
“I guess it’s because your hair is short. Did you wear it, Lyuda?”
“I’m going to wear it now…”
“I’ll do it for you.”
Asha slightly tiptoed and, placing the nightcap on Lyudmila’s head, neatly gathered her hair inside before tying and securing the ribbon.
“It’s done. Pretty!”
“You should wear one too…”
“I’ll do it for you.”
Natalya pulled Asha and put a hat over Asha’s head before Lyudmila said anything. Although she successfully tucked Asha’s hair into the nightcap, it seemed she struggled a bit with the ribbon.
Natalya sent Asha toward Lyudmila without hiding her displeasure. Lyudmila suppressed her laughter, then fastened the ribbon for Asha’s nightcap.
“Okay, there you go. Are we all wearing the nightcap?”
“Yes!”
“Yes…”
“Then we must have a pajama party.”
“Do we really have to…?”
Lyudmila asked in a surprised voice at Asha’s emphatic tone emphasizing obligation. Asha nodded as if it were a matter of course.
“Yes. It’s the order of things.”
Then she opened the box underneath the one containing the nightcaps.
“When did you make this?”
When Lyudmila first saw what was inside the box, it looked like angelic jewelry. Small, cubical shapes made of chocolate, covered with a generous amount of white coconut powder, resembled miniature cakes. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that they were small cakes with chocolate coatings, dusted with white coconut powder.
When asked by Lyudmila, Asha smiled bashfully. In fact, every morning these days, she had been setting aside a few snacks separately during her teatime with Alexei to enjoy in the afternoon.
She had brought the remaining cakes, except for a few she had set aside to give to Alexei during their next teatime.
“I always make cakes! These are called lamington cakes.”
“But if we eat this at night…”
“Oh, come on, let’s just eat them today.”
In the meantime, Natalya picked one up and put it in her mouth. And shortly after, her eyes were round.
“Oh!”
“How is it? Is it good?”
Asha took a bite of the cake while asking, without expecting much of an answer.
The first thing she tasted was the savory taste of crispy coconut and the sweetness of the thin chocolate wrapped around the cake. It was a soft, moist cake sheet with a thin layer of tart jam between it, sprinkling starlight on all sweetness.
Natalya did not answer and reached for a second cake. Seeing this, Lyudmila couldn’t stay still either and took a bite of the cake.
“Oh, my.”
Asha smiled. The particles rising from Lyudmila and Natalya, who had eaten the cake, filled the room, making it dazzling despite the late hour.
Asha, Lyudmila, and Natalya laid on the carpeted floor, consuming milk tea and cake, and started chatting.
“Natasha, do you read books these days?”
“My mother forced me to read. I’m sick and tired of it.”
Natalya complained in response to Asha’s question while Asha picked up a book lying on the floor. It seemed to be about mercenaries and a saint on a journey to fulfill their wishes, but Natalya didn’t seem to enjoy it.
“Not interesting?”
“The female protagonist is too weak. And she can’t even wield a sword.”
“But Natalya, you haven’t learned swordsmanship either.”
“I’m good with my fists. And recently, I’ve been learning swordsmanship too.”
Asha briefly recalled the face of Marchioness Tataricha, who welcomed her on the verge of tears.
“Why?”
“When words don’t work, you need a means of resolution.”
“…”
“…”
Lyudmila turned to the cake.
“By the way, Your Highness is really… Are you going to open a snack shop later?”
“Yeah. That’s why I’m gathering buttons. Karnov already has some shares. He’s already given me three buttons.”
Lyudmila groped her collar to remove her buttons, but realizing she was in her nightwear, she blushed and withdrew her hand.
“I’m thinking of a larger place on the second floor of Main Street. It would be nice to overlook the street and scenery while enjoying tea and snacks. How about it?”
“I want to visit too!”
Natalya said, putting a third cake in her mouth. Lyudmila tilted her head with a worried look.
“But… Will His Majesty allow you to do it? Since you’re a princess…”
“My parents allowed it. If Grandfather suddenly says no, wouldn’t that be excessive stubbornness?”
“Huh, grandfather…? But he’s His Majesty…”
“To me, he’s the first grandpa, so it’s fine.”
“And the second grandfather?”
Natalya nibbled the cake and asked. Asha replied.
“Sir Nellin.”
“How did you decide the order?”
“I did it in order of age. Even though they’re old, I thought there might still be some hierarchy.”
Natalya nodded in understanding.
“But Your Highness… After you get married… They might disagree…”
“Then we’ll talk about it first.”
“And if talking doesn’t work?”
“Then use my fists.”
Asha clenched her fist tightly.
“I’ve been working out hard with my second grandfather lately.”
“What if you can’t do it with your fist?”
“Huh. Why can’t I use my fist? I can do everything.”
“…”
“…”
Due to Natalya’s matter-of-fact tone, the two girls’ gazes briefly converged and then dispersed. Lyudmila, who had been sitting, finally laid on the floor.
“But I can’t punch my mother…”
“Shall we talk to your parents a bit more carefully?”
“Will they listen?”
“If they don’t, then let’s think of another way. Without using fists.”
“What if my parents get hurt because of other methods?”
“When I saw my uncles, I understood. Children can’t help it, I guess. His Majesty couldn’t help it either, right? Marquis Oleg and the marchioness should now say, ‘There’s nothing we can do about it!’”
Natalya nodded at Asha’s words and agreed furiously.
“Look at me. My mother is like, ‘It can’t be helped’!”
“But still…”
“It’s always hard at first.”
Natalya, with another lamington cake in her mouth, spoke eloquently.
“Shouldn’t you have rebelled earlier? At seventeen… no, at eighteen, it’s natural to start rebelling.”
Lyudmila made a momentarily dumbfounded expression at Natalya’s complaints but then burst into laughter.
