Beyond them, along Lantern Street, every shop and building was adorned with glowing lanterns...
Jewelry stores and clothing boutiques lined the way, but the one directly before them, the pastry shop, its lanterns shining especially bright through the obscuring mist, was the destination they sought.
Its windows were fogged, and above it, a sign colored peach, written in delicate cursive, a name Silvie couldn't have predicted:
'Splendid Cake.'
'The cake that keeps on baking.'
A humble pastry shop, one-story high, and above, a small terrace offered a secluded spot for customers to enjoy their treats under the open, sad sky.
"Not the name you expected, Silvie?" Lady Evelyn asked with a soft grin, waiting for Silvie's reaction.
"My Lady... I..."
Ahem—
"The name of the store is catchy, to say the least."
"It is," Lady Evelyn proudly replied.
"The owner has a terrible talent for names." She gently took Silvie's hand, upon which the girl wore a surprised expression at the sudden gesture.
"Come, let's head inside, shall we?" With that, Lady Evelyn led her into the store.
As they were about to enter, Silvie interestingly saw multiple orange critters, frogs, birds, and even flies. Perhaps they were a unique species to Gravenhurst, she thought.
Then it hit her, the change in air was daunting compared to the pollution of the outside. The sweet scent of butter, syrup made Silvie's stomach flutter, partly from hunger.
"Whoa!" Silvie exclaimed.
There were a few patrons, their faces satisfied and less gloomy. They all greeted Lady Evelyn with utmost respect, bowing and shaking her hand, and Lady Evelyn didn't shy away from the attention. Silvie must've thought her lady was a benevolent noble.
It helped that the clinking of utensils and the low murmur of small talk made the place feel welcoming and cozy, compared to the outside.
Silvie was delighted to be here, but her eyes were drawn to one of the paintings placed far to the right on the wall. The silhouette within it resembled Lady Evelyn's figure.
"That's beautiful," she mused. It was a masterpiece simply hanging within the store, yet what intrigued her was that it had no visible eyes, though the striking black maxi dress and velvet hair were painted in exquisite detail.
She could tell it was her mistress's work, even before spotting the signature, bearing Lady Evelyn's name, which was etched in elegant cursive at the painting's bottom right corner.
Silvie found herself questioning why her mistress would place such a painting in a pastry shop, yet she dismissed it as nothing more than a gift to the store.
After admiring it for a short moment, they stepped up to the counter, where a good-looking, tan-skinned man stood. He was tall, with black and light brown hair tied in a messy man-bun, sharp eyes, and a well-structured build.
He was likely the owner. He glanced up. "Lady Evelyn, welcome," he said, with a sense of familiarity in his tone.
"Good to see you, Daishi," Lady Evelyn replied, with warmth.
"Who's the fair young woman beside you, Lady Evelyn?" the man named Daishi Osuna asked.
Silvie couldn't help but smile softly at his compliment, though naturally she was wary because he was a man. Still, he looked trustworthy, after all, Lady Evelyn personally knew him.
"Her? She's my—" Lady Evelyn began. At her words, Silvie remembered what she was. Yet would Sir Daishi look down on her once he heard it? For a fleeting moment, Silvie almost forgot she was a slave.
"Assistant..." Lady Evelyn declared, her tone sincere and true.
Silvie was awed. Being called an assistant was far less degrading than being titled a slave; it was a sign that Lady Evelyn cared for her dignity. In that moment, a seed of respect was planted in the servant's heart.
"If she's your assistant, then she must be one talented young woman," Daishi remarked as he handed Lady Evelyn the store menu.
"As it should be. Nothing short of that will do," Lady Evelyn replied. She held Silvie in such high regard that the pressure of meeting her expectations was great for the poor girl, yet Silvie remained determined not to let her down, while keeping her guard up all the same.
"Thank you, My Lady," Silvie muttered under her breath.
"Here, Silvie." Lady Evelyn handed her servant the adorably designed menu. It was beige, decorated with cute drawings of cats and dogs.
"What's the connection between this design and the name outside?!" Silvie said, utterly flabbergasted.
Lady Evelyn huffed a laugh at her words. "Silvie, impress me. Show me your taste in desserts, and don't worry about the price, it's my treat." The Mistress then tasked her with her first humble duty.
Silvie surveyed the menu meticulously, carefully considering what would suit her lady's taste.
Though she remembered, Lady Evelyn had specifically asked for her 'taste.'
She looked at the menu once more. It had a list of delicious-sounding desserts and their pricetags:
These prices were in Solis. Using her common sense, she deduced that Cs ⨀, or Copper Solis, was the lowest denomination.
1. Venerable Immortal Shortcake (6 Cs ⨀)
2. Esteemed Glazed Hurst Pancakes (4 Cs ⨀)
3. Pozzy Wuzzy Strawberry Cake, The Destroyer of Worlds (8 Cs ⨀)
4. Thick Spontaneous Cheesecake, End of Mankind (6 Cs ⨀)
5. Forbidden Red Velvet Scripture of Seduction (10 Cs ⨀)
Her eyes could hardly believe the ridiculous names of the desserts. She glanced at Daishi, and though the gentleman noticed, he quickly looked away, recognizing it as a silent stare of judgment.
"What am I reading..." Silvie whispered under her breath.
Yet it had not been Daishi who designed those names, it was one of their waitresses, but he nonetheless shouldered the decision equally.
After scanning for a while and weighing every facet of her taste buds, Silvie finally decided, "I would like... ahem, Esteemed Glazed Hurst Pancakes." She felt a bit of her dignity slip away, uttering that name, but it was the most normal-sounding and cheapest one.
"Excellent choice," said Sir Daishi, who immediately began working behind the counter. Silvie could see that others were helping within the pastry shop, janitors and such. It was a well-maintained establishment.
The two maidens took a seat by the seemingly clean foggy window. Silvie kept her hands neatly on her lap while Lady Evelyn sat across from her, and her adoring purple eyes fixed upon her servant.
"Y—yes? My lady?" Silvie asked, just in case.
"Nothing~" Lady Evelyn said with a playful lilt. "Just admiring your beauty, you could very well be the subject of a fine painting..."
"A fine painting, My Lady? I'm flattered..." Silvie felt honored, and she could only wonder about the other masterpieces her lady had crafted in her lifetime.
Lady Evelyn sipped the warm coffee from a porcelain cup presented to her by a waitress named Harucis, whom she graciously thanked. Silvie followed suit with her own cup; to her surprise, the taste was not as bitter as she had anticipated, for it had been tempered with creamer and sugar.
Silvie felt deeply grateful that it was Lady Evelyn who had become her mistress. Though her past remained lost to her, perhaps Lady Evelyn would be the one to paint her a new one.
"Here you go..." Sir Daishi returned to their side, presenting soft, fluffy Esteemed Glazed Hurst Pancakes on a white plate, the aroma wafting through the air.
Silvie spread butter and syrup over the stacked Esteemed Glazed Hurst Pancakes on her plate. She was careful with her manners; she didn't want to come off as lacking etiquette in front of the mistress...
"Please, do enjoy," Sir Daishi said, leaving the two to their desserts.
"Silvie, let's enjoy the food. Don't be shy, eat as much as you like," Lady Evelyn assured her. With that invitation, Silvie took her first bite. She felt the soft, fluffy texture of the Esteemed Glazed Hurst Pancakes, with the kiss of butter and syrup all bursting in her mouth.
"It's delicious, Lady Evelyn!"
Lady Evelyn was content with Silvie's choice of dessert, even if it was the safest and most generic option, but she had no qualms with it.
Unfortunately, it wasn't completely safe; the robed figures were still amiss, waiting for the right moment for their malicious intent.
Even then, Silvie treasured moments of peace like this, moments where the world felt almost normal and kind...
Yet the mistress's gaze drifted to the window, taking in the surroundings. She smiled blissfully, and her servant noticed but remained silent. It was enough for her that they were simply enjoying this wonderful time together.
Lady Evelyn kept replaying one thought in her mind: "These people... they have the audacity to stalk me." She turned her gaze upon her servant.
"Still, they'll serve well enough as props for a presentation," she thought.
"Perhaps it's best if I'm the one to reveal it to her..."
Chapter End...