MTLNOVEL 43
The next morning.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I used “Reload” and headed straight for the room next to mine, where Kyle was staying. I was the one who came looking for him first, but he acted as if he had been waiting for me all along, jumping up to greet me.
“Let’s go.”
It seemed he was still worried about my condition from yesterday. He strode over to me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me along.
And then, he said…
“I’ll feed you something delicious.”
I mean, sure, I do believe in the importance of eating well, but that doesn’t mean I just blindly follow food wherever it leads me.
Feeling stubborn for no reason, I dug my heels into the ground.
“I heard there’s a festival being held in celebration of the engagement. Acacia flower fritters and roasted potatoes are famous here.”
Wait, hold on. Who said I was interested in—
…Wait a minute, what are acacia flower fritters? Just hearing the name, I could already imagine the fragrant, crispy taste.
“There’s also stir-fried noodles topped with lamb.”
Ah. If the noodles are like udon, that sounds amazing.
“And a flat cake decorated with fruit and chocolate…”
They sell cake too?
The capital really is different. The North mostly had fried, slightly greasy foods. Well, there weren’t any cafés on the streets, so I guess they had to sell bread in some form.
“They also serve freshly squeezed orange juice…”
“Let’s hurry up and go. We don’t have time to waste.”
They say even a ghost who dies from overeating has a radiant complexion. That’s right! Everything we do is ultimately to survive. I was absolutely not following him just because my mouth was watering. Definitely not.
Besides, I needed to take a look around the area and get a feel for the atmosphere. And I also had to reassure Kyle, who must have been uneasy while I was gone…
First, let’s eat and then think.
***
Kyle walked through the intricate alleys as if he had traveled them dozens of times before, naturally leading the way.
Only when he handed me a plate of acacia flower fritters in one hand and a bowl of stir-fried noodles piled high with roasted lamb in the other did I realize—he had already scouted the market for my sake.
‘So that’s why he described everything so specifically.’
I had suspected it, but realizing it firsthand made it unexpectedly touching.
[(❤´艸｀❤)]
What? What’s with that look? This is just about food.
Don’t give me that weird, heartwarming expression.
A sudden sense of pride welled up in me, and I found myself eating even more eagerly. As if completely engrossed in nothing but the food, I devoured the fritters, the twisted pastries, the orange juice, and even the candy…
“Huh? Whipped cream…”
I had just taken a bite of the cake Kyle handed me when I paused and looked down at the plate. More specifically, at the fluffy mound of cream sitting atop the round bread.
The soft, white milk cream had the exact taste I remembered. Cool and sweet, it spread pleasantly across my tongue before melting away.
Yes, this is real whipped cream. The North’s so-called whipped cream had always been sour, closer to sour cream than anything else.
“This is it! This is whipped cream!”
The moment I spun around in excitement, Kyle instinctively raised his arm to shield me from bumping into the passing crowd, then gently guided me to a quieter spot.
“Yeah.”
“‘Yeah’ isn’t enough! Here, try it. You’ll see the difference!”
Kyle gave me a doubtful look as he stared at the plate I held out to him, sniffing at it.
As if you can tell just by the smell—it’s cream. You have to taste it! Clicking my tongue, I scooped up a generous bite of cake with my fork and held it up to his lips.
“Hurry up and eat. This is the real deal.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, he accepted the whipped cream into his mouth. Then, his brows knit together slightly at the unexpected sweetness.
“…So you like things like this?”
“It’s delicious.”
It’s light and fluffy like a cloud, and perfectly sweet. It would be stranger to dislike it.
As I nodded and continued eating the cake, Kyle gave me a serious look, glancing between me and the dessert.
“I see. You like this.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Then, with an expression of utmost solemnity, he called over the soldiers who had been trailing a few steps behind us.
“Yes, Your Grace!”
“You summoned us?”
“You men…”
Kyle adjusted his grip on his sword and strode toward the cake vendor’s stall.
The knights followed behind him with grim expressions, and I, still holding my cake, hesitantly found myself caught up in the movement.
Only the shopkeeper, who had no idea what was happening, trembled like a leaf as they looked up at Kyle.
“Take this person into custody.”
“Y-Your Grace, I… Did I do something wrong? I mean, could you at least tell me what this is about?”
“Right now.”
“Uh…”
Kyle spoke with unwavering seriousness.
“Go and learn the secret to making whipped cream.”
“…Excuse me?”
“It would be ideal to bring you to the North, but you may have family here. That decision will be left to you.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
“We mustn’t interfere with their business…”
Kyle rummaged through his pocket with his free hand and pulled out several gold coins.
“I will pay with this. I’m buying every cake displayed on this stall.”
“I…”
The shopkeeper hesitated, unsure whether to be afraid or overjoyed, eyes darting between Kyle and me.
…Don’t look at me. I only said the whipped cream was delicious.
“Treat them with the utmost respect.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
Wait a second. Is he seriously doing this just because I said I liked it?
I looked up at Kyle to confirm his intentions. He happened to be looking at me as well, and our eyes met.
“Didn’t you say you liked it?”
So that’s it.
See, this is what I mean—he can be unexpectedly thoughtful. He looks so stone-faced all the time, though.
“Yes, I do.”
I flashed him a grin and casually walked ahead.
What a guy. He’s being kind of cute. Should I get him something in return? Now that I think about it, every time we bought food at the market, I was always the one carrying it.
Come to think of it, what kind of food does Kyle even like?
Is that mentioned anywhere in the original story? Knowing his tastes might make things easier when we’re together. I never thought to check.
‘Hey, System. What does Kyle like? Or, at least, how does he react when he sees something he likes?’
[When Kyle Jane Meinhardt sees something he likes, his ears turn red!]
His ears turn red? When he sees something he likes…
“…”
At that moment, Kyle subtly turned his head away from me. His cheeks and the back of his neck remained pale, but the tips of his ears were faintly flushed.
…Wait. Did he just blush because of me? Why? What did I even do? I don’t remember saying anything weird—
Oh.
“Yes, I do.”
…No way.
Given the context, there wasn’t even a peanut-sized room for misunderstanding. That’s obviously not what I meant. This is ridiculous.
I mean, I know that. I know it, and he must know it too.
“…”
An awkward silence stretched between us. Kyle idly rubbed the back of his neck while I tapped the tip of my shoe against the ground.
[Current Affection Points ｜ ❤×153]
[Current Affection Points ｜ ❤×160]
[Current Affection Points ｜ ❤×169]
Just standing here together was making my affection points pile up like snowfall.
I lifted my head, my lips parting impulsively. I wanted to call his name. To meet his gaze and confirm that intangible something again.
But I couldn’t say anything.
All my courage drained away so suddenly that not a drop remained. I wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or just sheer awkwardness.
Then, after a few more seconds of silence—
“It’s about to start!”
“Hurry, or we’ll be late!”
“Tete, you’ve never seen one before, right? Quick!”
A group of children rushed past us, dashing toward the square. Not only them, but even adults were leisurely making their way in the same direction.
Was there some kind of major event happening?
Grateful for the distraction, I seized the opportunity to shift my attention away from the strange emotions swirling in my chest.
Luckily, one of the attendants remaining with us explained the situation.
“In anticipation of Her Highness Belial’s engagement, puppet shows have become popular among the common folk. A renowned performer is putting on a play with intricate puppetry.”
“Oh?”
I had never seen a play before. Even in my past life, I never had time to go to the movies, always ending up on my couch, rewatching old films until I fell asleep.
“Should we go see it too?”
It was just a casual suggestion, but even that was enough to ease the heavy atmosphere.
Kyle folded his arms and responded, “You seem to have plenty of time today.”
“Yeah, well, I guess I do.”
He didn’t hesitate long. Maybe he didn’t even think it required much consideration.
Kyle extended his hand toward me.
“Let’s go.”
It was almost as if he intended to escort me formally.
I wasn’t wearing uncomfortable heels or a dress, nor were we surrounded by nobles who would fuss over etiquette.
I stared at his hand for a moment before smiling and placing mine in his.
An odd feeling settled over me.
It felt like I would be holding this hand many more times in the future. And, rather than letting go, I wanted to grip it even tighter.
“If I lose my hand, I’ll get lost.”
Feigning exaggeration, I squeezed his hand.
He let out a quiet chuckle.
“Alright.”
His simple reply felt so nice that I instinctively held his hand a little tighter.
As if this moment—this view, with him beside me—was the sweet reward for everything I had endured.