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Inside Winchester Castle, there is an artificially created garden.

Of course, given the size of Winchester, which is the original of Winterhome, the scale of the garden is closer to a small forest, but nevertheless, the royal family has always referred to this forest as the Winchester Garden.

In the center, a resting area is set up, where the delicious scent of butter and sweet aromas waft gently through the air.

This is because Cordelia, a member of the royal family, is enjoying tea time with her son and invited guests.

Ianbert Yeats, who has returned to report the king’s orders, has put on a little weight.

Kevin the Priest, the manager of the Grand Sanctuary of Seophone, is also present.

To accompany the tea, there are all sorts of delicacies made with the recipes from Servianus and Karem, featuring Fairy Powder, Orax Milk, Mammoth Butter, Cockatrice and Basilisk, Salamander Eggs, and Honeydew Slime.

Next to them, a teacup and kettle set with a refreshing aroma, clearly reminiscent of the forest, has been placed.

“Now, my little lion. You have to eat this, right?”

“Ahh!”

“You were eating well just a few days ago.”

“Cia!”

Seeing Henry shaking his head with his entire body, refusing decisively, Cordelia felt embarrassed while the guests smiled softly.

“It’s the first time seeing the prince be picky about food, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, it is. Priest Kevin.”

“By the way, wasn’t he just saying he wanted to eat more not too long ago?”

“That’s the part that’s truly baffling.”

Even though the royal chef personally selected the ingredients and showcased his skills, in the end, there wasn’t much change for what a baby would eat.

In that situation, they had to prevent him from wanting to eat solid foods, even though that was the case just a little while ago.

But here it is—a sudden pickiness!

“Hm… any concerns?”

“…He seems to have gotten close to the Duke of Iceland’s eldest daughter.”

“Then shouldn’t he be eating even more?”

“It was certainly intriguing.”

Cordelia, holding Henry, remembered the last outdoor banquet that had turned into a disaster under Inamark’s management.

Seeing the dishes that seemed to disappear into that tiny body, it felt rude to compare him to the eldest daughter of the duke, but he was closer to a little ogre.

Ianbert, who had long gotten used to that sight in Winterhome, cut a piece of pie filled with date jam.

“The people from that family typically eat a lot. Sister-in-law. He’ll get used to it soon.”

“I still can’t believe it.”

“That Alfred was as fat as he was?”

“Yeah. He was as fat as that furry pig.”

Kevin was about to raise his teacup but squeezed his eyes shut.

“Your Majesty, remarks like that from an old man’s heart—”

“Oh, Your Grace. That hedonistic furry pig probably doesn’t give a care.”

“Well, my brother does have some moments of gluttony. Anyway, think carefully.”

Ianbert shrugged and leaned back in his chair. The chair creaked slightly as it hit the tightly fitted armor.

“A kid won’t suddenly change like that, right?”

“Hmm… I have an inkling about something.”

Cordelia, who had barely managed to feed Henry a piece of snacks, frowned slightly.

“I heard from Belladonna that the youngest daughter of Felwinter treated Henry to dishes from that chef he chatted with during the last banquet.”

“Karem?”

“Yeah. That chef.”

Cordelia took a spoonful of pudding and then sipped from her teacup.

“Then the answer is clear. You should ask that famous Icelandic chef.”

“Indeed. Your Grace, I believe that would be the quickest and surest way.”

“Wow!”

And instinctively knowing who they were going to meet, Henry waved his tiny hands with delight.

*

*

*

“Hm. The queen, is it?”

“The queen, you say?”

“Yeah. The queen.”

“What is the matter with her?”

“Hm. It’s not written.”

Karem, nodding along to Catherine’s words, focused on the pot.

Who it was Catherine was going to meet, the queen or the queen’s grandmother, didn’t matter more than the bibimbap in front of him.

Indeed.

Karem ended up making bibimbap.

Of course, it wasn’t rice but a mix of barley, and the vegetables were just mixed of various greens. And there was no sesame oil either.

But it was a superb bibimbap seasoned with gochujang and topped with a fried egg.

“But what are you eating right now?”

“Bibimbap.”

Catherine handed a bag to Mary, who looked into the pot with half curiosity and half suspicion.

Europa didn’t grind all the grains for use.

Pudding types made from barley or rice for ladling out or risotto, etc.

“An unfamiliar name. Is it a dish from your past life?”

“Yeah. I’m more accustomed to rice, but it’s not like I don’t use barley.”

Perhaps because he was too immersed in rice, he skipped barley midway and ended up cooking with oats.

If only he had recalled even a little quicker, he could have soothed his longing for Korean cuisine just a bit sooner.

Feeling that way, as he mixed the bibimbap with his spoon, Mary took a peek inside.

“Why? Want to try some?”

“Are you giving me a spoonful?”

“Sure, why not?”

Mary grabbed her own spoon but, charmed by Catherine’s unspoken curiosity, took one more and scooped a couple of spoonfuls of the well-mixed bibimbap.

Munch, munch, munch.

“Hmm… Hmm. A bit spicy, but I bet the fundamentalist elves of Bersengzeto would love it.”

I heard that side leans strongly toward vegetarianism.

Vegetarianism might be misunderstood as only eating vegetables, but just like steak has variety in how it’s cooked, there are different types of vegetarianism too.

Starting with just eating fruit. Then, as vegetables, dairy, eggs, and seafood get added gradually, the name changes each time. They may differ in detail, but that’s how it is.

Certainly, the classification in Bersengzeto is much simpler. There are only strict vegetarians who eat only vegetables and fruits and those who have preferences for everything else except red meat.

“Your reaction is quite dry.”

“What did you expect? It’s just barley mixed with sautéed vegetables and a paste made from that red pig.”

“I even added a fried egg.”

The reaction was indeed more dry than usual.

But it seemed to be fine for a dish with less aversion.

“By the way, the number of invitations that arrived today is quite low.”

Mary rolled up the invitations Catherine had handed over for safekeeping.

“It might be more urgent to prepare for the upcoming anniversary than to meet those here.”

“Anniversary, you say?”

“Think about Wintersend and the coming-of-age ceremony.”

Indeed, the people responding to Catherine’s invitations now would be of a stature sufficient to attend the royal event happening during the anniversary. So, they would be busy somehow. For whatever reason, who knows.

“Why do you look like it has nothing to do with you?”

“Me?”

“You too have to get your outfit ready.”

“Me?”

“Then who else would be my partner for the anniversary other than you?”

Well, given that they are already in a romantic relationship, that makes sense. At that moment, as Karem fiddled with the ring on his left hand, chills ran down his spine.

“Wait… are you saying we need to coordinate outfits?”

“Yeah.”

“…That outfit I wore during the last coming-of-age ceremony—”

“Are you suggesting that as an alternative?”

“Yeah.”

The plain clothes worn during the coming-of-age ceremony were certainly not suitable for a festive occasion like the anniversary. However, Karem squeezed his eyes shut.

*

*

*

Upon arriving at Bendleig, Karem had a mindless day.

However, there was one thing he absolutely could not tolerate.

The hot and spicy aroma that creates a disturbance throughout the castle at a specific time.

A terrible smell arising from the abominable act of sipping Mint’s Affair, a mint tea made by steeping otherworldly mint, while snacking!

If he could, he would have loved to turn the place upside down like in Coldon.

But this is neither Coldon nor Winterhome.

He could already picture a future where he would be locked in the dungeon if he acted recklessly.

Above all, if he were locked up in a dungeon, who would take care of Catherine’s meals? Of course, Mary would but that was unacceptable.

Thus, Karem resolved to close his eyes and bear with it, even if the Queen was sipping mint tea at the place listed on the invitation.

“Ahhhh!”

“Sleep, Henry!”

But he hadn’t anticipated this.

“Okay. To be honest, I’ll let it slide. What have you done for the prince to react so violently?”

“I just served noodle dishes, that’s all?”

“Just that and he reacts like this?”

“I’m innocent.”

Catherine looked at the protesting Karem with a sliver of doubt in her eyes.

That guy wouldn’t lie. At least not to her.

It’s a ridiculous reason, claiming to share no secrets with the one you love to avoid any possibilities.

“I just served jjajangmyeon—”

“Jjaja! Jjaja!”

Henry started wriggling as if to say that was exactly it. But Belladonna, acting on behalf of Cordelia, would never let him go.

“His Royal Highness was served dishes along with Miss Felwinter.”

“Jjajangmyeon? Is my child causing such a ruckus just because of a noodle dish?”

“Yes. And pardon me, but to say it’s just a noodle dish…”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The Grandmaster himself ate several bowls like a common ghost who couldn’t get enough.”

“Huh?”

“You heard correctly. And as you can see.”

As Belladonna bowed her head, Cordelia also shifted her gaze in that direction.

“Jjaja! Jjaja! Dooo! Dooo!”

“Did you really enjoy the jjajangmyeon that much?”

“Yeah!”

Karem, along with Mary, bent at the waist to talk to Belladonna while making eye contact with Henry, who was buzzing with excitement.

Seeing that commotion, Belladonna sealed her lips.

Moreover, bringing up how Michael worshipped that chef as a god wouldn’t help the situation at all.

Of course, it had already been reported, but there was no need to remind them of that.

He had already seen with his own eyes how Michael had loudly declared it at the last banquet.

How troublesome.

While the gazes of Belladonna and the Queen shifted oddly, Karem reminisced about the experience of chatting with cousins during the infantile stages of his previous life while keeping his eyes on Catherine.

“Well done. Really well done. So, you seduced the prince, who was once the Grandmaster of the Knights.”

“For the parties involved, this is quite an embarrassing situation, you know?”

“I don’t doubt it. But surely you didn’t do anything else, right?”

“Would I do such a thing?”

There was no intention nor reason to do anything, and if he did, he’d be squashed alive.

“Logically speaking.”

“I know. I know. Just testing the waters a little.”

“So… what do we do?”

“Isn’t it simple?”

Mary suddenly waved her hand to catch Karem and Catherine’s attention.

“Perhaps you can just cook and serve that jjajangmyeon dish.”

And with Mary’s words hammering in the correct answer, Cordelia began to speak with a troubled expression.

“Atanitas, as you can see… my little lion started being picky about food and… this… this jjajang? This noodle dish he is seeking—”

“Jjaja! Jjaja! Jjaja!”

The queen’s effort to restore her dignity was thwarted by the prince’s continuous “jjaja” sounds.

 

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