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Chapter 32




The Mystery Behind the Missing Sweets
”Hmmm?”
Tiararose hummed pensively while she is making sweets in her personal kitchen.
Something is definitely off.
of course, there is no problem in the kitchen itself. Aquasteed ordered to make this especially for her so it is rather, it is not like your ordinary kitchen.
The problem lies in the sweets.
“As I thought, the number of the cookies that I baked earlier decreased a little”
When she is about to transfer the second batch of cookies on the plate, she noticed that the first batch of cookies— which supposed to be ten pieces—…. has decreased to eight for some reason.
The strange feeling that she felt when she was with Aquasteed the other day was right.
――But, I wonder how it gone missing?
She tilted her head, wondering about the strange happening. It’s impossibl for someone to enter this room and there is also no way for Philiane and the other maids to do such things.
If so, she couldn’t think of any other being but the fairies.
“But the forest fairies would most probably ask me for it”
It is indeed incomprehensible.
“Miss Tiararose?”
“Ah, Philiane?”
Philiane peeked in the kitchen after hearing Tiararose. Tiararose let out a wry smile realizing that she had let out a very troubled voice for Philiane to step in the place she never go to.
“Is there something wrong?” Asked Philiane with apparent worry in her voice. They have been together since they were young, so she decided to confide  on her.
“Oh my. The cookies were stolen you say?”
While being shocked, Philiane believed Tiararose’s words without any second thought.
“The is no such thing for us to steal it…… as I thought, it might be the fairies? But normally, they don’t take it without permission l, am I right?”
“Indeed. That is why it’s so mysterious”
The forest fairies love the sweets that Tiararose make. However, they’re not someone who will take it without permission.
While thinking of such things, the eight pieces cookies has now became seven without realizing it.
Convinced that something is indeed wrong, Triararose, together with Philiane and her escort Tarmo, headed towards the garden.
The small garden where pink roses are in full bloom is the place that the forest fairy love it is also where they often play.
It is the garden that Aquasteed had made just for Tiararose and no one can enter it without her permission.
” I will be on stand by here”
“Thank you”
Tarmo stands at the entrance of the garden, acting out his job as a guard.
This garden that can easily catch one’s eye whenever, is not that big. Its only purpose is to serve as a place where Tiararose and Aquasteed have some tea.
The tea parties where Tiararose invites younger ladies were always held at a different garden which is much more wider.
Therefore, this place is genuinely a private garden.
“Ah, there they are”
『”It’s the princess〜!”』
『”What’s wrong〜? Let’s play 〜!”』
While giggling, the forest fairies that were present in the garden gathered around Tiararose.
These little fairies who all have the same green colored hair, truly love plants—— and also the sweets that she bakes.
『”Ah, it’s sweetsー!”』
One of them immediately discovers Tiararose’s cookies and is now asking for it. Of course there’s no problem with that since she brought it for them but she need to confirm things beforehand.
She asked the fairies to wait for a while and asked them about the missing cookies.
『”Ehh!? Tiararose’s sweets has gone missing?”』
『”We don’t know it. His highness will get mad at us if we take it without permission!”』
“I have guessed so. Thank you everyone”
――as I though it’s not the doing of the forest fairies.
In the first place, they claimed to be scolded by their king who always do his own thing. If Keith is indeed doing his job properly, then there is no way for these fairies to be the culprit.
“So it really wasn’t the forest fairies”
“Yes. However, I am hated by the forest fairies and I don not have much involvement with the sky fairies……”
All her clues are now gone.
But it is still an impossible situation for a human to steal it.
“How about you confide this matter to his highness?”
“But Prince Aqua is too busy with his work. I can’t afford to bother him just because of some missing sweets”
Philiane suggested but Tiararose shook her head helplessly.
Not wanting to trouble his busy husband due to some trivial matter is her own way of being considerate of him.
But, she’s the only one who thinks that and the reality is different.
Aquasteed want to know everything regarding Tiararose, and if she does have a problem, he wants her to confide to him.
Philiane who knows that feeling of Aquasteed decided to consult it again.
――For now, her security should be strengthen.
Philiane took a glance at Tiararose, confirming if she is still talking to the fairies before she head towards Tarmo and consult him about her lady’s security. The garden was not that big so she called out to him in whisper.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Has there been something weird happening around Miss Tiararose?”
Surprised, Tarmo tried to recall how Tiararose act during the fast few days in order to answer Philiane’s question. ——However, nothing out of ordinary has happened around her.
Nothing strange had happen during his duty. He shook his head as he say so.
“Are you perhaps wondering about something?”
“Yes. I am still not sure if this is a real problem but there is something strange happening around milady. Please watch her carefully”
“Understood”
Tarmo nodded to Philiane’s few words.
She could just tell him that about the missing sweets but that will give prejudice in regards to her security. It will be a problem if they just focused on the her maid’s uneasiness when it turned out to be much more of a serious problem.
They must raise the security on every part of Tiararose’s environment.
Philiane relaxed her body, feeling relieved for now.
“Philiane, have you addressed this to His highness?”
“No. I also just noticed it earlier.   The prince haven’t been informed yet but— Miss Tiararose might not tell him because she doesn’t want him to worry”
“I see”
――Tarmo will probably tell his highness anyways.
Right now he is Tiararose’s exclusive escort but he was normally Aquasteed’s aide. He is certainly much more suitable to do that job rather than Philiane.
All that is left is to leave everything into Aquasteed’s hand. Surely he will do something about it.
She knows that even if Tiararose wouldn’t tell him, he will make her confess it in a sweetly and caring manner.
Just imagining it make her full but Philiane thought that it will probably much sweeter than that in reality.
◇ ◇ ◇
Once night came, Aquasteed came back to where Tiara is.
He had recieved a report from Tarmo during the afternoon so he was looking forward on what reaction his kind wife will do.
“Welcome back”
“I’m back”
Tiararose who was doing embroidery just a while ago, welcomed Aquasteed with a smile.
“Sorry for coming home late”
“Not at all. You worked hard”
Aquasteed’s lips touched her cheeks and then he engulfed her in to a hug. During the time of his return, he always replenish Tiararose.
Especially today; his work got extended. Normally they are already relaxing and spending time together at this hour.
――But I don’t have a choice since I was reviewing Tiara’s security.
He does not plan to postpone things after tomorrow. If someone notice something off, then he must act immediately.
“Did something happen today?”
“No. All I did was to have my dress adjusted and baked some sweets”
“I see”
Tiararose smiled saying there is nothing wrong, not planning to tell him what happened during the afternoon.
――Seriously, she’s just so adorable.
Thinking out a plan on how to make her confess, he elt an urge to do some mischief. It might’ve been a wrong move for him to smirk for Tiararose’s shoulders shivered for a moment.
“P-prince Aqua……?”
“Hm?”
Reacting to her voice, he smiled and pat her beautiful hair.
He lift her up as if it is nothing. He reaches his hand to the door connected to their bedroom. It is still a little too early for them to go to sleep――.
“U-umm!”
“What’s wrong, Tiara?”
Tiararose’s cheeks were painted red as she was trapped inside Aquasteed’s arms.
――He definitely knows what happened!
After seeing Aquasteed’s actions, Tiararose was convinced that he knows what happened during the afternoon. Otherwise, there is no way for him to take her to their bedroom just as soon as he came back.
Her intuition tells her that he will dote on her until she confess everything.
“Th-the truth is, during the afternoon-”
“What, are you gonna confess things already?”
“Please don’t say it as if you are disappointed……”
I was actually planning to dote on you, said Aquasteed while snickering.
Having no choice, he sat on the sofa to listen to Tiararose.
“——Is what happened”
“Sweets eh. Indeed, it’s much convincing to think that it’s the fairies doing”
“I agree. But the forest fairies will never do such thing……”
Nodding at Tiararose’s words, Aquasteed agreed.
――Then was it the sea fairies?
He thought of the most probably suspect within the fairies and now he’s thinking of a way on how to confirm it.
If it’s the sky fairies, Aquasteed have received their blessing so he can contact them immediately and their not the type to do such things.
“I’ll investigate on it so you don’t have to worry about anything, Tiara”
“Prince Aqua…… but you are already busy with your work. My cookies going missing is not too much of a big deal”
“No. The cookies that you made are also my property”
Aquasteed caress Tiararose’s cheeks as she laughs thinking that he also get jealous over some sweets. He then planted kisses on her, patting her back as if trying to reassure her.
――I need to fix this before things get serious
He wants to solve things quickly while Tiararose is still thinking of it as a missing cookies incident. Aquasteed is expecting for thing to gradually escalate.
It is quite difficult but he doesn’t want anyone to disturb his time with Tiararose.
◇ ◇ ◇
However, few days later, this incident took turns to an unexpected situation.
Tiararose herself witnessed how the cookies disappeared.
“Ehhhhh?!”
In the sink of the kitchen appears the face of the sea fairy, taking a piece of a cookie——
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