Chapter 79
「Ah, is that so…」
Celes was surprised that she was even more disappointed than she had anticipated.
What had been the point of coming all the way here from La Parisia? Before the deep fried food had even entered her mouth, all her plans had gone astray.
However, this wasn’t the time to be depressed.
Even if the maid tried to cover for her, her absence would eventually be exposed. Before that happened, she had to eat something delicious.
But, what should she order? According to Jean Francois’ report, the salad here was delicious, but she felt like it would have been a waste of her effort to come here just to eat salads. Anyway, she wanted eat something that would be memorable.
「Shinobu-chan, please serve this to the young lady too.」
A silver-haired woman sitting next to Celes called out to the waitress. Celes couldn’t tell how old she was, but she had an aura of a witch from some fairy tale. She had something that looked like a pie in her hands.
「Oh right, I’ll serve that as an apology then.」
The waitress called Shinobu said, and she brought out a pie on a plate from the kitchen.
「Please have this pie as an apology from us for not being able to prepare kushikatsu.」
「Eh, but I…」
Even though Celes was puzzled, her eyes were glued to the pie. Ever since entering Aitheria, her meals had consisted of potatoes and sauerkraut, to the point that she was tired of it. After leaving La Parisia, she hadn’t had anything sweet.
「Please dig in. It is a token of apology from our store. We won’t charge you.」
Celes’ brain was quickly analyzing the situation. If she refused it now, wouldn’t she be suspected by the employees and customers? Ignoring the old man with the priestly attire who was gulping down his sake cup at the inner part of the counters, this silver-haired woman seemed to have sharp eyes. It was a secret that the Princess Regent, Celestine de Oiria, was visiting Aitheria, but there could be someone who had sensed it already. If that was the case, wouldn’t it be better to deliberately receive the pie as Celes the townsgirl? No, this was the best choice. This wasn’t her shamefully succumbing to her appetite, but a result of advanced political considerations concluding that accepting the pie was the only logical choice.
Celes smiled at Shinobu while struggling to hide her watering mouth.
「In that case, I’ll gladly take you up on your offer.」
「Then, please enjoy your food. It’s called apple pie. I hope it suits your taste.」
On top of the plate that was placed gently in front of Celes was a pie with a glossy luster on its surface.
In La Parisa, baking pies had recently gained popularity. Many patissiers competed in the pastry making race using pie dough, which resulted in the invention of many new pastries.
These kinds of pastries were a part and parcel of high society now, colouring the parties of nobles with their refined palate.
This apple pie reminded her of a jesuite.
Boiled apples were arranged on top of a tart dough and covered with a pie dough before being baked. It was a masterpiece that the ladies of the Eastern Kingdom declared was impossible to not love.
However, the apple pie in front of her seemed a little different.
There was a faint scent of wine from the apples within the pie pastry that tickled her nose. It must have been simmered in wine, not apple juice. It wasn’t a pastry for children, but could be said to be a refined pastry for adults to enjoy.
She cut into the pie with a fork, enjoying the flaky texture of the pie. As expected, the apples were still moist, but the fragrance was sweeter than she had expected.
That meant that not only was wine used, but also plenty of sugar. Where had this pub obtained their sugar, when the majority of the sugar production areas and trade routes were directly controlled by the Eastern Kingdom now?
‘Stop it,’ Celes reprimanded herself.
She was Celes now, not Celestine de Oiria. A townsgirl did not think about trade routes or trade companies that were connected to Aitheria. For now, she would only focus her attention on the apple pie in front of her. Just like a fair maiden.
「Now, the first bite…」
She swept her straggling hair backwards with her pinky finger and then stuffed her cheeks with a mouthful of pie. This was not permitted in the royal palace, but since she was a townsgirl now, it was more appropriate for her to eat in a rough manner.
「It’s sweet!」
She involuntarily cupped her cheeks with her hands and raised her voice without any concern for her surroundings.
She had already expected this of the apples, which were boiled down with lots of sugar and wine, but the crust had also been coated with a syrup made with some fruit, which resulted in its glossy surface.
Sweet. It was an explosion of sweetness. However, it was not just a simple sweetness; it was sweetness accompanied by a delicious flavour.
It also had a wonderful texture. After the crispiness of the warm pie crust came the gentle softness of properly simmered apples.
「Does it suit your tastes?」
「Yes, it’s very delicious!」
Shinobu, the chef, the silver-haired woman, and the elderly priest smiled meaningfully to Celes’s sincere praise.
「Shinobu-chan…isn’t it time for that?」
「You’re right…」
Shinobu’s mouth distorted mysteriously. A smile filled with malice peeped out from under that simple smile. What was going to happen now? Just as Celes began to put herself on guard, a white lump was placed on top of the apple pie.
「Now then, please eat it while it’s cold.」
Cold? Weren’t apple pies supposed to be warm? However, the white lump began to melt in front of her eyes, just like the snow that she had kicked into the river.
Ice cream!
It was a supreme delicacy that she, Celestine de Oiria, the Princess Regent of the Eastern Kingdom, had only eaten once in her lifetime. While thinking that it couldn’t be that, not in this kind of place, she switched to a slender spoon and quickly scooped it into her mouth.
At that moment, the taste of happiness filled her mouth.
“Why is the ultimate confectionary, which can only be obtained by chilling dairy products in a special way, here?” Was what she wanted to ask. For now though, she just wanted to thank them for this encounter. She didn’t think she would be so happy to say that it was delicious.
When she thought about it, she was glad she had not gotten the kushikatsu. If she had, then she wouldn’t have gotten to eat this ice cream.
While she was lost in her thoughts, the white lump of happiness gradually changed shape.
This was no good. She had to eat it fast. However, why had Shinobu placed the precious ice cream on top of the apple pie?
At that moment, a thought flashed through her mind.
She switched her spoon for the fork again, and then…
「This…should be eaten together?」
The four people around her nodded while grinning.
As she scooped part of the ice cream, she also cut off a small chunk of the apple pie under it.
Crunch.
It was smooth, flaky, sweet, soft, and delicious!
Celes, who had received special education for talented children since she was young and was also considerably fluent in the languages of quite a few countries, couldn’t find the words to express the taste that she was experiencing now.
As she continued eating, two, three mouthfuls at a time, the plate was emptied in the blink of an eye.
The sense of satisfaction and loneliness intertwined together and became just words.
Apple Pie
「It was delicious…」
「I’m glad.」
Shinobu said and smiled out of habit, as Celes stood up quietly.
「Is that enough for you?」
「Ah, if I stay for too long, my resolution will grow dull.」
After she said that, she removed her glasses and pulled the glass door open. Outside, she realized that there were a number of disguised knights from the Imperial Guard, standing in wait on the streets of the already dark Inns & Stable Street.
Celes called out to the oldest, most veteran knight.
「I’ve kept you waiting.」
「Not at all. I am ashamed to admit that our search was delayed.」
「Don’t blame the maid. She was acting under my orders.」
「I hear and obey.」
She wondered how they had found this place, but since she had come to Aitheria, someone would’ve realized that she would be going to the shop mentioned in the report. Even though the bureaucrats that were left in the royal palace were excellent, the ones who were brought along with her were also excellent. A nearby senior earl, La Catan, who was another secret reader of Jean Francois’ report, was probably stomping his foot in vexation right now.
「Now, let’s return. There is a lot of things to do.」
「Has milady finished with your recreation? I don’t know why, but Earl La Catan is two or three blocks away and has requested us to turn a blind eye towards him.」
「That’s enough. Time is precious now.」
「I understand.」
They trudged through the snow that laid on the dark road.
Today marked the end of her sweet days. The fair maiden Celes gave her deepest gratitude to Metsuki for being able to enjoy such a meal at the very end.
(TL: Metsuki is just the name of a moon. There are two moons in this world. Otsuki is the male moon, and Metsuki is the female moon.)
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