Chapter 61

Happy New Year!

I hope we can get along well this year too.

"Uuuuu, it's terrible..."

The special medicinal bath made by Grandpa Sand is just too terrible. First of all, the color is scary. It's a thick, green sludge, and it's filled to the brim in a container about the size of a tea bowl used in tea ceremonies. The taste is like sludge. I've never drunk it, but I'm sure sludge must taste like this. I have to drink this three times a day, after meals. Just thinking about this waiting for me after a delicious meal makes my appetite disappear.

When I had it appraised by the appraisal magic, it said, "Grandpa Sand's medicinal bath: Helps the body grow. Very high in nutrients and well-balanced. Unforgettable taste." The description of the taste is weird, isn't it?

This medicinal bath has become a daily routine for me and Prince Kanon. Prince Kanon's medicinal bath seems to have a different composition than mine, tailored to his leg rehabilitation. It's a lighter sludge compared to mine.

We both try to drink it while pinching our noses, but when we let go, it has a terrible smell. Even after drinking water, the aftertaste is very strong.

Since Prince Kanon, who is only 8 years old, is trying so hard, I, who am 40 years old including my previous life, can't afford to give up. I prepare a mountain of candies and baked goods to soothe my palate, but I'm starting to feel like giving up.

"I need more comfort."

"Shina, do you want a hug?"

"I'm fine."

"You're fine? Who are you hugging?!"

The medicinal bath is making me so disheartened that even Jin's interference is annoying. He knows I haven't been hugged by anyone else since our fake engagement, yet he's being so annoying.

Recently, Jin seems to have done something, and he was scolded by the king and queen. His older brothers teased him while drinking, and he was quite depressed for a while. He was scolded with a smile by the head maid, scolded by the maids, and even had his head knocked by Barry. When I asked Kirin what happened, he smiled with a troubled look. What did he do?

"I haven't been hugged by anyone else, have I?"

Since leaving Jin alone would be troublesome, I reluctantly decided to pay attention to him. When I sat on his lap and ruffled his hair, he hugged me tightly.

"Shina, I can control myself! Everyone misunderstands me! I'm not a lecherous man!"

"Huh? Jin is always kind. What did they misunderstand?"

When I looked at Jin's face, he blushed and looked away.

"Uu, I can't look at Shina's innocent eyes... I'm sorry..." he whispered weakly. What did he do?

More importantly, I really need some comfort. Comfort means cute things or delicious things. Since cute things are Prince Kanon (which would be disrespectful), I'll go for delicious things.

I saw Jin's muscular arms. Yeah, they're well-built and good. This could be useful for something.

"Jin, can you help me?"

If I smile and ask, Jin will say, "Leave it to me!" and do anything I ask. I held Jin's hand and headed to the kitchen.

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"Prince Kanon"

Prince Kanon, who was concentrating on his studies at the desk, looked up in surprise.

"Shina?"

Prince Kanon tilted his head. His smooth cheeks are as cute as ever. I'm so happy to see you, my dear.

"Let's take a break. I brought some delicious treats."

At the word "delicious treats," Prince Kanon's eyes sparkled. During our stay in the Marita Kingdom, Prince Kanon has become a fan of Marita Kingdom's cuisine. His attendants thanked me for making him eat vegetables he usually dislikes. At 8 years old, he's not very picky, but he doesn't like bitter vegetables. Eat up.

"What is it? More food? You're a glutton."

Prince Sirius, who was studying with him, turned red and confronted me. Oh, you were here too. I was so focused on the cute Prince Kanon that I was surprised.

"Sirius, don't be rude to Shina."

Jin glared at Prince Sirius with a scary face. The fluffiness of the chiffon cake in his hand reduced the scariness a bit.

Thanks to Jin's muscle power, the meringue is fluffy. Fluffy.

"Then Prince Sirius won't get any cake."

"Why not! I should get some!"

Why not? Because you called me a glutton. I glared at him, and he apologized in a small voice, looking embarrassed. Well, I'll forgive you for being honest.

"Shina, what is this dish? It's fluffy and smells sweet!"

"This is a chiffon cake. This one has nothing mixed in. This one has tea mixed into the batter."

The attendants cut the cake for us. Let's see, how does the chiffon cake taste after a long time... Delicious!

"Fluffy! Fluffy, Shina! It's delicious!"

My mouth is happy with the sweet chiffon cake. My vision is happy with the cute Prince Kanon. Is this heaven?

Prince Sirius is also eating enthusiastically, but he's not as cute as Prince Kanon. He eats without any restraint, but after challenging me, he should at least show some restraint.

"Delicious! I've never had such a dessert!"

Jin is eating the cake quickly. His bites are big. But it's okay, I know how much Jin eats.

"Jin, you can eat as much as you want. I asked the cooks to make a lot. Everyone's snack today is chiffon cake."

I also had them make some for the king, queen, and the princes. The dessert chefs were very enthusiastic.

Jin looked at the cake intently and then smiled.

"The part I eat is made by Shina, right?"

"Eh?! How do you know?"

I felt my face turn red. I asked the cooks to serve the part I made directly to Jin. No, it's not like there's any special meaning. I just wanted him to eat something I made. That's all. Mumble mumble.

"I know. The things Shina makes are the best. Thank you always."

Jin's lips touched my cheek. Oh my!

"J-Jin!! P-People are watching! No way!"

"Actually, if we do it alone, we get scolded from multiple directions. I try to control myself when we're alone, so please allow me in front of people."

Jin said this with a serious face. Multiple directions? Isn't it normal to not get scolded in front of people?

"Jincret Uncle! What an indecent act!?"

Prince Sirius, with a face as red as mine, yelled.

Oh no! Prince Sirius saw us! So embarrassing! Prince Kanon is smiling, saying we're good friends. The attendants are giving us warm smiles. I could die from embarrassment.

"Shina, you're blushing, you're so cute."

Jin kissed my cheeks and forehead. Stop it.

Feeling so embarrassed, I slumped, and Jin, as usual, put me on his lap. I'm getting more and more involved in Jin's pace. Damn, I'm not good with charming Jin.

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—Before making the chiffon cake—

"Is it milk?"

To Barry's puzzled look, I nodded firmly.

"Actually, it's from a monster."

In front of Barry and me is a glass of milk. It's from the same monster we hunted in the Glass Forest before.

"Can you appraise it, Barry? Try it."

"Huh. I didn't know you knew I can use appraisal magic. Since you can use it too, it's not surprising."

I was told to keep it a secret. If it's known that I can use appraisal magic, I might be guarded by other countries. That makes sense.

"Wow. It's very high in nutrients. It has an effect on growth, huh... Ah..."

Don't look at me meaningfully. Are you challenging me?

"You can drink it as it is, but it can be used in various dishes! Look, I used it in Barry's favorite stew!"

"Really? I'm suddenly very interested."

People who haven't struggled with their height don't understand the value of milk. Damn.

"Actually, there's a person in the capital who is breeding these monsters. I want to invest in them!"

"Huh?"

I want to invest in this breeder and get the milk delivered preferentially. By the way, I got this information from Nazir of the Zain Trading Company.

The monster, when raised from a young age, becomes very docile and easy to raise. The breeder was raising them for meat, but I asked Nazir to negotiate with them to use some for dairy production.

I knew that milk could be taken from the female monsters, but it caused stomach problems when humans drank it. Probably because they drank too much.

With milk, we can make cheese, yogurt, and butter! Oh, the possibilities are endless! Thank you to the breeder who raised these monsters in the capital despite the prejudice. Please increase the production. I'll fight the prejudice too! For milk!

"I have a lot of money, and Kirin said I can use it. Can I invest? Is it okay?"

Kirin nodded kindly at my words. Thank you, Kirin. I've saved some for you too!

"Huh. It's your and Kirin's money, so you can use it as you like. But if it's an investment, there's the issue of profit sharing... and contracts... and developing products using the milk..."

Barry mumbled to himself, thinking. Kirin quickly took notes of Barry's words.

"Got it! We've decided on the general approach. The rest is negotiation with the other party. Hmm, it looks like we'll be busy again."

"Sorry, Barry."

"No, no. Thanks to Shina's regeneration magic, injured soldiers who retired have returned. Some of them want to work in internal affairs. They have experience with paperwork, so they're immediately useful!"

The regeneration magic team, led by Grandpa Sand, is treating injured soldiers who want to be treated.

Jin has made it mandatory to check, after some time, if the treated soldiers want to return to service. Some, excited by the return of their lost limbs, say they want to return to service, but later they calm down and say they're afraid to return to the front lines. These people are assigned to internal affairs.

Jin has thought about resolving the issues I'm worried about. Jin is really kind and reliable.

"Kirin, let's start on the basic documents, shall we?"

"Yes! Please guide me."

Recently, Barry and Kirin have been working together a lot. Kirin is learning paperwork, which he was not good at, from Barry. Barry's name often comes up in conversations with Kirin. Work hard, Barry. Get rid of the image of being a breast lover with no tact!

Seeing them work together, I secretly cheered for them in my heart.

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