450 Are You Sure You Don't Want These Cookies?

"Do you want more cookies?"

"Yesssshh~ Om nom nom~"

So cute~ Look at the little princess stuffing her cheeks with cookies while looking all blissful~

It almost made the previous sight of her looking all serious and melancholic like it was just an illusion.

"Tiara~ Here's another cookie~"

"Yayyyy~ Nom~"

Ahhhh so cute!

A knock on the door interrupted us and I turned towards it just as Katsuki's voice came from the other side.

"Mistress, I have returned with your sweets."

Oh! Perfect! This can be another sweets party with the princess!

"Come in~" I called out cheerfully.

The door opened and Katsuki pushed in a dining cart piled high with sweets of all kinds, making me let out a gasp of joy at the sight.

But when she saw that the princess was awake, she paused for a moment, which was enough to get the attention of Aria who was standing beside the door to look inside as well.

"Princess! You're awake!!" Aria cried out, rushing past Katsuki to the princess's side.

I turned back to the princess fully expecting her to still be blissfully munching on the cookie, only to see that she had returned to her serious face and was looking at Aria dispassionately.

"Hello, Aria. It has been a while," Tiara greeted her personal maid stiffly.

Of course, being the princess's personal maid for so long, Aria noticed the difference between the current Tiara and the usual one immediately.

"Pr… Princess?" She muttered, looking at the little girl in front of her with fear etched in her eyes. "What… Why are you speaking like this?"

Tiara showed her a sad smile, "It's… A long story, Aria. I fear that I am not the Tiara you know anymore… I've experienced too much to return to the old me."

Eh? Even though you were happily squealing and nibbling away on the cookie just now?

I would have thought that she had returned to this side of her because she ran out of cookies but she was still holding one in her hand right now… Though for now it lay forgotten on her side.

Katsuki came in and tactfully refrained from commenting on the situation. Instead, she busied herself with preparing my sweets and tea dutifully while I simply watched the scene in front of me.

Ignore the drool that is coming out from the corner of my mouth please.

Aria turned to me, "What… What happened to the Princess, Young Mistress Nilm?"

I did not miss the accusatory tone in her voice.

And if I managed to catch it…

"I would suggest that you change the way you say that, Miss Aria," Katsuki spoke up from the side.

She was stirring the cup of tea she had made for me but instead of using a spoon, she was using a knife instead.

Aria pursed her lips but Tiara interrupted her before she could say anything.

"Aria, this is no fault of Aster's. If you wish to blame someone, then the demons are to blame…"

The maid turned back to the Princess, "What do you mean, Princess? What did they do to you?"

Tiara sighed before she went ahead to explain what she went through to Aria.

I didn't really hear what exactly she said since Katsuki brought me my sweets at that moment and I got lost in enjoying the cakes, pudding and chocolate that she had prepared for me.

Mmmm~ This is bliss~

I wonder if it's too much to ask them to fill a bathtub full of sweets so I can just lay in it and eat all the sweets I want~

Not good, I think they would actually do it if I asked… Best not to push it too far or I'll end up becoming useless…

I was in the midst of licking my fingers clean of chocolate when I heard Aria sob, "Princess… You've suffered so much because of me… If only I managed to protect you from those demons…"

Tiara reached out and patted her head, "What are you talking about, Aria? If it wasn't because of you protecting me, I might have died. You did well."

Aria sniffed while wiping away her tears, "Princess… Here, I… I kept some cookies for you… They're… They're your favourites…"

The maid took out a bag from inside her apron that she opened up to reveal a small bunch of cookies, the sweet smell wafting from it already enough to make my mouth water.

If those cookies had that much of an effect on me, then surely Tiara would pounce on those and begin munching on the cookies.

"Thank you, Aria. You can leave that here… I'll have them later."

…

Eh?

I wasn't the only one surprised since Aria also stared at the Princess with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Princess… These… These are your favourite cookies…"

"I know… I'll… I'll have them later, Aria," Tiara sighed, looking down and away from the offered cookies.

Aria sniffed again, but did as she was told, depositing the cookies on the bedside table to my right. She must have also noticed the cookie the Princess was holding in her hand which she had chosen not to eat, making her think that the change in the princess extended to her love of cookies too.

Katsuki then brought the next batch of sweets and laid it in front of me.

Normally I would have dived right in again but Tiara's situation had my full attention right now.

She turned down cookies? What kind of sweets lover turns down cookies?!

This isn't even her trying to pretend that she's not interested in them! I could tell just from the tone of her voice that she genuinely had no interest in the cookies Aria brought out!

Yet you were so happily munching away on the cookies that I offered you?!

Wait… Could it be?

"Tiara? Do you want some more cookies?" I asked.

She looked at me, her brows scrunched up for some reason before relaxing, "I… Thank you for the offer, Aster… But I'm not in the mood for any right now."

I turned to the two maids standing behind, "Could you two leave us alone for now?"

Katsuki immediately bowed in acceptance while Aria needed a second more before she also inclined her head and followed Katsuki out of the room.

Tiara made no move to stop them, showing that she was also fine with the arrangement.

I waited until the door closed shut behind them before shifting myself a little closer to Tiara.

"Is… Something wrong? I don't think I've ever seen you turn down cookies like that before…"

"Ah… No… I just… I don't know… When she offered me those cookies, I don't feel the excitement I would normally have… It just didn't feel like something I wanted…"

Hmm… So it's like being offered sweets even though you're full?

No wait, I'll still gobble up all the sweets even when I'm full. Sweets go to another stomach, ok?!

But then…

I picked up one of the cookies that Aria left on the table and waved it at the Princess, "Are you sure you don't want--"

"Me waaaaant!!" The Princess squealed, lunging towards me and biting on the cookie in my hand.

In an instant, the cookie in my hand disappeared as she swallowed it up, her face returning to one of bliss.

"Om nom nom~ Sweeeeet~ My favourite!!" She giggled, squirming in the bed before focusing her attention back on the cookie she had stopped eating when our maids came in.

Without a second's hesitation, she also tossed that cookie into her mouth, finishing it off in a single bite while giggling to herself.

"Big Sister! More?"

I wordlessly handed the other cookies to her and she gleefully took them off my hands and started munching away on the treats.

She paused just as she was about to bite into her fourth cookie before pointing at the pile of sweets in front of me, "Is Big Sister not going to eat that?"

Oh right I have sweets too!

I dove back into my sweets and enjoyed it alongside Tiara, just like we would during our tea sessions~

Mnnnn~ These puddings are perfect! And I know these cakes were made by Tracey while these pastries were made by Mary~

Ahhh!! They're all so perfect!! I can already feel myself melting in bliss!!

Even the tea that Katsuki prepared was a perfect accompaniment for the sweets!

Very soon, my plate was completely clean and even Tiara was relaxed and seated on my lap after we thoroughly enjoyed the sweets together~

…

Eh? Wait a minute? Since when did the Princess end up sitting on my lap?

"Ahhh~ Pat me again, Big Sister~" She giggled.

My hand moved before I questioned what was happening and I started patting the Princess's head, causing her to let out a purr of contentment while she snuggled up against me like a kitten.

Eh? Ehhh? Wait… What happened in the last few minutes while I was enjoying my sweets?

Erm… If I think back… I was eating a chocolate mousse when Tiara crawled over from the bed and asked to share sweets with me with a cute face… I then pulled her into my lap and then we just ate sweets like this…

Ok, so that's what happened…

…

"Big Sister!! More! More!" She giggled, pushing a chunk of her cookie towards me.

I opened my mouth and she tossed it into my mouth before giggling and going back to munching on her cookie like nothing strange just happened.

Wait… Does this mean she only goes back to her sweet loving self when it's me that's offering them to her with no one else around?

… But why?