Chapter 48

"…And there's one more thing I want to ask?"

Prince Egiedilus asked Rina again.

"What is it, Prince Emerald?"

Rina, looking tired, took a sip of her tea.

"You, on the contrary, are amazing, doing one thing after another…"

Rina said his name as usual, but she seemed to be impressed with some meaning.

"…So, what is that?"

Rina glanced at the bulging bag she had brought. He was curious about where she had been and what she had done.

"Huh? Oh, this? Wild kuku berries I found outside."

She placed the bag on the table and opened it to show them. The berries were dark and ripe, with a faintly sweet aroma.

"Kuku berries!?"

Prince Egiedilus and the others were surprised, as they hadn't expected her to gather so many.

"But, isn't it a waste to leave so many growing around?"

They were growing everywhere, but no one paid them any attention. They were so delicious.

"What do you mean 'waste'? What are you going to do with such sour berries that no one can eat?"

"I don't like them because they're sour."

"I don't like them either…"

Prince Egiedilus, Monica, and Rana frowned, as if they knew how sour these fruits were.

"Have you tried the ripe ones?"

Incidentally, when they are still red, they are incredibly sour and make you shudder.

"I did… Rina, these are rotten."

Monica, looking at the contents of the bag, said in disbelief. The dark kuku berries looked as if they were rotten.

"Huh? They're not rotten. This is the best time to eat them."

Rina picked up a few kuku berries and popped them into her mouth.

Hmm. They are sweet and tart, and delicious.

"………………"

All three of them looked as if they couldn't believe it.

"Just try them."

Rina, with a wry smile, picked up some kuku berries and offered them to the three. They made a face as if they had eaten something incredibly sour.

"……"

Rana, with a grim expression, took one first and put it in her mouth. She seemed to think it wouldn't do to let the prince eat first.

"Huh?... It's delicious!!"

Rana's eyes widened. She was even more surprised because she had expected them to be sour.

"Ah!! Really!! It's sweet."

Monica also put one in her mouth and was surprised.

"Hmm? It's sweet, not sour at all."

Prince Egiedilus also had wide eyes from the sweetness.

"See? They're delicious, right?"

Rina smiled, and all three of them reached out together.

"Here, here. Please."

She placed the bag in the center of the table. It seemed they liked them.

"I thought the black ones were rotten."

"I also thought so… because I heard that the red ones were the sign of ripeness."

Rana and Monica said this while popping the berries into their mouths.

"Well, some people like sour ones, so it's a matter of preference, isn't it?"

Rina, exasperated by their lack of restraint, also put some in her mouth.

"Absolutely this one!!!"

The three of them harmonized in agreement.

"Sure…"

Rina thought that the red ones might go well with sweet cream cakes or ice cream. She put a few kuku berries into her tea and crushed them with a spoon.

"What are you doing, you?"

Prince Egiedilus frowned, perhaps thinking that Rina was doing something strange again.

"Hmm? I'm making flavored tea."

Normally, you wouldn't make it this way, but she did it for simplicity.

"What's flavored tea?"

Prince Egiedilus, who apparently didn't know, asked curiously.

"Tea that's been flavored with fruits or something."

"……"

Prince Egiedilus, instead of answering, imitated Rina and put kuku berries in his tea.

"Ah! The kuku berry scent makes it delicious."

"Right? Actually, you're supposed to pour the tea over the fruits in a pot and let it steep, but it's too much trouble…"

"Trouble… Well, it's easy and delicious, so it's fine."

"If you want, flavored tea with jam is even sweeter and more delicious."

Jam has a weak scent but is sweet and delicious, and it's easy to make.

"Jam, what!?"

The three, unfamiliar with the word, latched onto it.

"………………"

Wow… What a hassle!!

"………………"

Rina ignored them and sipped her tea.