“Color me surprised, it’s actually looking good. But ya know, it’s not all that simple to sell something people have never seen before, even if it looks nice. The festival only lasts three days.”
“The unfamiliar scent may even work as a detriment, more so if we consider young noble ladies as our target audience. We need to take into consideration that our customers are cowards.”
Dargan moved on to the next problem, and Plura added his own comments while looking at Lilka and Shirley. It was rather reassuring that they had a firm grasp of their target customer base. Just as they said, the outer appearance and portions here were clearly targeted towards women. Lilka and Shirley’s reactions were heartening, but those two were concerned parties by all definitions of the term. They also weren’t nobles who placed far more emphasis on their reputation than commoners did.
“I have left everything regarding the cooking to all of you, so I’ve prepared something myself regarding that matter. I have in fact invited someone over to sample the food.”
I was planning to directly test whether our target audience would accept this dish.
“Well, ain’t that meticulous of you... But you invited someone?”
“Considering our target audience, we cannot simply rely on some half-hearted judge. There might be some sense in it from an objective point of view which gives it a different worth from Lilka and Shirley, though...”
My two upperclassmen had misgivings about the connections of a copper company. Ruston remained silent. Lilka seemed to have suddenly realized what was going on, and told Shirley to wait while trying to get the others to consent.
“Mia, could you call them in?”
After Mia looked at the others with slight concern, she rose from her seat. Everyone here already knows that she’s somewhat related to this, so it’ll probably be fine. I stood up myself and waited for the door to open. Mia then returned with a chestnut-haired schoolgirl in tow.
“...?”
“I see. Well, I suppose she’s very close to the most suitable choice.”
“There’s a small problem regarding her objectivity, but you could say this is a suitable choice.”
Setting me aside as I cocked my head, Dargan and Plura were suddenly convinced. Hang on, I’m not convinced at all here. Who is this?
“Maria? Please tell us beforehand if you were planning on coming here...”
“Yeah, geez... That really got me tense...”
Judging from what Lilka and Shirley said, I could tell this upperclassman-looking girl was related to the Kendalls. In all likelihood, she was from the main branch.
“Heehee, should you really be acting all surprised just for little ol’ me?”
The remaining three girls, which were the ones I actually expected, followed Mia and Maria into the room. First was Claudia, who, despite her demeanor, was still the daughter of Viscount Adel. Behind her was Louisa, the daughter of Viscount Morland. These two were a perfect fit for our target audience.
Just these two were enough to fill the entire room with tension. And then the last girl entered the room. Of course, the one standing between her two aides, with gleaming platinum hair, was none other than the courtyard’s supervisor.
“What... the...?”
“Impossible...”
Both Dargan and Plura, who refused to be shocked by anything until now, rose from their seats and sent their chairs skidding back at the arrival of the noble ladies.
Ruston looked like he knew Maria would be coming, but was completely caught off guard himself. He rose to his feet a beat behind the two upperclassmen. Everyone was now standing at attention.
“How’s that? If we’re able to satisfy the palates of these fine ladies, I do believe the one-plate lunch can be considered a success.”
They could surely be considered the best candidates for marketing towards high-class noble ladies. Even the one exception who wasn’t a noble could be said to be the highest class among commoners.
“Weinder. That’s not the problem...” Lilka said, holding her hand to her brow.
“Umm...” Shirley muttered as she clung to Lilka’s sleeve and trembled. “We were introduced earlier, right? Princess Alfina is the courtyard’s...”
The supposed neutral party also happened to be responsible for managing the courtyard, but everyone putting up a shop in the courtyard was present. There was no problem regarding her being impartial.
“Having her come to greet us is different from having her come to sample food...” Lilka sounded completely worn out.
“It’s my duty as an official, after all. I actually find this quite enjoyable.” Alfina replied with a smile, but that only racked up the tension in the room even more.
The Food Court Firm members somehow managed to pull themselves together, and began explaining their dishes one by one. As expected of silver companies, they were really level-headed. Plura in particular was rather refined. He was like a garçon in a French restaurant.
Each member finished explaining the cuisine, and the four young ladies looked at the collage atop their plates in admiration as they took up their silverware. Even the way they ate gave off the sense of beautiful flowers. It was amazing how metal and porcelain were coming in contact, yet not a single sound could be heard.
“Is this vegetable dish something like a salad? The colorfulness of all these vegetables is beautiful. The discrepancy between the texture and the taste is also magnificent.”
“I-I’m honored th-th-th-that you th-think so, Y-Your H-H-H-Highness.” Shirley somehow managed to get her trembling lips to move.
“With this, I do believe that no shame will be brought upon the princess.”
“Thank you kindly, Miss Adel.” Dargan bent his sturdy body at the waist. Why’s his reaction such a 180 from before?
“It goes down so smoothly. You must be using excellent milk.”
“I’m delighted to hear you say so, Miss Louisa.” Lilka managed to keep her respectful expression from crumbling, but you could still hear the happiness in her voice. She seemed to have gotten somewhat used to it by now.
“The way the mousse melts on the tip of your tongue, coupled with the taste of the berries, is splendid.”
“...I’m honored that you’re satisfied with it.”
Even Plura was obediently accepting his praise. The one doing so for an independent company’s goods was none other than Maria Kendall.