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The “field” around what appeared to be ground zero was quite disturbed, and as expected, some of the people who’d perished there had turned into vengeful spirits. Sitting myself down on what must once have been a door leading to the underground passage—one of the few iron doors that still retained its shape—I listened to the laments and grudges of the dead. Once I’d finished purifying all of them and restoring the spiritual balance of the place, I went straight to report to Lady Lieselotte and the others who were waiting for me, and before the head Shrine Maiden and her attendants could drag me into a carriage, I quickly mounted Vier and literally flew back to Letindüte.

And then, the next day—
Of course, I couldn’t just keep the shop closed forever. But if I were to open as usual, there’s no question that journalists and onlookers—piling up like a wave of men at Comiket—would rush in and cause an uncontrollable uproar. So, with Chaton’s supervision, I reluctantly decided to set up a stall in front of the store and sell baked goods that would keep reasonably well.

At twenty copper coins a bag (about a thousand yen, roughly), it was quite a bold price for the general public, but thanks to curiosity—or rather, because of the rumor that “the goods carry the blessing of the Shrine Maiden Princess”—the items sold out the moment they were displayed. I was honestly astonished.

For the time being–
“We’ll start the next sale when the noon bell rings. Those currently in line will receive numbered tickets.”
– Using this method, which had been common back on Earth in my previous life in Japan, I somehow managed to calm the crowd.

That was how we got through the rush of temporary customers for the time being. As for in-store service, I decided to limit it to regular patrons and to safe clientele such as acquaintances or associates of myself, Luke, Lady Lieselotte, Viola, Daniel, and Estelle. With that focus clarified, I made sure all staff were informed and ready so we could resume operations more or less as usual.

Ordinarily, I dislike such snobbish business practices, but there’s no helping it until this “Shrine Maiden Princess fever” dies down.

“It’s always like that, you know. Before you realize it, these things turn into ‘tradition.’”
—Estelle gave that ominous prediction.

Unlike me, who treats business rather loosely, the young lady of the immensely wealthy Berenz Company is far more pragmatic—and, naturally, shrewd.

“How about we separate the products for the street stall from the regular ones and start a new retail brand altogether? We can go fifty-fifty; my family’s company would invest half.”

“No, no, that won’t do, nya. If you hold even thirty percent of the management rights, you’ll be calling all the shots before we know it, nya. Twenty percent, tops! Another twenty from us—still more than enough to build a warehouse in the capital, nya.”

Chaton was the one to slam on the brakes there. Unlike us, who were overwhelmed by the number and energy of the customers crowding around the stall, Chaton seemed to have had her mercantile spirit ignited instead, thinking to herself: “I have to ride this big wave!!”

“Twenty percent!? Oh, come on! A tiny, no-name company like yours can’t possibly compete with a large conglomerate like mine! We could open fifty stores across the continent in no time!”

“Ha! Big capital’s all slow and lazy, resting on its laurels, nya. Who knows how many years your plans would take, nya? But small companies like ours move fast and stay close to the community, nya!”

Before I could even get a word in, a fierce, no-holds-barred merchant’s quarrel had erupted between them.

Well, I decided to leave the business talk to the businessfolk. The real issue was what I’d discovered the day before, during the purification ritual—the truth about what had happened at that hideout.

◇

“—And that, it seems, is what happened that night.”

After finishing my account, I soothed my throat with a cup of aromatic herbal tea.

““““““““Hmmm…”””””””””

Everyone gathered in the third-floor drawing room of Letindüte groaned in unison, each wearing a grim expression.

Present were the usual members: Luke, Cestlavie, Bruno, Lady Lieselotte, Viola, Chaton, Pryui, and Ashimi.
Estelle, unfortunately, had yet to finish her academy assignments and was forcibly escorted back to the Berenz Company residence in the capital by her head butler.
And of course, my Four Heavenly Maids were also present—though they were busy with their proper duties, preparing tea and light refreshments.

Incidentally, even for an unofficial tea gathering of royalty and nobles, there are all sorts of unspoken rules—cup placement, flower selection for the vase, even the lace patterns on the tablecloth. It’s quite troublesome.

The attendees here are fairly lenient about such details, but if I were to take that for granted and make mistakes, it would reflect poorly on me as their hostess. So everyone is working in earnest.

“The napkin wrapping the spoon should be folded in half, then rolled inward along the crease, then folded twice so the loop faces right and the edge left. Ah—don’t press the fold too sharply; use your fingers to keep it soft! And hey, remember that from the first to the tenth of each month, the sweets must include grains. Add one more dish! From the eleventh onward, it’s fruit, and from the twenty-first onward, it’s vegetables. Don’t mix them up—make sure everything’s seasonal and appropriate.”

At times like these, Coppelia always ends up taking command of the whole scene.

Monika is certainly a capable maid, but she was originally a commoner, so she’s still rough when it comes to the perfect etiquette expected before royalty and nobility. Ellen, for her part, lacks experience, and as for Lana—well, there’s potential.

So, in situations like this, the only ones who can give accurate instructions and proper follow-up among all the servants of our house—the Brandmüller household—are probably Steward Royce, Head Housekeeper Beatrice, and, of course, Self-Proclaimed All-Purpose Maid Coppelia.

Author’s note:

The etiquette described in the story is nonsense. Since I’m not sure about Western-style etiquette, I used the Imperial Household’s etiquette as a rough draft. Reference material: “The Tale of the Imperial Palace” (by Takaya Asako, published by Business Co.)