Chapter 9

I was in a bad mood. The reason was simple: that stubborn dragon, Kuro, had taken and eaten all the food for my lunch with the prince.

The moment he was released from the cage, he snapped it up in one bite. He ate everything.

The serving maid had told me about Prince Lotus’s favorite foods, so I had brought a lot of them. I couldn’t forgive this. Perhaps we should serve dragon steak for dinner.

We were descending the mountain. Since our lunch had disappeared, we were all on our way to get more food. The prince had initially intended to go alone, but since my mood had improved, I suggested we go together. Of course, Kuro, who was acting as a guard, came along as well. I glared at the dragon walking next to the prince and said to him,

“Prince Lotus, how do you prepare a dragon?”

“Azalea, don’t try to eat Kuro. The responsibility for Kuro’s misbehavior lies with me for bringing her along.”

The prince stood protectively in front of Kuro at my words. Kuro, taking advantage of the fact that the prince couldn’t see, laughed at me with her nose.

“However, Kuro usually doesn’t even look at human food. What’s wrong with her, Kuro?”

The prince, looking puzzled, stroked Kuro’s jaw. She narrowed her eyes in pleasure and rubbed her cheek against the prince’s, as if to say, “Here, for you.”

I felt a pang of jealousy at their playful interaction and walked ahead of them.

Prince Lotus is too lenient with Kuro.

It’s fine, though. I’m not a child who would be jealous of a dragon.

“Azalea, don’t go ahead alone. It’s dangerous.”

I obediently listened to the prince’s warning, stopped, and waited for the prince and the others to catch up. While waiting, I searched for something to eat and found a tree nearby with Rokza fruit.

Rokza is a fruit that, when split open, contains many small, sweet and sour berries. It wouldn’t serve as a main meal, but it would help fill the stomach. Most importantly, it was the prince’s favorite. I had brought it as a dessert for lunch. I pointed to the Rokza fruit for the prince who had caught up.

“Prince Lotus, there’s Rokza fruit here. Shall I pick some?”

“Umm… Do you want to eat it, Azalea?”

I tilted my head at the prince’s hesitant reaction. I thought he would be happy.

“No, I don’t particularly… But the serving maid told me it’s the prince’s favorite. I can climb the tree, which isn’t that tall, so I thought I’d pick some if you’d like.”

The tree was about three times my height, but I could handle it. I wasn’t called a monkey by my mother in my previous life for nothing.

Just as I was preparing to show off my skills, the prince surprised me with his response.

“…It’s hard to say, Azalea, but I don’t actually like Rokza fruit.”

“Huh?”

“Actually, when I visited the Bazanda Kingdom with my father, I was served a dish made with Rokza fruit. I was a child back then and carelessly said I liked the dish. The king of Bazanda was pleased and started sending Rokza fruit every year…”

“…So the cooks and serving maids misunderstood and thought it was your favorite?”

The prince nodded at my words.

Bazanda is famous for producing Rokza fruit. Returning their national product would be considered an insult.

Prince Lotus sighed.

“I don’t dislike Rokza fruit, but I don’t particularly like it. I’ve explained the situation to the head chef and the head maid, but if I deny it too openly, it might reach the king of Bazanda. I’ve left it alone since the maids’ misunderstanding doesn’t cause any harm.”

“……”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

Phew! I almost blindly believed the serving maid and included Rokza fruit in our lunch.

Hmm? But then, if that’s the case…

“Prince, then the bread made from Blain’s wheat…?”

“That’s a gift from the ambassador of the Tabur Empire. Considering the difference in national power, I could only praise it. I prefer harder bread to such soft bread.”

“Then, the thigh meat of the Butio bird…?”

“That was the first prey I caught during a hunt. I was overconfident and kept catching and eating it, so it’s understandable that there was a misunderstanding.”

“And the yellow flowers of the Sourenhao…?”

“…That was a specialty of the previous queen, my grandmother. Something triggered the misunderstanding that it was my favorite, and I didn’t correct it, so the misunderstanding spread.”

What!?

All the food I prepared for lunch today was a waste!

I never thought the prince’s favorite foods would be so different from what the serving maid said.

As I was inwardly sweating, Kuro called out to the prince from behind. When I turned around, she was holding a branch in her mouth with red fruit on it.

“Oh, you brought Ruppa. Thank you, Kuro.”

The prince stroked Kuro’s cheek and picked a fruit from the branch. He looked happy as he bit into the Ruppa.

Seeing this, I realized something.

Could it be that Kuro took the lunch because she knew it didn’t contain the prince’s favorite foods…?

“Azalea, you should try one too. It’s delicious.”

The prince handed me a fruit. I took it, thanked him, and took a bite. Then, I glanced at Kuro, who had a triumphant smile on her face.

I was angry.

She had a really annoying look on her face.

As I unconsciously tightened my grip on the Ruppa, the prince, who had finished eating, suddenly looked around.

“Is something wrong, Prince?”

“Umm…”

The prince gave an ambiguous answer and said, “Azalea, wait here with Kuro for a moment,” before running off down the path without giving me a chance to stop him.

“Prince! It’s dangerous to go alone—”

As I tried to follow him, Kuro held me back by the clothes with her mouth, causing me to fall on my butt.

“Hey! Let me go!”

As I tried to protest, my vision suddenly went black. I realized Kuro had put my head in her mouth, feeling the warm water and the smell of her breath.

“Aaaaaah! What are you doing! Let me go!!”

Kuro not only didn’t let me go but also made chewing motions, which only increased my fear. Giving up, I shouted,

“I get it! I get it! I won’t chase after him, so let me go!”

Kuro obediently released my head.

I wiped my face, which was sticky with saliva, with a handkerchief and glared at Kuro, who didn’t move from her spot.

“You’re a solitary creature, yet you’re so loyal to your master. Fine, I’ll wait here. I get it.”

Muttering to myself, I sat down next to Kuro. I pretended to eat the Ruppa I had received and, after a moment of hesitation, patted Kuro’s belly, which was turned away from me, to thank her for the lunch.

“Thanks for helping me earlier. I’ll make sure to confirm with the person next time.”

Since I couldn’t see her face, I interpreted Kuro’s short bark as a friendly response.

After eating the Ruppa in silence for a while, Kuro, who had been lying down, got up and let out a small growl.

I stood up immediately and saw the prince returning from the path. I called out his name and ran to him. The prince, with a bitter expression, said to me,

“I’m sorry, Azalea. Something troublesome has happened.”

On Prince Lotus’s back was a man, covered in blood.