Chapter 6: The Birthday Party Plot

 

 

 

Chapter 6: The Birthday Party Plot

 

ONE of the younger chefs rushed into the room.

He wasn’t supposed to be on duty today, so the man was dressed in simple beige clothes from head to toe.

The chef took one look at the chiffon cake and froze.

“I knew it…!”

“What’s the matter? You seem quite upset.”

“I’ve just seen it! Lady Natalie went and—”

“Pardon me, Your Majesty, but a guest has arrived for you.”

Borgan, the butler, entered the kitchen at that moment.

I guess it’s just one urgent matter after another today.

Borgan was a kind and capable man, and he always respected my cooking hobby. Normally, he would always wait for me outside the kitchen if he had anything minor to discuss.

If he came straight to me for something, then it must be important.

I left the kitchen and began to ask Borgan, with his dog ears now slumped, what was going on, when…

“Oh, there you are, Your Majesty.”

“…Diaz.”

Diaz had arrived with Giran, her head chef and one of her supporters. The woman smirked as soon as she saw me.

“Your Majesty, I know your title is in name only, but should the queen really present herself in such attire?”

I was wearing a simple dress with an apron on top and had my hair tied up so that I could cook. She was right that this wasn’t a suitable outfit for a queen, but I didn’t want to hear that from someone who had shown up in my home without invitation.

“I see your point, although I think it’s a fitting outfit in the presence of such an impolite guest. I don’t have time to entertain your sudden visit, and I still have yet to receive an apology for your previous treatment.”

“Apology? We’re the ones waiting to hear some gratitude from you, Your Majesty.”

“Oh my. What could you mean by that?”

“See for yourself.”

Giran, the chef, uncovered the serving tray in his hand.

“A chiffon cake?!”

I had seen this yellow cake before. The exterior was a little rough, but the doughnut-shaped chiffon cake was exactly like mine.

“Your Majesty! That’s it! Lady Natalie’s people have been passing around that cake! I couldn’t stand it, so I went to complain to her myself, but she wouldn’t hear me out…!” I heard the young chef run up to me from behind. “They’ve stolen your chiffon cake, my queen!!”

“Stolen? What evidence do you have of such a scandalous claim?”

“What?! Don’t be ridiculo— Your Majesty?!”

I stopped the young chef and physically put myself between him and Diaz.

I understood why he wanted to vent his anger, but in the end, this man was a commoner. Lashing out at a noblewoman like Diaz could land him some form of punishment, unfair as it may be.

“May I ask what’s going on? That cake looks identical to the one my staff and I created.”

“You’re mistaken. We invented this cake at my home, held a tea party so everyone could enjoy it for themselves, and now we’re going around gifting our neighbors with the leftovers. It’s merely a coincidence and nothing more.”

“Do you really think I’m going to just accept that?”

“How unfortunate. I could go as far as to ask if you were the one who copied our cake first, hmm? The reason I came here today was to suggest you fire your poor-mannered chef here, who just accosted us with baseless accusations of theft.”

“Well, unfortunately, I have no intention of letting this man go,” I replied bluntly. I then turned my gaze to Giran. “How can you even call yourself a chef? Don’t you have any shame, stealing someone else’s recipe like that?”

“What are you talking about? Trying to shift the blame, are we?”

“…Are you actually accusing me of stealing your recipe?”

“Am I wrong? Your head chef, Gilbert, was fired from our kitchen, and now he’s probably trying to get revenge by stealing our recipe.”

“…You’re the lowest of the low.”

I didn’t even try to hide my contempt.

I knew I could never respect Giran when I learned he enjoyed cooking in ways that were upsetting to beastfolk. But I never expected him to resort to blatantly stealing recipes like this. What a terrible disgrace of a chef, and a human.

My days in the royal villa had all been peaceful so far. In fact, I could hardly remember the last time I felt such disgust with another person. What irritated me all the more was how I couldn’t deny that Giran’s argument was persuasive.

If anyone who didn’t know Gilbert heard about this, Giran’s story about the fired chef’s act of revenge would appear to hold water. It didn’t help that I had been spending so much time confined to the house. No one outside of the servants and I could prove that it was our cake. We were backed into a corner.

“…I heard that Lady Natalie would be having a tea party for her friends and family today. You presented the chiffon cake at that event to prove that it was your creation, is that correct?”

“Of course. We wanted our guests to enjoy our newest cake, and we even shared it with commoners, as an act of compassion. There are dozens of witnesses who know the cake came from us.”

She’d called it “an act of compassion.” What a joke.

Diaz’s only goal was to create as many witnesses as possible.

That was why my chef had caught wind of the situation and rushed here to inform me of the stolen cake.

“So, you’re the inventor of the chiffon cake? I can’t imagine that’s all you wanted out of this. In five days, you’re going to give His Majesty a chiffon cake for his birthday, aren’t you?” I ventured.

“Why yes, we are. The chiffon cake is our creation. It appears you’ve come up with something that strongly resembles ours, but I’d strongly advise you against giving it to His Majesty. You certainly wouldn’t want to be seen as a plagiarist in the eyes of so many, would you?”

On that note of feigned kindness, Diaz turned to leave.

“Well, then. We’re very busy back at home, preparing for the birthday festivities, so I’ll be on my way now. I’m looking forward to seeing your birthday present for His Majesty. You’ll have to come up with it in five short days, though.”

So that was her plan.

A birthday present is an expression of the sender’s own class and status. If I, a newcomer to the kingdom, was unable to come up with a proper gift for the king, I would be belittled and ridiculed for it.

At that point, I had already turned down an offer from Diaz and Lady Natalie to back their attempt at taking the crown. If I wasn’t on their side, that made me their enemy. They wanted to weaken my own standing before they tried to obtain any power themselves.

“Hmph. This is what happens when you hire someone like Gilbert as a head chef. What an eyesore to have in your kitchen all day, that know-it-all. He should have quit this line of work altogether, but I guess he just doesn’t know his place.”

That grating sound was the voice of Giran, the man who always had to have the last word. He wasn’t even trying to hide his hatred of Gilbert anymore.

I couldn’t quite figure out why a chef like him would participate in this whole plagiarism scheme, but now it made sense.

“…You were jealous of Gilbert, weren’t you?”

“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”

“He’s younger and more skilled than you, which is why you went behind his back to have Lady Natalie send him away. But when you learned I had hired him as head chef, it ate at you, didn’t it? And now you’ve resorted to stealing a recipe to take away from his achievements.”

“…! Don’t be ridiculous!” His face was turning a deep red. My suspicions were confirmed. “I’m going home too!”

Giran made a dash for the door. After he was gone, all that was left was his forgotten chiffon cake, or whatever it deserved to be called.

“What do we do, Your Majesty?” Gilbert murmured, still in shock. He was always a pale man, but right then, he was as white as a ghost. “No apology would be enough for causing your chiffon cake to be stolen…”

“It’s not your fault, Gilbert. Giran and that whole group just like to play dirty.”

“But, still…”

“First, what say we give this cake a try to see how it tastes? We can discuss what to do after that.”

I was confident they wouldn’t have done anything as foolish as poisoning it.

My grudge was with Giran, not the cake itself.

I busied myself with getting out the silverware and dishes, and we dug into the dessert together.

“It’s quite… Well, no, it’s not very good. But it’s not so bad either.”

“…I agree.”

Gilbert and I were on the same page.

The flavor itself was fine, but what it lacked was the light and fluffy texture that was characteristic of a chiffon cake. It wasn’t soft at all—in fact, it was a bit dry.

Actually, it reminded me of a failed attempt of my own to make a chiffon cake in my past life. I was only in elementary school at the time, and I forgot to add oil to the batter before putting it in the oven.

“I thought the texture and taste of ours was better, Your Majesty…”

“The real problem is that they beat us in presenting it to the public…” I sighed.

Compared with the one made under Gilbert’s instructions, as well as the delicious cakes I knew from my past life, Giran’s attempt was not a success.

But still, in this world, its texture and shape were unique enough on their own. A slightly different texture probably wouldn’t be enough to prove the recipe was stolen.

“I don’t want to roll over and let them win… But seeing as how they took the first move, I’m not sure how we can best them in this situation.”

They’d been so aggressive about it too. However, losing wasn’t an option. A tie wouldn’t be acceptable to me either. If I was going to publicly accuse them of plagiarism, I needed something that would ensure I ended up the victor.

I would be leaving this kingdom after two years, but Gilbert and the other chefs would live out the rest of their lives here. With Gilbert being fired from Lady Natalie’s kitchen and the others coming under suspicion of plagiarism, it would be difficult for them to continue to work in the same industry.

“Your Majesty, if you’re experiencing any concern for my sake, I don’t want you to worry about something so trivial. Please expose Giran for what he is to the whole world.”

“No, I can’t do that, Gilbert. If we lose that battle, my reputation as the queen will take a beating. With that on the line, I have no choice but to let them have the chiffon cake. For his birthday, I’ll send His Majesty some textiles from my homeland instead.”

I already had an alternate present prepared in case our improvements to the chiffon cake recipe didn’t pan out in time.

Unfortunately, the textiles would be a much less impactful present in comparison, and more than anything else, I didn’t want to let the cake I made with Gilbert be stolen away like that.

While I was busy deciding on the next move, I noticed the gloomy faces of the chefs surrounding me.

…This doesn’t look good.

The air was harsh and heavy, but not just because of the plagiarism.

…A traitor.

Someone taught Giran how to make that sponge cake.

Most likely, the culprit was one of the chefs here in this very room.

“Everyone? Let’s not look at each other with suspicion. It’s also possible someone from the outside came to spy on us here, so I’ll check in with Edgar, the boy who walks the wolves around our villa, and see if he’s noticed anything unusual. It’s just about time for dinner, so please, return to your posts in the kitchen.”

This seemed to lighten the mood.

I knew that the chefs didn’t want to suspect their colleagues either.

Now that they were considering the possibility of an outsider, along with receiving orders from me to follow, they seemed to be much more relaxed.

Conveniently for me, Edgar would be here to walk the wolves soon.

I exited the house and planted myself in the shadow of a tree, taking some time to get my thoughts in order.

Should I still send His Majesty a sponge cake for his birthday? How can I prove that the recipe was stolen? Who exactly stole it in the first pl—

“Grah!!”

“EEK?!”

A wolf’s pouty whine was suddenly right up against my ear.

“Don’t you dare ignore me,” Lord Aroo seemed to insist as he wrinkled his nose at me, looking annoyed. He sat himself down beside me.

“You startled me…”

I was so lost in thought, I guess I didn’t even notice Lord Aroo walking up to me.

“What brings you here so early today?” I asked him, knowing there would be no response.

Lord Aroo always appeared a bit after Edgar and the other wolves did. But most days, he didn’t show up at all.

“Nothing special…”

He looked away, as if to dodge the question.

Lord Aroo lay down with his belly on the ground. He kept a bit of distance from me.

I stared at the wolf’s fur as it swayed in the breeze, until his blue-green eyes were staring back at mine.

“You look upset. Did something happen?” they seemed to ask me.

I wondered if he was suspicious, since he could tell something was wrong with me.

“I guess I’m a bit down… Well, to put it more accurately, I let my guard down.”

The words came out one by one. I could feel my emotions start to sort themselves out inside me.

Gilbert blamed himself for the stolen cake, but it was my responsibility to bear as the head of this household.

Recipe plagiarism was something I’d seen in Japan during my past life. That meant I could only blame myself for not taking the right precautions to stop this.

Of course, the actual thieves were the ones at fault. Not everyone in the world is a good person. But even as a placeholder, my title of queen meant I needed to keep myself out of trouble like this.

“It’s so depressing…”

What bothered me all the more was how happy my life had been in the villa before now.

Everyone in my home here seemed nice, which made the idea that one of them could be a traitor so dreadful.

Maybe the culprit was forced into it somehow…

But I didn’t have a clue who did it in the first place, so I couldn’t begin to guess their motives.

There was nowhere for me to turn. I felt my mood spiraling into worse and worse territory.

While I was busy whining to myself, Lord Aroo suddenly stood up.

Is he leaving already?

But before I could think any further, I felt something soft against my hand.

“What…? Lord Aroo?”

Lord Aroo was pressing his head up against my palm.

“Can I pet you…?”

“You look upset, so I’ll let you pet me, but just for today.”

He gave a little nod of his head. It looked like a nod of approval.

The wolf’s smooth fur tickled my hand with each stroke.

“So soft…”

I buried my fingers deeper into that satisfying texture. I was gently petting his silver fur everywhere—from his head to the spots behind his ears and the scruff of his neck.

My fingers took in the slight chill of his coat, as well as the bounty of soft fur itself.

“This feels so nice…”

I was completely transfixed in petting the creature.

Lord Aroo seemed a little on edge, but he stayed put and let me continue. He was exactly as soft as he always looked, and I couldn’t get enough of his fur on my hands.

My worries started to melt away.

I was so happy—both to experience petting this animal, with its incredibly thick coat, and also to know that Lord Aroo had allowed it to happen for the very first time.

“Thank you. How about I give you a nice brushing to show my appreciation?”

Having sated my fluff addiction, I felt like some of the weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

I took out the slicker brush and began to groom Lord Aroo, when…

“Hmm?”

A niggling idea in the back of my mind began to rise to the surface.

I stopped brushing and silently racked my brain.

The slicker brush in my right hand was something I made with transmutation…

“…Ah!!”

Eureka.

I stared at the brush to be sure I was on the right track.

“This might be what I need…”

A way to prove the plagiarism for good.

I had stumbled upon something that might be the ultimate, clearest form of proof that everyone would be able to see for themselves.

“Yes…! I can do it…! I can finish the fight they started…! I’m gonna get them now…!”

I clenched my fists in victory. Lord Aroo looked on with what could only be interpreted as disgust.

“What’s with her? Now she’s happy all of a sudden?”

I just smiled back at the wolf, who was staring at me suspiciously, and then I stood up.

“Lord Aroo, thanks to you, I think things might turn out all right!!”

I have to be fast.

First, I needed to ask Edgar if he’d seen anyone suspicious recently. There were a million more things that would come after that.

My solution was going to be a race against time.

I had to share my idea with Gilbert and the others. After that, there were even more things I needed to quickly get to.

“Thank you, Lord Aroo! I love you!”

Giving the wolf my utmost thanks, I gave him one last pat, then raced back toward my house, leaving Lord Aroo there in the yard.

◆ ◆ ◆

“I was just trying to be nice to the girl, but she didn’t have to pet me that much, did she…?”

Glenreed stood in his room, putting the silver locks of his hair into place with his fingers.

He had heard there was some kind of dispute between Natalie’s head chef and Laetitia’s head chef, and that people from Natalie’s house went to visit Laetitia’s villa.

This was suspicious enough for Glenreed to pay Laetitia a visit in his wolf form.

He arrived a bit too late, and Natalie’s people had already left the villa, but he found Laetitia and her servant loitering around in the front yard.

Laetitia seemed much more depressed than he’d ever seen her.

The girl’s gloomy aura didn’t sit right with him, so in an attempt to distract her, Glenreed allowed Laetitia to pet his magnificent coat of fur.

“She sure cheered up fast, though…”

He couldn’t believe he actually felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her smile, and when he heard her say the words I love you.

Whenever I see her in human form, she only gives me that stiff, formal smile…

But that carefree grin, like a flower blooming in the spring…that one did a number on his heart.

He couldn’t have her acting so upset forever, so he preferred that smile to her gloomy frown, but still, he was curious about what caused this drastic change.

“I’ll have to look into it…”

Glenreed already knew of the suspicious activity that Natalie seemed to be at the center of.

It was possible he’d be able to shake something else loose.

The more cards he had to play, the better.

Five more days and it would be his birthday.

Detecting that some sort of disturbance had occurred, Glenreed called a servant into his office.

◆ ◆ ◆

THE five days before His Majesty’s birthday party went by in a flash. There were many things I had to figure out and prepare for. It was a whirlwind of work, and before I knew it, the day had arrived.

When I stepped into the assembly hall, all the eyes in the room turned to look at me.

I rarely showed my face outside of the villa. To most people, this was their first opportunity to catch a glimpse of the new queen.

Curiosity. Caution. Valuation. Observation.

I didn’t let their stares make me waver—I kept my gait steady and elegant as I walked.

My hair swayed with each step. The maids had painstakingly decorated it with a detailed array of white imitation roses and gems.

I was wearing a favorite dress of mine that I’d brought with me from Elltoria. The fabric was bright red, like a rose in bloom, with golden embroidery the same color as my hair. My puffy sleeves and the neckline that exposed my collarbones were both bordered by layers of frills and lace as white as snow.

Compared with the simple dresses and aprons I was used to wearing in the kitchen, all the accessories were actually making it hard to move around. But this extravagant dress was absolutely necessary to present myself as the queen, and it was catching the eye of everyone around me too.

I exchanged smiles with each person I passed. Eventually, I spotted Lady Natalie and her group.

“Good day. I’m glad to see you now that I’m wearing proper attire for a change.”

Diaz sneered at me in response.

Of course, I wanted her to know I hadn’t forgotten her rude comment from when she barged into my kitchen five days ago.

That act of bad manners was something I could even punish her for. However, it would be hard to follow through for something that insignificant, what with Diaz being a noblewoman.

Plus, there was the chance she would counterattack and claim I was trying to silence her after stealing her chiffon cake recipe. That would only leave me with a real mess on my hands.

If we were going to have a showdown, then it had to be today, when I’d made the necessary preparations in advance.

“Greetings, Your Majesty. I’d like to wish you a happy twenty-fourth birthday.”

“Yes, thank you. It’s a bit livelier here than at your villa, but I hope you’re able to enjoy the party.”

My seat was the queen’s throne to his left.

After we exchanged much lighter conversation than one would expect between a husband and wife, I took my seat next to the king.

I stole a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. The man was showing no sign of emotion on his face.

His straight silver hair framed his beautiful face like strands of ice. King Glenreed’s body was tall and visibly toned underneath that navy coat with gold embroidery, and he wore a black collared hood draped over his right shoulder. This regal outfit, fit for the ruler of Wolfvarte, was tied together by a white cravat around his neck, which bore a shiny blue-green gem—the same color as his eyes.

“We will now begin the birthday festivities in honor of His Majesty, King Glenreed.”

One of the noblemen gave the announcement to the room, and one by one, guests began to take turns presenting their birthday gifts to the king.

Most of the gifts were famous handicrafts or gems from the guests’ dominion within the kingdom. The line moved forward, and then it was time for Lady Natalie to present her imitation chiffon cake. The other nobles seemed a bit surprised by this.

“He doesn’t often receive food as a present.”

“She must be completely confident in the quality, don’t you think?”

“I tried that cake the other day. It was a texture I’d never quite experienced before.”

“The flavor wasn’t so impressive, but that texture she came up with is something in itself.”

“I haven’t seen a cake in that shape before either. As a present, it’s certainly memorable.”

As I suspected, these nobles were unfamiliar with the shape and texture of the chiffon cake. Giran, while being introduced to the king as the inventor of the cake, shot me a triumphant look.

I silently fumed over his lack of remorse until it was my turn to present.

As both the queen and the last person in the room to go, I could feel all the excitement from the onlookers about my gift.

I stood up. Gilbert and Lucian, both holding trays, followed me as I moved forward.

I bowed before the king. Lucian removed his tray’s lid at my command, and I heard a wave of commotion travel through the room. But everyone quickly fell silent at the sight of the king’s glare.

“What’s the meaning of this? That looks exactly like the cake Natalie just presented me.”

“It’s not the same. This cake is a delicious treat and a worthy gift for you, my king.”

“Oh? So, you’re saying Natalie stole your cake recipe?”

“Yes, I am. Chef Giran identified himself as the creator of the chiffon cake, but that is nothing more than an ugly lie, and it has no place here among the festivities.”

“I see. Chef Giran, let’s hear your response to the queen’s accusations.”

“That’s a bald-faced lie! Queen Laetitia is the only dishonest one here!”

Giran leaped out from behind Lady Natalie.

“The chiffon cake was first created by us, and we have proof! Just a few days ago, we treated many people to this cake at our party!”

“Right, I’ve heard of that. Laetitia, how do you explain yourself?”

“It may be true that they were first to reveal the cake to the world, but don’t you find that odd in itself? If they created the cake for your birthday, Your Majesty, then they shouldn’t be sharing it with so many people beforehand, lest they spoil the surprise of their brand-new creation.”

I heard a few whispers of agreement from the crowd of nobles.

“Chef Giran had only one reason for such an action—he wanted to claim credit for the stolen recipe by showing it off first.”

“That’s completely groundless! Have you no shame as a queen, trying to justify your plagiarism with false claims like this?!”

“Plagiarism? The only one guilty of that is you. This chiffon cake is something I’d been planning to make since before I even came to this kingdom, and I was the first one to complete it here in Wolfvarte.”

“You’re just uttering complete nonsense now!” Giran snickered at me. “Noblewomen in your kingdom don’t even cook. You’ll have to come up with better lies than that, I’m afraid!”

“You’re right, that’s the general culture of my kingdom, but I’ve taken to the kitchen as a hobby even before I came here. By all means, go and ask the chefs who used to work for me, and they’ll confirm everything I’ve just said.”

“That won’t be proof of anything! Of course your chefs are just going to lie to cover their employer’s story!!”

“Yes, that’s true. You might be right about that.” I let him have that one. “So, let me ask you. Do you have any proof that you created the chiffon cake before me? Aside from the tea party from five days ago, of course.”

“Lady Natalie, the other chefs, and I can all speak to the truth.”

“No, that won’t work. You’re the one who just said my own chefs have no credibility when it comes to this subject, so why would yours be any different?”

“I…!”

As Giran struggled to come up with an answer, Diaz took his place in front of the crowd.

“It’s not just our chefs. To create the cake’s unique shape, we had a special mold made by a blacksmith six months ago.”

“A blacksmith who works for your family, I assume? Once again, your employees could easily perjure themselves, so that won’t serve as proof.”

“…You don’t trust anyone, do you? It’s not as if you have any definitive proof of your own, Your Majesty. At the very least, we’re the ones who revealed the cake to the world five days ago.”

“If it’s proof you want, it’s proof you shall receive.” I smiled at Diaz and turned to look at the king. “Your Majesty, in order to prove myself, I’d like to perform a spell. May I have your permission?”

“…Very well. I’ll allow it.”

His blue-green eyes narrowed on me, looking interested.

Lucian handed me a cloth bag. It was a small pouch that could fit in the palm of my hand. Inside was…

“Iron scraps…?”

“What does she intend to do with those?”

The suspicious murmurs of the crowd of nobles served as background music while I prepared to use my magic.

Once again, I would be turning to transmutation—the spell that had proved most useful to me since regaining the memories of my past life.

“That shape…”

“Is that what she used to make the cake?”

I held up the doughnut-shaped chiffon cake mold to the murmuring crowd.

“This is proof that I came up with the chiffon cake recipe long ago.”

“…What could you possibly mean by that?” Diaz gave a mocking laugh. “Okay, I see you can use your little spells, but this isn’t the time for you to show off.”

“‘Little’ spell, is that right? What if I told you this transmuted cake mold will retain its shape for three entire days?!”

“Good heavens!!”

That cry came from a stout middle-aged man in the crowd.

“Pardon my interruption! Your Majesty, is that true?! Might I have a look at that mold for myself?!”

“Certainly. Be my guest.”

The man rushed up to me. I handed him the mold. He examined it closely, occasionally tapping at the metal surface and looking for any signs of wear.

“I can see this mold shows no signs of cracking, even when I tap it with my fingers… Does it really last for three days in this shape?”

“It does. It will last for three at least, but more likely four or five days in all.”

“How marvelous!”

With that declaration, he held the cake mold up to the sky like it was a gift from God. Everyone stopped and stared at this strange behavior.

Realizing how he was acting, the man cleared his throat and stood up straight.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, for that shameful display. My name is Bodorey, and I work as the head sorcerer of the Wolfvartian royal court. I couldn’t help but be overcome by your marvelous act of magic, my queen.”

“…Marvelous? She only made that one little cake mold. It seems pretty ordinary to me,” Diaz remarked with suspicion in her voice.

Transmutation is seen as a minor form of magic, which is why Diaz didn’t seem to understand the value of what I’d made.

“Why, this is anything but ordinary!! Most transmuted objects only last a day at the very most. For this to last as long as three days is a tremendous achievement! Our queen’s impressive skill at such a young age can only be described as marvelous.”

“All right, thank you very much for the lesson. So was there some reason she had to show it off here?”

“There absolutely was. The strength and durability of transmuted items are physical expressions of the caster’s experience and imaginative mind. Her Majesty appears to be a skilled sorcerer, but even so, she could not create a cake mold like this at the drop of a hat. This could take years or more to master… Well, at the very least, it’s safe to say she learned to make this before she arrived in this kingdom.”

I mentally gave Bodorey my thanks, then took my turn to speak.

“Indeed, it’s just as Mr. Bodorey says. I began transmuting cake molds two years ago, and after dozens of failed attempts, I was able to make one that lasted a few days before it fell apart. That was about a year ago now.”

“Only a year?! Incredible!”

The glimmer in his eyes was a little too intense for me.

In truth, I’d actually succeeded in transmuting a cake mold that survived as long as a month, and after only a few days of practice too. The reason for my transmutation success was due to the years I’d lived two separate lives, which kind of felt like cheating. My presentation wasn’t entirely the truth, but since I really was the inventor of the chiffon cake in this world, I didn’t feel too guilty about it.

The mold I’d just made was purposefully weakened so as not to draw suspicion.

When I looked around the room, I could see that the nobles were now staring at me with more approval than before.

“She’s been practicing cake molds for two whole years?”

“That’s definitely before she came to our kingdom, then.”

“This makes Lady Natalie’s proof look rather weak…”

“With that strange shape, it’s hard to imagine they both came up with it on their own.”

Now that Diaz was feeling the accusing stares on her from all angles, her face twisted in fury.

“This is a farce! The queen’s head chef, Gilbert, got his job after we fired him from our kitchen! And then, to retaliate, he sold off our recipe!!”

“Actually, it’s the opposite. You couldn’t stand that Gilbert and I had such a success after you forced him out of your kitchen, and that’s why you wanted to hurt us. I have the proof right here, in fact.”

With that signal, Gilbert removed the lid from the tray he was holding.

A light-brown chiffon cake sat atop the tray, visible to all.

“For this cake, we added a bit of black tea to the batter. If we’re the ones who stole and changed your recipe, then you should easily be able to make a chiffon cake with black tea to show us, right?”

“I…”

Giran gave a frustrated grunt.

Despite this fuss, he was still an experienced chef. He knew all too well that as simple as it looked, altering a recipe wasn’t likely to result in immediate success.

The truth was that this black tea chiffon cake was the result of my past life knowledge, as well as Gilbert’s incredible skill as a chef, unrivaled even by Giran—a man who wouldn’t be able to re-create it on his first try.

“I haven’t brought them with me, but I’m capable of making many other flavors of chiffon cake as well. If you say I stole the recipe, then you should be able to create the same variations yourself, right?”

“…! That’s not true!” shouted Diaz.

“She based this black tea version and all the rest on the recipe she stole from us! And now she’s trying to blame us for— Eek?!”

I had Father’s sinister smile on my face as I approached Diaz and whispered to her. “Perhaps it’s time you admit your guilt? If you think I still lack proof, I can go ahead and put the final nail in the coffin.”

“Quit your bluffing. If you have proof, then show me, right now!!”

“I really thought you’d learn when to back down, but I guess not. Right now, in my closet drawer at home, you’ll find all the proof you need. Shall I have it brought here at once?”

“I don’t believe you!! I’m sure it’s just fake pr—”

“Diaz, be silent.”

Diaz’s shouts of desperation were interrupted by a quiet voice.

The room fell to a hush all at once.

It was none other than Lady Natalie, the girl who had gone largely forgotten so far, who had spoken.

“Stop making a fool of yourself in front of His Majesty. We’re the ones at fault here.”

“L-Lady Natalie? What are you talking about?”

Diaz had no idea how to respond to Lady Natalie, who was now talking.

Even I was a bit shocked.

Throughout this whole fight, Lady Natalie had stayed as silent as a doll.

“I didn’t order the plagiarism of the chiffon cake… But Diaz and Giran are both my responsibility, and I’d like to accept punishment on their behalf.” Lady Natalie’s voice wavered, but she managed to say the words.

“Lady Natalie?! What are you saying?! The queen is entirely to blame for this! We haven’t done anything wrong!”

“Are you telling me the truth?” asked King Glenreed, who had been observing this new development.

Diaz turned to offer a desperate explanation to the man who controlled both the room and the kingdom itself.

“Of course! We made the chiffon cake first!”

“I see.”

The king nodded, but…

“You must think I’m a real fool, trying to feed me such a ridiculous story.”

“What?! Whatever do you mean, Your Majesty?! I think nothing of the sort!”

“You’ve given me nothing but lies. See for yourself.”

His aide handed Diaz a single sheet of paper, then made his way around the room, distributing more of the papers to me and the other nobles.

Each sheet bore the king’s signature.

It contained a statement—testimony from Diaz’s blacksmith. “Miss Diaz instructed me to claim I made the cake mold six months ago.”

Diaz was now trembling in fear. She knew this was the truth.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself, Diaz?”

“I…”

“Surprised your blacksmith betrayed you? It’s simple. You used your family power to threaten him into perjuring himself, but when a greater power came along, he changed his tune. I ordered the investigation that resulted in this testimony because I knew you were up to something suspicious.”

Diaz collapsed at this declaration from the king.

Rather than “arrogant,” His Majesty actually appeared to be a clever man. He was prepared to question Diaz about the plagiarism well in advance, having the papers written up and everything.

Then he chose this opportunity to reveal her crimes to an audience.

This was so he could take the wind out of the sails of the conspirators from the western region, as well as display his power and investigative skills to everyone else in the room.

If I had decided to roll over and let them get away with the plagiarism, His Majesty might have had his own plans in place to expose their crimes.

King Glenreed was still young at the age of twenty-four, and the lack of control he exercised over the Wolfvartian nobles was seen as a weakness by some, but maybe he was actually extremely capable when it came to governing after all.

“Compared with Lady Natalie, who tried to take the blame for her own subordinates, you, Diaz, completely disgust me. You and Giran have brought shame to your chefs, and there will be no escaping the punishment that awaits you.”

◇　◇　◇

“YOUR Majesty!!”

After the events of the birthday party settled down and I brought other matters to a close, I returned home to the villa and found Gilbert rushing out to meet me.

“I heard you proved that we were the ones who made the chiffon cake first!”

“Yes, everything managed to work out, thanks to the black tea chiffon cake we made together. Thank you, Gilbert.”

“No, my queen! I should be thanking you!” He shook his head from side to side. “Giran’s plot fell apart thanks to all the effort you put into revealing the truth!”

“Thank you, Gilbert. I’m so glad I get to return your letter of resignation.”

Lucian handed me the letter and I passed it back to Gilbert.

Gilbert first gave me this letter when the chiffon cake plagiarism came to light.

He knew he was an enemy in the eyes of Giran and Diaz, so if we were unable to prove our ownership of the recipe, he wanted to resign as my head chef and claim responsibility for the whole incident.

At first, I tried to refuse his resignation, but Gilbert didn’t back down.

He always seemed like the timidest of men, and he wasn’t exactly brave of heart deep down, but there was also a stubborn side of him that knew what he wanted. Even that first time we made the chiffon cake here in the villa, he’d tried to resign on me too.

“Hehe! It was quite surprising to receive two separate letters of resignation over such a short period of time…”

“…You have my sincerest apologies!”

“No, it’s all right. I don’t know what I’d do if you quit, so as long as you stay here in the villa, it’s not a problem.”

Gilbert would continue to work under my roof.

That was one of the reasons why I worked so hard over the last few days.

He knew so much about food and always prepared me wonderful meals, and not to mention, he helped me re-create a number of Earth recipes already. Gilbert was a valuable person to have with me.

Though he lacked courage and had a tendency to be too negative about himself, I knew he took great pride in his work as a chef.

“There’s still lots of meals I’d like you to help me cook. You’ll stay here and make even more delicious food with me, won’t you?”

“Of course! Getting to cook with you is an honor unbefitting of someone like me!”

Gilbert had turned red. Since he was usually so pale, it was a bit of a rare sight.

With that, the two of us began to discuss our next endeavors in the kitchen.

◆ ◆ ◆

AFTER parting ways with Laetitia, Gilbert sat in his room inside the villa, staring down at the letter of resignation.

“Tomorrow, I’ll get to work here again…”

His heart warmed in a combination of relief and happiness.

Gilbert knew he was a man who struggled to get on in the world. He was aware that he was a timid, undependable person too.

After being driven out of Natalie’s villa by Giran, he ended up working for Laetitia, only to bring more trouble to her doorstep.

“And yet, the queen didn’t want to get rid of me…”

He felt his heart start to speed up when he thought of her.

Laetitia was beautiful, wise, and cooked all kinds of delicious meals.

Still, she always smiled kindly at him. He still remembered how fast his heart raced when she first asked if they could cook together.

Queen Laetitia…

Her title carried weight, and he knew if she were anyone else, Gilbert would never be able to speak so casually to the queen.

It was nothing more than a coincidence that she chose him to be her cooking partner. And yet…

“Thank you…”

Gilbert was determined to live up to Laetitia’s every expectation.

◆ ◆ ◆

ON the same night that Gilbert was reflecting on his dedication to Laetitia…

Glenreed had finished reviewing all of his birthday presents and decided to take a short break.

I’m kind of hungry…

The king usually wasn’t so aware of the state of his stomach.

Glenreed had little interest in food. He never minded missing a meal or two, and no one particular food or meal ever sounded better to him than another.

But now, it was a sweet aroma that was coaxing an appetite out of Glenreed.

“A chiffon cake, huh…?”

He turned his gaze to the silver platter that sat atop his desk. It was Laetitia’s birthday present to him.

Glenreed’s sharp nose could pick up the sweet smell of cake, even from underneath the metal lid.

Its shape is unusual, but it smells normal for a baked good.

For some reason, the sweetness overcame him, and shockingly, the king felt an appetite start to form. He cocked his head, confused by this strange reaction from his body.

Very well. I’ll just give it a try.

The cake was a birthday present, after all. There was no reason why he couldn’t have a bite or two.

Glenreed removed the lid and found that the cake was already cut into slices. He reached out and grabbed one for himself.

“……”

He chewed in silence.

“…This is good.”

The comment slipped out of his mouth, surprising even himself.

Glenreed couldn’t remember the last time he truly enjoyed anything he ate, but that reaction must have been involuntary.

The king usually had no interest in food. He didn’t even have the words to describe what it was he liked about the chiffon cake.

I’ll take one more slice.

Reaching out and taking one off the tray, Glenreed parted his lips to receive another slice of cake.

◆ ◆ ◆

AT His Majesty’s birthday celebration, Giran and the others fell under suspicion of plagiarizing our chiffon cake recipe.

Though no humans were harmed, the location of the reveal was a big problem.

Gifting the king a plagiarized cake was the ultimate sign of disrespect. That’s why Diaz broke down so dramatically that day.

The head of Diaz’s household, Lady Natalie, was also shaken up, but even as she turned pale, she never backed down until the end.

I’d always seen Lady Natalie as something like a doll without a will of her own, so her intense transformation surprised me. I wondered if she couldn’t stand the sight of her subordinates continuing to rattle off false evidence, so she felt compelled to speak up.

It appeared I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. The young girl gained a lot of sympathy by trying to take the blame for her subordinates’ actions.

She wouldn’t be acquitted, I was quite sure, but if she were to lose her spot as a candidate for queen, relationships were sure to fall apart and cause chaos among the ranks.

Now, two days after the birthday party, there was still discussion about what their punishment was to be.

“Krona, I’ve been invited to a party of nobles outside the castle walls this evening, so I’ll be back somewhat late. Can you check to be sure Strawberry, the cat, doesn’t get locked in my room tonight?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Have a good time at the party!”

Krona sent me off as I boarded my carriage and left the royal villa.

A nobleman’s mansion outside the castle walls…

…was not where I was heading.

“You were right, my queen. There they are,” Lucian whispered to me.

We exited the carriage and turned back, hidden from view. We stood behind the trees that bordered the villa.

The two of us watched as a hooded figure emerged from the house.

Here at my villa, I had guards who were permanently stationed to protect me, and soldiers from the castle also regularly patrolled the area.

The person wasn’t being stopped by the guards, nor was there any patrol out at that moment, meaning it had to be someone who worked on the inside.

But at this hour, there was no reason for anyone at the villa to be going out.

“This is it. Let’s follow them.”

Lucian and I quietly pursued the shadowy figure.

My trusty servant was the only one I could take with me, since I had no proof of the true traitor in our midst.

The cloaked figure continued through the silent forest.

Though we were technically within the castle walls, the land was just that vast. There didn’t appear to be any guards on patrol in these isolated sections where there stood no buildings.

Anxiously, we followed our subject until we reached a bit of a clearing.

This was their meeting place. The cloaked figure started to speak with a few men, when I spotted the feathery body of a gigantic creature glowing under the starlight.

“A griffin… That means…”

This was a type of Mythical Beast.

Griffins were incredibly rare. I’d heard it was Lady Natalie’s associates who brought it here to the castle.

If the stolen chiffon cake didn’t work out, they were planning to gift the king with a griffin on the day of his party.

Griffins are creatures of legend, with birdlike talons and beaks, majestic wings, and the strong haunches and torsos of lions.

This one appeared to be kept in an unpopulated area, to be sure it wouldn’t attack any passing humans or beastfolk.

“I’d heard that griffins were proud, peaceful animals…”

But this one was snapping its beak and kicking at the ground as it paced around.

It seemed to be upset, probably because it was tied to a metal post by a thick rope. It scanned its birdlike eyes around the area, until…

“Gyo-iiiii!!”

Oops.

Its sharp senses appeared to have picked up our presence.

When the griffin started to screech, the men all turned to look at us.

“Y-Your Majesty?!”

I knew that voice.

It was Krona, my maid.

The beastfolk girl had keen senses of her own. She could see us even in the dark of night.

“Why have you come here, Your Majesty…?”

“Because I was suspicious of you.”

With no reason left to hide, I emerged from the bushes where I was standing.

The men looked shocked to see me, and they quickly stood at alert.

“But…why? I haven’t done anything to be suspicious of…”

“That’s true. You’ve been a fantastic maid, and as far as your schemes went, you carried them out perfectly.”

“Then, how did you…?”

“Because of your personality, and how you never acted like a maid in the first place.”

“What? It was something that simple…?” Krona’s mouth fell open a little.

That reaction, in such a serious setting as this, seemed like the perfect example.

Honestly, I always liked how Krona marched to the beat of her own drum.

The doubts started when I thought about why a girl like her would choose a job where she was forced to wait on other people. I even wondered if someone had forced her to sneak in as a maid and give them an inside man under my roof.

It was just a crazy idea of mine, but that wasn’t the only reason I questioned her.

First, the chiffon cake that Giran came up with—it was more like a rip-off than an imitation of ours.

But all the chefs at my villa were well versed in the chiffon cake recipe. Even if one of them had betrayed me and sold off the recipe, we wouldn’t have seen such a drop in quality.

Of course, there were small differences when it came to things like the skills of the chefs involved, as well as the actual utensils used.

But even if Giran wasn’t quite at Gilbert’s level, he was still a very talented chef.

The shape of the chiffon cake mold, the most unique cooking utensil in this world, had been masterfully re-created by their blacksmith.

Even if they didn’t steal a whisk from our villa or try to re-create one, I knew the whisk wasn’t absolutely necessary in the first place.

When Gilbert and I tried making a few cakes by using a wooden spatula or fork instead of a whisk, the finished results weren’t as good, but they were still acceptable as chiffon cakes, so we knew it was possible to substitute the whisk entirely.

That’s why I found it strange that Giran’s cake lacked so much of the flavor that ours had.

But it would all make sense if the traitor wasn’t one of the chefs.

Aside from the chefs, few people in the house would be able to keep a close eye on our cooking process.

There was also the possibility our kitchen was being spied on, or that the information only came from one of the chefs secondhand, but that wouldn’t have yielded anything close to the complete recipe for the thief.

Other than the chefs, there were very few servants who could know how to make the chiffon cake.

There was Borgan or the head maid, who were in charge of all the work throughout the house overall. The only person left was Krona, who had been in the kitchen on the day I first made the cake.

She’d been in the kitchen with me while I prepared the ingredients and utensils, but she had to leave the room when I actually worked on the recipe. She could probably only guess the proper steps in making the cake.

Assuming that she was the traitor, it made sense why the fake chiffon cake didn’t turn out very well.

Now I was getting into conjecture, but I wondered if Krona didn’t properly understand how I used the oil in my recipe.

When I first tasted the fake chiffon cake, it reminded me of my failed attempt at making one in my past life, when I forgot to add any oil to the batter.

I was pretty sure it was uncommon to add vegetable oil, instead of something like butter, to a dessert recipe in this world.

She probably mistakenly thought the oil was supposed to be used on the cake mold itself or something like that, and she gave Giran the wrong information as a result.

Well, the details didn’t matter.

There were still many things I wanted to hear from Krona.

“Krona, I had your past investigated and learned that you’re from a famous commoner family. But your parents passed away three years ago, isn’t that right? And unfortunately, they were traders who lost their goods in the same accident that took their lives, leaving you behind with their debts. You have a little sister as well, so it’s not unnatural for you to have taken the high-paying job of royal villa maid… I’m just a bit curious about who you’re in debt to.”

“…My parents borrowed money from someone who worked for Miss Diaz’s family.”

“…I thought so.”

If they were related to Diaz, they probably looked down on beastfolk.

They beckoned Krona, a beastfolk girl, into their merciless debt repayment scheme, maybe even demanding she be their pawn if she couldn’t pay back the money.

But certainly, she took the job as a maid for its use in undercover work.

“Please allow me to ask…how did you find out I was the traitor?”

She trembled as she spoke.

“Who knows? Maybe it was my women’s intuition.”

I had my reasons, of course, but I wasn’t about to give them away so easily.

Another hint came from the day of the birthday party, when Giran revealed he wasn’t familiar with the black tea chiffon cake.

We only made that version after Giran first stopped by to visit the villa. Keeping the kitchen locked down while we cooked, we were careful not to let any information escape the premises. Simultaneously, this became free time for the chefs to do as they pleased in the kitchen.

I kept them under strict orders not to reveal the black tea cake to anyone, but if any of them were the traitor, they still would have gone straight to Giran with that information.

On the day of the party, Giran looked shocked by what appeared to be his first time seeing the black tea chiffon cake.

At that point, I could safely assume none of my chefs were the traitor under our roof.

The black tea chiffon cake really proved useful in more ways than one.

After narrowing down the suspects, I decided it was time to lay a trap.

On the day of the birthday party, I lied when I told Diaz that the ultimate proof of her plagiarism was in my bedroom.

Earlier today, I’d left a fake, official-looking envelope, sealed with wax and everything, in the back of the drawer in my writing desk. Then, I’d asked Krona to check on it for me.

If she was guilty, I expected her to use the opportunity to steal this valuable “proof.”

Just as I expected, Krona took the bait.

She was here to deliver her co-conspirators the important documents. In fact, looking around, I realized I recognized these men.

I’d seen them in Lady Natalie’s villa, standing at attention by Diaz’s side.

Diaz was under house arrest for the plagiarism incident, but she was probably still able to send out her subordinates to destroy evidence for her, at the very least.

She probably knew that any extra evidence from me could lead to a more severe punishment in her case, so she used Krona as an intermediary to get the evidence away from me.

I’d kept my eye on Krona, who just seemed dazed by the shock of having her betrayal revealed, when suddenly…

“Krona, look out!!”

“?!”

One of the men had thrown something on her.

The glass bottle and the liquid inside sparkled in the starlight.

Krona was now soaked in something that reeked of fish.

“What…?!”

“Go, griffin! The beast maid should make a nice meal!”

Another man loosened the rope that was attached to the griffin’s neck.

The rope remained fastened, but with some slack in it now, the griffin could move around in a wider radius. The creature took flight and headed straight for the drenched Krona.

“This way, Krona!!”

I screamed for the girl to follow me, and the two of us dashed into the forest.

Blocked by the dense row of trees, the griffin came to a quick halt and turned back the way it had come.

But it didn’t appear to have given up. The griffin soared into the air and looked down from above the trees, searching for a glimpse of us. If we strayed too far from the cover of the trees, the griffin would surely swoop down on us.

“Haha! This is perfect! Let’s get that fake queen out of our way while we’re at it!”

The men gave enthusiastic cheers. They were illuminated by the starlight, loudly making their voices heard, and yet, the griffin didn’t try to attack them.

“It’s your scent…!”

The smell coming off Krona was probably meat juice or blood of some kind. And the griffin must have looked unhappy because it was hungry. If someone appeared before it like that, smelling of delicious meat, there was no way it wouldn’t attack.

“Were they planning to kill me as soon as I gave them the evidence…?” Krona paled as she murmured this realization to herself.

As beastfolk, Krona’s body was more powerful than a human’s.

If she wasn’t totally spaced out like before, Krona should have no problem keeping up with those humans if it came to a fight.

Now that Diaz was under house arrest, if she sent any of her soldiers out, it would look like she was plotting an insurrection. She couldn’t use soldiers, but she still wanted to kill Krona, an accomplice in the plagiarism, to shut her up for good.

That’s why Krona was told to meet all the way out here, where the griffin was kept.

“Get away from me, Your Majesty! The griffin will get you too if you don’t run!”

At my command, Lucian stopped Krona from jumping in front of us as a decoy.

“Your Majesty?! What are you doing?!”

“Just wait. I think I can stop this griffin with magic.”

“Don’t lie to me! You can’t hit an animal in the air with m—”

“Yes I can.”

Actually, it made for a more convenient target.

I didn’t have to worry about my aim as much, since there was no risk if I missed my shot. I focused on my body, weaving the magical energy through my veins, chanted my spell, and…

“Gyowah?!”

A lightning bolt shot from the ground and struck the griffin with a bright burst.

Unfortunately, my older brothers had done a very good job of teaching me precise spells.

The first time I tried to use that water blade spell on Sumia, I let my guard down and nearly hit her, but this time, my aim was just as I intended.

The griffin came crashing down to the ground, but it had only fainted and didn’t appear to be injured. That was part of my plan too.

The griffin’s only crime was being forced into a hungry state, so I definitely didn’t want to kill the poor thing. Though, for that reason, it took some time to calculate the correct amount of force, and I felt bad that the delay seemed to have scared Krona.

With their griffin now powerless, the men tried to flee.

“You’re not getting away.”

With a quick spell, I trapped the men inside a cage of ice.

Just to be safe, I surrounded the sleeping griffin with the same ice too.

Unlike my transmuted items, these walls would only last for a short amount of time, but it worked as an emergency blockade.

“I sure do like it in the forest. You can use your spells without worrying about getting into trouble. Don’t you think it’s nice?”

“…Your Majesty, you’re probably the only queen in the whole world who would see it that way…”

She seemed a bit weirded out at first, but then, Krona knelt down at my feet.

“Your Majesty, I give you my sincerest apologies for taking part in the plagiarism scheme. I’m prepared to accept your punishment…however…”

“Is it your sister?”

She nodded.

“I know very well that I betrayed you, and I have no right to ask for anything. But…still, please don’t let my sister be hurt by my crimes…”

“I can’t give you my word… But I’ll keep an eye out for your younger sister.”

“Thank you for your kindness…”

Clear teardrops ran down Krona’s face and into the dirt.

Now that she was free from the pressure of her betrayal and the terror of the griffin, her eyes seemed to be letting go of all the tears she’d held back.

I understood that Krona had no choice but to do what she did.

When I saw her put herself between me and the griffin, I knew her feelings for me were the real thing. I didn’t want to believe that all the happiness I’d seen from her, like the first time she bit into that chiffon cake, had been a lie.

But still, she was guilty of betraying me, her master, and was involved in the plagiarized birthday present for the king. I couldn’t allow her to be declared innocent. It wasn’t proper for a queen, nor would it make any sense.

I would put in a request for her punishment to be reduced…but she would probably still end up serving time in jail.

Krona’s sister would lose her parents to the accident and her sister to her crimes, and she’d be left alone with nothing but the remaining debt.

With nowhere else to turn, the girl’s future was all but decided already. The sister was a victim, and she hadn’t done anything wrong.

With the image in my mind of Krona throwing herself in front of the griffin, I decided I would do what I could to give her younger sister a bright future to look forward to.