Chapter 129

In the blink of an eye, preparations for the tea party began in the square of the Kingdom of Arciel.

Chairs, tables, and utensils were set up in an instant.

Vivian, who had been directing the preparations, finally noticed the desserts brought by the fairies once the setup was mostly complete.

On the rectangular tray, which was quite large even by human standards—the same one Kurt had used to serve fruit tarts—lay something covered by a white cloth.

When the cloth was removed, Vivian was met with… nothing.

“Wait… there’s nothing here?” Vivian stared at the tray in confusion, but there was indeed nothing on it.

Was this some kind of hidden camera prank? Just as she was about to think that, she noticed something shimmering under the sunlight—a translucent, reddish-brown object glowing from the bottom of the tray.

“…What is this?” Vivian muttered, puzzled.

Kurt was the one who answered. “That’s the dish your people worked together to make. Red Bean Jelly. Made with red beans and agar.”

“Red beans and agar?” Vivian was baffled. Those were common ingredients in Arciel, but she had never heard of them being used to make desserts.

“Honestly, your people are better at cooking than you are,” Kurt teased.

“Hey! Don’t mock the Queen!” Vivian retorted, but her confusion was quickly overshadowed by Kurt’s playful tone. Meanwhile, the tea party preparations were finally complete.

Kurt skillfully divided the Red Bean Jelly into fairy-sized portions and handed them out to the fairies, who were eagerly waiting in line.

The first to receive her portion was, of course, Vivian, the star of the tea party.

She stared at the jelly with curiosity. The color was a reddish-brown reminiscent of red beans, but how could something made from red beans be translucent? The texture looked soft yet bouncy, and she couldn’t figure out where the agar came into play. It was a dish that defied her understanding.

If she hadn’t been told it was a dessert, she wouldn’t have guessed it from its appearance.

“What on earth is this…?” Vivian muttered.

“Gulp.”

“The Queen must eat first before anyone else can,” one fairy chimed in.

“It looks delicious,” another added.

“I’ve been resisting the urge to sneak a bite since last night!”

“That’s not something to brag about!”

But Vivian couldn’t hesitate forever. As the guest of honor, she had to take the first bite, or the other fairies wouldn’t dare to start.

Under the watchful eyes of the fairies, Vivian carefully cut a piece of the jelly with her fork.

The texture was as soft as mud, yet it held its shape perfectly.

“Oh, ohhh…” Vivian murmured.

Even though the dish was made by the citizens, the recipe came from Kurt, so it was bound to be delicious.

With a mix of excitement and nervousness, Vivian popped the bite-sized piece into her mouth.

*Chomp.*

*Squish.*

The texture was exactly as she had felt when cutting it—soft yet bouncy, like mashed potatoes but not quite. It was a strange yet oddly satisfying sensation.

The secret lay in the red beans and agar. The beans, soaked and boiled for eight hours, were mashed into a smooth paste, while the agar, mostly dietary fiber, solidified into a jelly-like texture when cooled. Together, they created a dessert that was both soft and bouncy, with the red bean filling melting smoothly in the mouth.

Vivian was fascinated by the unique texture, but her enjoyment was short-lived. The overwhelming sweetness hit her like a tidal wave.

The Red Bean Jelly’s sweetness was intense, almost violent, as if honey and sugar had been poured in without restraint. The rich, nutty flavor of the red beans barely managed to balance the sweetness, but it was still too much.

Vivian’s throat tightened, and she immediately reached for her teacup.

But a large, scaly finger blocked her hand. It was Kurt.

“Why… why are you stopping me?” Vivian asked, her expression sad and confused.

Kurt shook his head silently and handed her a small cup instead.

“This is cold milk. It pairs better with Red Bean Jelly than black tea.”

“Ah… thank you!” Vivian smiled and took the milk, using it to wash down the cloying sweetness of the jelly.

The cool milk soothed her throat and blended with the lingering sweetness, creating a perfect harmony. It was as if the two dishes were soulmates, complementing each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Just like the Queen and her people in the Kingdom of Arciel.

“Was this jelly designed to be eaten with milk from the start?” Vivian wondered.

“Phew~!” She sighed in relief after finishing the milk.

“This is truly an amazing dish. I never imagined that red beans and agar, so common in Arciel, could create such a flavor.”

Vivian smiled contentedly and prepared to take another bite of the jelly. But then she froze.

“Wait a minute! Such intense sweetness requires honey and sugar! Where did you get the money for that?”

Kurt scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Well, we used quite a bit.”

“That must have cost a fortune! Where did the money come from?”

“At first, I planned to use my travel funds to buy sugar, but…” Kurt trailed off, glancing nervously at Mari, who was glaring at him from across the table.

“The fairies pooled their money to buy the sugar and honey,” Kurt quickly added. “They wanted to contribute to the tea party this time.”

“The citizens did that?” Vivian asked, touched.

“Yes! Until now, the Queen’s tea parties were mostly funded by you. We thought it wasn’t fair to burden you alone, so this time, we handled everything ourselves—from the cooking to the ingredients!”

“Though we did need the chef’s help with the recipe!”

“But that’s unavoidable! The chef is just too good at cooking!”

“From now on, we want to share the costs of the tea parties with you, Queen!”

“So, starting with the next tea party, we’ll all contribute together!”

“You all…” Vivian’s eyes welled up with tears.

“You’re right! If we all work together and Kurt helps with the cooking, there’s nothing to fear for the Fairy Kingdom’s tea parties!”

“Yay! Let’s have another tea party tomorrow!”

“Let’s have fruit tarts again!”

The fairies cheered, their bonds stronger than ever.

But before Kurt could speak, he interrupted.

“No. We’re not doing that.”

“…What?”

“It’s time for us to continue our journey. We’ve stayed in the Fairy Kingdom for too long.”

Indeed, their visit to the Fairy Kingdom had been unplanned. They had stayed longer than intended, first to attend the tea party and then to help resolve the kingdom’s conflicts.

But now that peace had been restored, it was time to move on.

“What?! How are we supposed to have tea parties without you?!”

“We’ve become dependent on the chef’s cooking!”

“Please, we need your comforting food!”

The fairies wailed, unable to accept the reality.

But Kurt simply looked at them and asked, “Why can’t you cook for yourselves?”

“…Us? Cook?”

“Yes. I’ll leave the recipes with you. From now on, you’ll work together to create your own tea parties. Your tea parties.”

“Our… tea parties.”

Vivian pondered this and nodded in agreement.

“You’re right. We’ve relied too much on you. If we had learned your recipes from the start, we wouldn’t have fallen apart when you stopped cooking.”

Though she felt a pang of sadness, Vivian sincerely wished Kurt well on his journey.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for Arciel’s peace. On behalf of all the fairies, I express our deepest gratitude. We won’t hold you back with our selfish desires anymore.”

“It’s so sad that the chef is leaving!”

“But we’ve already received so much from him. So, even though it’s sad, we’ll let him go!”

“We’ll never forget you, Chef!”

“Then today’s tea party will be your farewell! Citizens! Let’s send off the benefactors of the Kingdom of Arciel with smiles! A happy ending means sending them off with joy!”

“Wahhh!”

And so, the Queen’s tea party continued late into the night, filled with laughter and cheer. The next morning, Kurt and his companions left Arciel, heading for the next village.

—

After Kurt’s departure, the Queen’s tea parties, which had been irregularly held under her patronage, were discontinued.

In their place, a new tradition emerged.

At two in the afternoon, after lunch, the entire kingdom—Queen and citizens alike—would gather for a new kind of tea party.

The Fairies’ Tea Party.

At the first such event, Vivian, the Queen of Arciel and descendant of the seven-colored wings, spoke with a slightly awkward tone.

“Is… is this how it’s done?”

“No, Your Majesty! As someone with experience as a sous-chef, I can confidently say that you don’t sprinkle sugar like *shalala*, but like *sharuru*!”

The menu for the first Fairies’ Tea Party was Fruit Jelly, made from fruits grown on the royal trees and agar cultivated by the citizens.

And so, the Queen and her people happily shared the Fruit Jelly together.