“YOUR Majesty! Should I bring all these dishes over?”
I turned around when I heard a voice calling to me. My apron dress twirled around my body.
The young girl with a maid’s uniform and black hair—Lelena—was carrying out a load of dishes. Her arms were still small and slender like the rest of her body, but the dishes remained completely stable.
Lelena was beastfolk—a member of the Wildcat clan. This meant she was already stronger than the average adult human. A pair of black, fluffy, triangular ears peeked out on each side of her maid’s brim.
“Yes, please leave them on that table over there,” I instructed. “Lucian, you can lay them out.”
“As you wish.”
Lucian had been helping me finish my cooking. He headed over to Lelena and began to instruct her. Lelena worked to quickly and accurately bring out one dish of food after another, placing them precisely on the table.
“This one goes here,” Lucian said. “Now take this one and place it in the front. Yes, that’s good. You’re very quick to catch on, Lelena.”
“Thank you so much…!” Lelena’s cheeks turned red when Lucian smiled and praised her. Her facial expression remained stable, but her tail revealed her feelings when it started to wag softly.
…Maybe it’s happening yet again.
“You’re as popular as ever, Lucian,” I whispered to him, continuing my task at hand.
Lucian was a capable worker and a dashing man. He had a pair of gentle, blue eyes and black hair that he wore neatly styled. He possessed a calm demeanor despite his young age and handsome features that suited his personality. This made him an object of attraction to women both young and old—even girls Lelena’s age.
It was only natural that someone like Lucian would be popular with the opposite sex, yet he never let it interfere with his work and always managed to maintain careful, harmonious relationships with others. As his mistress, I was incredibly proud of him.
Lelena would likely never end up in a relationship with Lucian due to the difference in their ages, but I believed she would look back one day with fond memories of her first love. Lucian was the perfect person for it, after all.
Ah, how bittersweet. I nodded my head, savoring the tiny scene of love I’d witnessed, when Lucian returned to my side.
“Is something the matter?” he asked.
“I was just thinking about how cute Lelena is. She works very hard too.”
“Certainly. She puts in a great amount of effort for her age. I look forward to seeing her grow as a maid, however…” His eager praise for Lelena suddenly slipped away as he trailed off mysteriously.
“Is something bothering you?” I asked.
“I have no intention of accepting Lelena or any other woman’s feelings for me.” He told me that while he worked on arranging the food on the plate. When he noticed I was looking at him, Lucian smiled, his blue eyes softening. “I am your servant, my lady, and my heart will always be with you. Those feelings will never change, regardless of any woman I may meet in the future.”
“Thank you, Lucian. I’m glad I have your loyalty. But if you do meet a woman you truly love with all your heart someday, don’t hesitate to come and tell me,” I said. “I’d be sad to lose you, but your happiness is most important.”
“There will be no such day. My happiness is to be found wherever you are, Lady Laetitia.” Lucian calmly made that declaration before turning to look at me. His eyes reminded me of how my brothers looked at me, but there was something else in there too. As I stared back at those eyes…
“Aaaah! It’s so bittersweet!!”
A half-chuckle, half-cry came from beside us.
“Welcome, Hans,” I greeted. “You’re here early.”
This man was Hans, a young carpenter. I’d invited the carpenters to this luncheon as thanks for their help with the Gardener Cats’ fence.
“It’s an honor to be invited into your home, Your Majesty. Still, what a bittersweet relationship, huh?”
“Hm?” I cocked my head. “Are you talking about Lelena? I know how you feel. It’s sort of sweet to watch, isn’t it?”
“…That too, but I meant—”
“Shut it. Don’t make trouble for my lady, you fool. Can’t you see she’s busy?” The smile was still on Lucian’s lips as he cursed this man. The true Lucian had managed to slip out.
While he looked and behaved like a refined gentleman, Lucian had actually been raised as a commoner in the city. He occasionally spoke like a commoner around Big Brother Claude and me, but he’d started taking a rougher approach with other people ever since we came to the villa. Perhaps the relaxed atmosphere was causing him to let his guard down.
“If you’ve got nothing better to do, then help Lady Laetitia set the table,” Lucian ordered. “Here, take these over to that table, if you’d please.”
“Whoa! You’re so mean to your workers! But I don’t mind… I’ll leave if I’m in the way. You want these plates on the table? I’ll do whatever you need if I get to eat some delicious food!” Hans smirked at Lucian and me before lifting up some plates and taking them off toward the table.
It was no struggle for him to haul all that food, as his carpentry job had given him strong muscles. He helped set the table, all the while flirting with the maids like the womanizer that I knew him to be.
It was a bit amusing to see Lelena look at him with disgust.
Since she seems to like Lucian, maybe she prefers a calm, reliable man over the outgoing, flirty type. As I pondered that, Hans, Lelena, and the maids finished the remaining preparations in no time at all.
Laid out on the table was a spread of pizza, sandwiches, cookies, bite-sized pieces of fruit, and more. It was a lineup of light snacks that could be eaten easily without silverware.
That day’s guests were my villa servants and the carpenters, which resulted in more of a casual gathering than the ones I usually hosted with nobles like Lady Natalie. We had these luncheons regularly, both so that the servants could mingle and also so I’d have people to try my latest culinary inventions.
We enjoyed conversing and eating underneath the sunny, blue sky.
My lunch consisted of pizza fresh from the brick oven in my garden. I was savoring the delicious, warm cheese, when my head chef—Gilbert—approached me.
“Queen Laetitia, it seems most of the guests have finished eating. Shall we bring out dessert?”
“Certainly. I think it’s time for the special treat.”
With that, Gilbert and the chefs who worked under him went back into the villa before returning with a tray.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before. What’s it called?” The sharp-eyed Hans had come up to us.
“These are called ‘pancakes.’ They’re tasty and sweet, but when you spread butter on them like this…”
“Mmmm! That smells so good!”
The butter melted over the surface of the warm pancakes. Its savory aroma stirred up both Hans’ appetite and his excitement.
“Please have some before they get cold. They can also be eaten with jam, if you’d prefer.”
I went around offering pancakes to guests and taking in their impressions.
Everyone seemed to enjoy them. The entire batch I’d made was eventually finished off. Satisfied, I watched the servants return to their posts, as the chefs who’d finished their jobs gathered around me.
“Thank you for preparing today’s luncheon. Your efforts allowed everyone to enjoy their time here.” I praised them as I took a bottle of honey from Lucian. It was the Flute Bee honey I’d received from Lady Fillia.
“Oh! I’ve heard rumors of this…!”
Their eyes, filled with excitement and glee, were glued to the jar. It was very precious honey, but I decided to treat them to it today both to thank them and to motivate them for their future work.
I dished out pancakes with honey to every last chef. They were practically exploding with anticipation as they took the plates from me.
“What a blessing…! I’m so lucky I get to work at this villa…!”
Some chefs were overcome with emotions…
“……”
…while others silently held the honey on their tongue, desperate to hone their taste buds on it.
I poured some honey on a pancake and tried a bite too.
“Mmm, it’s incredible!”