“M-my name is Olivia Carter. I’m an artificer at Gordon’s Magic Appliances,” she replied, managing to fumble out an introduction, but it all made sense now.
She’d only been in the capital for about two weeks, but even she had heard of the trading company Dicks & Co. It must have been quite a big company.
If he was a trader, it made sense he’d know so much about bridal things and magic items.
Tentatively, she asked, “Um, are you nobility…?”
“My father is a baronet. You?”
“Oh, yes. My father was also a baronet.”
Olivia was relieved. She wouldn’t have known what to do if he was a high-ranking nobleman, but it seemed they were equals.
But I guess that is how the capital is different. We’re both children of baronets, but he seems way more like nobility than me.
After that, the two ordered the café’s famed pancake set. The food came out immediately, almost like it’d been ready for them, and Olivia’s eyes shone when she saw the dishes.
It looks so good!
On top of two nicely browned pancakes was a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream and honey with colorful nuts and berries scattered alongside.
“I can’t wait,” she exclaimed as she carefully cut the pancakes and took a bite. She sighed when the elegant sweetness filled her mouth.
Oh, this is bliss…
The first striking thing about it was the cream. It was fresh, delicately sweet, and whipped to the perfect consistency. She felt happiness the moment it touched her tongue. It paired well with her black tea and provided a new culinary experience each time she tried it with a different topping. Adding that on top of the fluffy pancakes made the whole thing so delicious she nearly cried tears of joy that she was alive.
In the beginning, Olivia was conscious of Elliot’s presence and ate politely, but by the time she got halfway through her pancakes, she was so enchanted that she forgot he was there and tackled her pancakes with gusto.
As he watched her, he murmured things like, “You really can eat,” and, “I’ve never seen a woman eat like that,” with a smile. He also looked after her, offering to order seconds and more tea.
After about an hour, Olivia had polished off two plates of pancakes and three desserts and set her fork on her plate, feeling fulfilled.
Oh, that was amazing. I enjoyed that so much.
“Well done,” complimented Elliot with an amused smile as he poured her another cup of tea. That’s when she realized she’d practically forgotten he even existed.
Oh gosh, it’s so rude to ignore someone you’re dining with and do nothing but eat without talking…
Feeling guilty, she looked away uneasily. Elliot seemed to guess her thoughts as the corners of his mouth turned up, and he emphasized, “Don’t worry. I enjoyed myself as well.”
“But…you only ate one plate of pancakes…”
“You make that sound like it’s abnormal.”
Afterward, Olivia offered, “I’ll pay. As a thank you.”
“I believe it’s standard for the man to pay. I’ll cover it.”
“It can’t be right for you to pay when you not only showed me the way to the café but also ate only a fifth of what I did.”
“Yes, you did eat more than me, but—”
“I insist!”
After their back-and-forth, they finally settled on Olivia paying the bill and Elliot buying her a box of the café’s popular chocolates as a thank-you. They each paid and left.
“I’ll show you back to Gordon’s Magic Appliances,” offered Elliot.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
They set off side by side, strolling toward the shop under a now completely clear sky. Their conversation was more dynamic than their first trip, perhaps because they’d eaten together.
Olivia glanced up at his handsome features as they walked next to each other. He’s not at all what I expected him to be.
Based on the banter he had with the woman at the station in Daregas, his looks that she imagined made him popular with the ladies, and his tinted sunglasses, she’d pegged him as “kind, but un-serious and flirtatious.” Once she actually spent time with him, though, she realized that wasn’t the case at all.
When a cute waitress at the café flirted with him, he did nothing but act like a perfect gentleman, and he didn’t seem to notice at all when beautiful women passed by while they walked. He wasn’t flirtatious at all. If anything, he seemed uninterested in women.
And when they talked, she sensed dedication in him and depth in the knowledge of what he talked about. That impression was far from “un-serious.”
I guess it’s true you can’t judge a book by its cover. I feel so bad deciding he’s flirtatious and undedicated without even getting to know him.
As she was reprimanding herself, Elliot asked an unexpected question. “I’ve heard people say that artificers need an aptitude for making the sort of locks popular these days that use the most popular magic stones. What sort of aptitude is that?”
It was quite a technical question. “I wouldn’t agree that you need any sort of natural aptitude for it. It’d be more accurate to say it’s just incredibly difficult to do. The magic circles used are very complex, and not many people can do it.”
“I see. How many artificers are there that could handle it?”
“Well…” Olivia pondered. “I don’t have an exact number, but all the artificers at Gordon’s can. But in Daregas, there were only two.”
Elliot sounded impressed as he noted, “You’re very good at explaining things.”
“Am I?”
“Yes. I have a better understanding now. Thank you.” Then he pointed down the street and relayed, “If you go straight down this road and turn, you’ll be on the main road.”
That was when she noticed the floral patterns all around her. They were mostly used in the clothing and parasols of young women. She felt like she hadn’t seen that when she arrived in the capital.
“I feel like there’s a lot of floral patterns around,” she murmured, and Elliot nodded.
“Floral is popular right now. Stars were popular for a while before that, but it seems floral is going to take over.”
“Really?” she murmured, thinking how cute floral motif magic jewelry would be.
I could do a design with flowers bursting into bloom. Put the magic stone in the center and use magic metal for the petals, and I could make it even more elegant. And the stem…
For the first time in a long while, a design was coming to her, and her spirits lifted. She was confident it was an outstanding design.
Elliot watched in amusement as her expression cycled through different emotions.
They came to Gordon’s shop, and Olivia gratefully accepted the cutely wrapped package of chocolates.
“I should be going,” said Elliot. “I enjoyed our conversations. We should exchange information again sometime. Next time, maybe we should go have roll cake.”
“Roll cake! Absolutely! Thank you for today.”
After Elliot left, Olivia eventually realized something.
You know, I didn’t think about my uncle and his family or Henry at all today.
Olivia had been suffering before, their faces popping into her mind at random moments when she was alone in her room or walking through town, but it hadn’t happened once today. Both her body and spirit felt a little lighter.
I’m filled with good food and fun conversation, I guess.
She was grateful to Elliot. It was thanks to him that she felt so content.
That night, she plucked delicious chocolates from the box as she thought of nothing but designs, and then she slept well for the first night in a long time.
✦ ✦ ✦
💎💎💎
AT the same time, Elliot was in a spacious, somber office lined with high mahogany bookcases under the light of a magic lamp, smiling to himself as he remembered moments from the day between his paperwork.
Sigh. Today was fun. He was thinking of shining blue eyes and cheeks stuffed full of pancakes. I’ve never met a woman before who eats with such enthusiasm.
It was generally said that women should eat sparingly. They’d usually cut their food up and eat it piece by tiny piece. That trend was even more common among noblewomen.
But this girl, she didn’t seem to mind at all. She cut her food into large pieces and quickly devoured it. She’d finished her pancakes off so quickly he’d suggested seconds, and then she even managed to fit in several pieces of cake. It made him happy just watching her look so happy.
Once they were done eating, she didn’t scrutinize him or attempt to read him. She was frank in both her actions and words, and she only seemed interested in magic items and cake.
He never realized he could have so much fun or be so at ease with a woman.
Elliot nearly laughed out loud when he remembered how her eyes shone when he suggested they get roll cake sometime. She was also deeply knowledgeable about magic items, which provided for interesting conversation. He liked her unpretentious personality and her passion for the things she enjoyed.
It was also his first time having a woman pay for his meal, but he also enjoyed how direct she was. Putting that all together with her joyful way of eating made him look forward very much to their next time together.
“…I’ll have to ask the maids where you can get roll cake,” he murmured, his mouth quirked up in amusement as he went back to his paperwork.