Mavis nodded and clasped her hands together. “Yes, they’re from my favorite shop in town. I occasionally have someone buy them for me; their cakes are absolutely incredible, too.”
The shop was that café she had gone to with Cesia. After Mavis’s abduction caused quite a disturbance for the shop, her security became even more rigorous. She didn’t know how much extra work it would be for them if she went again, so since then, she hadn’t been able to go in person, but Anita, Marcus, and sometimes Cesia bought her sweets from the shop. So, even as a princess with her circumstances, she had become somewhat well-versed in their newest treats. For the tea party, she had selected and ordered a particularly tasty variety.
Although she still found it hard to deal with Juliette, she was glad she could please her when the princess was trying to be friendly.
“Oh, did you go to the castle town yourself?” Juliette asked Mavis.
“Ah, no; I had one of my lady’s maids get them for me.”
“I see. Well, it’s after that awful affair, after all. Do be careful.” Juliette affectionately rubbed Mavis’s shoulder.
She behaved as if they were close sisters, but Mavis still felt something was off. Before she could pinpoint what it was, there was a knock on the door of the drawing room, and a bodyguard opened it.
“Oh, Marcus,” Edith spoke, surprised but calm.
Marcus entered the room, curiously holding the wailing baby Ronald in his arms. Edith instantly rushed over to them.
“What’s this about?” she asked.
“Ronald wanted to see his mother and started to throw a tantrum. He was struggling so much that the wet nurses were having a difficult time. Though it may have been presumptuous of me, I brought the little prince here,” Marcus said cheerfully, stifling a laugh. Then, he carefully passed his naughty nephew to his sister-in-law.
The wet nurses watching fearfully behind Marcus sighed with relief. The infant was surprisingly strong, and they had struggled not to drop him while taking him to his mother.
The baby was the son of the crown prince and the next in line for the throne after his father. By virtue of his position, even his wet nurses had been selected from among the best. Normally, they perfectly responded to Ronald’s spoiled behavior and tantrums as a team, but today, for some reason, as if he had noticed something was wrong, the baby was out of control.
While struggling, they had attempted to bring Ronald to his mother, but it was challenging. When Marcus passed them on the way and suddenly took his nephew into his arms, the wet nurses were thankful for the help. With a cheerful smile, Marcus had comforted and soothed the struggling Ronald, holding him securely as he took him to the drawing room.
“I… thank you for going to all the trouble, Marcus,” Edith said to him as she cradled Ronald.
Marcus smiled and shook his head. “I’ve been busy, and I haven’t been able to see him much, so I’m glad to have had the chance. The naughtier boys are, the more reliable they are,” he said, petting Ronald’s small head.
The baby happily clung to his mother as if his earlier tantrum had been nothing.
“Thank you… Oh?” Edith furrowed her eyebrows, troubled, as she noticed Ronald’s wrist was somewhat red.
“As I was coming here, Ronald was struggling in my arms and hit his wrist on the wall,” Marcus explained.
Mavis looked at the shaking wet nurses behind him. He probably hit his wrist before Marcus met them.
Not wanting to scold the wet nurses for something her son had done himself, Edith quickly cast healing magic on the boy.
“Edith,” Marcus stopped his sister-in-law. “Children heal quickly, and an injury like that will get better in no time. Using healing magic on him from such a young age might hinder his natural healing ability, so it’s best to let it heal naturally.”
“You’re right…” Edith nodded and smiled. “Thank you, Marcus.”
Marcus returned her smile, then glanced at Cesia, standing at the ready by the wall with the other maids.
Cesia noticed Marcus’s brief look, but her expression remained unchanged. She was working. For some reason, Juliette had selected her as one of the maids she brought to the tea party. Normally, she chose other maids or those she brought from Gwyllt.
Juliette had said something like, because it was an invitation to a tea party with the Emeroade royal family, it would be courteous to bring a maid from Emeroade, who would understand better how they did things. It was suspicious.
Is she trying to embarrass me in front of the royal family? If so, I’m her maid right now, so any disgrace will also be hers. Or will she cause trouble and then protest to Emeroade, saying that it was because they assigned me to her?
Cesia poured tea into an empty teacup and set it in front of Juliette. As a maid, she was the person in the room with the lowest social status, so the serving duties fell to her. Strictly speaking, someone might have been dedicated to pouring tea, but Cesia was a commoner, and she didn’t know for sure.
Juliette took a sip of tea and blinked.
Is she going to blame me and say that the tea I poured is gross? Too bad for her.
Cesia had undergone intense training with Anita, Mavis’s head maid. Just like in magic and martial arts, learning the basics was a crucial part of being a maid. An experienced maid might’ve been able to apply her practical skills instantly, but as a temporary maid without any real training, Cesia had been instructed to study the fundamentals faithfully first. Thanks to that, she had managed to put up a good surface impression of herself.
Touching the teapot through a tea towel, Cesia ruminated over the basics Anita had taught her.
Lately, it’s like I’m losing sight of what exactly I’m aiming for. But if I do quit being an enforcer, with my background of service in the royal castle and my maid skills, I can probably find an estate somewhere to hire me. With magic, I can do laundry and clean dishes faster and more efficiently than the average person, and I can even use magic to chop firewood.