Crepe Party

Leon-sama and Ronny-sama have arrived.

As soon as Roger said that, the door opened, and we were invited inside.

"You finally made it. Have a seat for now."

Upon entering, Stefan said that, so Ronny and I sat down beside Lucien.

Stefan and Martine sat on one of the three-seater sofas, while Lucien, Ronny, and I sat on the other.

Once we sat down, everyone's attendants quickly prepared the crepes and tea, making the table look festive.

"Thank you for your hard work. Everyone, you may leave."

After Stefan said that and everyone else nodded, the servants left the room. Only the usual four of us and Ronny remained inside.

Everything happened in an instant, and the preparations were complete while Ronny was still blinking in confusion. That was impressively quick...

"All right! Now that we've cleared the room, relax. Leon and Lucien, let's talk as usual."

Stefan said this with an unusually childlike expression. Did "as usual" mean speaking casually? Was it really all right with Ronny here?

"Is it all right with Ronny here?"

"Yes. Ronny isn't the sort of person to go around telling people, is he? Besides, outside official settings or places where many others are watching, it's fine as long as the people involved agree. Ronny, you can speak casually too."

Well, I suppose that was true. We could be ourselves in private.

Ronny looked puzzled, as though he didn't quite understand what was going on, but he nodded repeatedly at Stefan's words. He looked as though he were silently promising that he absolutely wouldn't tell anyone.

"Then I'll speak normally. But lately, especially with Lucien, we talk this way so often here that I nearly forget to use polite speech."

"You completely forgot in front of Grandfather-sama the other day."

"That was—! Well, it was my mistake..."

"I wish we could spend enough time together to forget our polite speech too."

Martine puffed out her cheeks as she said that.

"Since you and Stefan see each other most often at the Royal Academy, it's pretty difficult to find a time when no one else is around."

"Then let's have more luncheons!"

"That sounds nice, but don't you still have luncheons with the other nobles to get through?"

When I said that with a wry smile, Martine suddenly looked dejected, as if she'd remembered that fact.

"That's right... From now on, we have those painful luncheons waiting for us."

"Martine, once you get through that painful luncheon, you can have another luncheon with Lucien and Leon."

"Brother! That's true!"

"But then won't you just have to go through another painful luncheon?"

When I said that, Martine became dejected again, and we all laughed at her.

I noticed that Ronny, sitting beside me, was dumbfounded by what he was seeing. Well, of course he was. We always speak politely around one another.

"Ronny, this is what we're usually like. We use polite speech when other people are watching, though."

"I see..."

Ronny seemed too shocked to think clearly and merely muttered that, still looking stunned.

"You don't have to use polite speech either, Ronny."

Lucien said this to Ronny. Ronny seemed to snap back to reality and shook his head vigorously from side to side.

"N-no, I couldn't possibly. Um, I'd like to keep speaking this way..."

"Is that so? Well, I won't force you."

"Then I'll keep it this way!"

Ronny seemed determined to cling desperately to his polite speech. Indeed, speaking casually like that must be frightening... By now, I was so used to it that speaking politely felt strange.

I really was becoming immersed in this life.

"More importantly, why don't we eat the crepes already?"

"Yes. They've been smelling so good that I'm hungry."

"Right. Then let's eat."

And so, we decided to eat the crepes first. In front of each of us was a fairly large plate with two neatly arranged crepes. Since they were standing in for lunch, there were two for each person.

Lucien, Ronny, and I had already eaten crepes before, so we ate them without surprise. Stefan and Martine, however, looked extremely surprised after taking their first bites.

"Th-this is incredibly delicious! Why is it so delicious? What's this white sauce?"

"This is astonishing... This white sauce really is delicious. It's a flavor I've never tasted before. What kind of sauce is it?"

"What is it made of?"

Stefan and Martine were marveling at the mayonnaise. Mayonnaise really was delicious, and it made sense that it would surprise someone tasting it for the first time.

"It's a sauce called mayonnaise. I came up with it. It's made with raw eggs, oil, vinegar, and salt."

"Raw eggs? Is it really safe to eat them!?"

"I use a magic item to make raw eggs safe to eat, so it's fine."

When I said that, the two of them looked astonished.

Hadn't I told them about the sterilization magic item? Hmm... I might not have mentioned sterilization, but Alexis-sama probably told them about the poison-removing magic item, didn't he?

"Didn't Alexis-sama tell you about the poison-removing magic item?"

"I heard about that, but doesn't it only remove poison?"

I see—they hadn't connected removing poison with sterilizing eggs. I suppose they were technically different things, though.

But from my perspective, they were similar in that they removed things harmful to the human body. Poison removal, sterilization, and disease-healing magic were all quite similar.

"Hmm, it's hard to explain, but it removes substances that are harmful to the human body, so it can remove the bad things inside eggs too."

"I was already surprised that it could remove poison, but I can't believe it has an effect like this as well... It's amazing."

When Martine said that, I remembered Ronny was here.

I hadn't told Ronny that I could use all attributes, or that I could cure diseases. I could tell him, but it would be better not to increase the risk of putting him in danger.

We'd only been discussing magic items, so I thought it would be better to stop there. I decided to change the subject.

"How about the honey-butter crepes?"

"The sweetness of the honey and the flavor of the butter go perfectly together, so they're delicious!"

"I'm glad to hear that."

"You developed these crepes, didn't you, Leon?"

"That's right."

"Are you only selling them at a food stall for now?"

"Yes, for now..."

Stefan asked me with a slightly serious expression. What was this about?

"Wouldn't you consider increasing the number of stalls or opening a shop? These would sell in cafés catering to nobles."

...That had never even crossed my mind. I'd originally started this because I was looking for a place for Ronny to work, and I had planned to stop once he graduated from the Royal Academy.

"I was planning to stop once Ronny graduated from the Royal Academy... Ah, but if Ronny wants to continue, I'm fine with that!"

When I said that and looked over at Ronny, the sudden question made him flinch slightly, but he raised his head.

"What do you think, Ronny?"

"I... I had been planning to work as a government official after graduating from the Royal Academy. But I wasn't particularly attached to becoming one. I chose it because it would allow me to earn money, so I didn't have any particularly strong feelings about it. Lately, though... I've started thinking that I might be better suited to my current work than to being a government official. I like cooking, and it makes me happy when the people who buy my food enjoy it..."

So Ronny had been thinking that way. I need to make sure I pay more attention to what he thinks from now on.