“That’s not the problem. For example, Karnov was a commander in the military, and all the imperial soldiers left a comment each. But they don’t only say good things. They might say things like, ‘I don’t understand why Deputy Commander Karnov never smiles and only focuses on training,’ or ‘Trying to act cool is not impressive.’”
“Heum.”
“But what if, instead of just leaving it at that, they pass those comments around to all the imperial soldiers? And if there’s a comment like, ‘I don’t even want to see Deputy Commander Karnov’s face,’ whether it’s sincere or not, it doesn’t matter anymore. Even if it’s a wooden sword, what happens if dozens or hundreds of them stab simultaneously?”
“…Hmm.”
Asha, seeing Karnov’s expression that was difficult to read whether he agreed or not, decided to stop explaining any further. That’s when Karnov spoke up.
“I’ve never expected anyone to like me in the first place, so I don’t know… It doesn’t feel good being talked about. But that doesn’t mean…”
“What? Why?”
When Asha shouted at him with a stunned expression, Karnov forgot what he was about to say and looked at Asha.
“What, what do you mean what?”
“Why don’t others like Karnov?”
“They probably don’t like me because they’re all afraid of me. Can fear and liking coexist?”
“They can!”
Asha cried.
“They may be scared to death of you, but if they give you a chance, you’re a good person! So even if they’re scared, they can still like you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah! Now, about…”
Asha lowered her voice at this point.
“The issue with the spirits will become even more like that when people know the truth. It’s only a secret for now.”
“Is that so?”
“Karnov, you’re pretending to move on because you don’t want to continue talking about this, even though you don’t agree at all, aren’t you?”
“A little bit.”
Asha glared at Karnov with a frustrated expression, but Karnov simply chuckled in response.
“How can you be so sure that others will like me?”
“It’s not about my certainty, it’s a fact…”
“Isn’t it because the princess likes me so much?”
“…!”
Asha quickly stood up and grabbed a spatula, ready to strike Karnov, but she bit her lip and flipped the pancake instead as her cheeks turned red. Then, as soon as she perfectly flipped the pancake, she quickly spoke.
“I don’t like Karnov. Yeah, I’m the one who’s scared of Karnov. I misspoke.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes. Since I’m scared to death, please have your pancake quickly, Lord Karnov.”
At Asha’s words, Karnov dipped the pancake in syrup and asked calmly as he put it in his mouth.
“Are you really scared?”
“Yeah, I’m scared to death.”
“Then I guess you won’t listen to the letters read by the dreaded Karnov Neustadter.”
“A letter? Karnov, did you write a letter to me?”
Asha leaned over in surprise. Karnov pushed Asha away with his fingertip.
“Why would I write a letter? Someone else wrote it, not me. They sent a letter to the shop, saying how delicious your cake was. Sophia passed it on to me.”
“Really? What does it say?”
“I thought you said you were scared of me? And yet you want me to read the letter?”
“I’ll read it! Give it to me!”
“You want someone as scary as me to give you the letter?”
“Who’s afraid of a stupid idiot like Karnov! I’m not scared at all!”
Karnov, welcoming Asha charging at him with her body, lifted Asha up and seated her on a chair next to the table, laughing quietly.
“You’re so indecisive with your words, Your Highness.”
“Even if I open my eyes in the morning and think, ‘Oh, I should bake bread and eat strawberry jam today,’ I’m the one who chooses apple jam when I come to the kitchen.”
“I see, there’s really nothing you can do about it.”
Karnov said so and took the letter out of his pocket. It was a neatly torn letter, suggesting it had been opened before.
“The sender… has no name?”
Asha tilted her head and unfolded the letter.
[To the respected patissier.
I am a traveler who travels around painting as a hobby.
This time, I came back to the capital which is my hometown after a long time, and an acquaintance recommended this new cake shop.
At first, I was surprised by the bold appearance. I’ve never seen a cake this dark. The single mint leaf decoration on top of it is…]
The letter, which began in a very polite tone, was even several pages long. The first page praised the appearance of the cake, and the second page praised the taste of the cake.
[As soon as I put the spoon in it, it felt like the outside was breaking, but the inside was moist. And the deep and dense sauce that flows down when you scoop it up, the texture of chocolate that melts in your tongue, the sweetness and bitterness, the crunch and softness, and the surprisingly sweet taste hidden in the rough and firm exterior…]
And the last paragraph at the end of the praise was that they wanted to reciprocate this impression. Although their skills were insufficient, the only thing they knew how to do was draw and make something, so it was written that they would like to draw a portrait if it was not rude.
“Haaaa…”
While Asha held the letter close to her chest, reveling in her overwhelming emotions, Karnov spoke up.
“It says there that they want to paint a portrait for you?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
“Sophia mentioned it. In return for making a cake for that person, they want to paint a portrait of the person who made it. Wouldn’t it be appropriate for them to paint you?”
“Huh? If that’s the case, they should just paint Sophia. What the person ate and was moved by is the cake Sophia made.”
“Because you came up with that cake recipe and gave Sophia that opportunity.”
Asha replied, rereading the part they described about the taste of the cake.
“If it’s an opportunity, didn’t you introduce me to it? How about you go with Sophia and paint the portrait together? We can hang it on the wall in the shop.”
Asha again took the first page of the letter and smiled, and Karnov said in a strange voice.
“I’ll arrange for your portrait to be painted. And stop baking pancakes.”
“Why, why?”
“His Highness, the Crown Prince, has summoned someone to present you with a new dress, Your Highness.”
Following Karnov’s glance, the servants gathered at the kitchen entrance, waiting for her.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
The day was getting warmer, and the sun was beginning to lengthen.
“Madame, these are the letters that arrived today.”
Marchioness Tataricha, the marquis’s wife, wiped the sweat off her forehead and straightened her back after examining flowers in the garden. The serving tray held a pile of letters.
“Oh my, what’s all this?”
The Marchioness of Tataricha was a gentle-faced woman with a slightly thin body and long hair hanging down to one side. Taking off her hat and gardening gloves, she handed the letters to another maid and entered the mansion, opening them one by one.
“Oh dear, why are people suddenly flocking to my daughter’s tea party?”
“Hmph, now they come…”
The maid who was arranging the hat and gloves of Marchioness Tataricha said with a pout.
“You can’t say such a thing,” said the Marchioness of Tataricha, pressing the maid’s forehead painlessly.
“It’s sad, but I have to reject all belated applications for participation. Her Highness Anastasia has been staying with His Highness the Crown Prince in the palace since she arrived, so she might find it unpleasant if it becomes too crowded.”
The marchioness smiled gently as she skimmed through the last letter and then threw all the letters into the fireplace.
“But why did Her Highness say she was going to attend your tea party, madame? She hasn’t been anywhere else since she arrived.”
The maid, who swept the clean empty tray once, found ink and pen on the table and expressed the small question. Next to her, another maid, who was arranging the marchioness’s gloves and hat, whispered.
“His Majesty the Emperor apparently cherishes the princess greatly. She has even declined invitations from other nobles’ gatherings and he hasn’t uttered a single word of reproach.”
“Rumor has it that he won’t let her out of the palace.”
“Really?”
The marchioness drew a gentle smile at the maids’ whispers.
“His Majesty has one granddaughter. His Majesty must have known how difficult it is for a child to wander from place to place.”
“If so, why did she say she would come here all of a sudden?”
“Is it because Lady Natalya is here? The two are the same age…”
All three, including the two maids and the marchioness, were silent for a moment. The Marchioness of Tataricha held her pen in her hand, touching her forehead with a rather serious face.
[Dear Count Rinchel, thank you for your interest in this late winter tea party…]
The marchioness, who had written quickly, said in a determined voice after handing over the letter so that the maid could seal it.
“On the eve of the tea party, take out three leather balls from the storage room and give them to the three youngest and strongest of the servants.”
“Is that… enough?”
“Until then, we need to oil all the trees and fences so that Natalya can’t climb up, remove the swing and cricket bat. Don’t let her ride a horse either. If we say that the repairs in the stables need to be completed quickly before the tea party, she might understand to some extent.”
“Yes, madame.”
“And… do we still have any dresses left at home?”
“Lady Natalya’s dresses… you mean?”
The Marchioness of Tataricha quickly read the meaning of disbelief on the servant’s face.
“I asked just in case. Ugh… let’s leave Natalya’s robes to Joel Alman. He knows how to make trousers look elegant.”
“Yes, madame.”
“We don’t need to prepare flowers, and tea is already arranged, so we just need to prepare the sweets.”
While writing a few more rejection responses, Marchioness Tataricha picked up a new card and recited the list of pastries to the servant.
“Make sure to bring the sweets from Lemerotil Confectionery.”
“Yes, madame.”
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
Ripe and glistening like red gemstones, seeds carefully embedded, and the crown-shaped vibrant green stems. Asha held the last strawberry basket of the year in her arms, a proud smile on her face. She had planned to make strawberry tarts as a gift for Marchioness Tataricha’s tea party.
However, as soon as Asha put the strawberry basket on the counter, she heard what Lise had told her, and she had no choice but to make the expression of her chewing on persimmon skin.
“Do I have to?”
“Yes, the emperor himself delivered the message. And the knight who will accompany you must visit the knights’ headquarters first and be chosen by him.”
“He didn’t mention anything like that when I mentioned the tea party.”
