Chapter 22

Tiara Rose spent her days repeating the same routine: attending classes about spirits in the morning and observing Aquasteed’s office work in the afternoon. However, she often found herself unable to be of much help to Aquasteed, which made her sigh.

"Tiara Rose, you are working very hard, aren’t you?"

"But... Lady Aishira is only 14 years old, yet she is doing her job so well."

Sitting on the soft sofa, Tiara Rose slowly drank the tea that Filine had prepared. At this late hour, the castle was quiet, and the sound of the wind could be heard. Tiara Rose enjoyed this time of relaxation at the end of the day while sipping tea.

Then she recalled the events of the day. Whenever she started observing Aquasteed’s work, Aishira would often come by. Each time, a sense of unease would settle in her chest, but she reminded herself that it was just part of the job.

-- But, to be working at 14... It’s unimaginable in Japan.

She sighed inwardly, pondering how she could be of more help.

"Tiara Rose, just by being here, you are already of great help to Prince Aquasteed."

"Filine?"

Tiara Rose tilted her head at the maid’s words. What did it mean to be of help just by being there? Filine smiled wryly, understanding that Tiara Rose was genuinely considering this.

While it was a well-known fact that Aquasteed doted on Tiara Rose, she herself seemed to be unaware of it. Just by her presence, Aquasteed’s mood improved, and his work progressed smoothly.

Filine found her master endearing, but she was still in the midst of her bridal training. Excessive intimacy was not appropriate... So, she decided to take action.

"Would you like to make some sweets? The sweets you make are infused with magic, and I think something with a fatigue recovery effect would be great."

"Of course, Filine! Yes, with sweets, I can be of help."

Tiara Rose beamed, thinking it was a great idea. Determined to prepare immediately, she stood up, but Filine stopped her.

"Tiara Rose, it’s already night. Let’s do it tomorrow, shall we?"

"Hmm... You’re right. I’ll wake up early and make them tomorrow."

When Filine explained that it would be a bother, Tiara Rose nodded and began preparing for bed. Seeing her master so cheerful, Filine felt relieved. Recently, Tiara Rose had often said, "Lady Aishira came again today..." with a sad tone.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Tiara, I’ll give this to you!"

"Can I eat this?"

"Fluffy, fluffy, fluffy!!"

Determined to make sweets, Tiara Rose managed to borrow the castle’s kitchen early in the morning. -- Actually, it was a kitchen specially prepared by Aquasteed for her, as she loved making sweets, but no one knew about it.

"Thank you, it looks delicious."

As she was preparing, the forest spirits came to her, holding many fruits and flowers, offering them to her one by one. Seeing the fruits, Tiara Rose had an idea to use them as ingredients for her sweets.

"What are you making?"

"Hehe. Today, I’m making a cake. The spirits gave me these fruits, so I’ll use them."

"Oh, it looks delicious."

Filine, who was watching, also seemed excited. Tiara Rose made the sweets on her own, so Filine was just an observer. It was a bit boring for her, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"These flowers are also edible."

"They’re delicious!"

"Eh? Flowers can be eaten?"

Hearing the spirits, Tiara Rose picked up one of the flowers. It was a small, cute yellow flower that would look beautiful on top of a cake. In Japan, there were shops that sold edible flowers, so it wasn’t surprising that they existed in this world too.

*Nom*.

Tiara Rose put the flower in her mouth. Despite Filine’s scream from the side, she didn’t mind. She chewed it thoughtfully and swallowed. "Hmm," she thought and mixed the flower petals into the whipped cream she was preparing.

"What are you doing, Tiara Rose...?"

"These are edible. They’re sweet, so I thought I’d use them for the cake."

As she said this, she pushed a petal into Filine’s mouth. Filine swallowed it without thinking and exclaimed, "Wow!"

"Flowers aren’t food... but they’re delicious! And they have a natural sweetness, not at all bitter."

"Right?"

Filine, surprised, looked closely at the flower. She was amazed that such a delicious flower existed. As she watched, Tiara Rose continued to make the cake, using fruits and nuts to create a very cute flower cake.

-- Will Aqua like it?

Smiling, Tiara Rose was excited about the cake baking.

◇ ◇ ◇

Filine was in despair. She had seen Tiara Rose off to the office and was about to bring the cake when she discovered -- a luxurious cake. It seemed that Aishira had also prepared a cake and brought it along.

"I never expected this... I never thought it would happen."

Filine frowned at Aishira’s cake. Unlike Tiara Rose’s, this cake was a two-tiered fruit cake, likely made by a top chef. It was topped with chocolate, and Filine was sure it was something Tiara Rose would like.

-- Should I put some Tabasco in Aishira’s cake?

No, no, no, as Tiara Rose’s maid, I can’t do such a disgraceful thing. Filine quickly dismissed the bad idea that flashed through her mind and sighed. She really wanted to do something to help Tiara Rose. She didn’t think highly of Aishira, who often made Tiara Rose’s face fall, but she didn’t show it.

"Let’s make sure Prince Aquasteed eats Tiara Rose’s cake to his heart’s content. After that, we can serve Aishira’s cake."

-- Perfect.

It was Tiara Rose’s homemade cake. If she added a second serving when Aquasteed was about to finish, he would eat it all. Filine, feeling cheerful, carried the cake into the office.

Walking on the red carpet, she soon arrived at Aquasteed’s office. She knocked and entered with permission. Tiara Rose greeted Filine and happily reported to Aquasteed about the cake she had prepared.

"A cake baked by Tiara? That’s wonderful. Let’s take a short break."

"Oh! Tiara Rose is making sweets? That’s impressive."

"Thank you."

Aishira, who was in the castle for a meeting, also smiled happily. Filine carefully cut the cake and served it with tea. Aquasteed was the first to taste it, eating the flowers along with it and nodding in approval.

"Yes, Tiara’s sweets are always delicious."

"I’m glad you like them, Aqua. The flowers and fruits were given to me by the forest spirits."

"And this is... No, I’ll share my detailed thoughts later."

"Okay."

Aquasteed probably wanted to talk about the magic Tiara Rose had infused into the cake. He closed his mouth, saying, "Later," as it wasn’t something to discuss in front of everyone. Only Aquasteed and Elliot knew about it.

Next to them, Aishira and Elliot also tasted the cake and praised its flavor. As Tiara Rose felt relieved, there was another knock on the door. When Aquasteed gave permission, a maid carrying a luxurious cake appeared.

"…!"

Filine gasped, not expecting this cake to appear. She wished she had hidden it. Aishira looked uncomfortable but, under Aquasteed’s questioning gaze, spoke up.

"It’s a new cake created by our chef. Since Tiara Rose is here, I thought something sweet would be nice. But it seems the timing was bad..."

"That’s understandable."

Tiara Rose, seeing Aishira’s apologetic expression, smiled gently and said, "Don’t worry about it." In fact, she was welcoming it. As a sweets lover from her previous life, she was excited to try the luxurious two-tiered cake.

"It’s a beautiful cake. I love sweets."

Smiling, Tiara Rose took a bite of Aishira’s cake. The fluffy cream cake suited her well. She finished it with a satisfied sigh and drank her tea.

"Tiara really looks happy eating sweets. I could watch you all day."

"Yes, I’ll bring more sweets next time."

"Ah..."

Hearing this from Aquasteed and Aishira, Tiara Rose blushed. She hadn’t realized she looked so happy eating. Filine, who had been standing behind, felt relieved that nothing had gone wrong.

Aquasteed also tasted Aishira’s cake, but there was no competition between Tiara Rose’s and Aishira’s cakes. Of course, Filine was the only one who had been competing.

"However, a cake with nuts and a fruit cake, both are luxurious. Which one does Prince Aquasteed prefer?"

"…!!"

Elliot casually dropped a bomb while eating cake. Tiara Rose and Aishira held their breath, glancing at Aquasteed. Both were nervous, hoping and fearing his choice.

-- Of course, it has to be Tiara Rose’s cake!

Filine was confident of victory, knowing that Aquasteed doted on Tiara Rose. It was hard to imagine him choosing Aishira’s cake over Tiara Rose’s homemade, magic-infused cake.

"…Yes."

However, Aquasteed was struggling to give an answer. The obvious choice was Tiara Rose’s cake, but Aishira was the daughter of a duke in the country. He couldn’t easily say which cake was better.

"…Well, there’s no need to think about it. Tiara’s cake is clearly better."

Suddenly, the voice of the Fairy King Keith was heard. He appeared next to the cake cart, holding both Tiara Rose’s and Aishira’s cakes. He had apparently tasted both and made a judgment. He put Aishira’s cake back on the cart and ate Tiara Rose’s cake.