76: Tea Party Sweets

"Then, shall we enjoy tea here for a while?"

"Indeed. Let's do that."

"Miss Vee, I'll fetch the tea and sweets. Satu, please look after the notes while I'm away."

After finishing her conversation with Lord Flaretanbo, Villijanira moved to a corner of the tea party venue.

She sat down at an empty table that had been prepared there.

So I took my seat beside Villijanira, and Mebokushi went off to arrange the tea and sweets.

"..."

"Feeling a bit tired?"

"Not at all. If anything, I'll probably be exhausted from what's coming next."

"Hmm, yeah. I can see clearly enough that there are plenty of people here who're clearly trying to come over this way."

Normally, I should be standing behind Villijanira as her guard.

But if I do that, it'll just leave Villijanira sitting alone at the table, and anyone looking would immediately know who's coming over.

So currently, I'm sitting at the table as a kind of deterrent.

Moreover, Vilijaniira has already disclosed all the information she could, and any details beyond what Count Flaretanbo failed to inquire about have already been submitted behind the scenes. Those who have developed new questions upon hearing the information, or are considering countermeasures, are already engaged in discussions behind the scenes.

Therefore, anyone who would approach Viridianiara right now would either be someone utterly incapable of understanding the purpose of my presence here, or someone so eager—so desperate to ask even at the risk of incurring Viridianiara's displeasure—that they're willing to take the chance.

"Vee-sama, Sata-sama. It's ready."

Well, I doubt anyone will rush in right away.

Meanwhile, while the main body was observing the entire venue, I had Memokushi return with the maid from the Flaretanbo noble family.

The maids quickly finished preparing tea and sweets, then left.

Naturally, only enough for two was prepared—no extra servings.

"Then, shall we begin?"

I took a sip of the tea, just to be safe, doubling as a poison test.

Hmm, this tastes like tea made from Flaretanbo-system-grown leaves.

The aroma is just right, the flavor a well-balanced and complex blend of sourness, bitterness, and astringency, leaving a lingering aftertaste on the tongue.

It might be a matter of personal preference, but I'd put this in my favorite category.

Poison? There's no way it's in there.

"As for the sweets..."

Still, just to be safe, I reach out for a sweet as well.

There are four types available—macarons, cookies, cakes, and muffins—but each seems to feature multiple flavors, possibly to showcase the skill of the person who made them, or perhaps to demonstrate the influence of the Count Flaretanbo's family.

As for the taste itself... hmm, sweet.

I tried a macaron first, apparently the standard almond flavor, and it has a high-quality sweetness.

At first, it seemed a bit too sweet, but considering that the tea itself has no sweetness, I think the level of sweetness is just right.

The ingredients used are of high quality, and combined with the skill of the pastry chef, it simply tastes delicious.

Incidentally, most of the ingredients appear to come from the Flaretanbo star system, though some seem to originate from the Glogrobeta star system.

Well, given that there's such a large-scale farming system in the neighboring star system, it'd be strange if we weren't using it.

"Satā, is there an issue?"

"There's nothing to worry about."

"I understand."

With that, the poison test is complete.

Naturally, there was nothing wrong.

In any case, the sweetness levels ranked as macaron > cake > muffin > cookie, so I should inform Vilijanira of that as well.

I don't fully grasp how sweet Vilijanira likes her treats, but if I eat them in order from strongest sweetness to weakest, the flavors will blend together and become hard to distinguish.

Also, there are many flavors to choose from, but given the context of a tea party, I can't possibly try them all.

That's unfortunate, but I'll have to give up on that idea.

"Vee. How about you over there?"

"None of the guests, attendants, servants, or reporters seem to be behaving oddly. I suppose nothing will happen here after all."

"Then, the threat Vee has detected must be gathering information from the people present in this venue, and only then will it act."

"Considering it logically, that's probably the case. Rather, anyone causing trouble here would have to be someone already cornered with nothing to lose, or a madman who doesn't care about those around them—such people would likely have already been apprehended by the police right after the incident occurred."

"You're right about that."

Well, we've enjoyed our tea and sweets thoroughly, yet no other guests have come near our table so far.

It's almost as if the servants of the Count Flaretanbo have quietly turned this place into a spot where they can work and take breaks at the same time—there seem to be slightly more of them than at other tables, constantly rotating in shifts.

I also get the impression that they're watching us closely, as if silently warning, "If you get too close, I'll report you to the Count."

Am I just imagining things?

Anyway, since it works to my advantage, I'll just ignore it.

"Ugh, it would be nice if the threat just disappeared on its own like this."

"Yes, I truly feel the same way."

"Master Sata, Master Vee, please straighten your posture. You're supposed to look like guests."

It seems, at last, that a visitor has arrived specifically for Viridianira.

The person who appeared... probably someone drawn here by personal accomplishments, or perhaps a representative from a company.

Their appearance suggests as much.

Five men in suits were approaching us.

Due to our heightened alertness, our reactions are kept cautious.