Chapter 173: The Bear Eats Cake with Royalty

Chapter 173:
The Bear Eats Cake with Royalty

 

IN THE END, the “King Goes to Lady Flora’s Room But Nobody Is There” plan had completely imploded. Everyone had gathered anyway.

And—maybe Ange had done it when I wasn’t looking—the seats had multiplied to five now. She’d moved fast. The queen was already sitting in a seat and holding Kumakyu. The king (who had abandoned his work!) and Ellelaura (who had abandoned…something, probably) were sitting down too.

“Lady Flora, could you also let go of Kumayuru? Maybe sit down with us?”

“Nuh-uh.” The plan hadn’t worked. Lady Flora squeezed Kumayuru again, and Kumayuru gave me a worried look. I was helpless to save my bear without Lady Flora crying her eyes out…

“Lady Flora, I have a yummy snack. Would you like to try it? You can’t eat it while you’re holding Kumayuru.”

“Yummy?”

“Yep. And Kumayuru looks tired. It says it wants a break.” I gave Kumayuru a meaningful look. Kumayuru kwoomed quietly like it was tired.

My bears were already accomplished actors. We’d tricked Noa with their acting in the past, and they’d played man-eating bears when I needed to threaten some villains back at an inn in Mileela. When Lady Flora saw Kumayuru acting tired, she agonized over it. But she still quietly let go of the bear.

“Sorry, Kumayuru. Let’s pway again next time.”

“Kwoom.”

What a nice kid. Kumayuru crooned happily, and it wasn’t an act this time. Lady Flora released it, and it headed over to me. I gave it a pat on the head as thanks for playing with Lady Flora, then dismissed it before Lady Flora could change her mind. She looked a little sad when she saw it disappear, but she still got into her chair.

Maybe I’d ask Sherry to make some Kumakyu and Kumayuru stuffed animals later. I’m sure those would make Lady Flora really happy.

Then I looked at my other summoned beast, Kumakyu. Kumakyu was obediently letting the queen hug it. The queen didn’t look like she was going to let go anytime soon. But her daughter had the sense to give up Kumayuru, so she would too. Or…or she’d better, anyway! She didn’t respond to my silent appeals to her as she stroked Kumakyu on her lap. Lady Flora watched jealously.

At this rate, we’d end up playing Kumakyu hot potato. For now, I put my plan to rescue Kumakyu on the back burner and got the cake ready. I pulled a whole strawberry shortcake from my bear storage.

“It’s stwawbewwy!”

Lady Flora’s eyes moved from Kumakyu to the cake. Kumakyu wasn’t in my hands yet, but at least they weren’t going to be fighting over it the whole time.

“What is this thing?”

“It’s kind of similar to the pancake you had earlier.”

“Ah, yes, that the pancake! That was delicious.”

I pulled several people’s worth of plates and forks out of my bear storage and cut up the cake. When I started getting the cake ready, Ange started prepping the tea across from me.

“There are strawberries inside of it too,” I said.

“What? I love stwawbewwies.”

“It does look quite good…”

The cakes were passed around to everyone, and Ange finished pouring us tea…and milk for Lady Flora.

“It’s okay if I eat it, bear?” Lady Flora held her fork at the ready, waiting patiently. Was it the king who taught her manners like this? Or maybe the queen? I thought it over for a sec and realized that, of course, it had to be Ange.

“Yeah,” I said, “it’s fine by me.”

Once I said that, Lady Flora happily stabbed her fork into the cake. “Yumm!” Already her face was a bit of a strawberry shortcake mess. Everyone else dug right in then.

“It really is delicious, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but it’s a little too heavy on the sugar.”

“You think so? I think it’s just perfect.”

I abstained from the cake and just drank Ange’s tea. It was just as good as the tea I’d had at Cliff’s. This was the tea of royals, so it had to be top-class. I’d only just realized it then, but all the drinks they’d prepped for me at the castle had probably been first-rate too. It’d be a waste not to savor them.

“Did you make this pastry, Yuna?” asked Ellelaura.

“Pretty much.”

“I think this every time,” said the king, digging into his cake, “but you’re a bear of so many mysteries. You make these delicious treats, summon bears as beasts, even dress yourself as a bear, and yet you really don’t seem like the sort of adventurer who can defeat such powerful monsters.”

Probably because I’d come from another world by the actions of a god and had been handed ultra-powerful bear equipment and bear skills. Just maybe it was that.

“Oh, I know,” said Ellelaura. “It seems that we’re really in your debt for what you did at the mines. I’d like to thank you.” How did she always know this stuff?

“It was a job.” And she’d half-forced me to go.

“You still don’t look like a powerful adventurer, after all this time. What do you think of having a bout against the knights and mages next time you’re here?”

“Respectfully, I would have to turn the opportunity down.”

Why would I want to do that? There weren’t any benefits to me fighting in contests. If I didn’t make sure I won the right way, there was a chance that knights or mages I’d crushed in the fight would resent me. There’s nothing more terrifying that jealousy and resentment. I didn’t need that in my life.

“I see. What a pity.”

“Are you stwong, bear?” asked Lady Flora, face covered ridiculously in whipped cream.

“Your father is stronger than me, Lady Flora.” Political power, wealth, and personal connections…those were kinds of strength too.

“Daddy, you’re stwong!” cried Lady Flora. Ange wiped the cream from her cheek.

“Look here...” the king stammered, exasperated. I pretended not to see it, which brought out a laugh from everyone.

 

The cake seemed to be a hit, since Lady Flora’s frown over losing Kumayuru had been turned upside down. Which brought me back to my next project: saving Kumakyu. It was still being held hostage in the queen’s lap. There had to be an opening. There just had to.

Kumakyu gave me a miserable look. C’mon, I couldn’t let Kumakyu give up hope. I could do it. I had to!

“Yuna, aren’t you having any?” the king asked after noticing that all I was drinking was tea.

“I’ve had plenty from taste-testing it.” I was sick of shortcake. That’s what happened when you ate something every day, even if it was good. As the Japanese saying goes, you’ll get bored staring at a beautiful person after three days.

“Madame Yuna, may I have a moment?” Ange said to me as I sipped at my tea, watching for everyone else’s reactions.

“What is it?”

“Do you happen to have some cake for the chef?”

“The chef? Do you mean Zelef?”

That was the name of the guy. He’d thanked me after I’d handed over my pudding recipe.

“I saw the chef when I was preparing the tea earlier. When I informed him that you’d come, he…well, he seemed to be looking forward to it?” I think she was feeling awkward about it. I’d given Zelef a ton of recipes over the ages, thinking that it’d make Lady Flora just as happy as the pudding had.

I prepped two more new plates and put slices of cake on them. “Give this one to Zelef. And please eat some later too, Ange.”

Ange would eat when it was just us and Lady Flora, but she didn’t really do that when the king was around. It was probably a social position thing.

“Are you sure?”

“Let me know what you think about it the next time I come by.”

“Thank you.”

She accepted it gratefully and placed the cake on a pushcart.

“Ange, we’re fine here. Why don’t you take that to Zelef?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I know he’s looking forward to the food Yuna brings. You can eat your own portion with him.”

“Thank you. Then I will take it to him.” Ange bobbed her head and left the garden.

“A nice treat for them. You know, he’s just one of the people who looks forward to your food, Yuna.”

“I guess. I always come by without notice, even though he prepares food every day, so I figure I’m a bother to him.”

In the past, I’d offended Zelef—the famous chef for the royal family—by bringing food without asking him. He’d apparently stopped saying anything after he found out I was the one who’d made the pudding. Since then, I’d occasionally send Zelef food.

When I’d gone to the mines the last time I was here, Ellelaura and Fina had said they’d go to the castle. I’d even had them take the new breads we’d made to Zelef.

 

A little while after Ange had left the garden, the cake on Lady Flora’s plate had disappeared. She was staring down the rest of the whole cake, so I put another slice on Lady Flora’s empty plate.

“Thank you, bear.”

“That’s a reward for letting Kumayuru go earlier.” Especially since a certain someone nearby still wasn’t relinquishing Kumakyu.

Still, this was all right. Maybe I’d bake a different cake to bring to them next time. Maybe I’d be able to manage a fruit cake or a cheesecake.

“Yuna, can I have some too?” Ellelaura silently held out her plate. If she wanted to eat way too much cake, that was her own problem.

“Yuna, if you could get me one too,” the king added.

“I’d like one as well,” said the queen.

One by one, I served them their cake. Oh, no, was I the new maid now that Ange was gone?

Since everyone’s cups were empty, I prepared the tea like Lala had taught me and refilled them. I would never have guessed it’d come in handy at a time like this.

The king turned to me after finishing his cup. “You can brew tea?”

“And skillfully, I’d add,” said the queen.

“Cliff’s maid taught me.”

“You don’t mean Lala, do you?”

“Yeah. When we decided to sell the cake at the shop, I wanted to serve tea with it. I asked her to teach me.”

“What? You’re serving this at your shop?”

“Why not? I have the ingredients, and anyone can make it once they know how. And, uh, I’ll also be able to eat it if the shop is making it.”

(I wouldn’t have to bake anything myself!)

“Then we’ll be able to eat this cake anytime we want by going to the shop? Ha! Maybe I’ll head back home to Crimonia.”

“You’ll get fat if you eat it every day,” I pointed out.

“That’s fine, since I won’t let her go back to Crimonia.”

“Argh, why is everyone picking on me?”

While we were enjoying the cake, I heard the sound of heavy running footsteps coming from the back of the garden.

When I looked over, I saw Zelef the chef running over. He was an older, flabby sort, but you couldn’t judge him by appearances. He was the castle chef, and so well-trusted that they put him in charge of the royal family’s meals.

And he was running right at us, totally out of breath.