“Graham, do you have the drinks ready?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Then serve it to the guests. Make sure you bring more tea for the young masters.”
“Very well, my lady, I will.”
3rd Person POV
The silver-haired butler bowed and raised one hand to signal. With that, the maids and waiters who had been waiting near the mansion began to move in an orderly fashion. Tables and chairs were brought out on the lawn, covered with pure white linens, and platters and tea sets filled with sweets were laid out as if for decoration.
Olga sighed as she watched the butler walk back to them.
“As expected of a family as prestigious as the Yurinova family, the butler has a different aura of dignity.” (Marina)
“That’s the ideal of a butler. I’ve heard that some families have been stewards of famous families for generations, I wonder if he’s from one of those.”
Ekaterina shook her head as Marina gave her an inquiring look.
“I don’t know about Graham’s lineage. To me, Graham is like a guardian spirit who has been in our family for a long time and has been watching over us. I rely on him so much. Well, everyone. It’s a beautiful day, you must be thirsty. I have prepared some wild rose tea for everyone to try.”
After tea, lunch was served buffet style, and it became an informal garden party.
It was the perfect way for Ekaterina, now the Duchess of Yurinova, to rehearse how to run a party. As expected of an experienced butler, Graham suggested this to Ekaterina, who only asked if it would be okay to bring a lot of friends.
I should have come up with that idea myself. I’m ashamed of my lack of skills around housekeeping. Unlike studying or business, I have too little knowledge and experience in this field.
That’s why I’ll do my best.
“This little pie is very delicious. Is this the kind of lunch you two always bring to His Excellency the Duke?” (random)
“Yes, this is a recipe I received from Baroness Czerny. Our chef was very impressed with it, so I asked him to use it.” (Ekaterina)
When I told them that Baron and Baroness Czerny were actually classmates of my grandfather Sergei, the way they looked at Flora seemed to change. As expected of a grandfather who served as Prime Minister and major minister, he is still a household name even among the young!
More and more students were talking to Flora, complimenting her pies, asking for her recipes, and there were no traces of bullying anymore.
“I’ve just had some rose-shaped cookies for tea, and they are wonderful. I’m certain that they must be the traditional sweets of the Duke’s family.” (random)
“I come here every year, but I’ve never had that before. I’m sure they’ve come up with something new. Ekaterina, the rose cookies are very popular because they are so nice and delicious.” (random)
“I’m glad you like them. It’s a new twist of recipe that the chef has developed.” (Ekaterina)
In fact, I had the chef make them with a hint from a long-selling sweet bread from a previous life. Why it had cookies in the name remained a mystery to me. And it was a calorie bomb. But they were delicious. This time, the cookies were really cookies, just imitating the shape, but the chef put the traditional Dukes’ rose jam on them and made them excellent.
Incidentally, there are other traditional sweets, like small round doughnuts filled with rose jam. It’s surprisingly simple, but I guess that’s because my family has been around for a long time. They were delicious, too.
