As the three of them talked excitedly about it, the 3rd and 4th were also announced. They were pancakes and ice cream. And now, it was 2nd and 1st place that were to be announced.
They folded their hands as if in prayer and listened.
"The difference between 1st and 2nd is a mere 7 flowers! This was a tough battle, and we counted the flowers with trembling hands!"
—That masked man must have come out on top.
This country didn"t have danish cakes. And Tiararose had never made it. It was delicious as a dessert, of course, but it could also be used for breakfast or lunch. And the same could not be said for her cake.
That put them at a disadvantage.
—Still, we worked so hard for this.
Yes, their cake was not inferior to his danish cake in any way. Tiararose could make this declaration with pride.
"Now! In second place with a total of 322 flowers! Tiararose"s team with their rose cake!"
The announcers said in a loud voice. And the crowd erupted into cheers.
"What! We"re not number one!?"
"That"s too bad."
Akari fell to her knees and slammed her fists into the ground. She had been so sure of their victory. Tiararose felt just as sad.
"And the winner with the brightest honor! The masked man and his danish cake! Its adorable appearance was popular with the ladies. And many men voted because it was also bread. In total, it gathered 329 flowers!"
There was deafening applause as the masked man bowed and moved to the center. The prizes were all displayed there.
"Still, it"s hard to win even when using modern recipes."
"Princess Tiara, we will surely win next year!!"
"Uh…"
Akari was already thinking ahead. She suggested that they do some research as soon as they got back to the castle. Indeed, there were plans to hold a compet.i.tion next year as well. But Tiararose wanted to taste…no, judge the compet.i.tion instead of partic.i.p.ating as a contestant.
"Then maybe we should make a five-layer cake!"
"Lady Olivia, that is a brilliant idea!"
Akari and Olivia talked excitedly. They had already forgotten about the winner. There were no prizes for coming in second place, and so Tiararose didn"t really mind. But then suddenly, a scream echoed in the square.
"Huh? What…?!"
"No way!"
"Ahh…!!"
Tiararose looked at the center of the town square and gasped. Akari was surprised. Olivia was holding her face as if to stop a nosebleed.
There stood the masked man as he accepted his price…only he wasn"t masked. And he was also Aquasteed.
"Prince Aqua…!? No, but how… But then again, I wasn"t able to find him before the beginning of the compet.i.tion…"
No one had seen this coming.
Tiararose didn"t even know that Aquasteed could make sweets. He sometimes helped her, but that was it.
Since when had he been able to make such wonderful danish cakes? It was a nice surprise, but it was so sudden that it had given her quite a shock.
The person who had made such wonderful sweets turned out to be none other than the beautiful crown prince himself—it was no wonder that the ladies were making so much noise.
Tiararose looked towards Aquasteed, and their eyes met. He smiled gently and her heart skipped a beat.
"Tiara."
"Oh, uh…yes."
Aquasteed slowly walked over to Tiararose and offered her one of his prize-winning danish cakes.
"I"ve been practicing, because I wanted to make you some."
"You did this for me…?"
Was there a woman in the world whose heart would not soar at those words? No, of course not.
Aquasteed handed her a cute danish cake that was covered in fruits and Tiararose"s flower and then coated with candy.
She hesitated. It was almost too pretty to eat. It seemed wrong for something so beautiful to be eaten out of existence. Still, it seemed like just as much of a waste to not eat it.
—It"s so pretty that I want to stare at it forever.
Aquasteed laughed as Tiararose stared mesmerized at his danish cake. It was clear that she liked it a lot, and a sense of joy welled up inside of him.
And then Aquasteed noticed that Tiararose was carrying a box of macarons. Considering that Tiararose had not made them herself, they must be a gift from someone. He could not help but feel a little jealous.
"Tiara. Where did you get those macarons from?"
"Huh?"
Then he remembered that Prince Hartknights had made macarons. Would he really send sweets to his former fiance who was now married to another? It was hard to believe.
Aquasteed"s guess turned out to be wrong.
"Prince Sirius gave them to me."
"Oh, the little brother… Still, I hope you will only eat mine today?"
"Of course!"
While Sirius was just a child, he did not want her to eat things from other males right now.
And so Aquasteed brought the danish cake to Tiararose"s lips.
—Oh, this is embarra.s.sing!!
People had been staring in their direction ever since Aquasteed had come to her. Even though they were a married couple, she still found herself blushing.
But Aquasteed would not back down, and so Tiararose had no choice but to eat it.
It was rich and full of sweet honey. The fruits were juicy as well and she thought she could eat many more…
"Is it good?"
"…Mmm. Yes. But, that was embarra.s.sing. I can"t…"