The vast majority of these noble young maidens were in their teens, so they very quickly forgot the fact that this was a competition and gleefully began to enjoy creating their own desserts. There were dexterous young maidens who chose to decorate delicate little cakes with swirls of frosting and dots of bright jam. Then there were those who knew that they were more clumsy and chose, instead, to make their own chocolates. They added all sorts of nuts to them and some even melted fruit candies to add to the insides, which created a symphony of flavors. Some of them used all sorts of preserved fruits and arranged them together to create a colorful piece of art…

In short, this group of maidens had some that idly chatted with each other, some who put in a lot of effort into making their own desserts, some who happily judged other’s works, and there were even some who couldn’t resist the temptation to try out their own goods and gleefully sampled them in bliss.

The matrons who were here had also been infected by the liveliness and happiness of the young maidens. They walked out of the shaded pavilion to arrive at the setting where the young maidens were currently having fun. Some of them arrived next to their daughters to help them come up with ideas or give them tips. Some of them sampled a few of the failed products that had occurred so far. There were...