Chapter: 13
Baking cookies turned out to be a more time-consuming task than I had anticipated. I thought it would just involve mixing the dough and shaping it before popping it in the oven, but there was quite a bit more to it. It felt like I spent more time waiting than actually baking.
“It’s all done!”
I was absentmindedly staring when, before I knew it, the cookies were ready. Erich and Ainter, who had been anxiously waiting, approached once they heard the news.
These two were acting like rank amateurs—they were just standing and watching while the club president took charge. I mean, even if the main goal of joining the club wasn’t to bake, isn’t that a bit too obvious? Fortunately for those two, Louise seemed to genuinely enjoy the act of baking itself and didn’t seem to mind their free-riding.
‘What a bunch of idiots.’
Looking at Erich, the self-declared number one stowaway, I couldn’t help but think that. He was already stuck in the role of the weakest link, so if he wanted to have any chance, he really needed to increase his interactions with her. If he had just pretended to share an interest while doing something beside her, it could’ve given him an edge. But he didn’t even bother!
What a shocker! I hadn’t seen Louise that often, yet here I was, mulling over why these fools acted like that around someone like her. Ainter wasn’t any better; he was just as clueless. Does falling in love make you lose brain cells? If those two were really mental midgets, I better slip Erich a hint.
‘You blockhead! You need to step up your game if you want any shot at competing!’
“Alright, everyone! Try some!”
With that upbeat proclamation from Louise, the attention that was fixed on Erich quickly shifted to the cookies. Since she had gone through the effort of making them, it was only right to taste them.
As I reached out for a cookie, Louise was faster and handed me one first.
‘Elders first, huh?’
In this bizarre mishmash of a world, seeing such a classic Eastern etiquette move brought a warm feeling to my heart. Behind Louise, I caught sight of Erich and Ainter glaring at me.
‘Don’t think you can turn me into your competition, you two! And if you’re going to be jealous, at least do some work instead of mooching off others!’
“Thanks!”
I bit into the cookie that Louise handed me. In these stories, the protagonist’s cooking skills are either divine or a complete disaster, but thankfully, this one was pleasantly average.
“Ah.”
“Mmm…”
However, the reactions of the two who bit the cookies after me were anything but normal. They were chewing with exaggerated gulp sounds, glancing nervously at Louise. What was going on? Why the weirdness?
“It’s delicious! You could sell these!”
Strange reactions aside, I decided to push those concerns away and give my own review. After all, this was the product of my own efforts. If it tasted good, there’s no reason for me to feel guilty. Louise beamed with joy and turned to the startled duo behind her, who were trying hard to hide their shock.
“O-Okay, I think it’s good. You made it well.”
“It’s delicious, Lady Louise.”
Yet, their eyes betrayed them, flickering wildly with uncertainty. They weren’t exactly thrilled by the praise they were voicing. ‘Why do they look like they just found out they ate a rat? Is their taste in food ridiculously posh or is mine just plain trash?’
Taking another bite of the cookie reassured me: it was really tasty.
As long as I wasn’t the problem, we were golden. Unless the cookies were playing a twisted game of Russian roulette, which surely was impossible!
‘You spoiled brats who’ve never faced a food shortage!’
Thus ended our first club meeting.
Little did I know that the cookie I devoured yesterday would serve as my mental fare when crossing over to the other side.
“Oh, hello there! I came to join the club,” a cheerful voice chimed.
I turned to find the source of the bright voice. Somehow, Rutis Robens, the Third Prince of the Armein Kingdom, had tracked me down to inquire about joining. He stormed into the pastry room, my tranquil hideaway, and completely shattered the morning peace.
“I’m in charge of the pastry club,” I replied.
“Then I’ve come to the right place!”
The guy had a build that looked capable of demolishing an entire building with a single punch while grinning.
‘Alright, got it. You’re victim number three.’
The club selection week had started, so I figured foreign dignitaries like him would soon gather here. I accepted Rutis’s application, feeling like I was welcoming a disaster.
“I heard I should come see you to join the pastry club.”
About two hours later, the Second Prince of the United Kingdom of Yuben, Lather Ostia, showed up to visit me.
“…”
‘Did those idiots conspire or something?’
Two of them on the same day? What is with this two-hour gap? Is that some sort of tip to prepare myself? What a bizarre gesture! Regardless, unlike Rutis, he was more lean and definitely looked like Lather. I nodded toward the capybara-hypnotized fourth victim, who was glaring at me with frosty eyes.
“Nice to meet you, sir. I was told you’re the advisor of the pastry club,” he said.
Another round of waiting passed, and then the fifth one appeared. My suspicions about having another visitor had now become reality. It’s puzzling why my optimistic assumptions are always wrong while gloomy predictions are spot-on.
“Did you come to join the club?”
“Yes, I did.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Tannian Enes from the Holy Kingdom.”
I already knew that. I was just asking out of courtesy.
I quietly jotted down Tannian’s name at the bottom of the member list. Can you believe that the number of members doubled within just one day? I could almost see Louise jumping for joy.
After witnessing Tannian exit the clubroom, I sank back into my seat, staring at the member list. On just the second day of club formation, all six potential troublemakers had gathered. It felt like a promising start. Now I’d be on my own, tasked with babysitting this roiling bunch. What a dreadful future awaited me.
How odd. In a certain game, you’d win after gathering five pieces, but here I was with six and instead of victory, I was handed a bigger headache!
With that thought, I sighed and rubbed my face. There was still some time left in the week, and I had let my guard down when a miraculous trio decided to join on the same day. Was this some sort of bizarre joke?
‘Did she really charm three of them in just one day?’
How? Is that even physically possible? The only ones I managed to attract were absolutely nuts, while she’s pulling in royal backers!
The blame I wanted to place on Louise veered sharply toward the three foreign princes. Thinking about it, shouldn’t they know not to pursue a noble lady from another kingdom? ‘Why couldn’t they just back off?’
But it was too late now. They couldn’t stop their personal impulses, and I was left to follow the plotline like a puppet on strings.
I closed my eyes, wishing that when I opened them again, I’d find myself in the hall of the Prosecutor’s Office.
“As you can see, we’ve got three new members. Play nice and don’t fight!”
Please.
When I delivered those words with all the sincerity one might expect when addressing toddlers, Rutis broke out laughing as if he understood the weight of my concerns.
‘You little brat, how dare you laugh like that…?’
“You really worry too much! I’m sure everyone can handle themselves, so put your mind at ease!”
With that way-too-casual reassurance from Rutis, my already fraying nerves began to tremble closer to snapping as I nodded quietly and averted my gaze. While I could trust nobles to keep themselves in check, once the story’s original plot got involved, my trust dropped to rock bottom. The heart palpitations from the thought of impending doom were hard to suppress.
“Looks like we meet again. So, you’re part of this club too?”
While I was momentarily distracted by Rutis, Lather approached Louise and greeted her. He clearly knew she was here but pretended otherwise. What a pathetic attempt, Prince!
“Hello! Uh, Lather, right…?”
“Just call me Lather.”
Lather’s icy demeanor melted a little.
‘Dammit.’
I wasn’t particularly thrilled to witness that change in expression of a man, prompting me to turn my head. Increasing the crowd meant that at least one pair of eyes were now pinballing in my direction. What a nightmare! Should I just close my eyes and wander around blind?
Anyway, perhaps because Lather had blazed the trail, the other members gradually inched closer to Louise too. The original members, already on edge about the newcomers, and the newbies who hadn’t anticipated such a gathering, engaged in their own little silent competition.
‘This feels oddly familiar…’
Seeing Louise surrounded by five guys made me feel like I was watching a political candidate trying to campaign in a market. The difference here is whether it’s voluntary or forced.
Watching her fumble awkwardly in her new peculiar limelight brought on a wave of sympathy. Sure, I might have felt some resentment for being the one causing her troubles, but when I remembered she didn’t have any ill intentions, it played on my heartstrings.
While I was deep in thought, I noticed someone lurking near the window. It was the Vice Principal.
Once our eyes met, he lowered his head and showed me a letter he was carrying.
‘Huh? Why would someone send me a letter?’
Looking at the six, they seemed occupied with introductions and pleasantries, so I sneakily stepped into the hallway towards the Vice Principal.
“What brings you here?”
The Vice Principal, slowly transforming into my personal courier due to the lack of classes, handed me the letter he had displayed earlier while quietly adding,
“It’s a correspondence from the three nations.”
That single line spelled everything. It seemed like the three nations were aware of the chaos that had erupted. After thanking the Vice Principal, I began scanning through the letter’s contents. After stripping away the formal greetings and excess fluff, I could boil down the core message into one straightforward sentence:
“We hope to meet with the Prosecutor at your earliest convenience.”
‘Not the advisor, but the Prosecutor?’
It was evident they were questioning whether this incident was something orchestrated intentionally by the Empire. You could almost feel how taken aback the three countries were over the whole situation.
I glanced through the window at the six would-be heroes. Did the Empire orchestrate their assembly intentionally? It looked like I’d have to set up a meeting sooner rather than later to clear up any misunderstandings.
Thanks to this unexpectedly quick gathering of six, my early game of cat and mouse with the three powers was about to kick off sooner than I had anticipated.
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