Chapter 44

In a room within the palace, a place where meals are usually never served, today was different. Prince Egideldus had gathered his brothers to enjoy the "other world" cuisine prepared by Rina. Yes, not in the usual royal dining hall, but in King Felix's study.

In a space where everyone's faces could be seen, it was a pleasant change, as Rina had suggested.

"Wh-what is that?"

Prince Schueler blinked at the yellow something his younger brother was eating.

"Cheese omelet."

Prince Egideldus, having quickly finished his usual hard bread and soup, was savoring the fluffy cheese omelet with relish. Prince Schueler, who had always shown little interest in food, still had a lot left on his plate.

"Why don't I have one?"

There was a fluffy cheese omelet in front of King Felix as well, of course, because he had already finished the other dishes. Unaware of this, Prince Schueler sounded a bit displeased.

"It's delicious..."

Ignoring Prince Schueler, King Felix took a bite and sighed in admiration. He had never imagined that an egg dish he had never seen before could be so delicious.

"What!? This is delicious!!"

Prince Egideldus, too, took a bite of the fluffy cheese omelet and exclaimed in joy. The runny egg and melted cheese, a new taste and texture, made his cheeks slacken in delight.

"Edi... What about me?"

With a smile, Prince Schueler asked, feeling left out.

"..."

Ha ha... He's a bit angry, isn't he?

Prince Egideldus chuckled. It was the first time he had seen such an expression over food.

"Edi?"

He smiled even more deeply.

"You won't get the next dish until you finish what's already on your plate."

Thinking that the smile was scary, Prince Egideldus followed Rina's advice.

"Wh-what?"

It took him a while to understand or perhaps he didn't want to.

"I'll give you the next dish after you finish all of this."

To be precise, it would be Iber who would serve it, but he wouldn't give the order until the food was finished.

"Whaaaaat!?"

His long complaint indicated his dissatisfaction.

"Be quiet."

King Felix, sitting across from him, frowned.

"Brother... Don't you think that's a bit harsh?"

"Then, drink a potion as usual."

King Felix took a potion from his magic bag and placed it in front of Prince Schueler.

"..."

Doing the opposite of what he usually does, Prince Schueler fell silent. Normally, the king would insist on eating instead of drinking potions, but today he did the opposite.

"Schue..."

"What is it?"

Addressing his second brother, who had lost his usual vigor, with a sigh.

"Rina made some pudding and French toast for you, Schue. So, hurry up and eat them."

"Really? Rina made... pudding... French toast?"

For a moment, he was disappointed, but he perked up at the new terms. The fact that Rina had made them made Prince Schueler blink again.

"Really... That woman made them?"

King Felix, who had thought a new chef had been hired because such dishes had never been served before, was slightly surprised.

"Isn't it amazing!? This is other-world cuisine, and Rina made it so quickly! It's like magic!!"

Recalling the earlier events, Prince Egideldus was excited. The way Rina had quickly prepared the dishes, which he had never seen before, seemed like "magic" to him.

"..."

Seeing his youngest brother laugh happily, King Felix smiled faintly. Since summoning Rina, his two older brothers had scolded the youngest, causing him to lose his spirit. It was a mix of happiness and complexity to see him regain his energy. The fact that it was Rina who held the key to whether he could see his youngest brother's smile or not only added to the complexity.