“Haah, that was more tiring than expected.”
Muttering this to myself, I head towards the venue where the other guests are waiting. After that, Nagartinya was knocked unconscious by my slap, so she’ll be out for a while.
She was yelling dramatically, but cheek kisses do have some acceptance in this world’s culture. As such, while it is embarrassing, I don’t have any particular resistance to kissing cheeks.
It’s just because of my memories as a Japanese person – from this world’s perspective, it’s not that unusual. But the end result was making her happy, which is annoying…
“I shouldn’t have done it.”
I deeply regret kissing Nagartinya’s cheek. I said I don’t mind kisses, but I can’t forgive that it made her happy. …For now, let’s crush her face with an iron claw when she wakes up.
Thinking that, I quickly return to the venue and as if picking up where we left off, I’m bombarded by Sariya’s questioning, asking who the girl from earlier is, what’s my relationship with her – she seems to want to know what ties I have with Nagartinya.
“She’s just an acquaintance. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Yet you carried her unconscious body to a bedroom with your own hands?”
“I’m not some heinous villain. I like to think I have enough conscience to at least take care of an acquaintance if they’ve collapsed.”
Perhaps unable to retort against my words, Sariya falls silent with a confused expression. Seeing her mother like that, her daughter Tiara seems quite angry, chiding Sariya for questioning me.
“Please stop already, Mother. Everyone has one or two things they don’t want known. Grandfather told me when he was still alive that when you were young, you were quite unruly. Something about―”
“T-Tiara! What are you saying!? Anyway, that’s irrelevant now!”
“Then let’s end the talk about Rolando-sama here. We’re in the middle of a tea party. Shouldn’t you be conversing with Sara-sama and Sanya-sama instead of Rolando-sama?”
It seems her younger days are a dark history for Sariya, as she cuts Tiara off before she can say anything. If so, then as if to say this concludes her questioning of me, Tiara states thus.
As a woman, it would be a lie to say that she isn’t curious about the nature of my relationship with Nagartinya. Despite this, her mature demeanor in addressing Sariya’s actions without explicitly confronting me about it was quite impressive.
While internally acknowledging her youthfulness, considering she is a princess of a nation, I was quietly amazed. Tiara, smiling gently, then calmly spoke to me.
“Separately, Rolando-sama, I’m also curious about that person. If you don’t mind, please introduce us sometime.”
“If the opportunity arises.”
“I look forward to it.”
Despite her words, behind that smile, a clear intent of “Who is that woman?” could be discerned. There was an undeniable force, much like a wife who had found evidence of infidelity, even though she was supposed to be in her teens. …Tiara, are you really a teenager?
After that, the tea party, whose original purpose was to deepen ties with the princesses of another nation, Sara and Sanya, came to a close as the planned sweets were halted. But it doesn’t end there.
“Rolando-kun, I was wondering if you could teach our chefs how to make these sweets?”
(I figured as much)
Whether good or evil, those in power tend to be greedy. If they find something better than what they currently enjoy, they naturally want to obtain it.
To use tissues as an analogy, suppose there are 100 yen tissues and 500 yen tissues. Of course, the texture and feel of the 500 yen tissues are better due to the higher price.
If someone had been using the 100 yen tissues but got to experience the feel of the 500 yen tissues, would they be satisfied going back to the 100 yen ones? The answer is obviously no.
It’s the same in this case. While the sweets she had eaten so far were the best she knew of, after tasting sweets from more advanced Earth, it’s obvious without comparison that the Earth ones are more delicious, so she naturally wants to eat those sweets all the time.
“Of course, we won’t teach the recipes to anyone, and will pay you if necessary.”
“Your Majesty, isn’t that going too far?”
The one to object to Sariya’s words was Miralene, wife of the Rosenberg family head Dominique. While wearing a thin smile, it looked less like she was smiling and more like condemning the other party. In response to Miralene’s objection, Sariya replies with a twisted expression.
“Oh? What’s going too far about it?”
“You weren’t the only one who liked the sweets served at today’s tea party. Everyone here likely thought they wanted to eat those sweets all the time. Knowing that wouldn’t it be tyrannical for only you as queen to enjoy them?”
“…”
Hearing Miralene’s blunt words, Sariya narrows her eyes slightly. What she said makes sense, and Sariya is aware her actions are somewhat forceful.
But sweets of such quality don’t come along often, and if word of them spreads to the other greedy nobles here, they would swarm frenetically to obtain them.
Yet having already experienced the taste of my sweets, substituting with other sweets isn’t an option for them, so their feelings are probably the same as Sariya’s.
While thinking it was troublesome, I saw no future except greedy people flocking here if left alone, so I decided to take action to prevent that.
“How about thinking a bit? It’s a bad habit of nobility.”
“Think about what?”
“The basis of your thinking, Sariya, is that ‘all the best things should gather with the royalty and nobility’. It’s natural to want to monopolize good things and not give them to anyone else. But don’t you think that kind of thinking is counterproductive if it leads to conflict?”
“Then what do you suggest?”
With everyone listening intently to my words, I preface with “It’s simple” and explain to them.
“If trying to monopolize it causes conflict, you just have to share with all people instead.”
“Share with all people?”
“That’s right. Commoners, nobility, royalty. Make it available for anyone to obtain regardless of status, and conflict will disappear. Of course, those trying to monopolize it will appear, but you’re the queen of this country. Stopping those kinds shouldn’t be hard for you, right?”
In other words, instead of monopolizing among those present, achieve communal ownership on a national scale so anyone can easily obtain them.
On a national scale, it would involve considerable effort, but compared to dealing with greedy nobles, emotionally the former seems easier.
“For now, I’m thinking of spreading the cookies you all ate today. I may ask for help from those present during that process, so I’ll be relying on you then.”
“Understood. I’ll cooperate however I can.”
And so the plan to mass-produce cookies nationwide was launched.
“Haah, that was more tiring than expected.”
Muttering this to myself, I head towards the venue where the other guests are waiting. After that, Nagartinya was knocked unconscious by my slap, so she’ll be out for a while.
She was yelling dramatically, but cheek kisses do have some acceptance in this world’s culture. As such, while it is embarrassing, I don’t have any particular resistance to kissing cheeks.
It’s just because of my memories as a Japanese person – from this world’s perspective, it’s not that unusual. But the end result was making her happy, which is annoying…
“I shouldn’t have done it.”
I deeply regret kissing Nagartinya’s cheek. I said I don’t mind kisses, but I can’t forgive that it made her happy. …For now, let’s crush her face with an iron claw when she wakes up.
Thinking that, I quickly return to the venue and as if picking up where we left off, I’m bombarded by Sariya’s questioning, asking who the girl from earlier is, what’s my relationship with her – she seems to want to know what ties I have with Nagartinya.
“She’s just an acquaintance. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Yet you carried her unconscious body to a bedroom with your own hands?”
“I’m not some heinous villain. I like to think I have enough conscience to at least take care of an acquaintance if they’ve collapsed.”
Perhaps unable to retort against my words, Sariya falls silent with a confused expression. Seeing her mother like that, her daughter Tiara seems quite angry, chiding Sariya for questioning me.
“Please stop already, Mother. Everyone has one or two things they don’t want known. Grandfather told me when he was still alive that when you were young, you were quite unruly. Something about―”
“T-Tiara! What are you saying!? Anyway, that’s irrelevant now!”
“Then let’s end the talk about Rolando-sama here. We’re in the middle of a tea party. Shouldn’t you be conversing with Sara-sama and Sanya-sama instead of Rolando-sama?”
It seems her younger days are a dark history for Sariya, as she cuts Tiara off before she can say anything. If so, then as if to say this concludes her questioning of me, Tiara states thus.
As a woman, it would be a lie to say that she isn’t curious about the nature of my relationship with Nagartinya. Despite this, her mature demeanor in addressing Sariya’s actions without explicitly confronting me about it was quite impressive.
While internally acknowledging her youthfulness, considering she is a princess of a nation, I was quietly amazed. Tiara, smiling gently, then calmly spoke to me.
“Separately, Rolando-sama, I’m also curious about that person. If you don’t mind, please introduce us sometime.”
“If the opportunity arises.”
“I look forward to it.”
Despite her words, behind that smile, a clear intent of “Who is that woman?” could be discerned. There was an undeniable force, much like a wife who had found evidence of infidelity, even though she was supposed to be in her teens. …Tiara, are you really a teenager?
After that, the tea party, whose original purpose was to deepen ties with the princesses of another nation, Sara and Sanya, came to a close as the planned sweets were halted. But it doesn’t end there.
“Rolando-kun, I was wondering if you could teach our chefs how to make these sweets?”
(I figured as much)
Whether good or evil, those in power tend to be greedy. If they find something better than what they currently enjoy, they naturally want to obtain it.
To use tissues as an analogy, suppose there are 100 yen tissues and 500 yen tissues. Of course, the texture and feel of the 500 yen tissues are better due to the higher price.
If someone had been using the 100 yen tissues but got to experience the feel of the 500 yen tissues, would they be satisfied going back to the 100 yen ones? The answer is obviously no.
It’s the same in this case. While the sweets she had eaten so far were the best she knew of, after tasting sweets from more advanced Earth, it’s obvious without comparison that the Earth ones are more delicious, so she naturally wants to eat those sweets all the time.
“Of course, we won’t teach the recipes to anyone, and will pay you if necessary.”
“Your Majesty, isn’t that going too far?”
The one to object to Sariya’s words was Miralene, wife of the Rosenberg family head Dominique. While wearing a thin smile, it looked less like she was smiling and more like condemning the other party. In response to Miralene’s objection, Sariya replies with a twisted expression.
“Oh? What’s going too far about it?”
“You weren’t the only one who liked the sweets served at today’s tea party. Everyone here likely thought they wanted to eat those sweets all the time. Knowing that wouldn’t it be tyrannical for only you as queen to enjoy them?”
“…”
Hearing Miralene’s blunt words, Sariya narrows her eyes slightly. What she said makes sense, and Sariya is aware her actions are somewhat forceful.
But sweets of such quality don’t come along often, and if word of them spreads to the other greedy nobles here, they would swarm frenetically to obtain them.
Yet having already experienced the taste of my sweets, substituting with other sweets isn’t an option for them, so their feelings are probably the same as Sariya’s.
While thinking it was troublesome, I saw no future except greedy people flocking here if left alone, so I decided to take action to prevent that.
“How about thinking a bit? It’s a bad habit of nobility.”
“Think about what?”
“The basis of your thinking, Sariya, is that ‘all the best things should gather with the royalty and nobility’. It’s natural to want to monopolize good things and not give them to anyone else. But don’t you think that kind of thinking is counterproductive if it leads to conflict?”
“Then what do you suggest?”
With everyone listening intently to my words, I preface with “It’s simple” and explain to them.
“If trying to monopolize it causes conflict, you just have to share with all people instead.”
“Share with all people?”
“That’s right. Commoners, nobility, royalty. Make it available for anyone to obtain regardless of status, and conflict will disappear. Of course, those trying to monopolize it will appear, but you’re the queen of this country. Stopping those kinds shouldn’t be hard for you, right?”
In other words, instead of monopolizing among those present, achieve communal ownership on a national scale so anyone can easily obtain them.
On a national scale, it would involve considerable effort, but compared to dealing with greedy nobles, emotionally the former seems easier.
“For now, I’m thinking of spreading the cookies you all ate today. I may ask for help from those present during that process, so I’ll be relying on you then.”
“Understood. I’ll cooperate however I can.”
And so the plan to mass-produce cookies nationwide was launched.
