Serina's Cookies and the Dinner Invitation
"Dinner's ready."
"Yeah."
When I went down to the dining room, it was filled with all sorts of dishes just like when Marine first arrived. Cani must have given her instructions, because there was far more of the bread Serina loved than usual.
"Ooh..." Serina looked absolutely delighted at the sight of breads that could never be made in the kitchen. I was a little surprised myself. Bread takes a long time to prepare from the kneading stage alone, so how had they managed it?
I called over the head chef standing nearby.
"Aren't those dishes that take forever to make?"
"Baking is a personal hobby of mine, so I prepared them in advance."
No wonder he was always shut away in the kitchen even outside of meal prep hours. It was clearly his true calling.
After we finished eating and enjoyed a short tea time, I immediately prepared to send Serina back. I had no idea what might happen if Marine caught us.
Clip-clop, clip-clop. The sound of horse hooves filled the streets that had fallen quiet with the setting sun.
This world displayed technological prowess that surpassed modern times in certain areas thanks to magic, but those benefits belonged exclusively to the upper class. Ordinary commoners couldn't enjoy them. A prime example was magic lighting. The wealthy could use mana-powered lights to stay active long after sunset, but ordinary citizens of the empire still relied on torches, making nighttime activity difficult.
I had experimented with a few ideas myself, but since I was a liberal arts major in my original world, I couldn't pull it off.
"We've arrived."
"See you tomorrow, Serina."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow!"
After we said our goodbyes, Serina hopped down from the carriage with the bag of bread the chef had given her and was about to head into the knight academy dormitory when she suddenly turned back.
"Hendel, wait a second!"
"Huh?"
Serina, who had run inside the dormitory, returned with a bag of cookies wrapped in a pretty ribbon. Even at a glance, it was obvious they had been made with tremendous care. She carefully handed me the bag.
"Thank you so much for today. This is my gift."
They were cookies shaped like adorable little dogs.
"I'll enjoy them."
"Yeah!"
I waved back at Serina, who was smiling brightly and waving enthusiastically, then returned to the mansion.
But there was a woman standing in front of the house. I looked closer and realized it was Marine. Her expression didn't look good at all.
A sense of foreboding washed over me. I hurriedly climbed down from the carriage and approached her.
"You're back early."
"..."
Marine stood with her arms crossed.
"Where were you out so late?"
The sight of her standing there with her arms folded reminded me of a wife interrogating her salaryman husband for coming home late. As I scrambled for a good excuse, my eyes landed on the bag of cookies Serina had given me. It looked quite luxurious at first glance, so she'd probably believe me if I said I'd bought it at a bakery.
I shook the cookie bag and said, "I suddenly got a craving for cookies for dessert, so I stopped by the bakery."
"If you wanted cookies, you could have just sent a servant. Why did you go yourself, Hendel?"
"You know how I am, Marine. I like browsing goods."
It was true. Back when I was working with the Carde Magic Tower, I'd gone around visiting shops like crazy to squeeze out even the smallest ideas. When Marine had asked why back then, I'd simply told her I enjoyed shopping.
"Hmmm... Fine. I'll believe you."
"Uh... yeah. Thanks."
I could already see what married life with Marine would look like.
I followed her inside the mansion. In the distance, I saw a red-haired maid approaching with quick steps.
"Young Master, did Miss Marine scold you?"
"No, I managed to talk my way out of it."
I took one cookie from the prettily wrapped bag and handed it to Cani.
"Here, a present."
"Ooh, how resourceful of you."
"Serina said she made them herself."
"Ah, I see."
Crunch. Cani popped it straight into her mouth. Her eyes sparkled.
"These are incredibly good?"
"Right?"
I'd already tried Serina's cookies before, so I grabbed one for myself. They melted softly in my mouth. They perfectly matched my preference for tender cookies over crunchy ones. Her skills seemed to have improved since last time.
After recharging with the cookies, I headed straight to Marine's room.
Knock, knock.
"Marine."
"Yes?"
"Can I come in?"
"Yes, come in."
Marine's room was still in the middle of being organized, with luggage scattered everywhere in chaotic fashion. The urge to clean it up crept over me, but I held back. The maids with their perfectionist tendencies must have had a reason for leaving it like this.
Marine had apparently already showered and changed into her pajamas.
"What is it?"
"There's something I need to ask your understanding about."
It was essentially asking for permission, but I clung to the last shred of my pride by phrasing it that way.
"What?"
The bright smile Marine had worn when I first entered the room vanished in an instant.
"From now on, I was thinking of inviting Serina and Carden to dinner as well."
I hadn't gotten Carden's permission yet, but given her recent difficulties, I was certain she'd accept without question.
"Why those girls?"
"They both seem to be struggling lately—"
Marine's face twisted.
"If that's the case, just give them money."
"They seem uncomfortable accepting money."
"Of course they wouldn't—wait a moment."
Marine swallowed the refusal that had been on her lips. She tapped her leg, lost in thought.
"Fine. Eat together."
"Really?"
I'd spoken expecting outright rejection, but Marine agreed far more easily than I'd anticipated.
"Then... should I start inviting them tomorrow?"
"Do as you like. But."
"But?"
"After the meal, they must return home immediately. Or stay within my line of sight."
"Understood."
Since my original goal had been to feed Serina and Carden while also raising my intimacy with Marine, this wasn't a bad outcome at all.
"Thank you, Marine."
With a bright smile, I quickly left her room. If I stayed too long, even without anything physical happening, there was no telling what kind of trouble might arise.
"Hmmm..."
Marine watched Hendel scurry away with suspicious eyes. When she'd first realized it was him knocking on the door, she'd been purely happy. But after hearing what he wanted, her mood had plummeted.
Why had she gone through all those contracts to live with Hendel in the first place? It was to increase even a little the time they spent together. Given that Hendel usually stayed shut up in his room whenever he was at the mansion, mealtimes were the only real opportunity to be with him. And now he was trying to use that precious time for other women.
Marine had been about to explode with anger when a sudden thought stopped her.
What if I just kept those women right in front of my eyes where I can manage them?
She had already noticed that Hendel's claim about buying cookies was a lie and that it had something to do with Serina. As someone who loved desserts, she knew every dessert shop in the imperial capital, and not a single one sold cookies like those.
Plus, there was the red ribbon on the snack bag Hendel had shown her. Marine, who thought it looked familiar, realized the ribbon and the way it was tied matched the ones Serina used every day when she tried to feed her homemade bread and snacks.
Coming home late at night by carriage just to receive prettily wrapped snacks? There was no way not to suspect an improper relationship.
If it had been up to her temper, she would have stormed over and flipped everything upside down. But she was bound by their contract. She couldn't carelessly touch the vixens around Hendel.
She could go to him right now and demand he cut ties with them, but they would simply meet behind her back anyway. Even if kind-hearted Hendel tried to distance himself, those girls would secretly reach out to him. And Hendel, who had trouble refusing people, would end up accepting again.
Marine bit her nails without realizing it. The mere thought of Hendel interacting with other women twisted her insides with unbearable pain. That's why, if they were going to meet anyway, she would make sure it happened right in front of her. As long as she kept both eyes wide open, they wouldn't be able to flirt with him openly.
In the room of Maid Cani. Having received her master's absolute favor and once risen to the position of Maid Chief, she had her own private quarters despite being a servant.
Cani couldn't hold back her laughter as she recalled what Hendel had told her earlier. Miss Marine had actually given permission! For Cani, who had built her plans on the assumption of rejection, this was an incredible stroke of luck that had fallen right into her lap.
If they all ate dinner together, Miss Marine would naturally try to keep the other women in check. And the more she tried to restrain them, the stronger the bond of the anti-Marine alliance would grow.
Cani clenched her fist tightly at how perfectly things were proceeding according to plan.