Fedin tried to hide his expression of wanting to die. In truth, this wasn’t what he had intended. After helping with the princess’s birthday celebration and getting to know the princess better, Fedin had been desperate to reestablish a connection with her by any means.
There had been several people who taught him how to make pastries, but none of them had been able to pinpoint issues as clearly as the princess could. Moreover, he had never seen anyone make pastries as delicious as those made by the princess, not even himself.
However, given that his opponent was the princess, he could see no way forward. He had considered trying to get a position as a palace chef, but there were no openings, and in the meantime, he only heard that the princess had suddenly gone north.
Although the renovations in his shop were complete, he was only left with anxiety and impatience. Recently, he even dreamt of receiving an anonymous letter saying, “Is this really considered a pastry?”
Finally, the tension of meeting the princess was added, and his mouth moved randomly. Sure enough, Baroness Saratov, who was next to her, opened her axe-like eyes and looked at him.
“Fedin Buicker, so full of himself because he’s praised for his pastry skills. He thinks there’s nothing he can’t say to the princess.”
Her scowl then turned with equal severity toward the Pasapo Lefkadiya group. The fierceness was beyond anything one might recall from the small talk exchanged when they had casually greeted each other on the street.
“You’re the same. You’ve come to see the princess based on mere rumors, and even after acting presumptuously, you don’t know how to bow your heads!”
The princess waited for Baroness Saratov’s words to end before turning to him with a gentle smile.
“It would be better to contact me before visiting next time, wouldn’t it? Even friends call before they visit.”
Despite the gentle smile, there was something about it that made one feel as if their mouth was drying out. Everyone hurriedly nodded in agreement.
“And lessons…”
The princess mulled over the words, looking as if something had dawned on her, and then she looked at Fedin with a wry smile.
“I don’t think I’m suited for teaching.”
“Oh…”
“Regarding the alcohol you heard about for your company, I do make some as a hobby.”
Everyone held their breath as the princess blurted out her words.
“However, even if that’s the case, I can’t produce it on a large scale. The brewing method is one issue, and the fruit – I only get a small amount of it every year from a friend.”
The princess smiled softly and raised her hand when Ksenia Pasapo urgently tried to persuade her. That alone prevented her from uttering what she was going to say, fading into her mouth.
“Then since we’ve met like this, how about we do an exchange?”
Ksenia gulped down her dry saliva.
“If it’s an exchange…”
“I thought it would be fun to exchange a bottle of the alcohol I made for a bottle of Pasapo wine.”
Glancing to the side, Baroness Saratov looked like she was about to weep tears of blood because it was such a waste.
‘What kind of taste could it have?’
“I’m still only seventeen, so I’ve only heard about Pasapo wine and never tasted it. It would be perfect to try it at my coming-of-age ceremony when I turn twenty. I’ll ask for it then.”
Fedin, who had been standing alone in the corner, was growing increasingly anxious and nervous, clutching his hands. It seemed like the conversation was about to come to an end soon.
“And Fedin?”
“Yes?”
Fedin, who had been anxiously pondering how to start speaking, quickly looked up. The princess was smiling and looking at him.
“You should do an exchange too. What will you use?”
“Ye…Yes?”
“Ah! Speaking of alcohol, why don’t you fill the chocolate with ganache with alcohol?”
“Ah! You mean bonbons, and the stuff that goes in them is liquor…?”
“Yep. We usually put ganache inside the chocolate. I think it would be nice to make the ganache alcoholic. Then, we could exchange gifts with Olga as well. After all, chocolates are related to Olga.”
Suddenly, Baroness Saratov’s eyes lit up, resembling a lively cat stalking a fish.
“As expected of you, Your Highness! How did you come up with such a bright idea? I will supply you with chocolate.”
“Well, if that’s the case, we should certainly provide more alcohol.”
“Don’t be too formal; it’s just a small exchange between friends. Fedin must feel uncomfortable, too.”
“Oh, no, I’d be more than happy to accommodate Your Highness’s wishes.”
“Ah! If Fedin isn’t too busy, would you like to make them together? I also want to make some and share them with friends.”
At the words, the princess tilted her head and laughed. To Fedin, she looked like she had an angelic halo, and at the same time, the poster for Phoebe Powder came naturally to mind: Phoebe Powder, along with chocolate, was one of the cornerstones supporting Baroness Saratov’s business.
The angel in those advertisement posters seemed like a real angel to Baroness Saratov, who accompanied the princess. It was a somewhat strange and vague realization.
“Your Highness, your kindness is as vast as the ocean.”
“I just thought it seemed like everyone had a hard time waiting for me. But please, don’t do that again next time, all right?”
As the princess spoke with a smile, everyone at the scene flinched and hurriedly apologized. Her angelic smile made it difficult to refuse, especially with Baroness Saratov in the background wearing a devilish expression, which made the atmosphere even more tense.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
Baroness Saratov, who brought Asha to the carriage first, took Fedin and the people of Pasapo Lefkadiya to a nearby alley, and returned to the carriage after a short time.
Asha thought she had seen them running crying through the opening and closing of the carriage door, but she wasn’t sure.
Baroness Saratov patted the wall of the carriage with a cheerful face to indicate their departure, then turned to Asha and apologized repeatedly.
“Ugh. This is all my fault.”
“It’s the fault of those who followed, not you.”
“Still… I should have let them know from the beginning that they couldn’t talk to Your Highness.”
“I was just curious since it was a brewing company. I thought it would be good to discuss it while we were at it.”
Asha laughed as she stopped Baroness Saratov from apologizing one after another in the carriage back to the Imperial Palace. Baroness Saratov looked at Asha with a guilty expression on her face, and then stopped when she realized that any further apology would only put her in trouble.
“So… are you really not going to sell the brewing method?”
After a moment of silence, Baroness Saratov asked carefully. Asha, who was thinking about the chocolate ganache she would make with Fedin, who would come a few days later, opened her eyes wide.
“You mean the shasling wine, to Pasapo?”
“Yes. I was angry with them for their rude approach, but Pasapo Lefkadiya is a big enough brewing company to feed a small duchy. When it comes to alcohol, they’re unrivaled.”
“They seem to be very famous.”
“They’ve somehow managed to produce the shasling berries and turn their lowly shasling wine into…”
“They could supply the entire empire?”
“Yes… yes, well, punish me for my rudeness, but selling it…”
Being able to supply the entire empire with your creations is worth more than the money it will bring in. Especially for a luxury item like alcohol, its worth is considerable. Knowing that it is not an easy feat, this was not just a statement from a merchant but advice from a long-time friend of Asha.
Asha smiled with amusement.
“That’s true, but someone already proposed selling shasling wine before Pasapo Lefkadiya. If it’s to be sold, it should go to that person first.”
“Really?! Who… Who is it? No, whoever it is, Passapo…”
“It’s Olga Byshovets.”
“…!”
“When I was ten, Olga said that. Don’t you remember? You had a drink and said you’d bring me the contract first, and I stopped you.”
Asha smiled bashfully, her chin resting on the window frame.
“Well, if I’m going to sell the shasling, I’ll sell it to Olga, who else would I sell it to?”
“Your… Your Highness!”
“Ah, but I can’t really sell it, the way it’s brewed is a bit unusual.”
Asha frowned and laughed. Baroness Saratov, with her impressed face, covered her mouth and kept calling ‘Your Highness’.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
Karnov had been harboring a certain suspicion these days.
“So Shunivalen…”
He wondered if Alexei might view him merely as Anastasia’s lapdog.
“When he was young…”
In addition to that, he also felt that perhaps the fault lay more with him. Every time Alexei casually mentioned Asha’s guests, he questioned whether his own tendency to subtly appear wherever Asha was might be the bigger issue. The more significant problem might even be that, despite Alexei’s possible view, he didn’t actually dislike it that much.
“Karnov, are you listening to me?”
Asha asked, taking off her apron with the help of Lise. Karnov nodded quickly.
“Of course I’m listening. You’re worried that Shunivalen’s lack of enthusiasm for hunting might be stressing him out?”
“Yes. It’s a little weird, when I shake the toy, he just jumps up in my lap. He’s supposed to be playing with it…”
Karnov glanced at the three chirping birds sitting side by side by the window. Shunivalen was always enthusiastic when arguing with those birds.
“The toys must be too toy-like.”
“Is that so?”
“So, did you bring a toy for Fedin Buicker to play with too?”
Karnov’s gaze turned to Fedin, who was looking down at the counter from a distance. Fedin was in a state of melancholy and excitement over the finished chocolate.
After tasting Asha’s chocolates, which were still not set, he had jumped with surprise and excitement, and he was still in that state.
“It’s not like that. I invited Fedin to thank him for reminding me of something I had forgotten.”
“What did you forget?”
Asha loosened her hair, which she had previously tied up, and ran her fingers through it as she spoke.
“Karnov, do you remember the old days?”
“How long ago?”
“Back when you pushed me and I tumbled to the floor.”
“…Oh, that far back. That was ages ago.”
“Heh, anyway, remember back then? The commander in chief suggested you give a lecture at the academy.”
It really felt like a long time ago, so Karnov had to ponder for a while. If he hadn’t told Asha about it at that time, he wouldn’t have remembered it even now.
“Why are you bringing that up suddenly?”
“I thought it might be a good idea.”
“At Magisterium Academy? Are you going to give a lecture on pastries?”
“No, not me! Karnov! Karnov! I thought it would be nice if Karnov gave a lecture! You could even have students.”
“I wasn’t interested back then. I haven’t thought about it since.”
“You can start thinking about it now.”
“If you give a lecture on pastries, I might consider it.”
“I… I can’t.”
Asha shook her head with a rather somber expression. Karnov frowned.
“Why not?”
“Thinking about it, I feel like I would end up being a teacher who makes students sad…”
“Oh.”
Karnov was forced to agree. It reminded him of how the chef at the mansion was so sad that he could not keep up with Asha’s cooking. And now the sight of Fedin.
“And I called Fedin because I thought I could use a little help.”
“Help with what?”
“I was going to make a bunch of them and take them to Lyuda. It ended smoothly thanks to Fedin.”
Karnov thought, ‘So that’s why there’s such a huge amount of chocolate and why they brought in extra help,’ but he didn’t say it outright. However, Asha, understanding his silent realization, gave him a sidelong glance that was more exasperated than resentful.
“Hmm. But Lyudmila Shchedrin? Are you going to pick her up?”
“She’s been away for a long time on what was supposed to be just a contract negotiation. It’s a bit strange. I need to check on her, especially with the Prasti issue. And come to think of it…”
Asha touched her cheeks with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“I’ve always been invited by Lyuda or she’s reached out to me first. I’ve never contacted her first.”
“Does it really matter who contacted whom first?”
“It does matter. If one person always reaches out first, the other person feels bad, like, ‘Oh, this person doesn’t really need me or like me.’”
Karnov thought, ‘If you’re not that sure, then you should try to make yourself more necessary to the other person,’ but that didn’t seem to be the answer Asha was looking for, so he kept his mouth shut.
“And for some reason, Olga reminds me a little bit of Lyuda.”
Asha stifled a laugh when she said that.
“If Lyuda had been here, she would have opened her eyes like this and scolded me a lot as if the world had collapsed, right? I thought of Lyuda, so I should go meet her first.”
