Chapter 82

As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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"Prepare that brown, delicious-looking thing for me too!"

At the sound of this hearty voice, Adi, who was about to take a bite of his korokke, froze.

The setting was the city center, specifically an area where several ready-made food shops lined up. Adi, who was spending his rare day off in the city center, had stopped by this area because he was feeling hungry. Drawn to a ready-made food shop that exuded a delightful aroma of freshly fried korokke, he had just received one from the shop owner and was about to take a bite when he froze at the familiar voice.

"Miss..."

With a stiff movement that seemed to creak, Adi turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw a girl who didn't seem to belong in the city center. She wore a high-quality dress and had silver, strong pigtails. Her young face, though she had just turned seven, already exuded intelligence and grace. She was cute and beautiful, like a doll. And there she stood, right in the middle of the city center, in a very imposing stance. As the wind blew, her silver pigtails swayed dramatically, adding to the grandeur of her presence. They didn't just flutter; they swayed dramatically.

Of course, it was Mary Albert, the young lady of the Albert family. Seeing her, Adi hurriedly asked, "Why are you here!?" Normally, she should have been at the Albert family's mansion, taking dance lessons.

"Miss! Why are you here!?"

"I followed Father when he said he was going to inspect the city center."

"Isn't it your dance lesson today?"

"To be able to skip when I want to, I always strive to improve myself. The teacher smiled and said, 'Mary is always working hard, so it's fine for today,' and sent me off!"

"Is she serious or not..."

Adi muttered, feeling sorry for her future dance partner, and then noticed that Mary's gaze was fixed on his hand. He quickly hid it behind his back. The "brown, delicious-looking thing" she had mentioned was, of course, the korokke. As the young lady of the Albert family, Mary shouldn't be eating such common food.

In response to Adi's reaction, Mary furrowed her brow. Even a young girl could sense the tension when something was so obviously hidden from her, especially one as perceptive as Mary. There was no need to guess why Adi was hiding it.

"Hmm," she murmured, then looked away as if deep in thought.

"Should I cry, or get angry... stomping my feet would be unbecoming. Perhaps I should cry delicately."

"Why are you calmly throwing a tantrum?"

"Because it looked so delicious."

As she said this, Mary circled behind Adi, who hastily raised the korokke above his head. The shop owner chuckled at this childish exchange, but for Mary, there was nothing more frustrating. Adi, who was five years older, had grown taller recently, and when he raised his hand, it was out of her reach. Even when she tried to jump, she couldn't even touch his fingertips.

Using his height to hide things from her was unfair, especially for a servant! And there was a hint of jealousy towards Adi, who had entered his growth spurt before her. Of course, Mary was growing too, but Adi's growth was more noticeable. Mary often declared, "I'll catch up one day!" though this never came true.

In any case, with Adi's hand raised, Mary had no way to resist. Moreover, he said, "Please return to your father calmly," as if scolding a child. This made Mary puff out her cheeks, but the next moment, she looked down dejectedly and turned around. Adi let out a slight sigh of relief, but Mary, sensing this, turned her sad expression into a mischievous smile.

"I'll return to Father..."

"Yes, please do. But don't interfere with the inspection."

"Right, I will. Father! About the time I broke your cup and replaced it with a matching one, it was actually because Adi was napping."

"Shop owner! Another korokke! Miss, your father is busy with the inspection, so let's wait here together!"

"Fine, I understand."

"I'm sorry..."

Adi groaned softly, and Mary laughed proudly. Incidentally, at that moment, Adi declared in his heart, "I'll show you one day!" but he was never able to and continued to be at her mercy.

The shop owner, chuckling, prepared another korokke and wrapped it in a paper bag. The bag only covered the bottom half, as it would get oily from the food. Adi, taking out a handkerchief from his chest, gently covered the paper. He couldn't let Mary, the young lady of the Albert family, get her hands dirty, and besides, giving her such common food was problematic.

"Are you really going to eat it?"

"I am!"

Mary nodded, her eyes shining. The korokke, covered in a brown batter, was thick and emitted a mouth-watering aroma. It looked so delicious that her instincts were screaming, "You must eat this!"

Adi, sensing her determination, sighed and offered the korokke wrapped in the handkerchief. But Mary, instead of taking it, called his name with a puzzled look.

"What's wrong?"

"Adi, where's the plate?"

"Why are you giving it to me directly?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion. Adi's eyes widened slightly, then he chuckled.

"There's no plate. You eat it as it is."

"But then I can't use a knife and fork."

"You don't need them."

"Then do you tear it like bread? But it looks very hot."

"It's freshly fried, so you'll burn yourself if you try to tear it."

"Then how do you eat it?"

Adi smiled and said, "Watch me," as he brought his korokke to his mouth and took a bite. It was a very ordinary way to eat, but for Mary, who was already well-versed in dining etiquette, it was shocking. She widened her eyes in surprise and gasped.

"S-so, you eat it like that?"

"It's fine if you can't do it. You don't have to force yourself."

"I can do it! I'll eat it!"

Determined, Mary extended both hands. Adi smiled wryly and gently handed her the korokke.

"Are you going to eat it like this?"

"Yes, that's right. Would you like to sit somewhere?"

"Is it okay to sit?"

"Is it okay?" Mary asked, looking uncertain. What kind of world required standing to eat?

Adi smiled more broadly and said, "It's fine," then led her to a nearby bench.

"Are you going to eat it like this?"

Adi nodded as Mary looked down at the korokke, her eyes serious. She had never been this nervous, not even when she first entered society, took a test, or greeted the king.

Adi took a bite of his korokke, feeling a bit guilty.

"It feels like I'm doing something wrong."

"Doing something wrong? You're being dramatic. After all, anything you do wrong is cute."

"Right, like teaching the puppies everyone keeps at the back gate to 'sit, more, and attack.'"

"No wonder they've been jumping at me lately. Don't teach them dangerous things!"

"It's fine. I taught them to only do it to those they can handle and who are of lower status."

"I see, that's reassuring... that dog!"

"Am I of lower status?" Adi asked, angry, but Mary laughed.

After a moment, Mary relaxed and slowly opened her mouth, taking a bite of the korokke. The satisfying crunch filled her mouth with the warmth and aroma of the freshly fried korokke. The texture of the batter and the softness of the filling mixed, and the delicious flavor burst with each bite.

She chewed thoughtfully and swallowed slowly. Then, with a sigh, her eyes sparkled.

"How is it?"

"Adi, it's delicious. So delicious!"

She was clearly excited and took another bite, exclaiming, "Delicious!" Adi, seeing her childlike and uncharacteristic enthusiasm, smiled softly.

I'm glad. He knew it was problematic to let the young lady of the Albert family eat common food, but he was glad she enjoyed it. Looking at Mary again, she was happily chewing with her small mouth and smiling.

"Adi, I love this!"

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Let's eat it together again!"

"Sure, let's eat it together again."

Years later, Adi still received korokke from the shop owner, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and handed it to Mary. They sat on their usual bench and bit into the korokke almost simultaneously. The warmth and inviting aroma tickled their noses, and the crispy batter and savory meat filled their mouths with each bite.

"You've improved again."

"Yes, the contrast between the crispy batter and the soft filling is perfect."

"That shop owner has endless potential... if only he would finally recognize that I'm Mary Albert."

"That's impossible."

Adi took another bite and said, "That's impossible." Mary, looking slightly displeased, took another bite of the korokke. But her pout quickly turned into a smile because it was so delicious.

But it was just korokke, and even eating it slowly didn't take long. Both of them were quite hungry, and before they knew it, they had finished and stood up to leave.

"Let's eat it together again."

"Yes, let's eat it together again."

This exchange, from that day to today, has remained unchanged.