“The letter you sent appears to have been erased by the king.”

“What!?”

As we spoke, Eivind commented, “That looks delicious, doesn’t it?” and then bought something from a stall in the shopping district. It was a… cheesy vegetable stir-fry. Bacon, onions, and potatoes were drizzled with melted cheese before being placed into a simple container. After receiving it from him, I immediately savored it.

The sweetness of the onions, the fluffiness of the potatoes, and the saltiness of the bacon were exquisite. Combined with the rich aroma of cheese that wafted from it…

…Truly delectable.

I glanced at the signboard while eating. So, it was called Tartiflette.

“Is it true that people didn’t eat potatoes in the past?”

“That’s true. They were treated as ornamental plants. It was said that the root, also known as the ‘Devil’s plant,’ could only be used to feed livestock… If I recall correctly, during the Great Revolution 800 years ago, the Sagacious King, Hiel Von Nouwen, survived the famine by recognizing it as edible.”

When I shared my knowledge, Eivind looked up at me and said, “You sure are knowledgeable.” He laughed, taking a bite of my tartiflette from the side. Well, the other day in history class, the teacher was summarizing it…

…More importantly, Eivind. Can you stop eating from my hand?

“…Isn’t the stall still nearby?”

“I bought it.”

“Then I’ll give it back.”

“Oh, I think you’ll enjoy that, too!”

After saying that, Eivind flew to the next stall.

Oh, is it something sweet this time?

He bought what appeared to be a whole apple dipped in chocolate. Apparently, they used a magic tool to keep the chocolate cool so that it didn’t melt. As I looked at its cute appearance, I wondered how it tasted.

Then, while biting the chocolate-dipped apple that Eivind had bought for me, I returned to the main topic.

“So why would the descendants of that almighty king get in my way?”

“Maybe he’s interfering with issues related to the castle in hope that you’ll go crying to him?”

“Wow… I want to try that bell-shaped stuff…”

“Oh, that’s Boule de Noël. You have quite the sweet tooth, don’t you?”

“I still try to eat decent food. Otherwise, it’d bad for my health.”

After all, this body belonged to Cecily. I couldn’t let her gain weight or become unhealthy while it was in my possession.

While chatting like that, I took in my surroundings.

The shopping district in the center of the royal capital was bustling. It was lunch time at the moment. The royal capital was home to the country’s major institutions, such as the Royal Institute of Magic, so there were many hardworking people.

In hope that those people could take a break and eat something delicious in passing, a food stall culture developed in the ostentatious city called the royal capital.

“There are many high-end shops on other streets that are typical of the royal capital. By the way, this whole area becomes a bar district at night. There are no aristocrats or commoners, and it’s livelier than during the day.”

“By the way, Eivind doesn’t go out drinking, right?”

“I’m a minor, so I don’t drink.”

Well, let’s put aside the convoluted language.

Honestly, I thought it was a nice city. Just like the grant that Cecily was talking about, it could also be used as a countermeasure in case of an emergency.

It’s ironic that a country like this was built by that scum king.

Although, it seemed that he hadn’t been leading this country for 800 years.

I was probably the only one in this world who loathed him. I was starting to appreciate the nickname Incorrigible Villainess.

I laughed to myself, causing the marshmallow glazed with chocolate called Boule de Noël that I was about to bite into to fall. It was starting to melt a little, and as a result, I got chocolate all over my clothes.

When Eivind saw that, he laughed.

“Good grief. To the clothing store we go.”

“So, how did we end up on a date?”

“Oh, you just noticed?”

In the end, Eivind also bought me clothes. As expected of the modern era sage.

He sure is rich.

Aside from that, a simple yet linear dress adorned with embroidery suited Cecily like a glove. Inwardly, Cecily was also thrilled, which was adorable.

When I complained to Eivind, giving him a side glance, he smiled bitterly.

“I mean, if I left you alone back then, wouldn’t you have just forced your way through the gate?”

“Of course not. I intended to sneak from the back.”

“…I’m glad I stopped you.”

Oh? Judging from those words just now, our meeting doesn’t seem to have been a coincidence. Did he come all the way to see me?

“Do you have that much free time?”

“Actually, I’m deep in my research. Still, I’m doing my best to make time for the woman I like.”

…Really? When you’re so busy eating around like this?

Eivind maintained a friendly smile as he held out his hand to me.

“Let’s go?”

“Where?”

“I’ll show you the back route for seeing court officials.”

Since he was going along with me, I wondered if he was free after all. As it was convenient for me, I silently took his hand.

---

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***T/N: This guy… reminds me of Aventurine.

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