Celestine Crocus.
The young lady of House Crocus, the highest-ranking noble family in the Kingdom of Aiwood. The daughter of the prime minister.
With no princess in the royal family, she is the most influential young woman in the land, second only to the queen.
In Rest's generation, there is no woman who can compare to her.
She possesses a perfectly refined beauty and ranks at the top of the academy in her studies.
She is even blessed with a talent for magic. She is a lady of peerless beauty and intellect, as if beloved by the heavens.
* * * "Thank you for accompanying me today, Rest."
It was a certain holiday.
Rest had been summoned by Celestine and ventured out into the royal capital.
When he arrived at their meeting spot, Celestine was already there.
The hem of her one-piece dress swayed in the wind, and her platinum hair fluttered from beneath a type of hat called a capeline.
"O-oh..."
Rest felt overwhelmed by Celestine's appearance.
She was just standing on a street corner, yet it was an incredibly picturesque sight. Like a scene from a movie.
Indeed, many of the passersby, men and women alike, found themselves captivated by Celestine.
(A duke's young lady strolling about so casually is dangerous. If a suspicious man tries to talk to her... No, I'm sure she'll be fine.)
Looking closely, he could see men who appeared to be guards waiting in the shadows of the buildings.
If anyone had been plotting to do harm to the beautiful young lady of the duke's house, they would surely receive a severe punishment.
"Are you alright?"
"No, uh... yeah. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Not at all, I just arrived. I'm sorry for calling you out on your day off."
"Don't worry about it. We're going to get some sweets, right?"
"Yes. It's a shop that only admits couples."
Celestine smiled elegantly.
There was a reason Celestine had called him out on his day off... she wanted to visit a certain sweets shop.
Rest didn't know it, but apparently, the shop was hosting a special fair today.
Since only male-female pairs could enter, Rest had been called upon.
"I love sweets. Actually, I'm happy you invited me."
"I'm glad to hear that. Well then, shall we?"
"... Y-yeah."
Rest swallowed nervously.
Given the flow of things, it was Rest's role to escort her.
He nervously offered his arm... and Celestine took it with a natural grace.
The two of them walked down the royal capital's main street, stopping in front of a certain shop.
It was a shop popular among young people. The sign outside read "Patisserie Cheval," a stylish but meaningless word.
"A couples fair, huh..."
And then... the words "Couples Only" posted beside the sign.
Since they couldn't enter if they weren't a man and a woman, that's exactly what it meant.
"Is something wrong, Rest?"
"No, it's nothing... Shall we go in?"
Though his nervousness had increased just a little... Rest felt Celestine's warmth as he stepped through the shop entrance.
"Welcome! Please have a seat at that table over there."
The waitress led them to a table by the window, and they sat down.
As if she had already decided what to order from the start, Celestine spoke without even opening the menu.
"Rest, would you let me choose today's dessert?"
"Sure, I don't mind, but..."
"Then I'll call the server over... Ah, please decide on a drink for us."
Celestine called the server over and recited a product name so long it sounded like a spell.
It was so long that he couldn't catch what she said.
"Thank you for waiting. Here you are."
"Whoa...!?"
A little while later, the server brought over two cups of tea.
And then... an enormous cake.
It was the size of a wedding cake, looking like a fusion of several different cakes—shortcake, chocolate cake, cheese cake, and more—and was piled high with a variety of fruits in addition to strawberries.
"Wow... amazing... There's probably enough here for ten people..."
"Hehehe... Impressive, isn't it? I've always wanted to eat this cake with you, Rest."
Celestine gave a mischievous smile.
Celestine seemed like the perfect, unflappable young lady, but in reality, she had a surprisingly bold and outgoing personality.
Only a handful of people knew that side of Celestine.
(In other words, she trusts me that much... It makes me feel kind of warm and fuzzy...)
"I'll have the leftovers wrapped and sent to the mansion, so please eat as much as you like."
"I'm going to eat as much as I can."
Rest picked up his fork.
"To be honest, I always wanted to eat more cake than I could handle at least once. My dream has come true."
"I'm delighted... Well then, shall we begin?"
"Yes, let's eat!"
Rest and Celestine started on the cake.
After all, they were nobles. They didn't wolf it down.
They cut the cakes with a knife and ate them in rotation—shortcake, chocolate cake, cheesecake—so they wouldn't get bored.
"Ooh..."
"A-Amazing, those two..."
The other customers looked on in surprise as Rest and Celestine kept devouring the cakes.
Rest, who had been poor in both his past life and this one, had a strong attachment to sweets.
The mountain of cake before him was exactly what he had dreamed of as a child.
Celestine, on the other hand, had been raised in wealth, but one should never underestimate a girl's love for desserts.
She seemed to be a surprisingly voracious eater, and she continued to polish off the cakes with elegant movements.
Within an hour, the cake meant for ten people had disappeared.
"Whew... I can eat more than I thought."
It's all thanks to you, Rest. I couldn't have done it on my own.
Celestine wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"I had hoped to order this cake at least once. One of my ambitions has been fulfilled."
"The ambition of a duke's young lady... Is it modest or grandiose...?"
His stomach was about to burst, but oddly enough, he felt good.
He had discovered a new side of Celestine.
Only Rest knew that the beautiful duke's young lady could make such an expression... and that made him feel good.
"The tea has gone cold, hasn't it? Shall we order more?"
"Haha... I can't eat any more, so I'm fine."
Celestine showed such natural consideration that Rest smiled wryly and waved his hands.
—————————— Volume 2 of the book has been released.
We sincerely thank you all for your support!
The book version includes extensive additions, such as after-school dates with Celestine at the batting center, chasing a pervert who infiltrated the academy, and scenes where they enter the sauna with the heroines.
Everyone, please continue to support this work!