<You… You!>
While the lantern was dancing erratically, causing the room to alternate between brightness and darkness, the chick ran wild. Asha sighed briefly and whispered in Alexei’s ear, who was smiling.
“He told me to be more happy since Alyosha took time out of your busy schedule to meet me because you like me very much”
“…Fafnir?”
“Yes, Alyosha, do you like me that much?”
Alexei nodded affirmatively at Asha’s mischievous question, but coughed a few times, feeling a little embarrassed. Phoebe laughed loudly at the sight.
<Looks like someone isn’t much help to their own contractor.>
<This… This isn’t what I meant… Alexei, it’s not like that…>
But Alexei, who could not hear Fafnir’s tearful voice, merely changed the subject.
“By the way, I don’t know if the gathering will take place as planned.”
Asha laughed at Alexei, who changed the subject, and tilted her head.
“What? Why? Did something happen?”
“I heard that one of Uncle Valery’s business ventures is in jeopardy.”
Alexei said so, but motioned to the servant and instructed him to order Asha’s new shoes, and continued speaking in a hushed tone.
“Uncle Valery was consistently investing in food processing, and this time there was a big problem.”
“Were there bugs or something?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“What? Really?”
Surprised, they stared at each other when Alexei burst into laughter and revealed the truth. It turned out that a large bug had emerged from the breadcrumbs that Valery had developed and distributed, having even attached the name of the royal chef to the business.
“Oh, my goodness.”
“It seems that the problem was that they had stocked up on the unsold batches.”
The cause didn’t matter. Due to the story spreading throughout the entire kingdom, thanks to a malicious gossip magazine, the factory was on the verge of closing its doors.
‘Hmm, if this gathering doesn’t happen, what should we do? I need to see Uncle Valery soon…’
Alexei silently watched Asha contemplating and then stood up from his seat.
“I have to go first because I have some work left.”
Bowing his head, Alexei gently kissed Asha’s forehead before leaving the room. As the door closed, capturing the last glimpse of Asha’s worried expression, he turned his back and gestured to his aide.
“Let Karnov Neustadter know I need to see him.”
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“Is General Yekaterina doing well?”
Karnov looked at the small, dainty creamy shoes on the tea table. They were round and lovely in shape, so even though shoes were on the tea table, they didn’t feel out of place like a decoration. Alexei watched him with a relaxed expression as he sipped his tea.
“She said she will come to pay her respects to His Majesty soon. She said she’d come after relieving some of her fatigue.”
“To be honest, I never thought she would come back to the capital. I never expected the day would come when I would meet her.”
Karnov, too, had that thought when he returned to the capital at the end of the war. He thought he would never see his grandmother again unless he went to the north due to another war. He wrote a letter to his grandmother after listening to Asha, but he never thought this would happen.
“So what do you want to talk about? These shoes look like Asha’s shoes.”
“We received an invitation to play Kerum this time. It was sent by Prince Ilya.”
Karnov furrowed his brow for a moment and then nodded his head. It wasn’t something he cared much about, so the thought came to him late.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Asha also received that invitation, and she seems interested.”
If it was last winter, Karnov would have scoffed and said she was trying to strike a deal with other princes already.
“Isn’t the breadcrumb factory in a state of chaos right now? They probably don’t have the capacity to host a Kerum Game gathering. Even if they do, it’s just a simple game that she can handle. Why do you have to go out?”
“It’s not the same doing something in the palace and going out. And it seems she’s interested in Prince Ilya.”
“Prince Ilya?”
Karnov crossed his arms and asked with a slightly displeased look, and Alexei chuckled softly.
“Besides… you told me, didn’t you? That she had a problem at Baroness Saratov’s store. I guess she also wants to solve it.”
“But isn’t that issue already being taken care of?”
It’s actually been a while since the bugs came out of the factory, but it had been quiet so far. It seemed that someone had chosen the perfect moment to magnify the mistake and reap the fruits of Marquis Shapiroqin’s dishonor as it ripened.
“To be honest, I’m not too worried about Ilya or Dimitri.”
Karnov inwardly agreed with Alexei’s words. It was easy to be swayed by Princess Anastasia’s small and innocent appearance, but she wasn’t as soft as she seemed. She was kind but firm, and she acted as if she didn’t know, but she actually knew everything.
“But I’m just concerned that something might happen with Uncle Valery.”
Karnov glared at Alexei as if he was tired of always being burdened with troublesome tasks. On the other hand, Alexei smiled slyly, his face suggesting that he already knew Karnov’s true feelings.
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She didn’t know if a social gathering hosted by Ilya would be held or not, but she couldn’t give up hastily. Asha rolled up her arms and put a pot of butter on the fire.
“The patisserie is a huge success. Of course, it was possible because it became a hot topic as soon as it opened.”
“Really? Is it going well?”
“Yes. I even want to show my gratitude to Marchioness Tataricha separately.”
Baroness Saratov, who stood next to her while boiling butter, eagerly reported the achievements. Asha looked down at the pot where the butter was melting with a careful expression, and then raised her head.
“How is Sophia? Is she okay with working? Is it not too hard?”
“She’s very enthusiastic. She has good stamina. She’s gotten so skinny… Skinny muscles? Is that what they’re called?”
Baroness Saratov chuckled, murmuring, then returned to a more formal tone to report.
“But from now on, the sales will steadily decrease. Novelty and curiosity usually only last for a month or two.”
Asha nodded calmly as the butter started to sizzle.
“Yes, I see. What about the chocolates? Are they selling well?”
Baroness Saratov hesitated a little and opened her mouth at the question.
“Since we don’t know how to make cakes, the sales aren’t as high. There are people who make bulk purchases, but it’s only a one-off purchase.”
“Hmm, then how about disclosing the recipe?”
“…Won’t you be disappointed?”
“What?”
“To think that such a wonderful recipe would be known to everyone.”
Asha shrugged her shoulders and took the butter off the heat. From the smooth, lightly browned butter, the aroma of hazelnuts delicately wafted.
“If many people know, then many people can make and enjoy it, right? Actually, the cake tastes the best when it’s freshly baked at home.”
“…I’ve been thinking of keeping the recipe a secret for just two more months at the patisserie, and then considering making it public.”
Baroness Saratov seemed to have the courage to say this only after listening to Asha. However, even if she bought the recipe, she couldn’t ignore the original creator’s opinion.
“All right, all right. Ah!”
Asha, who was pouring honey and sugar into the egg whites and stirring with a whisk, tilted her head to the thought that came to mind.
“When we make the recipe public, how are we going to do it? In what manner?”
“I was thinking of featuring it in the Weekly Vichegda. It’s a magazine that all citizens of the empire read.”
In a sense, it was really a magazine that the entire empire read.
“That would be nice. And in addition to that, how about selling chocolate? Exactly the amount needed to make a single serving of chocolate cake. The packaging can be cute, and we can include a paper with the recipe inside.”
“…!”
“Well, we have the painter who designed our patisserie signboard. We can ask that person to design the packaging, make it small and convenient for people to try at home. Hmm, I wonder if there will be demand for it.”
“…!”
When Asha raised her head while mixing almond powder and flour into the egg whites, Baroness Saratov was writing down what Asha had said.
“Ah, Olga?”
“That’s a wonderful idea. Moreover, it doesn’t take a lot of investment to try it.”
Baroness Saratov continued, hastily taking notes without even looking at Asha. As Asha mixed the butter into the egg white mixture, she simply watched her passionate writing.
“We’ll start on a small scale first and see the response, then gradually expand. By any chance, did you sign a contract with the Spirit of Merchantry?”
<What is this insolent brat saying now!>
“Haha… Of course not.”
Asha smiled awkwardly and stroked her right sleeve button gently as if to soothe it. Phoebe, who was running wild about being compared to the Spirit of Merchantry, relieved her anger on the condition that she would get five financiers made by Asha.
“I’m willing to pay a consultation fee to you. This is how much I value your advice.”
“Oh? Is that so? To that extent?”
As soon as Baroness Saratov mentioned a “consultation fee,” Asha interrupted and interjected. Baroness Saratov, who was busily taking notes, opened her eyes wide and looked at her.
“Uh, yes, yes. That’s right!”
“Forget about the consultation fee. I also wanted to consult with you about something.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“It’s a business item. A powder that can make pastries expand.”
“A powder that… makes pastries expand?”
“Yeah. It’s Phoebe powder, something I created.”
Asha winked and smiled mischievously. Baroness Saratov listened intently to her words, as if mesmerized.
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Fortunately, Ilya’s – virtually Valery’s – social gathering was held safely. Valery decorated the exterior of the mansion more splendidly than usual, as if not to show that his business was ruined.
“Ah, Anastasia.”
As Valery was not present at the mansion, only Ilya came out to greet Asha. Ilya looked pale as if he were very nervous, but he smiled shyly, delighted to see her.
“Ilya, it’s your first time seeing me since the spirit ceremony, right? You didn’t come to the victory ball either, did you?”
“Ah! Th,That time, I… I was feeling sick.”
“At that time, Dimitri also said he had an upset stomach. Did you both eat the same thing?”
“Dimitri, too?”
“No way!”
Dimitri, who was hiding behind a pillar, peered out and shouted. Asha, who already knew he was hiding, grinned.
“It seems like Dimitri is also a bit fragile.”
“It’s not true!”
Dimitri looked like he was going to die of injustice, but he could not explain why he was absent from the victory ball.
“Everyone is waiting, so let’s go quickly.”
Instead, she turned around and took the lead to the garden. She glanced back at Ilya and smiled, then followed Dmitri.
