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Greenhouse.

Now that the coming-of-age ceremony is over, it seems there’s nothing urgent to do. I thought about finishing the important paperwork quickly in the morning and taking a stroll after a long time, but little did I know that work would come up right here in the greenhouse.

Fortunately for Alfred, it wasn’t a matter of mediating disputes or combating monster assaults, or any such difficult tasks.

Compared to that, this was pure leisure.

Rather than work, it felt more like a report on changes that had occurred here.

“Amadeus.”

The origin of a symbol representing love.

A name signifying that one is loved by the gods.

An ingredient for a beverage that, according to actual history, was said to be beloved by the deities.

Alfred examined the brown, heart-shaped fruit, Amadeus, which encompassed all of that.

“Is this the beverage that was cherished in that ancient empire?”

As a duke of a kingdom, various streams of knowledge naturally flowed to him, whether he wanted it or not.

Though he didn’t know deeply, he had a breadth of understanding.

Alfred had heard of the name Amadeus before.

“Technically, it’s an ingredient for that beverage, my lord.”

Catherine, standing before Karem and Mary, gently brushed her hand over the Amadeus tree bursting with fruit.

“It is said to be a drink loved not just by the empire but also by the gods.”

“Gods? Were there any documents that mentioned that?”

“Ahem… Karem reportedly heard it while meeting the lady of winter.”

“Huh?”

Now that she mentioned it, there was indeed evidence of the goddess’s arrival at that time. However, it was only now that he realized it wasn’t an arrival but an invitation.

Karem, naturally receiving Alfred’s gaze, felt a chill run down his neck. No matter how friendly one is, the opponent is on another level entirely. There’s no way one wouldn’t feel pressure.

“Karem. Is that really true?”

“Yes. The lady was overjoyed, not believing that she would ever get to eat this again.”

“Wow.”

Alfred, stroking his beard, caught sight of Flora, who was pretending to split the fruit in half, and Gordon, who shook his head lightly at the sight.

So that means they suggest splitting it in half to try it.

Alfred carefully split the fruit, making sure not to dirty his short beard, and tasted it.

The flavor…

“It’s bitter, nutty, and slightly sweet, but—”

“Poong!”

“If I say it’s delicious, you might not understand.”

“Poong!?”

Karem nodded absentmindedly.

In a previous life, even a few select individuals would rarely consume ingredients with over 90% cocoa content, so saying it was delicious felt somewhat exaggerated.

“Hmm. Is it really that extreme?”

“Atanitas, would you care to try some?”

“Is it really okay? My lord.”

Karem politely accepted the half of the fruit that Alfred offered and brought it to Catherine’s lips.

Nom—

“Mmm!? This is Amadeus?”

“The bitterness is strong, and it lingers, right?”

“It’s completely different from what I had before!”

“Well, Amadeus is merely a sweetener. It’s flavored by adding heaps of sugar into cream or milk.”

*

*

*

The natural ingredient, when processed, had remarkably reduced bitterness while amplifying nuttiness, sweetness, and smoothness, earning it glowing reviews.

Alfred seemed to like it quite a bit, as he took some to his wife, Elizabeth, who, too, sang praises for it.

“Oh my, oh my. How is this possible?”

With a flushed face, Elizabeth kept munching away.

The maids, who shared it with her, wore the same delighted expressions.

“Now, I think it’s wise to stop eating for now.”

“Alfred?”

“It’s also used as a tonic, ahem! I hear that for some, just a little is enough to produce overwhelming effects.”

At that, Elizabeth slowly blinked her eyes.

Alfred’s subtle undertone and cough.

The unspoken side effects always accompanying tonic effects.

“Um, um! How reckless of me. If I’m in the greenhouse, I can eat as much as I want—oh no, that might not work.”

Thud—!

Elizabeth’s hands unintentionally slammed down on the table.

Her eyes were filled with a mix of shock and disbelief.

Five pieces of the smooth, sweet, and bitter Amadeus.

That was more than enough to intoxicate a single woman.

Alfred recalled how he had to calm Alicia down last time he said it was time to stop eating and gently grabbed Elizabeth’s hands, stroking them to soothe her.

“My dear. Is it possible that the Amadeus in this bowl is the last remaining one?”

“No, Elizabeth. The Amadeus tree is still growing in the greenhouse.”

“Oh, they said Amadeus is a type of fruit, right? Then—”

“Not quite. From what I’ve heard, the Amadeus fruit seems to bear fruit according to the will of the grafting fairy, Flora.”

There seems to be a limit. Yet, even upon Alfred’s continued explanation, Elizabeth couldn’t understand why it would be impossible.

So then, what’s the reason it couldn’t be?

“The Dryad, Flora, will leave in spring, heading to Baron Bolton’s Territory, in line with Duke Stark.”

“Oh.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened.

She had momentarily forgotten.

While she was born in the greenhouse, Flora was an independent entity.

Moreover, she was also the spouse of Baron Bolton, Gordon.

“Duke Stark possesses the territory, right?”

“Indeed. He is scheduled to return this spring.”

“I completely forgot for a moment.”

“That’s understandable.”

Due to the chaos caused by the Grizzly Beaver, the territory was in shambles.

Though the timing was ambiguous, they were currently staying at Winterhome, but they couldn’t remain there indefinitely.

As the weather warms up and support for restoring the territory is arranged, Gordon will return to his domain.

Naturally, his wife, the Dryad,

Flora will accompany him.

“Wait a minute. Alfred. Surely, the tree has already been planted once. So, wouldn’t the Amadeus fruit still remain?”

If a third party plants a fruit tree and leaves, as long as the tree doesn’t sprout legs, the tree will still be there.

The Amadeus tree is a tree after all.

Then—

“Oh, I heard that the Amadeus tree goes wherever the Dryad goes.”

“Wh-why is that?”

Elizabeth asked with her heart in a twist, barely managing to voice the question.

At the very least, she had to understand the reason.

And hearing from Alfred what she had formerly been told by Catherine, Elizabeth could only comprehend.

“The fruits cannot grow without a forest fairy, and they cannot be tended to unless they are fairies.”

“That’s why the ancient empire perished, and all the Dryads were wiped out, leaving only a few records. It seems the lineage has been completely severed.”

Alfred placed a piece of the Amadeus resting in the dish into his mouth.

“Well, it seems one remains.”

A Dryad who gained a spouse and discovered love.

The last of her lineage after the tribe’s extinction.

The tree, the fruit of that love.

“Surely, Elizabeth. There wouldn’t be a thought of keeping it here, right?”

“Of course not.”

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes slightly, lightly chastising Alfred.

“As a deity and as a wife with a spouse, one cannot possess something with mere greed. Before being a noble, how could a person do that?”

Yet, while she understood with her mind, her heart still felt regret.

Unconsciously reaching out, feeling her heart race, she had to withdraw her hand reluctantly.

‘I shouldn’t overindulge.’

Intellectually, she understood, yet her body, her tongue craved it.

When it touched her tongue, it was cool, but quickly warmed and began to melt softly, allowing the sweet taste of Amadeus to envelop her entire tongue.

If it were merely sweet, her tongue would feel fatigued quickly, but within that sweetness, the delicate nuttiness from the cream would intertwine with the bitter taste, creating a rich flavor experience.

Then before long, as she meticulously savored it, all that remained was a lingering bitterness upon her tongue.

“Well, at least I can still have some occasionally, so there’s no need to worry.”

This husband had just said that, and yet, what was he on about now?

Startled, Elizabeth barely managed to suppress her true feelings.

“I heard Duke Stark will sell the fruits periodically. So I gladly accepted.”

“…My dear. Isn’t that contradictory to what you said earlier?”

“Did I say something like that?”

Alfred tilted his head back with an expression of cluelessness.

“I’m pretty sure Gordon said he’s returning with my wife at springtime.”

“…Then why are you bringing that up now?”

“Well, Elizabeth. Isn’t it simply to see your cute face?”

“Alfred—!”

Elizabeth’s high-pitched scream.

Hearing that, Alfred chuckled heartily.

The servants, quietly observing, all shared the same thought with distant gazes.

Their lord and lady were still very much in love.

*

*

*

*

After the tragic failure of self-control last summer.

Godwin made a determined effort to manage his diet.

Yet, no matter how strong a hero one may be, crises can arise.

Despite being the heir to a duke, a crisis inevitably approached the still-young Godwin as well.

The cream puff developed by the brownie Mary from the Mage Tower.

Even that had been something he had eaten only a handful of times in his life from the moment he was born.

Recently, he’d even had a variety of fried vegetables.

No, to put it plainly, Godwin felt quite aggrieved.

He wished to indulge without restriction, yet his surroundings weren’t aiding that desire.

Thus, succumbing to temptation, he briefly ate to his heart’s content.

But Godwin somehow managed to regain his composure and returned his belly to its original state.

However, as always, the catalyst is often trivial.

The true moment of crisis came for Godwin.

Crisp—

“Godwin. Hi!”

“Hey there, our little darling. But what are you spreading on that bread?”

“Karem spread it for Alicia to taste.”

“Hmm? Karem?”

“Wanna try one? Really?”

Godwin could hardly believe it.

The snack destroyer of Felwinter, the apex predator Alicia, sharing her snacks with someone else.

Yet, even after blinking several times, the sight of Alicia presenting a tray piled high with toast slathered in rich brown jam did not disappear.

The scene before his eyes was real.

As Alicia stood there dazed, questioning why he wasn’t taking it, Godwin hesitantly picked up two slices of the toast.

“You have to eat it while it’s crispy!”

Alicia nodded in satisfaction and dashed off.

How absurd, Godwin stood there blinking in astonishment.

While Alicia had an insatiable hunger for food, moments of her actually sharing food with others were rare; yet, they did exist.

If something was off, she would sneak closer and offer something to eat, or if she was pressed for time to finish it all, she might pass it over to someone else.

However, Godwin was not particularly feeling unwell.

Moreover, Alicia hadn’t started her classes yet, so there was no intention or motivation to skip class.

That left only one scenario possible.

-When the remaining food is just too precious to enjoy alone, wanting to share the taste with others.

“…What is this?”

Godwin looked down at his hand.

The piece of bread he held, snugly grasped with one hand, felt beautifully golden and crisp from the butter.

The generous layer of jam, perfectly spread, appeared to be a neat, deep brown paste that was entirely without lumps.

Sniff sniff—

“It doesn’t smell very strong.”

Sweet, nutty aroma.

Drawn by the delicate fragrance wafting up, Godwin absentmindedly brought his hand to his mouth.

Crisp—

“……Oh?”

Crisp, crisp, crisp—

“Mmm… Oh.”

Crunch, crunch, crisp—

With the sound of swallowing.

Thud—

“Hooh.”

Godwin’s self-restraint was decidedly wavering.

 

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