Who Are You?
Night completely enveloped the streets and alleys of Fontaine, and the evening breeze, carrying the damp coolness of the waterfront, dispelled the warm ambiguity and subtle noise of the daytime mansions.
Xingsu stood alone in her room at the Hotel Bouffes d'ete, gazing quietly at the clear starry sky.
The night sky in Fontaine was exceptionally clear tonight, with tiny stars dotting the inky black canvas, gentle and serene, just like Arlecchino's eyes when she looked at him.
The whispers in my ear from inside the mansion, and the weighty words, "The House of the Hearth is always open for you," echoed clearly in my heart again and again.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect our little Xingsu to be such an innocent little chef." Lin, who had been secretly enjoying the gossip the whole time, was disappointed to find that he hadn't seen what he wanted to see.
"..."
"Oh dear~ Someone secretly wrote me a letter~ I still have it~"
"..."
"Then our little Xingsu was all flustered, her face flushed, and her heart was pounding so hard! I saw it all clearly!"
"..."
"See what I told you before? She's truly your sweetheart from a past life!"
"..."
"When will you have 108 children?"
"There are more than 108 children in the House of the Hearth."
"Oh my god, you've finally said something."
"... Lin, what exactly do you want that thing for?"
"Of course, we should care about our little Xingsu, and prevent him from being manipulated by bad women."
"... She's not a bad woman," Xingsu retorted softly.
"Oh my gosh~ She's not a bad woman after all~ What have they made of our little Xingsu Su?"
"..."
It's clear that Xingsu's mind is in a mess right now; she doesn't even have the mood to argue with Lin.
"What, do you want your sis to help you win her over?"
"Do you think I need your help? She treated me like this, I'm not really stupid."
"Tsk tsk tsk, that's true, it's just a pity about that little girl from Poisson."
"Our relationship was purely platonic... sigh, we even made plans to attend her birthday party."
"Tsk tsk tsk, how can you be so greedy, wanting more than what you have?"
"It was just a birthday party, why are you making it sound like I'm some kind of scumbag..."
"Then you'd better step up your game and try to win back your sweetheart from your past life sooner."
"I, I..."
"What do you mean, 'you'? Don't tell me you're a grown man and don't have that ability, or... um, do you really like men? Oh, it's not impossible, I'm not picky."
"Get lost! I'm just worried; it's my first time..."
"So what if it's the first time! It has to be the first time! This kind of youthful romance story is the best!"
"So you know a lot about this."
"Of course, I love these kinds of memories the most! I've looked through each and every one of them carefully."
"Oh~ so you haven't experienced it yourself?"
"... Why would you say such malicious things?"
"Ha, old maid."
"You**"
The firelight from the Hearth inside the room lengthened Xingsu's shadow, and the gentle sound of the tide drifted in at night, leaving behind an unresolved ambiguous suspense in the evening breeze.
Xingsu looked up at the lights that lit up in the distance. The regrets of his past amnesia, wandering, and separation by death had lingered for too long. The feelings hidden in the letters, the necklace that was lost and found again, and the restrained and reserved reunion had already determined the answer in his heart.
The long wait is finally over.
From now on, he will take the initiative to reach out to her, to accept all her hidden tenderness and affection, and to give his all so that Arlecchino will never again be left alone, waiting in vain for her unfulfilled longing.
The evening breeze ruffled his hair, and the night view of Court of Fontaine was brightly lit, but at least one lamp was lit for him.
Xingsu sat down at her desk, her fingertips resting on the simple wooden box clasp, and slowly opened the gift box given to her by Arlecchino.
Escoffier lifted the delicate ribbon on the gift box with her fingertips, revealing a whole exquisite cream cake inside.
Escoffier, she frowned and shook her head repeatedly in judgment. "Unacceptable, unacceptable. How could this taste be given to Navia as her coming-of-age gift?"
The sweetness of the fluffy cake was unbalanced, the cream aroma was weak, and the freshness of the fruit filling was insufficient, making it completely unworthy of expressing one's feelings on an important occasion.
After saying that, she raised her hand to straighten the box lid, intending to re-adjust the recipe and redo it step by step, from ingredient selection to baking, to deliver a dessert worthy of Navia's coming-of-age ceremony.
"Is Chef Escoffier still working on the cake? It's getting late, you should take care of yourself." Someone walked quietly to the worktable, looked at Escoffier was bent over adjusting the recipe, and said softly.
Escoffier held a pencil between her fingers, crossing out a sweetness parameter on the recipe paper. When she looked up, her eyes held a faint weariness from days of staying up late, but her tone remained serious and stubborn. "This is Navia's coming-of-age cake. The taste and flavor can't be off by even a fraction. There's no room for carelessness."
She tapped the failed finished product box on the table with her fingertip, her brow furrowing slightly. "The previous version was unbalanced in sweetness, lacking the layers of fruit flavor. The whole cake tasted like a giant block of white sugar, failing to meet my standards."
As she spoke, she looked down at the ingredient list, intending to adjust the proportions of the fresh fruit filling. After a moment, she softened her tone and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Claire. I'll rest after finishing this version of the recipe. I need to make a dessert worthy of her taste before the ceremony."
"But Claire, aren't you here at the same time? I remember you're quite knowledgeable about cakes. Would you like to help me improve this cake?"
Claire's eyes lit up, and she quickly agreed, moving to the workbench to deftly help sort the berries and weigh the sugar. The two of them worked together for quite a while, adjusting the thickness of the layers and optimizing the sweetness of the cream.
Escoffier wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead, turned her head to look at Claire was diligently preparing the ingredients, and casually asked, "Speaking of Claire, you've been here to learn for quite a while now, and I've never asked you why you're studying cooking so diligently? If those seasoned chefs in the restaurant were half as hardworking as you, I wouldn't have had to worry about the trivial matters in the kitchen every day."
Claire gently arranged the fresh berries on the plate with her fingertips, pondered for a moment, and answered softly, "Actually, there's no particularly complicated reason. Maybe I just simply love this craft. Seeing the desserts I made being shared and tasted by others, and receiving their recognition and appreciation, that sense of satisfaction is truly remarkable." The warm yellow light fell on her eyes and brows, her tone full of sincerity and passion.
Escoffier paused in her grip on the baking spatula, her tense expression from days of working on recipes gradually relaxing. She truly appreciated meeting such a young person with a pure passion for cooking.
She glanced at the freshly prepared ingredients on the counter, her tone softening considerably. "This original intention is truly precious. The most valuable thing is being able to appreciate the joy that diners experience when they eat desserts." With that, she handed over a prepared cream base, inviting Claire to help her try spreading the filling, continuing to refine the birthday cake prepared for Navia.