The Crown prince occupies the western corner of the royal palace. Therefore, this section is called the Western Palace and is another name for the Crown Prince’s palace.
The Western Palace refers to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Naturally, the palace of the Crown Prince and Princess is also located on the west side of the palace as it is adjacent to the Crown Prince’s area. As it is a part of the building built for me, the building is relatively new and the interior is modern.
Unlike other palaces that seem to be over-decorated, the simple, modern interior with elegantly arranged curves is neat and clean.
Because the princess is a young girl, it is full of beautiful colors with floral patterns and light tones, and the overall impression is characterized by bright colors.
The crown princes’ palace is similar to my palace, but with less decoration. This place is in a building from the old unified empire era, so it should be much less decorated. Apparently, His Highness prefers simplicity.
The practical beauty of the furnishings are tightly polished and amber-colored, and the interior, with its various shades of blue, gives it a sense of elegance.
It suits him, but there’s something cold about it…
Outside was a cloudy sky with snow falling, but there was a tea caddy on the table, and steam was rising from the cup. The fire in the fireplace is also warming the room in a nice way.
So why does it feel so cold…
It’s because the curtains and carpets are all in cold colors…I can’t help but think about mixing in a few more soft colors, my thoughts are drifting in a direction that has nothing to do with me.
It’s because I’m scared.
The truth is, I know that the cause of this cold weather is right in front of me, the crown prince!
Let me escape from reality for a minute. After all, I’m the frog in front of the snake.
There was an odd silence at tea time when I was abducted from the greeting hall.
It’s really quiet. The only sounds were the small sound of the shifting of clothes and the pouring of tea as the maidservants changed the tea.
It’s as if everyone, even those who aren’t here, are hiding in the palace to preserve the silence.
Of course, there’s no way I’m going to open my mouth…and I don’t even know what to say in the first place.
The crown prince in front of me seems to be immersed in his own thoughts, despite abducting me, and he looks out the window and is silent.
Therefore, both sides are silent and just drinking tea.
…This is the third cup I’ve gotten right now.
It’s not just my maid who made the tea, but the crown prince’s maid.
The royal maidservant’s uniform is a matching black maid’s dress with a white apron. I can tell which affiliation they belong to by the design of their cuffs and headdress. However, you have to look closely to tell the difference, and one needs to be an expert to recognize the difference.
The handmaids to the Crown Prince are not at all bothered by the odd silence. Maybe they are used to it.
I’ve been feeling a little uncomfortable since a while ago.
This might be more useful than a sermon.
It’s hard to keep silent all the time.
When working the same shift as someone you don’t know very well, you can’t stand the silence, and you end up talking about unnecessary things because you can’t stand the silence…I’ve made mistakes by saying unnecessary things, and that’s how I feel.
“…Ah.”
I sipped my new tea and noticed that it was new. The tea leaves were different from before.
This is a completely different quality than the first one.
It’s a reddish amber color…and a fresh aroma spreads in my mouth.
“It’s the first picking of Sagiya.”
His Highness opened his mouth.
Surprisingly, the sound of his voice was quiet.
“Sagiya?”
“One of my fiefdoms.”
Apparently, it is the first flush from the region called Sagiya. It’s similar to Darjeeling and is easy to drink without any peculiarities.
“…I see you’ve given up milk.”
His Highness Nagel said without asking.
“Yes.”
I nodded my head.
Before, I usually had a cup of tea with plenty of milk and two spoons of sugar. Or I used to boil it with plenty of milk and add honey.
But now I prefer it straight. I think these good leaves are a waste if I don’t enjoy them in their entirety!
If the leaves were this fragrant, they would be delicious to use in pound cake…Oh, and cookies.
Wordlessly, the Crown Prince’s maidservant places a freshly baked pie in front of me.
The crunching sound of a fork in it makes me happy, and I’m a little disappointed when I put it in my mouth. It’s an apple pie, but the apples cooked in honey are a bit of a failure.
You could have added…cinnamon to it. Also, it’s overcooked. The fruit is mushy. It’s a good idea to keep the shape of the fruit instead of boiling it down to a puree. And you don’t need lemon in it, so the color is discolored.
Sorry for the details. It’s a shame that the pastry maker at the royal palace is so professional.
Professionals get paid for this kind of work, so they get pissed off! A professional is a professional because he or she provides a skill that the neighborhood wife can’t do, a taste that she can’t do.
My rating for this apple pie is a 50.
Apparently, there aren’t many masters like the confectioner at the castle in Elzevert.
Well, despite my egotism, I’m not sure I’m a professional here either…
Perhaps my knowledge as a confectioner is considerable. The amount of information I’ve been exposed to is different, and I have the advantage of learning systematically.
It’s not that I don’t have confidence in my skills, but I’m confident in my taste buds.
But I think it’s quite difficult to say if I can make anything as well as they do.
The reason why is the crucial difference in cookware.
For example, we don’t have an oven over here that can bake evenly for 15 minutes at 180 degrees like they do over there. From what I’ve heard, it’s basically an open flame.
I heard there are stoves and ovens, but they are fueled by wood and charcoal and it would take some practice for me to be able to use them properly.
So, chiffon and sponge cakes will be difficult to make overnight. I don’t know how far I can even bake tarts…
However, that doesn’t mean I can’t do anything at all.
Hmm, if I could make it over here, it would be pancakes and doughnuts…and cookies and biscuits…
Pastries that don’t require so much delicate temperature control…or the cookware here that I can get by with. It might not be possible at first, but once I understand the heat of the oven over here, I’ll be able to get away with it.
Oh…puddings might be pretty good. Also, chocolate might work because it’s a hot water bath…do they have something to measure the temperature?…Wait, wait, maybe the chocolate itself doesn’t exist…
I didn’t eat chocolate when I came over here, come to think of it.
I’m a little appalled.
I love chocolate.
…Cranky, I liked it so much that I always had one in my bag.
Not to mention the chocolate among the various sweets made by the craftsmen of the castle in Elzevert. None of them were chocolate-covered or chocolate-flavored.
For example, even if they were incredibly valuable, it wouldn’t mean that I, the Crown Princess, couldn’t eat them, so I still wouldn’t have any chocolate, after all.
When I came to that conclusion, I felt like I was in another world.
I’m a bit of a chocolate-aware person.
…Let’s get back on track.
Cooking, sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Curry and oden would be appreciated…and stews. I’d love to teach them how to make a demi-glace sauce or something.
It’s partly because of the confidence I gained from the pheasant soup the other day, but I think I can handle cooking over an open flame. I’m not talking about making kaiseki cuisine, but stew or soup, as long as I don’t skimp on the preparations. (***kaiseki = a traditional multi-course Japanese meal)
It’s not a matter of making kaiseki cuisine, it’s a matter of making the basic bouillon and soup stock from bonito and kelp.
“…Didn’t you like it?
I wasn’t sure if I should just nod yes when asked.
I didn’t want the craftsman to be punished for it.
But apparently that hesitation was enough of an answer.
“Let them be diligent.”
I’m sorry, confectioners over here.
Please do your best to study.
That…?
I noticed something strange.
For a while now, I’ve been able to be normal without being afraid of His Highness in front of me or anything. I don’t feel that creeping fear. It wasn’t very comfortable, though, because I was silent the whole time.
“What’s the matter?”
He shook his head with a shake of his head.
The vertical hair rolls the maidservants had made so beautifully swayed. Today I have several small vertical rolls in twin tails, held together with my dress and a ribbon of matching fabric. The rolls are cute and fluffy.
“As far back as I can remember, this is practically the first time you’ve ever made eye contact with me on your own, isn’t it?”
“………”
What can I say about that…
Um, should I apologize? But there was something different about it.
My eyes swam unintentionally
“You’ve gotten a lot more human in a while since I’ve last seen you.”
…This is the extent of it
“I’d heard the stories, though I didn’t believe them until I saw it with my own eyes.”
So people are surprised by that much.
…I wonder if this is who he really is…
I felt a little bit like that earlier.
Maybe it’s because I’m in my own palace that I’m relaxing.
I’m glad that I don’t have that stinky smile on my face.
I don’t feel like I’m being sarcastic about it for some reason, but I’m no better than that smiling face that looks like you’re up to something.
I’m sure I was just afraid of him normally.
If I had been able to weave in cold, casual sarcasm like this with every conversation, if I were a normal kid, I would probably have been bad with it.
I whisper words in my mind that can never be told.
If I say it out loud, it’s going to be incredibly frightening…That much I can understand.
You see, children are intelligent. It’s true that the crown prince’s smile is often decent…but I think there are kids who notice it, just like I think it’s scary or weird…I noticed it, so I’m sure Arthirea did too. There’s no way to know for sure.
“I’m not good with children, and I’m aware that I’m not a well-liked person. But you’re my princess. I’ll be troubled if you don’t get used to me.”
His Highness Nigel says in a more chilling sounding tone.
His gaze is a blade of ice at absolute zero.
If a slightly faint-hearted person were to hear this, it might make their chest ache. Or they’ll want to get down on your knees and apologize right then and there.
Yeah. It’s just as vicious because of his beautiful face.
I wonder if this guy thinks he’s compromising, in a manner of speaking…
“Do you hear me? Arthirea.”
A slight mixture of irritation.
You’re intimidating…
It must have been terrifying for a 12 year old girl. In a different sense than I am now.
“…Please don’t get angry at me.”
“I’m not angry.”
“You sound angry.”
“You are the one who’s angry.”
“…I told you I wasn’t angry.”
I looks at His Highness with a slightly superior look. A look of protest.
…Huh?
His Highness was stifled.
…hey, maybe, his ears are red?
Um, should I say…lolicon?
“…Please talk to me normally.”
If I say it out loud or in a harsh tone of voice, I won’t be able to say anything.
I felt a little braver, so I said so.
“This is my normal.”
It’s returned quickly.
“…Then I’ll do my best to get used to it.”
I guess this is where I’m going to step up to the plate.
I’m sure that would make me feel less bad about it.
His Highness looks at me with a strange face. He looks as if he’s never seen me before.
I tilt my head.
“…No, I’ll be careful, too.”
Oh, great, me. It’s like I’ve just extracted a concession from this prince-like person.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince…Perhaps he is surprisingly straightforward?
I’m sorry, I may have been a little too prejudiced.
After that, we didn’t talk about anything in particular to each other.
But we didn’t feel as uncomfortable as we did at the beginning anymore, and we both looked at the garden in a daze.
The winter-blooming white roses were beautiful.
It was strange, but I didn’t mind the silence anymore.
I drank five cups of tea and Lilia warned me that I couldn’t eat lunch.
The next morning’s tea was straight from Sagiya’s first flush. It was a gift from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Alice told me.
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