The New Maid Café by the Lake

The bright morning should have filled us with excitement for work. Yet the enthusiasm we had earlier had begun to fade—especially for Daisy.

An entire hour had passed since the Fantasy Shop opened, yet not a single customer had arrived.

“Mom… where are the customers?” Daisy asked, staring outside through the glass window with a bored expression.

She was right.

It had already been an hour, and still no one had come.

“I’m not sure either, dear. Let’s wait a little longer.”

“It’s probably because the journey here is quite far. And there was also the opening ceremony of the festival earlier, so they might arrive a bit later.”

While we waited, the sound of horse hooves suddenly echoed in the distance.

The moment Daisy heard it, she jumped to her feet.

“Mom!” Daisy exclaimed, a smile instantly returning to her face.

I nodded, and Daisy hurried outside to greet the arriving guests, while the rest of us followed behind her.

Soon enough, a carriage appeared before us.

It was a white carriage adorned with golden ornaments, escorted by several armed guards.

The royal family?

The carriage stopped a short distance from us. Two young girls stepped out and approached.

“Good morning, Lady Luna! Lady Rima! Everyone!” Lenti greeted cheerfully. “Good morning too, Daisy!”

“Mhm! Good morning!” Daisy replied with a bright smile.

“G–good morning, Lord Radhimar,” Verni greeted shyly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

“Mm,” Radhimar responded with a nod.

SMACK!

“Hey! Why did you hit me?” Radhimar whispered, rubbing his arm.

“When a lady greets you, you should greet her properly, not just say ‘Mm,” Rania whispered back.

“Good morning as well, Princess Vernotta,” Radhimar quickly corrected himself.

Ah… I wish Lord Radhimar would call me Verni instead… Vernotta thought to herself.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked.

“Yes, we would like to help. It will also be a valuable experience for us,” Vernotta replied, her eyes shining with excitement.

“But you are a princess. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to work as a servant.”

“A noble’s duty is to serve the people. So this is simply part of that responsibility,” Vernotta answered firmly.

“If you insist.”

“You two should go with Lusserina first so she can prepare you.”

The two who had arrived were Princess Vernotta and Lenti. They had come to help us.

[A Few Days Earlier]

After we reached an agreement, Daisy, Rima, and I traveled to the capital.

Once we arrived, we split into two groups. Rima would go to the royal palace to inform the royal family, while Daisy and I would notify my children. We agreed to meet later at Rania’s place.

After walking through the city for several minutes, we finally arrived at the Nuzantra Magic Academy.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Come in!” a voice called from inside the room.

When I opened the door, Radhimar, Rania, and Bartasz were already waiting.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, Mother. We just arrived,” Radhimar replied.

“Yeah, Mom. We just got here,” Bartasz added.

“G–greetings!” Daisy said softly.

We all sat down together.

“So, why did Mother summon all of us here?” Rania asked.

There was a hint of tension on their faces.

“After discussing it with Rima, I’ve decided to reopen the Fantasy Shop and officially introduce it during the kingdom’s anniversary festival.”

I thought they would be excited to hear this, but instead they simply exchanged confused glances.

“Why? Aren’t you happy?”

“No, it’s not that,” Rania said quickly. “We were just surprised.”

“Rania’s right. Of course, we fully support you, Mother,” Radhimar added.

“Yeah, Mom. We all agree,” Bartasz said.

“If you disagree with me, you can say so.”

“No, Mom. We agree. Right? Brother? Bartasz?” Rania asked.

“Mm! Mm!” Radhimar answered, while Bartasz nodded.

“So what will you sell, Mother?” Rania asked.

“Don’t worry. I will only sell ‘Common’ and ‘Uncommon’ grade weapons. As for potions, I’ll sell red and orange potions.”

Upon hearing this, they all let out a sigh of relief.

…Do they not trust me?

“Oh, right,” I continued. “Rima said many people visit Dewata Lake to enjoy the scenery. So I’m planning to open a small restaurant at the house. That way, visitors who come to admire the lake can relax while also browsing the Fantasy Shop.”

They raised their eyebrows at one another.

“But according to Rima, we need something interesting to attract customers. Do you have any ideas?”

Everyone fell into deep thought.

“How about Mother sells statues of herself?” Radhimar suddenly said enthusiastically, standing up. “If you sell them, I’ll buy one and display it in the church next to the Moon Goddess statue!”

“Idiot! Mother is opening a restaurant, not selling statues,” Rania snapped.

“Seriously, Brother, that idea makes no sense,” Bartasz added.

Speaking of restaurants, I suddenly remembered something from my previous world.

“How about a themed restaurant?”

“A themed restaurant?” The three of them looked confused.

“The restaurant itself wouldn’t be very different from others, but the waiters would wear costumes based on a certain theme.”

“What theme are you thinking of?” Bartasz asked.

“How about nobles or goddesses?” Radhimar suggested.

“What noble or goddess would work as a restaurant servant? Stop talking nonsense,” Rania said with a sigh.

“There’s one theme I’d like to try.”

“What is it, Mom?” Bartasz asked.

“A maid theme.”

They looked confused again.

“A maid theme where all the servers wear maid outfits.”

The three of them stared at each other.

“But… servants already wear servant clothes, don’t they?” Rania asked.

“I mean that everyone working there will wear maid outfits—including me, Rima, Lu, and Abi.”

“WHAT?!” the three of them exclaimed simultaneously.

“Mom, I want to help too,” Daisy said softly.

“You want to help as well? Alright, we’ll find you a suitable outfit,” I said, gently patting her head.

“YAY!” Daisy cheered.

“Then I’ll help too!” Radhimar said, standing up again.

“Don’t you have work? And what will people say if they find out a priest is working as a restaurant servant?” Rania said.

“Don’t worry! I’ll disguise myself so nobody recognizes me!” Radhimar declared confidently.

“Everyone will recognize you instantly,” Rania muttered.

“Since the academy is closed during the festival, Elrik and I can help,” Rania said.

“I’m not sure if I can help. The merchant guild will probably be very busy during the festival. I’ll let you know later, Mom,” Bartasz added.

“Don’t force yourselves and neglect your main responsibilities. Even if you can’t help, you can visit when you have free time.”

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Headmaster, there’s something I’d like to—”

The door suddenly opened, revealing Verni and Lenti.

“Lady… Luna?” Verni murmured in surprise.

“Oh! Hello, Verni! Lenti!”

“What are you doing here, Lady Luna?” Verni asked.

“I’m discussing something with my children.”

“Oh? Sorry for interrupting. We’ll come back another time,” Verni said.

“Wait, you’re already here. Besides, this isn’t a secret conversation.”

“Are you sure?”

I nodded.

Verni and Lenti, who were about to leave, returned and joined us.

“What are you discussing?” Lenti asked curiously.

After hearing her question, I explained our plans.

“….”

“U–um… may I help as well?” Verni asked hesitantly.

“Verni! Are you crazy? What will the king and queen think?” Lenti whispered.

“But this is my chance to spend time with Lord Radhimar,” Verni whispered back.

Oh… so that’s your real intention.

“Of course you may help,” I said. “But you must ask the king and queen for permission first.”

“Alright! Thank you!” Verni said excitedly.

“Then I want to help too,” Lenti added.

“You’re welcome to join as well. The more the merrier.”

Afterward, Verni and Lenti discussed the reason for their visit with Rania. Once they finished, they left the room.

“Since everything is settled, we’ll head back.”

Daisy and I said goodbye before leaving.

[Back to the Present]

A few minutes later, Verni and Lenti finished changing with Lusserina’s help.

“You both look beautiful,” Daisy said admiringly.

Daisy was right.

Even though they were wearing maid outfits, they still looked elegant—especially Verni, who still carried the unmistakable aura of royalty.

Is this what they call the power of a princess?

“Yup, those outfits suit you perfectly,” Rima said.

“….”

“Lord Radhimar… what do you think?” Verni asked shyly.

“It suits you,” Radhimar replied.

Hearing his praise, Verni’s face flushed even deeper.

“Young people these days,” Rima muttered with a sigh.

In the middle of this warm atmosphere—

“A carriage is approaching!” Abiyasa suddenly called out.

A carriage?

Hearing this, everyone quickly moved to their positions.

My heart began pounding with anticipation as we prepared to welcome our first guests.

Soon we saw it clearly.

A luxurious carriage approached, flanked by two ordinary carriages in front and behind it.

The carriage itself was black, decorated with elaborate golden ornaments.

Daisy, Rima, Verni, Lenti, and I stood in front of the shop to greet the guests.

But when I glanced at Verni beside me, her expression suddenly stiffened.

At that moment, I realized who had arrived.

The carriage stopped.

Three figures stepped down.

King Siegfried.
Queen Anastasia.
And Prime Minister Allan.

“Verni!” King Siegfried shouted as he began to run toward us.

“Dear?” Queen Anastasia’s cold voice instantly stopped him.

“Father? Mother? Why are you here?” Verni asked with a pout.

“Of course, we came to see you—ouch!” the king said before suddenly being pinched by the queen.

“We came to visit Lady Luna’s shop,” Queen Anastasia said smoothly, “and to try her cooking.”

She then winked playfully.