episode_0189

Episode 189. Winter Solstice Festival (2)

****

Mint carefully removed the metal mold from the stove, wearing oven mitts. A round loaf of bread was golden brown inside.

White steam rose.

“What are you doing?”

“Someone collapsed in the infirmary.”

“Really? Is the patient okay?”

“You don’t have to worry. I left it in the care of Miss Violet… … .”

“Purple. He looks like a bit of a quack.”

“Well, it’s not that Miss Violet hates working, it’s that she’s a swindler,”

Mint tilted her head.

The princess looked especially pretty today.

Is it because he returned to the palace, or is it because he is resting and not attending class that he looks more comfortable, or is he just being extra careful today?

Anyway, it was a face so beautiful that it was hard to believe it was a real person. A face so white and shining that it seemed to have been carved by moonlight.

Eyes deeper than the sky. The bright smile she gave while looking at freshly baked bread also played a part.

There was something about freshly baked bread that made people feel more forgiving. I touched the princess’s cheek with my fingertips from the side.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

It didn’t seem like a big deal. It wasn’t Mint’s problem whether Violet worked hard or not.

“Let’s go back to the cake.”

Mint carefully took the bread out of the mold and placed it on a plate. Oh, that disc-shaped bread must be the frame of the cake.

Mint looked at the container of whipped cream.

“So, after you stack these discs, you can attach them with buttercream, right?”

“Maybe.”

This is one of the imperial kitchens.

We were making a cake.

In this world where refrigerators had not yet been commercialized, whipped cream cakes were a rare food only eaten by the powerful and noble.

Or wizards.

How many people have enough money to afford enchanted food? It’s true that whipped cream is really hard to come by.

Have you ever seen a whipped cream cake at the Academy? I don’t think so.

“Is this enough?”

I’m not sure why the princess wants to make cakes herself. Maybe she just sees it as a hobby or an artistic activity.

Mint spread buttercream between the breads. When the knife touched the bread of the delicate sponge cake, the yellow bread was pressed as if it would tear.

Well, that’s fine.

Although it was stacked a little clumsily, the original plate was still stacked in the same shape. I think that would be okay… … .

“It seems a bit squashed.”

“Since you’re going to apply whipped cream anyway, it doesn’t really matter. You don’t have to worry too much about the shape before applying whipped cream. You can just cover it and try again anyway.”

Mint paused for a moment and looked at me.

As if someone had stabbed me in the side with a sharp object. Why?

“Teacher.”

“Yes?”

“That way. Suddenly, you hear such sweet words that you want to hear. That’s why there are always a lot of women around you. Don’t you realize that you’re doing that yourself?”

The princess looked up at me with a fresh expression.

With her pretty eyes wide open and round.

“I’m sorry, but… … . Only the princess thinks so. I think Miss Mint is embellishing it a bit.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Anyway, the shape inside the cake is fine. As long as I stack the whipped cream well from now on, it won’t matter anyway.”

Mint nodded. Well, I guess the mistake before putting the whipped cream on doesn’t matter.

“I want to hug you right now, but I have buttercream on my hands… … . Just wait a minute.”

“Thank you for your heart.”

“Smart.”

I played with Mint’s hair, and Mint continued her work. The cake frame was complete, and now it was time to spread the whipped cream.

The cake was transferred onto a turntable.

Mint placed the whipped cream on the cake frame, then turned the turntable and brought the straight edge of the cutting board to smooth the surface of the whipped cream.

The princess’s movements were as clumsy as that of a child.

Since it was my first time doing it, it might be natural in a way. I patted the back of Mint’s head. Mint let out a small sigh.

“It’s not as easy as I thought? There’s whipped cream everywhere. Maybe it’s because it’s my first time… … .”

“This is fine.”

Mint’s eyes sparkled.

The princess loves compliments.

I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t like compliments, but I’m a bit more particular about it. I guess the reaction is definite. Is it because I don’t usually compliment people?

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The cake that Mint was touching felt a little bit dry, but I think it will taste the same when I cut it later.

Perhaps because she had bread with her since morning, Mint’s hem had a faint scent of butter, sugar, and vanilla.

“I wanted to make it myself and give it to the teacher.”

“But it took me-”

Ah, this is not it.

“Anyway, I would have gratefully accepted whatever the princess gave me. What’s important is the giver and the heart that gives it… … .”

“Yeah. But I still want to make it well.”

The princess trailed off.

Mint finished adding the whipped cream, and then finished the whipped cream side of the cake. The finished product was still okay.

“Is it the end?”

“No. I’m going to put up some decorations.”

Mint began decorating the top of the cake with whipped cream. Fruit pieces, chocolate, and a creation to be placed in the center of the cake.

“Flowers made of sugar.”

“Take a good look.”

The princess carefully cut the sugar paper to make flower petals and began to glue them together. It was the first time in a long while that she had seen Mint focused.

“Oh, it’s over.”

“You’re so pretty.”

Mint placed the sugar flower on the cake, then wiped her hands with a tissue. As soon as she put the tissue down, she hugged me right away.

“Oops.”

“Why do you keep fiddling with it? I’m trying to work.”

I thought about it for a moment.

“Because it’s cute.”

“Wow!”

Mint held me tighter, making a strange noise. It was awkward to say, but Mint’s reaction was very certain.

“Really… … .”

Mint just held me there for a long time, fidgeting with me. It seemed like only yesterday that she was being so prickly and arrogant.

Right now, he’s right next to me like a puppy asking to play. Well, maybe it’s similar to before, just with a little bit of change in method.

I took the mint off for a while.

The princess looked at the cake again, placing it in what appeared to be a small wooden box. This time, she muttered a short incantation.

From the tip of the princess’s finger, a light blue glowing mana rose onto the cake. White frost rose onto the cake.

“It’s a cooling spell. This will keep you sane for a few hours… … . You’re going to eat it later, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“It’s a gift.”

Mint carefully moved the cake she had just made. She probably wouldn’t eat it after eating rice.

****

Violet returned to the infirmary. The patient’s delirium must not have continued until now, right? She should have returned to normal by now.

“Are you feeling well, patient?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, the nonsense from earlier seemed to have cleared up. The patient’s eyes were clearly focused this time.

“What is your goal to become the Pirate King?”

“Are you a pirate?”

The patient frowned as if he didn’t understand what she was saying. Violet nodded with confidence.

Medicine is momentum.

The most important thing is to persuade the patient with momentum. Persuading colleagues and curing the disease is not something that can be done with momentum alone…

Well, convincing a patient that the doctor is doing his best actually has an impact on the treatment of the disease. Professor Asterix did that too.

“Does your stomach still hurt?”

“No. But there’s a huge scar on your stomach. What happened?”

“Part of the liver was rotten and cut out.”

“Can that be possible?”

“It is possible. I brought the best healer in the empire for the patient.”

“I think I said something like that.”

Aldenburg thought for a moment.

“Anyway… … . Thank you so much. Thanks to you, I got to see my daughter’s face one more time. I thought I was going to die without being able to move.”

“The patient will live a long time.”

On the one hand, it could be evidence of the power that Professor Asterix possesses.

The prince said that last time, Professor Asterix was a spare life that he had entrusted to him. That was one of the reasons why he did not oppose the princess’s choice of lover.

I may have been against it in my heart, but I never said that to Mint or the Professor. Considering what Professor Asterix could do.

It was not unreasonable for the royal family to be desperate.

“Anyway, it’s impossible to be discharged within a few days, but I think I can visit my family on the day of the festival and spend time with them.”

“Thank you so much.”

The patient expressed his gratitude, and Violet nodded with a slightly arrogant expression.

Actually, Violet didn’t do much herself, but it was Violet who had the healers take care of him, and it was Violet who brought the professor. Isn’t it the same as Violet saving him?

Violet sighed.

Let’s go back and rest. The patient is alive, and it’s not like it’s not a festival because the healer is there. I hope everyone can enjoy the festive atmosphere.