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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Gifts and Gossip
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I muttered to myself.
“I doubt this is even enough to buy grilled corn.”
Emil set the shield down and laughed awkwardly.
“Still, a gift is a gift. Let’s check the rest!”
Emil opened the box addressed to me.
This time, a play ball and a toy popped out.
“My sister must think I’m five years old.”
Emil took off his helmet.
“It’s a golem toy that’s popular in the capital. They say if you buy the red and yellow ones, you get the brown one for free.”
“…”
But the only golem I received was the brown one.
Just as I was about to toss the brown golem straight into the trash, Emil stopped me.
“Whoa, whoa. I agree it’s tempting, but maybe there’s another meaning to it, you know? Let’s take a closer look. Isn’t it strange for a toy to be wearing a bag?”
With a sullen look, I handed the toy to Emil.
Emil opened the bag.
“Look. It’s a necklace.”
A necklace?
Finally showing some interest, I took the necklace Emil offered me.
It was the locket I had lost at the Grand Temple. It was spotless, without a single scratch, as if it were brand new.
“There’s a note here, too.”
[I knew you wouldn't wear a new one, so I had it repaired. It cost a lot, you know?]
Huh? Did someone step on it and damage the pendant?
I tilted my head and checked inside the pendant.
What the—why is the scale so burnt?
It looked like it would crumble to dust if I touched it, so I didn't even dare try.
Emil shot me a cautious glance.
“Surely the Saintess didn’t do this out of spite, right?”
“Hmm, if she were being spiteful, she wouldn’t have given the necklace back at all. That would cost money.”
Emil looked puzzled.
“Doesn’t the Saintess make a lot of money? Even past Popes never thought of doing business with their divine power.”
It’s not that they couldn't, but that they wouldn't...
I put on the necklace and replied.
“My sister hates spending money on other people more than anything. She’d probably say that even buying me grilled corn is a waste.”
Emil stared at me intently.
“Young Lady, would you like some grilled corn?”
“…”
Ah.
I flinched.
Before my face could flush red with embarrassment, Emil quickly exclaimed.
“I-I was just getting hungry myself! We can go to the banquet hall together!”
“Sh-should we?”
Worried I might change my mind, Emil threw off his armor and hurried me to the banquet hall.
The banquet hall was empty.
It wasn't mealtime, so it seemed even the servants who were usually stationed there had been mobilized to clear the snow.
While Emil went to see the chef, I picked up a teapot.
I can at least make tea.
I was confident, having done it several times in the Snake Pit.
Just as I was pouring the properly steeped tea into a cup, Emil returned with the food.
Grilled corn topped with butter, freshly steamed potatoes and sausages, mushroom soup, and a tangerine salad were placed only on my side of the table.
“Emil, aren't you hungry?”
“I'm starving! I'm going to eat too!”
“…”
That feels like a white lie.
Emil's eyes widened as he said.
“It's true! My stomach is a bottomless pit! So please, Young Lady, hurry and eat!”
Just as I reluctantly took a bite of the corn, which was wafting a buttery aroma.
Emil, who had taken a sip of the tea I'd gently set down, immediately spat it all out.
Huh?!
“What's wrong? Does it taste strange? I made it.”
Emil's eyes were trembling uncontrollably.
“*Cough*... What did you do to this tea? You didn't poison it, did you?”
I didn't do anything to it!
Pouting, I tasted my own cup of tea.
It had a strange taste that made me tilt my head, but it was drinkable.
“You'll get a stomachache if you drink just anything like that, Young Lady.”
Emil, with a serious expression, snatched the teacup from my hand.
Then, he gestured to the chef with his eyes.
The chef immediately brought over some fresh fruit juice and cleared the teacup away completely.
That's strange. When we were in the Snake Pit, Kivrin said the tea I made was the most delicious in the world.
“I'm no cook myself, but you're really something else, Young Lady. From now on, please have someone else make it. Got it? Oh, no, wait. Maybe you could serve some to the Duke when you get the chance?”
Emil glanced in the direction the chef had gone and lowered his voice.
“I'm not one to hold a grudge, but aren't mages better than swordsmen? More handsome! And more hygienic! You agree, don't you, Young Lady? You thought the Duke was too harsh back then, right?”
“Back then?”
Suddenly, Emil furrowed his brow.
“When we were trying to see if you were cursed. The Duke said, 'Mages just coop themselves up in their rooms, so their prime is short,' remember?”
“...Were you just imitating Father?”
“Wasn't it a good impression?”
Not at all.
“Anyway, what do you think, Young Lady?”
I wracked my brain, trying to remember.
But I couldn't recall a single time Emil had been more handsome or hygienic than Menelik, so I just gulped down my juice instead of answering.
Emil misunderstood and smiled with satisfaction.
“I knew you'd be on my side, Young Lady.”
“…”
This time, I stuffed some grilled corn into my mouth.
Meanwhile, Emil, now in a better mood, openly showed his fondness for me.
“Oh, right, I heard you took Cesar with you when you went out yesterday. Thank you, Young Lady. Please continue to work both me and Cesar to the bone. He can be more frustrating than me, but his skills are pretty solid. He might even make better tea than you.”
Emil spoke freely about his personal life.
“Actually, my father wanted Cesar to be an asset to the House of Silentium. Utterly shameless, I know. That's why I brought him here.”
I swallowed the food in my mouth and said.
“Sir Cesar told me he spent his childhood in an orphanage.”
“Yes, he's an illegitimate child born between my father and a commoner. It's not really a secret in our domain.”
Emil frowned.
Because the will of the first emperor was still held in high regard, the existence of a mistress or an illegitimate child was a great shame for a noble.
After all, every emperor except one had refrained from taking concubines, so it was hardly looked upon favorably.
It was far better to divorce and then remarry.
“Ah, the orphanage where Cesar stayed is in the duchy's territory.”
Emil grinned.
“I really like the duchy's territory. They're overflowing with money, so they don't skimp on investing in orphanages. Thanks to that, even if he doesn't know noble etiquette, he knows how to write and grew up far from malnourished.”
“You seem to care for Sir Cesar a lot, Emil.”
“It's true I'm more fond of him than my other half-siblings. Not that I plan on helping him with his life in the knight order, though.”
Emil seemed to be well aware of Cesar's struggles.
Emil led the conversation so that I could eat a lot.
Thanks to him, I ate my fill without getting bored. As I set down my utensils, Emil asked in confusion.
“Young Lady, isn't that a bit too little? My younger brothers can eat ten ears of corn in one meal.”
“...A normal child would get sick eating that much.”
Emil looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
I left the banquet hall with Emil as well.
Out of habit, I went to the window to check the weather.
Outside, the snow was still falling.
I don't need to build a snowman, so I just wish it would stop soon.
I was wistfully rising onto my tiptoes and back down when…
I heard the voices of the maids at the bottom of the stairs.
“Did you get to see Lord Rose, too?”
Huh?
I perked up my ears.
The maids, who hadn't noticed me yet, were chattering with excitement.
“Of course! I spent my entire break watching, but it was worth it. Even the way he shovels snow is like a painting.”
“I know, right? Isn't he just so dashing?”
Dashing? Rose?
Emil looked at me in my state of shock, puzzled.
“Young Lady? Why do you look like everything you just ate is about to come back up?”
I quickly tried to compose my expression.
“Now you look like you really do need to run to Lady Yelena.”
...It had the opposite effect.
I gave an awkward laugh and backed away.
“I-I just remembered something I have to do. I'll be going now. Thank you for today.”
I waved enthusiastically at Emil and then went outside.
Rose was standing in front of a large, old tree with a bored expression.
He just looked like a kid who'd gotten tired of shoveling snow. What part of that was like a painting or dashing... No, I should stop thinking about it.
