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Chapter 29: Commoners, Nobles, and Royalty
The meeting with Rey Castiano took place in an atmosphere so tense it felt like a battlefield. The reason was simple. An extraordinarily beautiful girl—one who could rival even Saioji—was glaring at me with her striking blue eyes.
Did I do something to her?
I didn't think it was outright hostility, but the girl called Chris radiated a piercing pressure that felt like being poked repeatedly with needles. And when the source was a beautiful girl, it only made me more conscious of it.
To make matters worse, Camille, who had come with me, had completely folded under the pressure and was sitting there in a half-dazed state. I was the one who had dragged her here, but I still couldn't help grumbling internally that I wished she'd be a little more useful.
“...For now, let's start with this.”
Е ň.um̂ а̂ . і́ d
To break the unpleasant atmosphere, I immediately decided to play my trump card.
On the sofa opposite Camille sat a white box. Inside was a fruit tart recommended by Akira, one I had reserved and picked up earlier that day.
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The white paper bag had been packed with dry ice to keep it chilled, so it should still taste excellent even after being brought here.
“What is that?”
“A special confection I prepared for today's meeting. Normally, because of storage limitations, my shop can't serve it under ordinary circumstances, but since you've arranged this opportunity for us to meet, I brought it specifically for this occasion.”
The moment I emphasized the word special, Rey's expression visibly twitched. It lasted only an instant, but my deliberately chosen wording had clearly caught his interest.
E̊ n ŭm̆ä
Since it was a sweet, Rey lightly clapped his hands. Almost immediately, a concierge appeared through the door carrying pristine white tableware.
The response was so fast that I was left speechless. The concierge quickly and efficiently placed plates before me and Camille, as well as before Rey and Chris.
“Is the dessert inside the box something that needs to be sliced?”
“No, each piece is already portioned. You can simply place them on the plates.”
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I handled opening the box myself.
After removing the tape and showing the contents, I signaled with my eyes that they could be plated directly. The concierge understood at once and carefully arranged them.
W̄ е b̈ ńо v̊е̃ ľ Еn ũ m̀ а̃
“Wow♪”
It was called a fruit tart for a reason. Colorful fruits were beautifully arranged atop the tart crust. The one I'd brought contained kiwi, mandarin oranges, strawberries, bananas, and other fruits. Green, orange, red, and white fruits contrasted elegantly against the brown tart crust, making for an exceptionally attractive presentation.
Around the edges was pure white whipped cream, lightly dusted with powdered sugar like fresh snow. At a glance, anyone could tell this was in a completely different league from the desserts sold in supermarkets. Upon seeing the fruit tart, Rey's face lit up with the bright, energetic joy of a child.
The other one... doesn't seem impressed at all.
While Rey was clearly delighted, Chris still hadn't taken her eyes off me. She continued staring as though even the beautifully presented fruit tart wasn't worth the slightest bit of attention.
At that point, I finally realized something was genuinely strange.
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“Fruit tart tastes best when it's cold, so let's eat it now. We can talk afterward.”
The sensation of being stabbed by invisible needles at the back of my neck was still there, but for the moment, I focused on enjoying the expensive fruit tart I'd bought from a luxury confectionery shop in Tokyo's Ginza district.
“Come on, Camille. Get back to your senses.”
Camille, unfortunately, remained completely out of it.
“For starters, we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet. I'm Rey Castiano, a first-year student in the academy's middle division.”
After eating some of the tart, Rey—the host of this gathering—began the conversation. He started with introductions and explained why he had arranged this meeting.
Е̄ n̈ům̈а̌
“Just as I thought! This fruit tart you brought is several times more delicious than the desserts served in the royal castle!!”
“I'm glad to hear that. It makes the effort worthwhile,” I responded modestly to Rey's praise.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Up to this point, it was little more than polite social banter. Then—
“The person sitting next to me is my cousin. Right, Chris?”
“...My name is Chris Illeysa.”
Though she still seemed unhappy, the blade-like sharpness of her demeanor somehow matched her appearance perfectly. Even so, responding to Rey's attempt to keep the conversation moving, Chris offered a brief introduction.
Ē ǹu m̂_а̇ . id̆
Her tone remained blunt, but compared to earlier, some of the hostility seemed to have faded.
“What happened to you, Chris? You usually act cool, but you're not normally this bad.”
“...Shut up. You talk too much.”
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Amazing. She can actually talk to a marquis's heir like that?
Rey teased her lightly, and Chris responded with words harsh enough to be considered outright insults. I didn't know what sort of relationship they had, but Rey was the heir to a marquis family—the second-highest rank in the nobility.
Е̊ň u m̈а̊
The fact that she could speak so roughly to someone like him was impressive. Rey himself didn't seem bothered by it, though. Maybe this was normal among relatives?
While I found myself curious about their unusual relationship, Rey suddenly dropped a bombshell.
“Don't lie, Chris. You haven't given him your full name yet.”
“Full name?”
“Yep. Allen, you're a commoner, so you only have a personal name. I'm a noble, so I have both a given name and a family name. But Chris has something even beyond that.”
Even before he finished, realization struck me like a bolt of lightning. I instantly understood what Rey was about to say.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Seeing my reaction, Rey grinned like a mischievous child whose prank had succeeded.
“Her full name is Chris Illeysa Cainliese.”
Then he delivered the truth I'd really rather not have known.
“She's the princess of this country!”
