Chapter 7: The Young Master Pays a Visit ② (Ta-da!)

“…No, of course not.
I know very well that something like that could never happen.”

Yes.
There was no way Adolphus would come to take me back.

At this point in time, the story of Beloved Flower of the Black Wolf General had already begun.
If the plot was proceeding as written, Adolphus and the heroine were already rapidly closing the distance between them.
There was no way he even remembered his ex-wife from three years ago.

As for Lowell’s father, I hadn’t told the truth to Hannah and Dan either.
Nor about my own background.
To them, I had explained that I “fell in love with someone far above my station in the royal capital, realized there was no future, and withdrew to the frontier.”
…It wasn’t a lie.
It was just that the one with the higher status hadn’t been him, but me, and the lack of a future wasn’t because of social standing.

I couldn’t say I felt nothing about deceiving them.
But there was no way I could tell them.
That I wasn’t just a noble, but a former princess.
That Lowell’s father was the head of a count’s house and a young general hailed as a hero.
If that ever became known, I wouldn’t be able to stay here anymore.

“If you’re not waiting for a former lover, then why?
I wouldn’t treat the child badly either.
I have no intention of separating you, and of course I would guarantee food, clothing, and shelter.”

“That’s not really the issue…”

“Then how about this?
I’ll even promise to pay for that child to attend a school in the royal capital someday.
That’s not a bad offer, is it?”

Philip swept his hair back with a flourish.
Lowell’s grip on my skirt tightened.

…Money did matter.
There was no such thing as having too much of it.
Graduating from a royal capital school practically guaranteed success for a commoner.
For me, already past twenty and with a child, there probably wasn’t a better offer.

But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t believe becoming the young master’s lover for money would lead to Lowell’s happiness.
How could I make him understand…?

“With all due respect, Young Master Barrow.”

Hannah spoke up before I could.

“As Rosie’s employer—no, as her stand-in parent—let me be clear.
Unless it’s someone who will properly take Rosie as his wife and become Lowell’s father, someone who will cherish Lowell as if he were his own child, we can’t entrust her to him with peace of mind.
Can you do that, Young Master?”

Hannah crossed her arms over her chest and fixed Philip with a sharp stare.
Beside her, Dan nodded deeply.

Whether the other party was a drunk customer or the lord’s son, Hannah would always step in without hesitation.
I knew from everyday life that the words “stand-in parent” weren’t just for show.
Thinking that even my real parents had never protected me like this made my chest burn with emotion.

Philip gave a wry smile under Hannah’s glare.

“That’s a tough condition, Hannah.
I am the heir to a baronial house, after all.
Someday I must take a lawful wife from a family that will benefit the house.
Adopting Lowell would be… difficult.
Nobles value bloodlines above all else.”

Yes.
In other words, Philip was asking me to become his mistress.
I’d known that from the start.
That was exactly why I could never take his courtship seriously.

“But I would never let you or the child want for anything.
I’d guarantee a life equal to that of nobility.
And even if I take another as my lawful wife, my one and only supreme love will forever be yours, Rosie!”

“…So you expect Lowell and me to live our entire lives being hated by your wife and family?
I refuse.
Absolutely not.”

I calmly pushed back the bouquet he once again offered with theatrical flair.

Memories of palace life flashed through my mind—being despised and ostracized as the child of a low-ranking concubine.
I would never let Lowell go through that.
Never.

We stared at each other in silence.
Philip was the first to avert his gaze.

“Well, well.
You really are a formidable woman, Rosie.
And that’s exactly why I’m drawn to you all the more…
Very well.
I’ll retreat for today.”

He pulled the bouquet back and shrugged exaggeratedly.

“Now then, my love has once again been rejected today, but how about this?”

With a dramatic “Ta-da!”, the young master produced a small jar meant for preserving food.

“T-That is…!?”

My eyes locked onto the contents of the jar.
Tiny, glistening grains shining a vivid crimson.
Could this be…!?

“It’s a delicacy acquired through trade with a northern maritime nation.
Apparently it’s salted fish roe, and over there they call it ‘the jewels of the sea.’
I thought you might be interested, Rosie.”

“I am… very interested…!”

That color.
Those little spheres.
Isn’t that salmon roe!?
Even if it’s not exactly the same, it has to be close!
My first fish roe since coming to this world!
I want to eat it!
Right now, on top of a bowl of white rice!!

One of the reasons I couldn’t bring myself to be too harsh with the young master was this.
Whenever rare ingredients or foods came into the baronial house through trade, he brought them to the Licorice Diner like this.

“Y-Young Master, how much would this cost…!?”

“Well then, how about you treat me to a Licorice Diner staff meal for lunch?
You’re all about to eat anyway, aren’t you?”

When I looked at Dan, he nodded knowingly and immediately headed for the kitchen.

“Then let’s all try the ‘jewels of the sea’ together!
Young Master, would you like to try our soup prototype too?
It was just finished earlier.”

“A new soup?
Of course I’d love to.
I came at the perfect time.”

“Hehe, this isn’t just any soup.
It’s actually going to become ramen!”

“Ramen?
That’s a dish I’ve never heard of before, but I’m sure it’ll be innovative and delicious.
I’m looking forward to it.”

“We’ll make a ramen so delicious it’ll get you hooked, so please look forward to it!”

We seated the young master and began preparing lunch together.
Lowell, who had been hiding behind me the whole time, helped by lining up spoons and forks.

Today’s staff meal was white rice, fried chicken, chicken stock soup, and salad.
And the special menu item—salted fish roe (probably)!

“Oh, this luster!
This shine!
Truly jewels of the sea…!”

I spooned the fish roe (probably) onto white rice with reverent awe.
The grains were smaller than I’d expected, but the flavor was very close to salmon roe, and the popping texture was delightful.
It went wonderfully with rice.
Beside me, Lowell was excitedly stuffing his cheeks, shouting, “Yummy~!”

The young master, however, seemed less fond of it.
He frowned slightly and swallowed it without much chewing.
Dan and Hannah also wore subtle expressions, so perhaps the taste and texture didn’t suit people of this country.
It was such a shame—it was so good.

The remaining faux-salmon-roe that no one else wanted was gratefully claimed by me.

The staff meal with the young master was peaceful enough.
Though he held values typical of a noble, he never acted unnecessarily arrogant toward commoners.
He brought rare ingredients and wasn’t a bad person.
Truly, if only he would stop trying to court me, he’d be a good guy.

After finishing even his after-meal tea, chatting a bit about things like rare fruit that might arrive soon from a southern island nation and increased activity of magical beasts in the Forest of Calamity, the young master finally took his leave.