Chapter 48

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As if waiting for the story to end, the door was knocked on modestly.

To the sound of the wood tapping, Mr. Romanov gave permission to enter.

The person who appeared at the doorway was Ms. Rottenmeier, and for some reason, my heart skipped a beat.

"Excuse me. I heard that the young master is here."

"Yes, he is here."

After bowing to Mr. Romanov, she turned her gaze to me and, as if it was a habit, pushed up her glasses and spoke.

"Young master, the head chef informed me that the spices are ready."

"Wow! Then I'll go to the kitchen right away."

"Understood."

Sliding off the sofa, Mr. Romanov's hand stroked my head.

Looking up, I saw his usual calm and composed expression.

"Is it the spices for the 'curry rice'?"

"Yes. First, we need to grind them into powder and do various preparations. I had asked the people in the mansion, and it seems they are all ready."

"Then, we can finally have a feast, right?"

"Hmm, we still need to mix them, so it's a mystery if we can finish it today."

"I see. Then, while thinking about the next extracurricular activity, let's look forward to it."

"Yes!"

I trotted to the doorway, and Ms. Rottenmeier, who had been waiting, bowed to Mr. Romanov and left the room.

I also bowed to Mr. Romanov and followed Ms. Rottenmeier, who walked ahead as if guiding me.

She walked ahead to check for any dangers.

After hearing the princess and Mr. Romanov's conversation, I realized that Ms. Rottenmeier's actions had such a meaning.

I wanted to talk to Ms. Rottenmeier.

But when I faced her, no words came out.

This person is the one who was troubled the most by me before I fell ill, and the one who worries about me the most now.

What can I do for her?

As I stared at her back, Ms. Rottenmeier suddenly turned around.

"Is there something, young master?"

"Huh?"

"No, I felt your gaze on my back..."

"Oh... No, Ms. Rottenmeier, you..."

"Yes, what is it?"

I couldn't gather my thoughts when asked, so I decided to change the subject.

"Ms. Rottenmeier, do you have any food you dislike?"

"Dislike, you say?"

"Yes."

"No, not particularly. ...Young master, if I may, as part of your studies, I was in the same situation as Mr. Utsunomiya in the past. So, I have eaten whatever I could to survive. At the moment, Kikunoi is not that poor. However..."

"As it is, such families will appear, and individually, such families already exist. That's what you mean, right?"

"Exactly. I heard from Mr. Romanov that what you need is to convey the truth. You have a great ambition, and to achieve it, you need to make Kikunoi prosperous. For that, you need to know what you should know and correctly understand the current situation."

"That's right. It's not that I can do little now, but almost nothing. I think I shouldn't turn a blind eye to that. But the time it takes for me to be able to do something is also the time to prepare so that I can act immediately when I can. For that, I need the cooperation of various people. I hope this cooking can be one of those preparations..."

Ms. Rottenmeier pushed up her glasses.

Through the thick lenses, I could see her hazel eyes, which looked quite worried, looking at me.

"What's wrong?"

"...The god who protects you told me that you suffered from a serious illness after the epidemic."

"Did you hear it from Mr. Romanov?"

"Yes. Also from Regulus-sama."

"Regulus-kun...?"

"More accurately, Mr. Utsunomiya translated. 'My brother is suffering from a very serious illness, but if he studies magic and takes care of his health, he will be fine, the goddess said.' I don't know how accurate it is."

"It's pretty accurate. Amazing, Regulus-kun. And Mr. Utsunomiya, who can understand Regulus-kun's words, too."

Regulus-kun can speak smoothly sometimes, but it's still baby talk. The fact that Mr. Utsunomiya can understand it means their relationship is quite good.

It takes patience to listen to a child's talk, and the child can get frustrated and give up if they're not understood. It's not easy.

Nodding, Ms. Rottenmeier's eyebrows twitched.

"Young master, you said that the time it takes to be able to do something is the time to prepare so that you can act immediately when you can. Then, isn't there something you should do before thinking about cooking or the development of Kikunoi?"

"Something I should do?"

"Yes."

Ms. Rottenmeier's strong words made me flinch a bit.

She then shook her head slowly, looking serious.

"I am not denying what you are trying to do. However, development and expansion are your parents' jobs, not yours. Learning is necessary, and I also believe that practice is a good learning ground. But, you are still a child and should spend your time as one. And during that time, you need to prepare to become an adult."

"To prepare to become an adult, I'm doing various things now..."

"That's not it. To become an adult, you need to grow not only in mind but also in body. The mind resides in the body. If the body is not strong, no matter how strong the mind is, you cannot stand and walk on your own."

"..., in other words, prioritize health issues."

Ms. Rottenmeier nodded solemnly, and I was honestly surprised.

Because I'm plump and should look very healthy.

I know she's worried, but isn't she being overprotective?

"Um, I'm fine, you know?"

I waved my hands and did some stretches to show that I had no physical problems, but Ms. Rottenmeier's expression didn't clear up.

Wondering what was bothering her, she crouched down, placed both hands on my shoulders, and looked me in the eye.

"Please, young master, don't overexert yourself."

"Yes, I won't overexert myself."

"Can I have your promise?"

"Of course. ...What's wrong, Ms. Rottenmeier?"

I tried to remove her hands from my shoulders, but she caught them.

Surprised, Ms. Rottenmeier's shoulders twitched, but she didn't push my hands away and instead held them back.

Among the people I know, Ms. Rottenmeier has always adjusted to me to some extent and made concessions, but as a servant, she has always drawn a clear line.

Holding the master's hand is not something Ms. Rottenmeier would do.

I was almost in a panic, and Ms. Rottenmeier's lips trembled as she spoke.

"I... When you were suffering from the epidemic, I was by your side. So, I saw everything: your red face turning ashen, your rough breathing becoming so thin it seemed you might stop at any moment, and your hot body turning cold like ice."

I thought.

The grip on my hand tightened, but it was also trembling, as if it could be shaken off at any moment.

For me, it was painful, but when I woke up, I felt refreshed, and with the memories of my previous life, I was in a state of chaos.

But Ms. Rottenmeier had watched me weaken from my illness, to the point where funeral arrangements might have been necessary.

"Ms. Rottenmeier, I..."

"I apologize for my outburst, please forgive me."

While I was at a loss for words, Ms. Rottenmeier's hands began to pull away.

I caught them instinctively and tightened my grip to prevent her from letting go.

She tried to pull her hand away for a moment, but when I waited, she released the tension in her arm.

"Listen, Ms. Rottenmeier. I... I have a lot to say, but I can't put it into words..."

"Yes."

"Right now, I feel so grateful to be alive and that life is so enjoyable... And I'm glad you... Ms. Rottenmeier, have been by my side. Please stay by my side in the future."

As I quietly said this, Ms. Rottenmeier's shoulders trembled.

She took a deep breath, and the trembling seemed to subside, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

Wait, Ms. Rottenmeier is smiling!?

"I, Adele Rottenmeier, will be by your side as long as I live."

"Thank you. I will become an adult worthy of those words, so please watch me."

I looked up at Ms. Rottenmeier, who stood up with a smile, and took her outstretched hand.

Together, we walked to the kitchen.

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