Chapter 86

Good morning.

Today's weather is snowy.

The view from the window is all white.

Although I'm from the Tohoku region in my previous life, I'm used to snow, but the snow in this world is no different from the white snow in my previous life.

I had hoped for blue, green, or red snow, but it was just ordinary snow.

Today is the last day of winter break, so I can spend the day preparing for the upcoming school life.

Not that I have much to do, though.

I was made to change into a fluffy costume by Shell and went to the breakfast table.

Incidentally, it's unclear what kind of costume it is.

It has droopy ears like a dog and a voluminous tail like a fox, with a light pink and dark red panda pattern. What kind of animal is this?

It's probably a young monster.

The twin princes are wearing matching costumes with the light pink parts turned white, so the white and red combination is probably the parents' color scheme.

The two princesses were squealing with delight.

They were also passed around by the two queens.

It's rare for the entire royal family to gather for a meal.

Queen Roxanne often goes on expeditions, Queen Leetoria and Princess Cremona are busy with party invitations, Ingrid attends parties to meet Eliza, and Cavendish frequently goes to parties. The king is busy with work.

The children are too young to attend parties, so they study and train with tutors in the castle.

Althsin received party invitations but didn't go because he wasn't interested.

Starting tomorrow, Cavendish and Althsin will go to school, so it will be a while before everyone gathers again.

After the post-meal tea time,

"Hmm,"

the king cleared his throat to draw everyone's attention and said,

"Ah, suddenly, but Cremona and Ingrid's engagement has been decided. We'll have a tea party for the engagement next weekend, so please keep that time free."

"Oh, oh, oh! Is that true! What a wonderful thing! Cremona, Ingrid, congratulations!"

Queen Leetoria was the first to offer congratulations, followed by Queen Roxanne,

"Congratulations to both of you! Is your partner strong?"

Roxanne asked with a smirk.

"Ha, Mother Roxanne, your standards are always about strength. The conditions I sought in a partner were primarily practical skills! Of course, being healthy is a given, but with Mother Roxanne leading the way, this country is a bit too focused on military might! I don't say it's bad to protect the people, but I don't think it's right for the queen to lead from the front!"

"Come, come, sister, it's a celebration. Save the lecture for later. Well, my partner is strong, though!"

Ingrid calmed Cremona's lecture, but Roxanne's eyes sparkled at the last part.

"That sounds exciting!"

"Ha, Mother Roxanne, be reasonable! If Ingrid's partner runs away because of you, I won't be responsible!"

"Big sister, big brother, congratulations!"

The children's congratulatory voices made Cremona and Ingrid smile and bow.

"Cremona, congratulations."

Althsin also offered his congratulations,

"Fwachari, congratulations."

I congratulated them too.

Cavendish, somewhat reluctantly,

"Congratulations."

said it, but he seemed distracted.

We spent some time chatting and then went about our plans.

In the morning, Althsin finished his work, and I read a book.

I had lunch in my room.

Althsin didn't have much to prepare for the next day, so in the afternoon, he went to the knights' training ground.

The knights had finished their morning work and were shoveling the 30 cm of snow that had fallen.

The snow kept falling as they shoveled, so they started using fire magic swords to clear the snow as part of their training.

Many knights slipped and fell while moving around in the snow.

Then, sparks from the fire magic swords set some knights on fire.

There were many injuries.

Recently, the knights have become so skilled at healing magic that they don't need my help, but today there were so many injuries that I had to help.

First, I created a tunnel barrier to treat the burns.

For those who couldn't be treated in time, I treated them individually.

The high-powered fire magic swords in the snow, and the knights' bodies that recovered quickly from injuries, gradually raised their spirits, and many knights ended up half-naked.

Steam rose from their half-naked bodies under the snowfall.

It smelled strange.

When one person started laughing, it spread to everyone else, and they ended up a bizarre group of half-naked knights swinging their swords in the snow.

After all that, the afternoon was a mess.

Before dinner, I took a bath and entered the dining room, where everyone was gathered.

Ingrid, who had been training with them, had also arrived, but her hair was soaking wet, so I dried it with magic, and Queen Leetoria and Princess Cremona were very interested.

Because of her long hair.

Today's main dish is soy sauce-flavored fried chicken.

The mountain of fried chicken made Anneliese's breathing heavy.

Everyone else was also intrigued by the unfamiliar smell, but not as intensely as Anneliese.

"Today, we have prepared fried chicken using a seasoning called Soyju, which was given to us by Prince Susana of Amate."

Duran introduced it,

"Hmm, a new seasoning, indeed. It has a scent I've never smelled before. Is this a new import from Amate?"

"Yes, we have already signed a contract with the Raver Trading Company."

At the mention of the Raver Trading Company, the king looked at me and smirked, but didn't say anything specific.

"Let's eat, then."

The meal began.

Anneliese stared intently at the fried chicken being divided onto plates, her body trembling.

As soon as it was placed in front of her, she bit into it and was panting from the meat juice.

"W-What is this! So delicious!"

She shouted, bit into the fried chicken again, and was panting from the heat.

Seeing this, everyone else tried the fried chicken,

"Indeed, it's delicious! The fragrant aroma and the right amount of salt, it's a different kind of delicious from salted fried chicken! This is good!"

The king praised it.

Everyone else also agreed,

"Yes, this is delicious!"

"Yes, the unique aroma is addictive!"

"The color may not be the best, but with this deliciousness, it doesn't matter!"

"Delicious!"

"Yes, it's delicious! I could eat this all day!"

Anneliese, without saying a word, kept eating. She was eating as much as Ingrid.

At this point, Princess Cremona, who had been focused on eating, suddenly realized and called out to the maid serving Anneliese to stop her.

"Stop right there! You can't let Anneliese eat any more!"

Anneliese had already eaten a considerable amount, but this was the end of what was on the plate.

Anneliese, who was stopped, protested,

"Big sister Cremona, that's unfair! You're still eating, yet you're limiting my portion, that's too cruel!"

Cremona calmly responded,

"Anneliese, do you even know how many pieces of fried chicken you've eaten?"

Under Cremona's cold gaze,

"That's impossible to count."

Anneliese replied rebelliously.

"Right, you've eaten as many as Ingrid, and you still want more? Merry, how many pieces of fried chicken has Anneliese eaten?"

Merry, the maid, who was suddenly called out by Cremona, was startled and replied,

"A-a-about fifteen pieces."

"Thank you. Anneliese, you've eaten fifteen pieces. Do you still want more?"

As soon as the number was mentioned, Queen Leetoria's eyes turned icy cold.

Anneliese, under the freezing gaze of both queens, still protested,

"But, I can't resist such delicious food!"

She protested with tears in her eyes.

"So, you can't resist when you see delicious food? Then, let's do this. From tomorrow morning, you will eat alone, and only the hard bread and meat you used to eat. That way, you can reduce your food intake, right?"

"That's too cruel! You're telling me to starve to death!"

Anneliese burst into tears.

The men were taken aback.

Despite her tears, the king did not retract his words, and Anneliese looked at him pleadingly.

"Anneliese, you may not know, but at the merchants' parties, your figure has been a topic of conversation. Not only that, you've taken your brothers' snacks and even tried to take the maids' sweets. Even after being scolded by Leetoria, you repeated it. Taking things from those of lower status for your own desires is a crime. Do you understand? For a while, follow Cremona's suggestion and reflect on your actions."

Anneliese, unable to speak, trembled and tears streamed down her face, but no one felt sympathy.

Repeating the same mistake is not forgivable.

The king seems to be strict this time.

We finished the meal with Anneliese's crying in the background and moved to the salon.

In the gloomy atmosphere,

"Anneliese, you think about food so much that you end up taking others' things. Why don't you focus on something else?"

"W-What else should I focus on?"

She was stuttering because she was crying,

"Like, how about swordsmanship? It will keep you moving, and you won't have time to think about food during battles!"

Roxanne suggested with enthusiasm,

"Only you, Mother Roxanne, would be obsessed with swordsmanship!"

"That's not true! There are more female knights these days!"

"Most female knights are commoners, who can choose their own partners. Anneliese, as a princess, will eventually marry, and if she neglects her manners as a lady to focus on swordsmanship, no one will want to marry her!"

"But, there might be someone who finds it interesting!"

"Would you marry Anneliese to such a person?"

"No, I would only marry Anneliese to a man I approve of!"

"Do you see the contradiction in your words?"

"Ah, no, Anneliese, I'm sorry. I meant well, but I'm not a good example of a lady."

Roxanne sincerely apologized, and Anneliese, with her tear-streaked face, looked at her,

"Mother Roxanne, I'll go! I'll follow you on the expedition!"

"Anneliese, do you know what you're saying?"

Cremona, who never expected Anneliese to agree to Roxanne's suggestion, was surprised and called out, but Anneliese declared,

"I've decided! I won't return to this castle until I'm slim and beautiful!"

She declared with determination.

"Anneliese, to go on an expedition, you need to be strong enough to protect yourself. I can't take you if you're not."

Ingrid pointed out the reality,

"I can protect myself! I've always defended myself from Bailey's attacks with barriers and escaped!"

"Wow, you can defend against Bailey's attacks? That's impressive, Anneliese!"

Roxanne praised her, and Anneliese put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.

"Mother Roxanne, this isn't the time for praise! Anneliese is still a girl under ten!"

"Don't worry, I'll protect Anneliese. Besides, it's a good opportunity to show her the wider world and make her think about her position."

"......That does make sense."

"Father!"

"But Cremona is right, Anneliese is still a child. So, for one year, I'll allow her to travel with the patrolling knights. Anneliese, you're not allowed to give up halfway. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father! I'll show you I can do it!"

So, it was decided that Anneliese and Queen Roxanne would go on a one-year diet journey with the patrolling knights.