"Les, Leticia, oh my god!!"

It was one of the young cooks who rushed in.

I was supposed to be off duty today and dressed up and down in simple beige personal clothes.

When the cook rushed into the kitchen, he saw the chiffon cake and it hardened.

"...!! I knew it...!!"

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?

"I saw it!! Today, Natalie-san had a massive tea party, so..."

"Excuse me, Mr. Reticcia. We have a customer."

The butler, Mr. Borgan, came into the kitchen.

Apparently, they're coming with us for an emergency.

Kind and able, Mr. Borgan respects my main culinary taste.

Normally, if you have a little business, you don't come to the kitchen and wait for me.

The fact that he came all the way here must have been an urgent requirement.

When I left the kitchen and asked Mr. Borgan, who was lying in the dog's ear with regret,

"Oh, did Leticia come here?

"...... Dears"

Dears, and the Guillaume chef, who shares her faction, were waiting.

Dears, who recognized us, twisted her lips to make a fool of herself.

"Master Leticia, I wonder if you and the queen would dress like that?

What I look like now is a simple apron dress with tied hair for cooking.

It certainly wasn't a good appearance as a queen, but there was no match for the opponent who attacked without an appointment.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. But isn't it enough to dress like this to greet a rude opponent? I still don't remember accepting an unexpected visit or being apologized for my rudeness?

"Apologize? Instead, I think we should be thanked.

"Oh, what do you mean?

"I think you can see why."

The Guillaume chef covered the basin he had in his hand.

"Chiffon cake"

Familiar egg cake.

The surface was slightly rough and feathered, but the doughnut-shaped one looked like a chiffon cake.

"Ah!! Leticia!! That's him!! Natalie's tea party served it today!!"

From behind, a young cook rushed in.

"I stole a Chiffon Cake imitating Lettucia and Gilbert!!"

"Stealing? What's wrong with people?

"Haah, don't joke... - Master Reticcia..."

I stopped the screaming young cook by hand and took a step forward instead.

I like to yell at him, but he's a civilian.

There was a danger that Dears, an aristocrat, would be punished if he kept quiet.

"Can you tell me what that means? Does that cake look exactly like the cake we were making?

"It's a lie. It's just a coincidence."

"Do you think you can push through with a coincidence?

"Unexpected, huh? Isn't that the one who imitated it? Earlier, the cook tried to make a scene by treating us like thieves. You came all the way here to advise me that such a common sense cook should be fired at once.

"Oh, that's too bad. I have no intention of firing this loyal cook."

To be perfectly clear, I turned my attention to the Guillaume chef.

"Let's say you're a cook too, right? Don't you know the shame of stealing someone else's recipe?

"What do you mean? Could it be that sinners are projecting their sins on others?

"... you really want to say that I stole your recipe?

"Is it different? This out-of-court chef, Gilbert, was the one who got his head cut off in this kitchen before. You tried to steal the recipe from us, didn't you?

"... you suck."

Don't hesitate to look at contempt.

Guillain-style chef, I felt like I was a disrespectful person when I was making a delightful dish based on harassment of a veterinarian.

However, stealing dishes honorably could only be described as the worst of cooks and people.

It's been a long time since I've felt so disgusted with others because I've lived in a quiet isolation here.

What made me even more angry was that the words of the Guillaume chef were quite convincing to the outside world.

Gilbert's claim that he stole from someone he didn't know directly makes him quite believable.

In addition, the situation is still bad, and I've been here, away from home.

It is painful that there is no one who can prove that I was making chiffon cake first, other than my close associates in the detachment.

"... I heard that Natalie-san is having a tea party today that invites ladies who are close friends and acquaintances. You're going to claim your rights by showing off the chiffon cake on the spot?

"It's natural for guests to enjoy their new cake, isn't it? As part of our charity, today's tea ceremony also serves a piece of cake to those who are impatient. Dozens of people will testify that we are the creators of the new cake."

You're kidding me about being part of a charity.

Anyway, the goal is to show more people the chiffon cake.

Thanks to that, this out-of-court young cook tried to alert me to the theft of a cake.

"... are you the originator of the chiffon cake? But isn't that what this is all about? You're going to submit a chiffon cake for Your Majesty's birthday in five days?

"Yeah, I'm going to. We made the chiffon cake. Looks like you've been developing a cake that looks just like this one for some reason, but I'd advise you not to submit it for your birthday. Don't you want to be convicted of theft in front of many people?

Kindly enough, Dears turned his heel back.

Well then, I'm busy for my birthday too, so I'll let you have some time. In five more days, in that short period of time, I'll be looking forward to seeing how wonderful you can prepare your offering. "

... that's what you're aiming for.

Items submitted for the Birthday are part of that person's rating.

Even if I don't prepare decent items, I will be despised and despised.

I had previously refused to join Natalie's faction owned by Dears.

If they don't, they're enemies.

It seemed like we were trying to weaken the country before we consolidated it.

"Hmm, this is what happens because I'm heavily using Gilbert. He was a knowledgeable and blind man. I wish I had stopped cooking when Natalie was kicked out of the courtyard, but you don't know where she is."

Unpleasant voice. I'm a Guillaume chef who talks a lot every time.

I'm not trying to hide my hostility to Gilbert.

Even if he was a cook, he had a little doubt about why he was involved in the theft of the cake.

"Were you jealous of Mr. Gilbert?

"Yes? What are you suddenly saying?

"I couldn't beat Gilbert with my cooking skills, so I made a statement and kicked Natalie out of the courtyard. You must have regretted knowing that he was being used heavily by me. I assume you've gotten your hands dirty for stealing Mr. Gilbert's credit?

"............!! Don't be ridiculous!!"

Guillain-style chef's face turns red and black. It looked like a picture star.

"I will also let you go!!"

The Guillaume chef leaves to escape.

After he left, the forgotten chiffon cake was left behind.

"Master Leticia, what should we do...?

Mr Gilbert murmured suddenly.

He's always a pale man, but now he's as pale as a ghost.

"I can't apologize for stealing a chiffon cake because of my presence....."

"There's nothing wrong with Gilbert. Guillaume chefs are just despicable."

"But...."

"First, why don't you check the taste of this abandoned chiffon cake? Then we'll work out the measures."

That's right, I wouldn't do anything stupid enough to poison this cake.

Guillain-chef can't forgive you, but the cake itself is not guilty.

Arrange the meal to make you angry and check the taste of the cake.

"Delicious... but not so bad."

"... I agree."

It seemed that Mr. Gilbert and I were in agreement.

The taste itself is not bad, but the fluffy texture of chiffon cake life is not good.

There was not enough moisture and it felt a little dry.

I feel that the failed chiffon cake I made when I was a former elementary school student and I forgot to add oil to the dough is nearing completion.

"The taste and texture of Leticia and our chiffon cake can be felt upwards...."

"The problem is that they announced it earlier....."

Sigh.

I know about the chiffon cake that Gilbert accepted, and the delicious chiffon cake of the previous life, and this is a failure made by the Guillaume chef.

Still, by the standards of this world, it has a sufficiently novel texture and shape.

Based solely on the sense of individual difference in taste, there may have been insufficient proof of theft.

"I don't want to go to bed crying... I honestly doubt I can win more than I've been hit in the first place."

That's why they were so strong.

It is out of the question to lose. Withdrawal is not acceptable to me.

If we were to accuse and fight for theft, we had to have a hand to be sure of victory.

I plan to leave this country in two years, but after that, Gilbert's life will continue.

Natalie's separation from the courtyard and the suspicion of theft made it difficult for Gilbert and the others to continue working as cooks.

"Lady Leticia, if you're worried about us, you don't have to take that into account. Please feel free to charge the Guillaume chef with this crime."

"No, that's not how it works. If I don't win, my queen's sign will be muddy too. Unfortunately, I'm willing to give up on chiffon cake. For Your Majesty's birthday, I would like to submit the fabric I brought from my country."

Originally, we had prepared items for when the chiffon cake could not be improved in time.

However, the impact was weaker than that of the chiffon cake, and above all, it was unacceptable for the chiffon cake made with Gilbert to be taken advantage of and used.

Worried about what to do, you can see the dark faces of the surrounding cooks.

............ this air should not be allowed.

This harsh and pungent atmosphere was not only due to the discovery of the theft.

--------------- Traitor.

Someone taught the chiffon chef how to make a chiffon cake.

And it was one of the cooks who was likely to be the bad guy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's not doubt each other now. Someone outside could have been snooping. I would like to see if Edgar is seeing anything while walking the wolf around this detached house. It's almost dinner time, so please go back to the kitchen."

There is some relief in my words.

Even cooks don't want to suspect that some of their people are traitors.

The possibility of an external criminal was pointed out, and I felt comfortable being given the job I needed to do now.

It's time for Edgars to come for a walk, just in case.

I decided to leave the courtyard and sit in the shade of the vestibule to organize my thoughts.

Whether or not to serve chiffon cake for His Majesty's birthday.

How can I prove the theft?

Where is the person who stole the recipe?

"Guuuuuuuu"

Kyakyu

A moody wolf roars from a close range.

"Don't ignore our presence."

With dissatisfaction, Gu-sama sat down with wrinkles on the tip of her nose.