129

“Count, we’ll do it. Please…!”

I shook my head as I moved the frying pan in the kitchen.

“It’s fine. I want to do it myself. My brother and sister went to visit Pinea’s place, so I’ll take care of dinner. Just bring the tea up to my room later.”

“B-but, you said guests are coming! And it’s the Duke…!”

The butler fretted, but I kept cooking.

“I want to serve them myself. Don’t worry about it. I’ll call if I need anything, okay?”

“But…!”

When I smiled and didn’t budge, the butler finally surrendered.

“I’ll come running at once, so please call me if anything happens.”

“Yes, yes.”

Only then could I truly concentrate on cooking.

They weren’t special dishes. I prepared the pork cutlets and meat stew I used to make for my friends here, along with foods I remembered from my past life. Fortunately this world had something like ‘square feet’—called an ‘old sauce’—so I could make something roughly similar to bulgogi.

“Will it suit their taste?”

When the meeting that had insisted I be “definitely— dispatched to the plague region,” as the Crown Prince demanded, finally ended, Ren looked like he was about to throw a punch.

I hadn’t even seen him properly lately, and now they were sending him off to a different region. Based on how he’d been at Those Who Can’t Resign, he was near his limit, so I invited him over for a meal and a chat.

Actually, my family had gone out because I’d asked Pinea and Nicola to take them along.

“I didn’t want to create a situation to worry about.”

I finished cooking, changed, and Ren arrived just in time. The moment I saw him I sent the butler and servants away.

“Relax your expression a bit.”

His stiff expression slipped into something raw and contorted—terrifying, and somehow almost cute. Puzzled, I presented the dishes I’d prepared.

“Shall we start with dinner? I specially made it today.”

His face changed to surprise.

“Y-you cooked? You did?”

I nodded and described each dish.

“These are dishes I used to make often where I lived before. They’re not exactly the same, but I wanted you to try them. You were curious, weren’t you?”

“That may be, but…”

The unasked “why today” hung in the air. I stifled a laugh and picked up my spoon.

“Try it. I made it myself.”

When I slid the bulgogi forward, he inspected it briefly with his fork and then scooped up a big bite without hesitation. Ren’s eyes widened—definitely a good sign.

“How is it? It’s bulgogi.”

“Bulgogi… it’s delicious.”

“This is the first time I’ve made it for you, Ren.”

He said it would be tasty in rye bread, so I put it together that way; he devoured it eagerly and visibly relaxed. The power of good food—it’s something else. Watching him made me happy.

“Don’t look at me with that expression.”

He propped his chin in his palm and admired me, then, coming to his senses, suddenly cleared his throat.

“What do you mean it’s troublesome?”

“It was like a parent feeling proud watching their child eat. Not very pleasant.”

“Puhat!”

See—he’s not without empathy. Maybe he even took advice from Those Who Can’t Resign. I pointed to clear up the misunderstanding.

“It’s similar but wrong. I’m happy because someone I care for is enjoying the food I made.”

“…You always have a way of leaving people speechless like this.”

He finished every last bite of the considerable amount I’d made.

“You’re full, you don’t have to force yourself…! It might not suit your taste.”

He gracefully wiped his mouth with a napkin and set it down.

“I don’t have a hobby of forcing myself to eat bad food. I train every day, so I can eat this much.”

He hadn’t eaten this much when dining at the Duke’s residence. I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it. His thoughtfulness made me smile; I think I finally understood what “I’m full even without eating” meant.

After the meal we went up to the second floor to my room. The butler glanced at the Duke, looked relieved, set down tea and snacks, and left.

“Are you calmed down now?”

Ren, back to his usual self, brought the teacup to his lips.

“Not at all. It’s just that what you made tasted better.”

“Ren, I’m going.”

There’s no benefit in hiding this.

“No. I’m going.”

“You saw how hard the Crown Prince tried to stop me. I’m the target. Don’t get dragged in with me.”

“You know what kind of place that is…!”

He raised his voice for a moment as if frustrated, then shut his mouth. I could feel him struggling to hold back.

“Honestly, if I go and you take over the Ministry of Justice for a while, there would be no problem. The Chancellery oversees the work of all departments. Besides, you’ve worked with me before, so all the more. And… do you think I’d let you go to such a dangerous place alone? You’re asking too much of my sense.”

He looked ready to resign as Supreme Justice on the spot, but I shook my head again. His anger was too valuable to waste on this.

“The Crown Prince must have a reason for sending me there. He probably doesn’t intend to kill me. Maybe it’s more like, ‘If she happens to die, fine’… something like that?”

“How is that any different?”

“There’s a reason you have to stay here. The Crown Prince will try to do something while I’m away from the Chancellery. Lately he’s been watching like he’s on fire, so there are hardly any openings at the Chancellery. And another reason… he’ll try to intimidate me. He wants to show how big and terrifying this world I stepped into is. He’ll stage scenes of chaos where life and death are at stake and flaunt that he can send me to places like this anytime. He thinks I’m just a young woman—prejudices based on appearance are stronger than you’d think.”

“That guy wouldn’t have that kind of intelligence…”

“No. But there are many nobles in the Crown Prince’s faction. For example, Duke Seref… there are many high-ranking families. Either way, staying here wouldn’t guarantee safety. It might be better to play into his expectations and lull him into complacency. So Ren must stay. If he went with me he’d be under more scrutiny—and they’d try harder to harm him.”

“Sigh…”

Ren roughly ran his hand through his hair and growled.

“You don’t flinch when it’s yourself going, but why do you get so agitated when my name comes up?”

“I’m confident I’ll come back alive somehow. But if I think you’re in danger I can’t calm down. Physically you’re weaker than me, after all.”

He poked my cheek with his index finger and wore a sulky expression, but that didn’t mean I’d follow the Crown Prince’s orders meekly.

“Don’t worry. I’ve thought of that too. I have a plan the Emperor will approve of but the Crown Prince can’t easily block. You’ll have less to worry about, Ren.”

He was silent for a moment and narrowed his eyes.

“Then surely… Prince Raven?”

He really had good instincts.

“Yes. I’ll bring Prince Raven to the plague region with me, in a way that looks like he volunteered. I’ll use this opportunity to aid his return and solidify his position completely.”

“Ria…”

His surprised look made me lift my shoulders with pride for no reason.

“I need to show him what he meddled with.”

He’s not worth being put on the same level as a Crown Prince who thinks he can burn the populace if things get hard.

“Still, I’m worried to death.”

He pulled me into his arms in an instant, and the Crown Prince’s schemes flew to the far edge of my mind.

A week later, a plague relief team bound for the east was assembled. People from the central ministries, including the Chancellery, came out to see us off. I greeted them cheerfully, but the Duke barely raised his hand with a stiff expression. Lukan and Elysia didn’t look well either.

“You two, find out in detail everything that happened at the Chancellery with Eldo.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry.”

The Minister of Finance and Simon offered worried advice.

“Also, don’t run around like a colt; take care of yourself first. Understood, Chancellor?”

“…If I’m a Chancellor, treat me like one. Minister of Finance.”

“Oh my, a child barely my daughter’s age in that dangerous place… If you really can’t, run away, Chancellor. It’s not a disgrace. Everyone will understand.”

“…That’s normal, but it will probably be a blemish people talk about for a long time. Simon.”

“You already look like you’ve seen the world. It’s the adults’ fault, Chancellor.”

Leira couldn’t let Simon’s complaint stand and cut in.

“If anyone pulls any X crap, I’ll make them X, so don’t worry and go.”

We laughed off the unusually strong farewell words and exchanged a final look of request with Ren.

“Let’s go, Coco.”

From behind, Aidan—standing next to Prince Raven—called out loudly. The relief team, led by the prince, was ready to depart. I nodded and boldly boarded the carriage.

“Can I do this well? Even in my past life I never went to a plague region.”

No, I had to believe in myself.

I survived COVID too!