Chapter 67 – Cake, Sweets, and Crisis
「Her Highness scolded me…」
Late the next morning.
When I arrived at Skylark Pavilion as planned, I was greeted by none other than the Continuous Rain Witch—Karsch-san, looking utterly dejected, her shoulders slumped.
「Uh… what happened?」
She was so visibly downcast that I asked without even a proper greeting. Karsch-san looked at me with a face full of regret and bowed her head.
「I must apologize. I spoke thoughtlessly, disregarding the burden I was placing on you, Sui-dono. …About the tacos. Her Highness said, 『Do you intend to subject him to your gluttony?』 So today, please, pay no mind to someone like me. Focus solely on the cakes.」
「Oh, so that’s what this is about…」
It seemed that sometime last night, the princess had given her a stern talking-to.
Honestly, I had been wondering how I was supposed to satisfy the appetite of someone who not only won the royal capital’s eating contest but also got banned from it. Not to mention, I was at a loss over how many tacos I’d need to make for her and the knights as well.
Apparently, Her Highness had anticipated all of that.
「Th-that’s unfortunate…」
「It is a grave loss. But she’s right. I cannot impose on you.」
「Well, after the cake tasting, I’ll have some free time, so I’ll make some tacos. Not unlimited amounts, of course.」
「…Eh?」
Karsch-san froze in place, looking dumbfounded.
Her exaggerated reaction was kind of funny. Food must really be a serious matter to her.
「Depending on how things go, would you like to join us for dinner? We can have a taco party.」
「…really…?」
「I brought a big bag of cornmeal, and Her Highness seemed interested in diplomatic relations with Alfheim. A taco party might be a great way to showcase that.」
「Oh… Ooooh…! Such generosity truly exists in this world!!」
After a brief silence, Karsch-san’s expression exploded into pure joy, and she grabbed my hands, shaking them vigorously. She was really going for it. Whoa, I’m swaying, I’m swaying—
「Sui-dono, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness! Ever since Her Highness reprimanded me, I’ve been filled with remorse, regret, and a terrible sense of longing…」
「Okay, okay, I get it. Now can we please go inside already?」
Even though we were standing outside the shop, with plenty of foot traffic around, we were definitely attracting a lot of attention.
I couldn’t even get Karsch-san to stop because both of my arms were pinned down.
「…What is this?」
「Bark…」
Behind me, I heard the exasperated voices of Karen and Chocola.
Uh, if you’re that exasperated, maybe help me out here…?
※※※
…And so, after that whole ordeal, we were finally ushered inside by an absolutely elated Karsch-san.
We greeted Her Highness the Princess and Eidel-sama in Skylark Pavilion’s second-floor VIP section, then headed to the kitchen with Tomoe-san.
「Sorry, Chocola, but can you wait here again?」
「Bark!」
Chocola sat obediently by the door, and I gave him a pat under his chin. He was being incredibly well-behaved—probably because he knew he’d be getting some milk later.
I had originally planned to leave him at the inn, but he had figured out where we were going and just tagged along like it was the most natural thing in the world.
「It won’t take too long.」
「Bark!」
I gave him a little wave before turning on my heel.
Then, Tomoe-san took a deep breath and—smack!—slapped both of her cheeks with her hands.
「…Alright. Time to do this.」
「Sorry for putting you through all this.」
「What are you saying? This is what I live for. How often do you get the chance to serve sweets to a princess? You should be thanking me for this opportunity. …I’ll give it everything I’ve got.」
「That’s the spirit, Tomoe. Good luck. I’ll help too.」
Karen nodded in agreement as she tied on her apron, and the three of us exchanged determined glances.
Of course, we weren’t starting from scratch—this wasn’t a bake-off. Everything had already been prepared in advance, so our job was mainly the finishing touches and presentation.
We would be serving five dishes.
First, as a light meal, sandwiches.
Using Sidera’s specialty ham, fresh vegetables, and plenty of eggs, these were the familiar triangular sandwiches you’d see in Japan. Interestingly, square bread—baked in a rectangular mold—hadn’t been widely available in Sidera before, which made them quite popular.
Next, chiffon cake.
This was one of Tomoe-san’s specialties, even before we met. Its airy, melt-in-your-mouth texture was nothing short of extraordinary.
Even if I tried making it myself, I could never reach this level of perfection.
It was the kind of dessert that could be served to royalty without shame.
Next up was mille crepes.
This was my choice.
When thinking of something uniquely from my world (Japan), I figured this would stand out the most in terms of novelty.
Ever since I taught Tomoe-san how to make it, it has become one of this café’s signature menu items.
Then, there was the stollen, a direct request from Her Highness.
Of course, it wasn’t freshly made—we had been aging it for about ten days now.
…Or rather, the moment I got word that Yunia-sama would be visiting, I immediately asked Tomoe-san to prepare it.
My foresight had definitely paid off this time.
And finally, since I wanted to include something besides cake, blancmange.
Not only was it a good way to promote cornstarch, but most importantly, its color made it stand out.
That pure white appearance was eye-catching, especially in contrast to the capital’s latest trend, Noah’s Night Clouds—a jet-black sesame tofu.
「Alright, let’s get to it. Sui-san, please handle the sauce for the blancmange. Karen-san, you’ll help me with the plating. …Oh, by the way, Sui-san, you’ll be keeping Her Highness company, correct?」
「Yeah, she’ll probably have a lot of questions. I’ll need to answer them.」
「In that case, as soon as you’re done with the sauce, leave the rest to us.」
Tomoe-san gave out instructions smoothly while skillfully whipping cream, effortlessly demonstrating a sample plate to Karen. Her sense of presentation was impeccable, with not a single wasted motion.
They say people look their coolest when they’re working hard.
Right now, Tomoe-san practically radiated confidence.
Her naturally beautiful features, combined with her focused expression, gave her an air of dignified elegance.
For her, this was both a battlefield and a stage.
「I’m really glad… to have met you.」
「Hmm? Did you say something? Oh, Karen-san, let’s use that wooden platter for the stollen. No need to unwrap it—just place it as is. Sui-san, could you handle unwrapping and slicing it over there?」
「Of course. That’ll make for a much stronger impression. Smart thinking.」
「I appreciate the praise, but I don’t have time for chit-chat right now! Ah—Chocola-chan’s milk will be brought out with the first round of plates!」
With such capable teammates, there was nothing to worry about.
As I stirred the sauce over the heat, I could feel my excitement building.
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