NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29
The meeting with Rey Castiano took place in an atmosphere so tense, it felt like being on a battlefield.
The reason was simple: a breathtakingly beautiful girl, whose beauty could rival even Saioji’s, was glaring at me with her striking blue eyes.
(Did I do something wrong?)
Though it didn’t seem like outright hostility, I could feel an intense pressure coming from the girl named Chris, as if she were stabbing me with invisible needles. The fact that she was a beautiful girl only made it worse.
On top of that, Camille, who had come with me, was already half out of it, overwhelmed by the pressure. I had dragged her here, but I really wished she could be more helpful in situations like this.
“…For now, take this.”
To break the unpleasant tension, I decided to play the trump card I’d brought along right away.
I reached for the white box that had been sitting on the sofa opposite from Camille. Inside was a fruit tart, a special treat recommended by Akira-san, which I had reserved and picked up earlier today.
The white paper bag was kept cool with dry ice, so it should still be delicious even after sitting here for a while.
“What’s this?”
“I prepared a special dessert for today’s meeting… Normally, the store wouldn’t sell this due to preservation issues, but considering the special occasion, I made arrangements.”
The moment I mentioned it was something special, Rey’s expression, which had been curiously observing the box, shifted slightly. It was a subtle change, but it was clear that my words had piqued his interest.
When Rey lightly clapped his hands, a concierge promptly appeared from beyond the door, carrying pristine white dishes.
Amazed by the speed of the response, I watched as the concierge swiftly and skillfully placed plates in front of me, Camille, and the two seated opposite us—Rey and Chris.
“Is the dessert in this box the type that needs to be sliced?”
“No, it’s already portioned, so you can just plate it as it is.”
I handled the unboxing myself, carefully peeling back the tape and revealing the contents. I gave a nod to the concierge to indicate how it should be plated, and they expertly placed the tart on the plates.
“Wow♪”
The fruit tart was vibrant with a variety of colorful fruits atop a base of tart pastry. This one had kiwi, mandarin oranges, strawberries, and bananas, each adding a splash of green, orange, red, and white atop the brown pastry, making for a very appealing presentation.
The outer layer was adorned with pure white whipped cream and a light dusting of powdered sugar, like freshly fallen snow. Just by looking at it, you could tell this was on a whole different level from anything you’d find in a supermarket.
Seeing the fruit tart, Rey’s expression lit up with the kind of joyful enthusiasm typical of a young boy.
(As for the other one… doesn’t look promising.)
While Rey was clearly delighted, the girl next to him continued to glare at me, unmoved even by the sight of the beautiful fruit tart. At this point, I began to realize something was definitely off.
“Fruit tarts are best enjoyed while they’re still cold, so let’s eat before we continue talking.”
Despite the prickling discomfort at the back of my neck, I decided to focus on eating the fruit tart, which I had specially prepared from a high-end patisserie in Ginza, Tokyo.
“Camille, snap out of it.”
Camille, meanwhile, was still in a daze.
“Well, we haven’t done proper introductions yet, have we? I’m Rey Castiano, a first-year student in the middle school division here.”
After finishing his tart, Rey took the initiative to start the conversation, beginning with a brief introduction and an explanation of why he had arranged this meeting.
“As I thought, my instincts were right. The fruit tart you brought today was far better than anything served at the royal palace!”
“I’m glad to hear that. It was worth the effort to bring it.”
I responded modestly to Rey’s compliment, knowing it was just a polite exchange.
And then…
“The girl next to me is my cousin. Right, Chris?”
“…I’m Chris Ireisa.”
The girl who hadn’t dropped her hostile attitude finally introduced herself, albeit in a brusque manner that matched her sharp demeanor.
Her words were curt, but it seemed the edge had softened slightly compared to earlier.
“What’s gotten into you, Chris? You usually act cool, but you’re never this bad.”
“…Shut up. You should just stay quiet for a bit.”
(Whoa, she just told off a marquis’s heir like that?)
I was amazed by how casually Chris threw sharp words at Rey, almost like she was reprimanding him. Rey, a marquis’s heir, held the second-highest rank in nobility, yet she spoke to him so harshly.
Rey didn’t seem to mind, but I wondered if this kind of exchange was normal between relatives.
Just as I was pondering the strange dynamics at play, Rey dropped a bombshell.
“Don’t lie, Chris. You have another name, don’t you?”
“Another name?”
“Yeah, you see, Allen, you’re just a commoner, so you only have one name, right? But I’m a noble, so I have both a first name and a family name. Chris, though, she has more.”
The moment he said that, a lightbulb went off in my mind, and I realized what Rey was about to reveal.
Seeing my reaction, Rey looked at me with a mischievous grin, as if he had just played a successful prank.
“Chris’s full name is Chris Ireisa Kainriese. She’s the princess of this kingdom!”
Rey’s words revealed a truth I’d rather not have known.