“Huh?”
As I headed towards the tent, I saw an upperclassman in glasses coming out and cocked my head to the side. It was the prime minister’s grandson, Vice President Leonardo. He was on his own with what looked like a stack of documents in hand. He went back to the school building, going out of his way to use the path towards the library as if trying to avoid being spotted by any guests at the Food Court.
It wasn’t all that strange thinking of it from the perspective of a student council member contacting the supervisor of the courtyard. However, I felt like the president of said student council, Hilda, had been quite fussy about making sure Alfina was the one summoned over there up until now.
Louisa and Claudia were inside the tent just as they were in the morning. Apparently, they had a rotation including Alicia as well. It was something about needing someone to stay at the cathedral as well.
“What did the vice president need?” I asked Louisa.
It was, as expected, just a relay of information from the student council. Everything about it was normal too. It seemed Hilda was away from the Academy in the afternoon to get ready to receive the envoys from the Empire.
“Umm, nobles from the east have been dropping by too, right? Were there some who were close to either the Archduke of the East or the duke serving a prime minister?”
“Of course, we’re being mindful of that. But we can’t say anything yet. Incidentally, why are you so interested in this?”
“...I’ll focus on the Food Court. Are you not bored being in here all this time, Princess Alfina?”
“Not at all. You even drop by as you are now, Ricardo. Now that I think of it, you aren’t selling anything yourself, are you? I thought you would be selling that treat you made.”
“The Weinders are, at most, working behind the scenes this time around.”
I didn’t really want to be intrusive, but that was one of the valuable pieces of modern world knowledge that could easily be reproduced here. I had already used one of my aces up my sleeves here with the junos fruit, small as it was. I needed to keep a careful watch over my inventory of information.
“What’s this about a treat...? No, never mind.”
“Shall I make some for you next time, Clau? It’s very delicious.”
“Wha—? Cooking, Your Highness? What if you burn yourself?” Claudia glared at me.
Alfina did drop by for her part-time job once more after that, and I taught her how to make it then. It was at most a part of her lessons. I couldn’t possibly allow Claudia to know that she had tried to grasp the frying pan’s metal handle bare-handed, and that I had panicked and grabbed her hand.
“In any case, please be careful. There’s also the matter with the Empire, we must be cautious,” Louisa said.
“You’re right. There was also that matter last night,” Claudia added with a nod.
So something really did happen with the Empire. It was abnormal for Claudia to be warier of something than she was of me.
The bell marking the end of business hours rang out.
Now then, shall we go take a look at the results of our opening day?