kscans

Chapter 96 - Chapter 10. Part 2. The Shape of Luxury

"Well then, please enjoy the confections I have prepared."

Alfina spoke just as the round of praise for the hot chocolate died down. At a signal from Rilka and Sherry, the maids began carrying plates from the trays of ice.

The young ladies watched the cold dessert with heated gazes. Their earlier reluctance was gone.

For a little while now, several of them had been pressing handkerchiefs to their foreheads, and a noticeable number of attendees were handing their stoles and lap blankets to the maids by the wall. The room had warmed up after they had drunk the hot tea. The hot chocolate on top of that was the final touch.

Prompted by the expectant gazes of the entire room, Princess Lisabet took a bite of the ice cream and covered her mouth. As if on cue, the other attendees picked up their spoons one after another.

"Oh, what an incredible texture and sweetness."

"The aroma is unusual, but the flavor is so refreshing."

"And the black jam on top. Its sweetness is simply wonderful."

Cheers went up for Alfina's confection. Some might have been mistaken into thinking the theme was to coordinate with the color black. If they thought that, it was perfect.

"What kind of sweet is this? The texture, the aroma, it's all so wonderful. And paired with this black jam on top. I've never tasted anything like any of this before."

A young lady in a blue dress asked the question.

"Y, yes. The frozen confection is made from cream and milk, solidified with ice."

"The green color comes from an herb. As for the black jam, you may be able to tell by looking, but it is made from beans simmered in sugar. We used a special sugar to bring out its sweetness in particular."

"My, so this is a bean jam."

"I can't believe it. But it pairs so wonderfully with the herb's aroma."

"A special sugar, you say. Indeed, this sweetness is magnificent."

"To think, using beans in a confection. Is she trying to mock Princess Lisabet? Such a thing is..."

Having tasted Alfina's dessert, Doriustia's face twisted in shock. Her shoulders trembled as she stopped her complaint short.

"What do you think, Princess Lisabet?" Alfina asked.

"Yes. This is the first time I have ever tasted such a wonderful confection. In my mother's homeland, we eat beans quite often. I am truly surprised to learn such a delicious flavor was hidden within them. Princess Doriustia's dessert was also splendid. I am a fortunate person indeed to receive such a warm welcome."

That was what Princess Lisabet said. She was being diplomatic by calling it a draw, but the difference in their reactions was obvious. Hilda's face grew flustered.

Still, they eat a lot of beans, she said. Does she just mean the common folk? Or perhaps the beans over there are special. I should look into it a little. I wonder where in the Empire the princess's homeland is.

Well, whatever the case, it seems to have gone well.

"Vinder. You should probably check."

Rilka came over to where I was observing near the door. She handed me a cup and a long, thin baked sweet.

"Ah, yeah. Thanks."

Rilka's lip print was on the cup. I rotated it to the exact opposite side. Then, I dipped the tip of the baked sweet into the hot chocolate to taste it.

"It's good. But something's a little off."

"No way. For a second there, I thought we'd lost," Rilka said, surprised by my assessment.

No, it was definitely chocolate. There was no mistaking the nostalgic taste. It had a strong aroma, and the cacao content was likely higher than the one hundred yen chocolate bars from my past life.

But the flavor was somehow disjointed. For me, who knew its perfected form, it felt a little lacking. The fact that they dumped in a large amount of unrefined sugar, still rich with molasses, was likely one cause.

Well, even so, the yokan wouldn't have stood a chance. The best the Ogura matcha ice cream could do was not look inferior by comparison. After all, chocolate is a flavor universally loved by all. We had only managed to counter it with a cheat of a dessert like Ogura matcha ice cream. Or at least, that's how it should have been.

"And to think, warming the room before serving a frozen dessert. What a luxury."

One of the young ladies, entranced by the ice cream melting on her tongue, made the comment. She had apparently realized that even the room's temperature was part of the presentation.

Doriustia and Hilda looked startled. Had they realized they had misjudged Alfina's wealth? The young ladies who had covered their mouths to hide their smirks when Alfina was being criticized for the room's temperature just moments before now wore expressions of confusion and anxiety.

This was a luxury that even royalty and nobility could not afford. A luxury anyone could have in my past life, though. There was also the reverse version, blasting the air conditioning in the summer to eat hot pot. Not that we could do that here.

While some guests were breathing on their chocolate to cool it down, it seemed the majority were savoring the ice cream, leaving their cups aside.

There were bound to be people who disliked matcha or anko. But by serving it as ice cream and controlling the room temperature, we had helped them overcome that. Anything more than that would likely come down to personal preference.

"I was hesitant when I heard it was bean jam, but it has such a gentle, deep flavor," one of them said.

The combination of matcha and anko is a classic for a reason. Once people get past the culture gap, it's bound to resonate with them.

The party was a huge success. No one complained about the chocolate or the Ogura matcha ice cream. The duchess, our host, was also beaming. This was likely the best possible outcome for her. From the beginning, for an occasion where the kingdom's princesses gathered to entertain an imperial princess, there was never going to be a winner.

We had thwarted their plans and successfully promoted anko. All in all, I could call it a satisfactory result. For the time being, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Princess Lisabet, between my confection and Alfina's, which did you find more to your liking?"

But then, a dumbfounding remark flew from Doriustia's lips. I could have sworn the warm air in the room grew cold. Surely she isn't trying to give the chocolate an advantage. No way.

All eyes focused on Princess Lisabet. The tension in the room heightened.

"Let's see. Both Doriustia and Alfina did their utmost for Princess Lisabet. Both items were exquisite in taste and novelty, it's hard to say which was better. As their elder sister, I am truly delighted by both of my younger sisters' efforts."

At the words of the duchess, the event's host, the tension in the room broke. After confirming this, the king's eldest daughter turned a soft smile toward Alfina.

"I was especially surprised by Alfina's idea of raising the room's temperature to allow us to enjoy a frozen dessert in winter. She worked so hard on the preparations since early this morning."

"Oh, no. Elder Sister."

"Doriustia."

Glared at by her older sister, Doriustia faltered. Hilda, who was beside her, hurriedly whispered something in her ear. The third princess looked around the room in a fluster, then clenched her fists tightly and cast her gaze downward. It seemed she had finally realized what she had just said.

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"What a wonderful tea party." "As expected of the princesses." "This is something I can brag to everyone about." "Indeed, especially that frozen dessert." "That's right, and the black sauce on top was so unusual." "Well, I was most surprised that it was made from beans. I wonder where I can get some."

I could hear the conversations of the young ladies as they departed, their excitement yet to fade. For most of them, it was likely just a rare sauce served on ice cream. But there were a few who had taken an interest in the anko itself.

It wasn't that I was trying to dye the kingdom's food culture in Japanese style. This was a monopolized business, all I needed was to carve out a niche where anko could exist.

Some of the ladies were asking Sherry about the anko. Perhaps it was time to start selling yokan little by little. We couldn't sell the ice cream, but we could sell the yokan.

"Ricardo-kun."

"Alfina-sama."

Alfina, having finished her conversation with the duchess, came over to me.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, Princess Lisabet was very pleased."

"I think the objective of this event has shifted."

If anything, it felt more like a battle against a coalition of princesses, which included the imperial one. It's a good thing the first princess is so sensible.

In a corner of the hall, Hilda was hunched over in front of Doriustia. It looked like she was being scolded. The poor girl, she had probably just done the job she was told to do.

Still, the imperial princess's reaction when asked about the chocolate was a bit strange. Her response was likely subdued because it was something she was used to eating. She must have known the chocolate was coming since it was part of their plan, so is she just a bad actress?

She certainly had me running in circles before, but then again, any normal person could do that to me.

No, wait. On the other hand, it could be an act to ingratiate herself with Alfina. She'll be transferring to the academy soon, so I can't let my guard down.

And besides, I'm curious about the origin of the cacao and the princess's homeland.

I looked at Luitza, who was apparently supposed to be my liaison with Alfina. It would be great if I could get some information out of the Third Princess's entourage, especially after they were so shaken up by today's tea party.