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The plaza was bustling.
Musicians were playing by the fountains, street performers were juggling hydro globes, and a man was loudly arguing with a seagull over a baguette. In the middle of it all sat Furina, former Hydro Archon, munching blissfully on a towering slice of cake like nothing in the world could harm her.
And right behind her stood Escoffier—arms crossed, eyes narrowed at everything within a twenty-meter radius of Furina.
“I said no strawberries,” she muttered under her breath, inspecting the frosting as she carefully scooped up a bite with a golden fork. “Furina doesn’t like seeds in her teeth.”
Unaware of the chef’s internal rage toward fruit textures, Furina opened her mouth with an expectant “Ahh~!” like a baby duckling.
Clorinde walked past mid-conversation with Neuvillette and just stopped, scandalized. “Is she… feeding her?”
Neuvillette stared. “In public?”
Furina happily chewed her cake, oblivious to the dozens of stares from both nobles and street peddlers. “Mmm!! Escoffier, this one tastes like a cloud kissed by angels! What did you do?”
“Used sugar,” Escoffier said flatly, placing another bite on the fork. “And replaced eggs with purified Fontainean cream foam. Hold still.”
Clorinde looked like she might short-circuit. “Lady Furina, you are a noble—”
“I’m a cake connoisseur now,” Furina declared with her mouth full. “And I love Escoffier’s cakes more than I loved divine authority!”
A baker in the crowd burst into tears.
Just behind them, Navia had appeared, holding a tray of sample macarons. “Hey, I baked these myself! Furina, want to try one?”
Escoffier’s head snapped around so fast that even Wriothesley (sipping an iced drink nearby) winced.
“I appreciate your effort, Lady Navia,” Escoffier said with a tight smile, “but her sugar intake is being medically monitored. No foreign pastries.”
Furina raised her hand weakly. “I’d like to—”
“No.”
Navia blinked. “You can’t just declare yourself her blood-sugar warden!”
“She’s had three slices of cake and is vibrating at a frequency that can only be described as ‘celestial.’” Escoffier calmly blocked Furina’s face with a napkin. “You want her bouncing off the fountain?”
“I’m vibrating at the ideal frequency of happiness,” Furina added helpfully.
Behind them, Freminet had joined the growing crowd, peering nervously at Furina with a half-melted ice pop in hand. “U-Um… I brought this for you. It’s fish-shaped…”
Before Escoffier could intercept it with a tranquilizer dart (which she might actually own), Furina lit up. “A fish popsicle?! That’s adorable! Escoffier, write this down—we’re making fish-shaped cakes next!”
“It’s already on the list,” Escoffier muttered grimly.
A rustle went through the crowd as Lyney and Lynette strolled up, Lyney holding a bouquet of hydrangeas, Lynette sipping tea.
“Such radiant company!” Lyney declared dramatically. “Lady Furina, your beauty outshines even the glimmering surface of the Court of Fontaine!”
Furina blinked. “Thank you! I think I outshone the sun yesterday too, but that may have been cake-induced glow.”
“You did,” Escoffier confirmed. “I had to ice your forehead.”
Neuvillette, still awkwardly lingering with Clorinde, finally spoke. “Lady Furina… may I offer an apology for the—”
“I’m very happy today,” Furina cut in gently, voice polite and distant. “It’s my fifth cake day this week. Isn’t that lovely?”
Neuvillette sighed softly. “You’re ignoring me.”
“I’m politely avoiding a situation I’ve emotionally repressed,” she replied with a bright smile, before taking another bite of cake. “Mmm! That’s the taste of not being in court!”
Clorinde looked about five seconds away from crawling under a table.
As the chaos continued, the crowd swelled—and soon Furina was surrounded by piles of sweets, letters, gift boxes, and declarations of love from female fans, all cheering on their favorite cake-loving ex-Archon.
Furina held up her plate like a trophy. “Thank you for supporting my cake dreams!”
“Lady Furina!” shouted a student in uniform, holding a sign that read GIRLS LOVE GIRLS AND CAKE.
Escoffier stared blankly into the middle distance. “I’m going to have to build her a shrine made of sponge cake, aren’t I.”
“You already did,” Lynette said calmly. “You’re just pretending it was for testing.”
Escoffier fed Furina another bite of cake.
Furina made a joyful “mrrr” noise. “Escoffier, you’re the only one who truly understands me. Did I mention I like you?”
“You did,” Escoffier said, trying not to combust. “Every time I give you sugar.”
Wriothesley, still in the background, leaned over to Sigewinne and whispered, “So when’s the wedding?”
Sigewinne grinned. “As soon as Furina figures out she’s been dating Escoffier for two weeks and just thought they were sharing snacks.”
Furina kicked her feet as she accepted another bite. “Today’s the best day ever.”
Escoffier smiled faintly. “Tomorrow’s going to be even better.”