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The office of the Chief Magic Consultant in the Wizard’s Tower.

A space for Catherine, who also doubles as a laboratory.

Usually, this space, filled with the scent of old papers, dried herbs, byproducts, and potions, was sanitized by Mary right after making a restorative potion for pregnant women, leaving no odors behind.

In fact, it even felt refreshing.

Catherine savored the delightful subject that had recently stirred some fuss in Winterhome, feeling the cool summer air of Iceland.

To be precise, it was a dessert made using that subject.

The green tofu pudding.

“Is this made from beans?”

“Yup. It’s just solidified.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

Like the majority of pastries, it wasn’t overly complicated or troublesome, nor did it rely on heavenly luck.

A generous amount of the green tofu was placed into a bowl.

Then, instead of dark sugar syrup, a heavy drizzle of date syrup was poured on top.

This was all that Karem had brought out as a snack.

Just that—nothing more.

However, it certainly didn’t lack in flavor; it was neither simple nor light.

The moment she took a bite from the spoon Mary extended, she first felt the cold, soft texture comparable to custard pudding.

This was one of the reasons Catherine felt a disconnect.

Usually, beans are fundamentally tasteless.

That was true on Earth and Europa alike.

Of course, there are beans that taste different, but compared to other delicious crops, they tend to be less flavorful.

People in the Third World, who fight against hunger daily, tend to avoid eating beans, and even in Iceland, where hunger was a daily reality, the remaining beans, aside from a few, were shunned, and the same could be said for Europa and beyond.

The reason for this was as mentioned earlier.

Beans are fundamentally tasteless.

They can just be cooked deliciously.

However, no matter how well they are cooked, she couldn’t fathom making such a dessert with beans.

The date syrup, dripping over the soft and cold green tofu, was excessively sweet.

Sometimes a hint of bitterness made its way in, but that was merely a reaction to the cloying sweetness overstimulating her taste buds.

Of course, that overwhelming sweetness didn’t linger long.

The concentrated savoriness of the green tofu completely masked the bean smell comparable to custard pudding.

There was no need to open her mouth widely. Just by moving her tongue, the crushed green tofu spread throughout her mouth.

As the green tofu passed over her wiggly tongue, it washed away the stickily sweet date syrup caught in between.

It didn’t completely vanish, but the slightly sweet bitterness of the weakened date syrup had an addictive quality akin to Alraune’s Tear.

Never did she imagine there would come a day when she’d enjoy beans this much.

Catherine watched Mary refill the empty bowl with more green tofu before glancing at Karem, who was seated beside her.

“So, you received some land, huh?”

“Yup. More accurately, it’s a country house resembling a villa.”

All because of just one dish?

Catherine said nothing, but her expression clearly conveyed the disbelief.

“This is the Kingdom of Seophone, and we’re in Iceland.”

It was just a simple statement, but Catherine, having paused for a moment, slowly nodded, as if to show she understood.

“Dwarf beer, the vegetables of Bersengzeto elves.”

“…That’s right. Not being able to eat meat on this island is like being terminally ill… so it doesn’t really seem strange.”

As she said that, Catherine didn’t take her eyes off Mary’s hands, which were drenching the green tofu in date syrup.

“Though rare, there are similar cases on the continent.”

“If it’s below a Count, it could be seen as excessive compensation, but after all, she’s a Duchess, isn’t she?”

Mary, who was attending to the Contractor, momentarily glanced at Karem.

“But isn’t it weird that only I, Karem, received land?”

It wasn’t strange for Karem to be given land.

What was peculiar was that Karem was the one receiving it.

“Is it that weird that I received land?”

“Well, it obviously is.”

“No, is that really all?”

Mary, wiping the syrup from the corner of Catherine’s mouth, chuckled lightly before looking away.

“If you had any greed or even a bit of interest, wouldn’t you have bought land or buildings with your money? But what’s happened to Karem’s money now?”

“Certainly… I did reject the treasury officer’s proposal.”

“Wasn’t that oasis that Nepanek offered?”

“Right. If it’s an oasis in a strategic location, it promises profits comparable to a major city.”

At that point, one might think Karem would waver, but he brushed it off without hesitation.

“Didn’t you have a title, though?”

“A title?”

“Yeah. After all, you saved a Duchess’s life.”

Catherine felt the smooth texture of the green tofu trickling down her throat.

“But to think there’s no title, that seems a bit strange.”

“I rejected that part, though.”

“You turned down a title?”

“I didn’t want to give a reason for troublesome matters to arise.”

There were people who were treated as nobility by tradition and custom—landlords, wealthy merchants, captains of large ships, and so on.

However, a title was different. It was proof of being socially and practically recognized as a legitimate noble.

That meant entering into competition with other nobles.

Even if one side declines, the other may show interest for various reasons.

Whether that interest is pure goodwill or not is irrelevant. They say there are no eternal friends or foes in this world; even goodwill can turn on you at any moment.

Such annoying emotional conflicts were something Karem chose to avoid.

‘Of course, the reason for receiving it is somewhat troubling.’

It was a bit embarrassing to say that out loud. Although it might seem silly to feel embarrassed after being together for almost a year, Karem was nevertheless embarrassed.

Though they often held hands, used each other’s knees as pillows, hugged, and petted, he still felt embarrassed by all of it.

“There likely isn’t just a single villa building.”

“Right. It’s more focused on the country house, and I heard that the only people nearby are the country house caretakers. They even have a hot spring, as I heard?”

“Mm.”

Hot spring. Those two words were impossible to overlook, and Catherine straightened her posture.

“Contractor?”

“Tell me more about this hot spring thing.”

It felt a bit odd for Karem to suddenly ask, blinking and scratching his head.

“I’m not sure about the details myself, but I heard that below the villa, there’s a spring that allows them to grow fruits and vegetables even in winter.”

“So that means there’s a hot spring bath?”

“Uh, there might be one? But do you like hot springs?”

“Of course.”

The moment Catherine imagined enjoying drinks and snacks in the hot spring water’s chilly atmosphere, her eyes sparkled.

“Contractor. You take a bath in the hot springs every day, don’t you?”

“Did I?”

“Indeed. Even if you just turn the tap, hot spring water comes pouring out, doesn’t it?”

Mary’s point was not fundamentally wrong.

After all, Winterhome and Coldon were situated atop a hot spring region.

Thanks to that, the heating in Winterhome was maintained by hot spring water flowing throughout the castle and buildings. Naturally, so was the bathwater. When it was filled, it became a hot spring bath.

“Tsk.”

Catherine clicked her tongue, filled with discomfort at such nonsensical comments.

“That’s absurd.”

“Contractor, what do you mean?”

“When you want cake but are told it’s all just the same bread made from similar ingredients, and you should eat pastries instead—”

“Is there someone bold enough to say it’s all the same just because the ingredients are similar, despite them being entirely different kinds of bread?”

“What’s the difference between that and what you just said?”

“That’s… that’s… please wait a moment.”

After pondering for a while, Mary realized that her words were not much different from what Catherine had just used as an example.

“That blasphemous person was me…!”

“Wow. If any other Brownie hears this, there will be big trouble.”

Karem, who had temporarily put Mary in a state of fright, swiftly switched to attending to Catherine instead.

“Was this your aim?”

“Of course not.”

Karem lightly shook his head and began feeding Catherine more green tofu pudding.

“I’m just taking advantage of the opportunity.”

“Hm, that happens a lot.”

“Anyway, now that you’ve received land, how about we go take a look together?”

“We’re going to look? At your land?”

“Yes. You had to rush back suddenly due to the Duchess’s morning sickness, didn’t you?”

Catherine pondered for a moment and then rested her chin on her hand.

“That’s certainly not incorrect. Plus, I haven’t been able to go on the sightseeing tour to Sparkle Tide that I wanted either.”

“Then how about we combine it with a date too?”

At those words, Catherine’s face lit up, and she couldn’t help but smile slightly, feeling her cheeks flush. Karem, pursing his lips, averted his gaze.

‘Well, it seems positively received for now.’

The reaction was much more positive than he had expected.

It was surprising, but not in a bad way. In fact, it was great.

After all, it was certainly better than being turned down outright; an unexpectedly passionate and enthusiastic response was always welcome. However, he certainly hadn’t expected her to love hot springs so much.

“I was wondering why you suddenly received land. Could it be that you were lured in for such a purpose?”

“Do I really seem like the impulsive type with such short-sighted thinking?”

“Does that mean my eyes were wrong?”

“You’re exactly right. I’m embarrassed, so please pretend you didn’t hear.”

“It’s too late for that, you rascal.”

Catherine chuckled as she reached out and ruffled Karem’s hair. Just then, Mary, coming to her senses, poked Karem in the shoulder.

“Karem, could you please step aside now?”

“Already? You could still struggle a bit longer with fear and guilt, you know.”

“But I can’t focus on my personal matters while serving the Contractor. So please return to your original seat. No, hurry along.”

Since losing a verbal match often meant defeat here, Karem quietly avoided Mary’s sharp gaze and returned to his original spot to eat more green tofu pudding.

“Well, sadly, it looks like I’ll have to delay things a bit.”

“Wait, hold on.”

Karem was taken aback by Catherine’s sudden statement.

Hadn’t she seemed positive just a moment ago?

Of course, it was better to suggest postponing rather than being turned down right away, but hearing it so suddenly was quite a shock.

“You’ve already made all the potions, so you don’t have any unfinished business, right?”

“Well, I also prefer to avoid troublesome matters, but this time I can’t help it.”

“Annoying matter? Is it a subject from the Duke?”

“Precisely.”

Catherine sighed deeply, as if merely thinking about it was bothersome, and gazed out the window.

“They say they’re going hunting to celebrate and commemorate the Duchess’s pregnancy.”

“…”

“Since it’s a significant occasion, I can’t skip it.”

“Is Catherine also going hunting?”

“Do you think that I would?”

Catherine had turned down invitations over a hundred times during that time.

For reference, that included Alfred’s invites or suggestions.

“As the Chief Magic Consultant, I’m expected to shine in such a role.”

“Ah, for political reasons.”

“Yes. This time, I can’t pass it off on that old fogey.”

Catherine shivered in true annoyance.

 

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