In the kitchen.

“By the way, young lady, sorry for only asking now, but is it okay for you to cook?”

That was how the chef usually referred to me.

“It’s alright. I will say it again—I love cooking. It makes me happy.”

“Really? The young lady has a wonderful personality. It isn’t uncommon for aristocrats to think that cooking is a menial task and should be done by someone of my station. Well, save for Lord Nigel.”

I wasn’t an aristocrat. Tthough, iIt would be strange to deny that.

—Since then, we returned to the royal castle with the boy.

To serve him food.

At first, Nigel ordered the chef to do it, but I disapproved of that.

Because… because it was a big deal! As such, I should be the one who cook!

The chefs were worried about me, but I still insisted on doing it.

“I will start cooking.”

I wore an apron, rolled up my sleeves, and stood in the battlefield called the kitchen.

“What are you planning to make, young lady?”

“I’m going to make an omelet rice.”

“Omelet rice? Would he be alright with that?”

The chef frowned with doubt. He probably thought it was ill-suited for serving to guests.

Although I already had a rough idea, the identity of the boy was still unknown.

However, there was no doubt this was a great opportunity for introducing him to Lynchgiham’s cuisine.

“But omelet rice is a commoner’s dish… what are you thinking? This is why the young lady is so naïve…”

I feared that kind of response—

—hence why, I had an idea!

“What’s wrong? You’re staring at my face.”

“Nothing.”

“…I feel like you’re thinking about something problematic…”

The chef narrowed his eyes.

…Alright! Let’s start right away!

To make ketchup rice, I mixed ketchup with white rice.

I spread oil on the frying pan and turned on the stove.

By using a magic stone of fire, anyone could easily light the stove. Such was the mechanism of the stove.

The stone itself was quite expensive, but since it was a royal castle, a lot was in stock.

Once the frying pan had warmed up, I added the white rice.

I continued to add ketchup and stirred them.

“As always, you are quick-witted. At this rate, I will far for you. Young Lady, won’t you consider being a chef?”

“Thank you, but I still have a lot of things I want to do.”

“A shame.”

The chef smiled.

While enjoying the conversation and cooking, the ketchup rice was completed in no time.

I shall plate it at once.

“Next is the egg…!”

I took out the eggs and broke them one after another against the bowl.

Then, I poured them into a frying pan, and mixed as if I were making scrambling eggs.

Once it was brought to half-boiled, it was finally time to add the ketchup rice!

Wrap the rice with the egg—and it was finished!

“Demiglace sauce would be a nice addition, but let’s make an orthodox sauce!”

I took out the ketchup and wrote ‘Welcome <3’ on the omelet rice.

People around the world said that dishes aren’t just about taste but should also look as if they were ‘shining’.

By that standard, my omelet rice would look good enough.

Yup.

I was able to do it well.

I plated the omelet rice and brought it to the dining room.

“I’m done.

Upon entering the dining hall, I discovered that Nigel was already seated on the long desk along with his sister Cecily. The boy was sitting face to face with her.

“I want to eat!”

Cecily swung her legs full of anticipation as she held a spoon in hand.

“Cecily doesn’t have to eat, right?”

“Big brother is so mean! Cecily also wants to eat big sister’s food!”

When I saw Cecily puffing her cheeks, I laughed unintentionally.

“It’s alright. Besides, it takes the same amount of time to prepare for three people, anyway. Not to mention, I want a lot of people to taste it.”

In any case, the omelet rice I had prepared would be enough for three people.

“I feel bad… wait, three people?”

“Cecily, the boy, and also Nigel—don’t you want to eat?”

“No, no, I definitely want to. Eliane’s food is excellent. Thank you for cooking it.”

That was only to be expected. After all, he had been sitting at the front of the table since the beginning.

Although he was always dignified and cool, he had his cute moments.

“This is…?”

After I served everyone, it was the boy’s turn to go wide eyed.

“It’s a dish called omelet rice.”

“Omelet rice… I’ve never heard about this before.”

“I see. It’s very delicious, please take a bite.”

Nigel was astounded by the boy’s reaction.

It couldn’t be helped—because omelet rice wasn’t that unusual.

It was the kind of dish that would be served in every household. It was strange for someone to not know about it—

—and yet, the boy said it was the first he had ever heard of it.

Seeing the reaction, I grew even more convinced as to who the boy actually was.

“Then, I shall eat without hesitation.”

The boy slowly put his spoon in the egg.

Then…

“…Oh!”

The boy raised his voice.

The thick yolk overflowed from inside the egg as he popped it.

“It’s a fluffy egg omelet rice!”

I puffed my chest.

“Wow… there is no such thing in my village.”

The boy gazed mysteriously at the omelet rice.

Then, he slowly ate it.

“Delicious!”

His eyes beamed.

“Does it taste good?”

“Y, yes! It’s the first time I’ve eaten something as delicious as this! Did you really make this?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Wow…!”

The boy aggressively ate the omelet rice.

Seeing that he liked the food, it was worth the effort.

“Eliane, your cooking is delicious as usual.”

“Big sister’s cooking is the best!”

It seemed that Nigel and Cecily were on the same page. They both seemed to be pleased with the fluffy egg omelet rice.

Although I was confident, I was relieved that it was actually to their liking.

“Thank you for the meal.”

In no time at all, the boy had finished the omelet rice.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“Are you satisfied?”

“What do you mean?”

“I still have some more omelet rice left.”

“…!”

The boy tensed immediately.

Earlier, I told the chef to prepare more omelet rice.

It was a dish that didn’t require much effort in the first place. As such, making it again was nothing.

The boy seemed a little uneasy.

“S, seconds, please.”

He handed me the plate with trembling hands.

I received it with a smile.

As I thought, making omelet rice was the correct decision.

Aristocrat food may be delicious, but I thought it wouldn’t sate the boy’s hunger.

Anyway, I wanted him to fill his belly.

I went to the kitchen again to procure another omelet rice.

…An hour later.

“Thank you for your help. I wasn’t only healed, but was also allowed to eat such a meal.”

After finishing, the boy confronted Nigel again.

By the way… Cecily had returned to her own room.

She insisted on staying, but the conversation starting from now would be important. It was too early for her to get involved.

The boy’s complexion had also improved.

Apparently, he wasn’t feeling well due to simply being hungry instead of injured.

“Express your gratitude to Eliane—isn’t her cooking skill amazing?”

“Yes! I didn’t expect to eat such delicious food. In the other kingdoms, I had my fair share of the food I disliked. But apparently, this kingdom is completely different.”

Other kingdoms?

It was merely my intuition, but I felt like I knew what he was implying.

“By the way, you haven’t given us your name, yet—who are you?”

Nigel asked the boy.

Right. We had forgotten to ask for his name.

I was too excited to cook for him…

“I’m sorry for not giving my name. I’d also like to apologize for my uncouth behavior, and the fact that my presence is discomforting. From here on, I shall explain seriously.”

The atmosphere of the boy had changed drastically.

Although he had been speaking in a carefree manner until now, his wording changed to a polite one.

He stared straight at Nigel.

“I’m Philip—the Spirit King.”

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***T/N: Because misery wants company, I shall give a visual aid so you guys would also crave for omurice HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAHAHAHAH

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