Reincarned with a deities Harem (Tome 1)

Out alone.

We were packing for the next day. Byakko was certainly in Selafon, and we absolutely had to find him before he changed his plans. The fact that his own brothers couldn't contact him made the situation even more desperate, so we had to hurry. Normally, the journey would take three days by road if we had to use orthodox means. But here, we didn't have that luxury, and it was lucky that two of my jewels could fly.

I glanced at the boys, wondering why they were going to such a great deal. We could just buy clothes there instead of carrying so much, but they had replied that there was no need to take root in this empire. We were going there for a purpose and there was no need to draw too much attention to ourselves.

I finally decided to go outside for some fresh air—even if it was without their knowledge—and I had to admit I was somewhat annoyed by their actions.
  Once alone in the crowded streets of my father's estate, I sighed guiltily, imagining that they must have noticed my absence by now and would be worried sick.
But I really needed some air!

So I passed a teahouse. There were a lot of people there as usual, mostly nobles. It was a merchant street, certainly, but not for commoners. As if even crossing this luxurious street would be a huge sin for them.
I looked to the side and quickly had my suspicions confirmed.
There were guards stationed between this street and a rather dark area that I could identify as the slums. As if the guards forbade those they deemed unworthy of this place from accessing it and would make sure of it.
On closer inspection, only the elegant carriages of nobles and finely dressed people paced the almost immaculate flagstones of this particular street.  The contrast between the brightness of where I stood and the darkness in the distance—despite it still being daytime—was striking.
I let myself be overwhelmed by my thoughts: no matter the place or the time, the rich would always have their privileges and the poor their setbacks; it was the harsh law of life.

I quickly felt my stomach growl and thought it might be time for me to grab a bite to eat. We were quite far from the town where I usually shopped, so no one would recognize me there. I made a mental note of the extent of my father's territory, remembering that he was still a duke with vassals, so this idiot of a count thought that because my father didn't mind his business, he could do as he pleased just because he was a distant relative of the queen.

Once I got back, I would take care of him.

I exhaled before entering the teahouse, the sound of the bell ringing as soon as several faces turned towards me, visibly intrigued by my appearance.

What could be more normal? This place was certainly frequented by regulars, so seeing a new face must be a fairly rare occurrence; I was bound to attract attention.

I decided to ignore the stares around me and made my way to a small table by the window before a waiter came to take my order.

I ordered a green tea with some small cakes, and while I waited to be served, I decided to stare blankly.

Some time later, I was brought back  by the waiter who arrived with my order.

I raised the piping hot cup to my lips, the wonderful taste of the tea and its intoxicating flavors overwhelming my palate, enjoying every sip.

I took the strawberry that was on top of the cake and immediately twisted my mouth in disgust: too sweet.

The tea was good, a little bitter, but this cake was an infection, at least for me.

I asked the waiter to come back, and he immediately was there, his face a little worried, especially after noticing that I had moved the cake away from me.

“Yes, miss, a problem?”

“Not really! Could you bring me a dark chocolate cake?”

“Dark chocolate?”

“You don't offer it anymore? I saw on the menu that it was also one of your specialties.”

The waiter stood there for a moment, contemplating. It wasn't that this order no longer existed, but that they hadn't prepared it since the day of its launch, which was a huge fiasco.
Customers had expressed a huge dislike for this pastry, and since then, they hadn't had the opportunity to make it. No one would want to eat it anyway.
From the look of this customer, she must be a newcomer in this town. It would be best to explain it to her before she rejected the cake like the strawberry one.
He wondered why, too.
Their strawberry cake was the favorite pastry in their teahouse. All the customers raved about it, hence its place at the top of the menu.
He therefore didn't understand why such a beautiful and delicate woman would prefer a cake that the other ladies loathed so much.

“Excuse me, miss. But have you ever tried the dark chocolate cake? It's a bit... unusual.”

“I know exactly what I ordered, unless you think your customers are idiots. I wish you would stop questioning my tastes. Your strawberry cake is far too sweet for my taste, and I'd like something that goes perfectly with my tea.”

The man trembled for a moment before nodding, not wanting to argue any further. A bitter tea would pair better with a sweet cake, but this person thought differently.

Anyway, he was only here to serve.

“I'll bring it to you right away.”

“Please take the cake with you; I'll pay for it, don't worry.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The waiter picked up the cake, and taking another sip of my tea, I continued to scan the city.

My new cake arrived, and I was delighted to savor it.
It was rich but mostly bitter, just as I'd hoped; the waiter looked at me in amazement, seeing how much I was enjoying it.
He blushed, looking away: she was beautiful.
He swallowed loudly, but his view was blocked by the silhouette of a woman who had placed herself in front of the lady.

I was eating happily when I felt a presence beside me. I scowled, particularly not liking to be disturbed in my moments of pleasure.

I looked up, and the person opposite me shrank back at the intensity of my golden gaze.

“Yes, what can I do for you?”

The tone of my voice was similar to my gaze, and the person had to swallow several times before deciding to speak.

“Hello, Lady Mylène Von Hosten, I'm Marion De Solsten, I'm delighted to see you again after all this time.”