Making plans.
The next morning, on my way to attend the morning classes, I encountered Alicia-sama and her entourage.
“Oh… Good morning, Alicia-sama.”
“… Good morning.”
Alicia-sama returned my greeting, and her entourage looked at us with unbelieving expressions.
Considering Alicia-sama’s previously hostile attitude towards me, I never expected her to greet me this morning, let alone return the greeting if I initiated it.
This means Alicia-sama has accepted me, right?
Despite that, Alicia-sama didn’t turn away from us, so her entourage reluctantly greeted us with a hesitant “Good morning.”
“Yes, good morning, everyone.”
I thought they might ignore us, so I was a bit surprised when they reluctantly greeted us.
Alicia-sama then stepped forward in front of me.
“Alicia-sama?!”
Her entourage reached out as if in a panic, but Alicia-sama turned around.
“You are in a different classroom, so please hurry. I have something to discuss with Cristea-sama.”
Seeing Alicia-sama’s firm demeanor, her entourage exchanged startled glances and hastily said, “Well then, we’ll go ahead…” before hurrying away.
Maybe they expected Alicia-sama to scold me or something, since they whispered, “Do your best!” in a soft voice as they passed by Alicia-sama.
After seeing her entourage quickly leaving, Alicia-sama looked at us with a somewhat fidgety expression.
“Um… would it be alright if I, umm, accompany you to the classroom?”
“Yes, of course!”
“Yes!”
Oh my goodness! Alicia-sama is so cute!
“Um… what is it that you wanted to talk about?”
As we walked together towards the classroom, I couldn’t help but ask Alicia-sama.
While her earlier statement about having something to discuss might have been just an excuse, the prolonged silence made me curious…
“Ah… well, it’s, errm…”
I waited for Alicia-sama to continue speaking, her gaze downcast as she walked, but then she abruptly stopped.
“Alicia-sama?”
“Um, I, um… I wanted to invite you to a tea party…”
Oh? Alicia-sama also wants to foster camaraderie at a girls-only gathering?
“… But, upon further thought, I realized that I might not be able to provide the hospitality that would satisfy you, Cristea-sama…”
Saying that, Alicia-sama lowered her head.
“Eh?”
“I heard Adry during dinner yesterday. Cristea-sama, you have invented shortbread, soft bread base, and even contributed to the menu development at the academy’s cafe, haven’t you? There are even rumors that Her Majesty was captivated by the sweets you make… so, for someone like me to come up with tea sweets that would satisfy someone like you…”
She whispered, and I could feel the tension in the materials she was holding as she clutched them.
Oh, right, until I started making sourdough bread, hard bread was the norm, and Her Majesty even invited the ladies from the opposing house to try my sweets…
… They used to mock me for being a repulsive-food eating lady, but it turned out that I developed a lot of delicious things, so she might be feeling discouraged that no matter what she offers, it might pale in comparison.
“In that case, I will invite you to a tea party instead, Alicia-sama! We were talking about it yesterday with Mariel-san! Right, Mariel-san?”
“Y-Yes! I-It was Ruby’s idea!”
“Ruby-sama’s…?”
“Yes! Let’s have a girls-only tea party to deepen our friendship!”
“Oh my…!”
Alicia-sama, who just moments ago had a deadpan expression, now had sparkling eyes, especially being a lover of fluffy things. Good…
“I would be honored to attend!”
With a lively response from Alicia-sama, promising to send her invitation for the tea party, we hurried to the classroom.
Alright! I’ll do my best for the reconciliation tea party with Alicia-sama!