Mochitsuki Tearmoon Empire: Short Story Collection 1

1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-7183-7180-4
Verlag: J-Novel Heart
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 250 Seiten

Reihe: Tearmoon Empire: Short Story Collection

Cuddle up with Empress Mia and her granddaughter Bel for some bedtime stories! Oh, how Mia loves to reminisce about her glory days, from discovering delectable cream puffs in the surrounding streets of Saint-Noel Academy to attending a heartwarming candlelit mass on the night of the Holy Eve Festival. This charming collection gathers side stories from volumes 1 through 9, the stage play pamphlet and DVD, and the first drama CD-many appearing in English for the very first time! Yes, now's the time to learn even more about the Great Sage of the Empire!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mochitsuki, Nozomu

Weitere Mitwirkende

Gilse

Willette, Maddy

Leseproben

Noble Gacha

Those responsible for Tiona’s imprisonment had been punished. Mia apologized on behalf of the other Tearmoon nobles, stepping out of Rafina’s quarters and running back to her room. There, she found Anne in the middle of cleaning. After expressing some heartfelt gratitude for her maid, she immediately dragged Anne into town.

She would reward Anne for all of her hard work! Rather, Mia just wanted to tour all the shops in town that sold sweets.

“Saint-Noel is terribly amazing!” exclaimed Mia.

Saint-Noel Island was surrounded by a lake, and a town had developed around the academy. Only those thoroughly vetted by Rafina were allowed to reside here; since the school housed the children of influentials the continent over, they couldn’t afford to let in anyone suspicious. It would be disastrous if a townsperson slipped some poison into a noble’s food, after all. Thus, those affiliated with the Holy Principality would conduct regular—but secret—investigations of the stores that lined the streets.

The island was the safest paradise on the whole continent, completely devoid of any plots or schemes. However, that didn’t mean the town was without stiff competition. Suiting the refined palates of noble heirs meant the city had a much greater variety of luxuries to offer than was typical. Somewhere down the line, Saint-Noel Island had transformed into a breeding ground for the most cutting-edge, high-quality items throughout the continent.

And naturally, their sweets—beloved by teenage girls everywhere—were also at the forefront of continental trends.

“My, that looks tantalizing... Oh, and look at that sugar sculpture! It’s amazing! Do you see it, Anne?!”

Seeing Mia in such high spirits caused a smile to blossom on Anne’s face. “Calm down, milady. The shops aren’t going anywhere.”

“The shops might not, but their goods will! Someone could buy up the whole stock!” said Mia, breaking out into a run.

That’s when she bumped into a young boy. “Eek!”

“M-My apologies...”

“Yes, I apologize as well. Wait, aren’t you...?”

“Ah! I-I can’t believe it... Your Highness!” As soon as the boy caught a glimpse of Mia’s face, he flung his head downward so forcefully it seemed he had every intention of slamming it straight into the ground. “M-My apologies!”

“No, it’s my fault for not paying attention. Um... If I remember correctly, you’re Uros, Viscount Langess’s son, yes?”

Mia recognized the boy as Uros Langess, the eldest son of one of Tearmoon’s viscount families, and...

“Let me apologize once again. My vassal truly acted out of hand.”

...the master of one of the culprits responsible for imprisoning Tiona on the night of the dance party.

“You’ve already apologized. There’s no need to reignite past troubles.” Truthfully, Mia just didn’t want to think about it. She was on this sweets tour to forget about how nervous she had been when she apologized to Rafina! This guy needed to learn how to read the room! Such complaints threatened to escape Mia’s lips, but she managed to hold them back. “Which reminds me, I’d love to try the sweets your family developed, Uros.”

Mia had been familiar with Uros since before her redo. She was the Great Sage of the Empire, so naturally, she remembered all the nobles in Tearmoon—well, not really. As we all already know, Mia was no sage.

Then why did she remember the boy? Because every single year, he’d come to greet her bearing gifts—and ones she particularly fancied at that! Thus, Mia remembered him as a young man with a good eye.

Mia’s favorite of his many gifts had been a sweet he proclaimed had been developed by the Langess family—the cream puff. Since they wouldn’t keep, Mia had received special permission from Rafina to bring her own chef to Saint-Noel Academy who could prepare the delicacy for her.

“Huh? Sweets? I don’t think my family’s developed any of those.”

“My, they haven’t?” , thought Mia, tilting her head. “Well, never mind it then. Please do work hard while you’re here at the academy.”

“Y-Yes, Your Highness! I will do my absolute best to be of use to you!” he said, flinging his head back toward the ground in a bow. Then, he turned around and dashed back toward the academy.

Mia watched him disappear into the distance and gave a self-satisfied nod. “That’s the spirit! Let’s get going, Anne!”

Perhaps this boasting was what had earned her this punishment. As they walked through the streets of the city’s shopping district, the sky began to turn gray.

“Look at the sky, milady...”

Just as those words escaped Anne’s mouth, a big raindrop landed on Mia’s nose.

“My, it’s raining?” muttered Mia. The sky immediately began to roar as if to answer her. “Eek!”

Following the thunder came buckets of rain. The two panically took refuge inside a shop. It was dilapidated and located inside a twisting alley path.

The clock had just struck three.

“I’ve got the worst luck...” a woman sighed. A small confectionary shop stood in a back alley near Saint-Noel Academy. The brand-new vibrant sign that marked the store seemed out of place against its dirty, worn walls, and it read: .

Catalina Ehrnrooth, the shop owner, watched out the window in a daze. Raindrops fell in droves. The sky was dark, save for the occasional lightning. On the street before the store was a flyer crumpled by the rain, marked in adorable handwriting with the words: “Try the latest item by the newly renovated Catalina Confectionaries, the cream puff! Available until 3:00 p.m. We can’t wait for you to stop in for some tea and tea cakes!”

Catalina had written the flyers herself and had toiled tirelessly to distribute them. But now, the letters bled with the rain, making them look unsettling.

“Story of my life...”

No customers would come in this downpour. The academy’s students were all of high birth; none of them would purposefully face the danger of getting soaked. Not to mention, her new product was only good for a single day. She’d soon have to throw out the whole stock. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she gazed at the mountain of cream puffs she had worked so hard on.

“I’m always...so unlucky.”

Having inherited the shop from her late parents, Catalina worked diligently alongside her younger sister to keep the business afloat. Nevertheless, their profits continued to plummet and their customers waned. In a desperate attempt to revitalize the store, the sisters had remodeled. The two gave their all into creating a new menu, and yet...it was currently raining buckets on the day of their grand reopening. Her sister had left to attract customers, but Catalina got the feeling her efforts would prove fruitless.

“Why does this always have to happen to me?”

But as soon as Catalina had sunk to her lowest, she heard a chime at the door.

Let us return to the old timeline for just a moment. It was a world where misfortunes abounded, where the common people were completely overrun by noble arrogance. As the flames of revolution engulfed the Tearmoon Empire, Catalina found herself in the country slums. Two years had passed since the store she inherited from her parents had gone under.

Back then, on the day of their grand reopening—the very day Catalina and her sister had started anew after going into debt to revitalize their failing shop and toiling endlessly to think up a new menu—a young noble boy had entered to escape the rain. His name was Uros Langess, and at first, he had spoken ill of the place, calling it dirty. But Catalina had ignored his words, instead offering him their newest product with a smile. She hoped that by gaining the favor of a noble, she could once again find business and attract new clientele.

In fact, Catalina’s invention was truly excellent. As soon as Uros placed the cream puff in his mouth, he began to shower her with praise, even promising to request that his father invest in the business if the situation allowed for it.

Catalina was thrilled. Businesses backed by nobles boomed. She could pay back her debts and live the good life alongside her sister. She was desperate to earn Uros’s good graces and showered him with affection. As a result, she let the cream puff recipe slip.

Uros left the shop with the promise to return—a promise he didn’t keep. His investment was pushed off indefinitely, and the shop’s profits began to decline once again. In less than three years, the store was gone, and Catalina and her sister had fallen into poverty. One day, her sister collapsed. She never got back up.

Catalina grieved the loss of the only family she had left. That’s when she heard a rumor. The cream puffs—her very invention—had grown incredibly popular within Saint-Noel Academy. She snuck inside the school and discovered Uros smugly handing out the cream puffs—her and her sister’s sweat and tears—to the other noble children. She cried and protested.

“You’re not selling them, right? What’s the problem? Your business just couldn’t keep up. I was just trying to graciously give everyone the opportunity to try these...