Chapter 84

Thank you for the report of the typo.

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

Early in the morning, Misaki left the mansion and had the carriage driven to the Simmons territory. The sudden decision to go to the Imperial Kingdom was because there was something she desperately wanted to obtain. However, seeing her travel companion, Oliver, grimace in disgust, she couldn't help but smile.

"What's so funny?"

Oliver glared at her as if scolding her.

"You always seem to be in a bad mood in front of me... I was just thinking that."

Mersa smiled nostalgically without taking her eyes off the lace she was knitting to pass the time. She wasn't particularly bad at sewing, but after getting married, she had to work hard at it. With three children constantly tearing their clothes, and no money to buy new ones, her skills naturally improved. It was particularly frustrating that her daughter, Emma, was the worst at tearing her clothes.

That child, from the moment she was born, showed interest only in insects and would charge into the bushes, climb trees, or squeeze into rock crevices whenever she found one. Her sewing skills were naturally honed.

Still, they were far from matching her husband's.

"It's not that I'm in a bad mood! I just can't understand why you, a woman, would decide to go to a place where no one from the kingdom has ever set foot!"

He was implying that if something happened, or if she got hurt, what would they do... but his expression and tone made it hard for anyone to understand, just like in the past.

"Don't worry. I can take care of myself."

Inside her simple travel dress, Violet, whom Emma had lent her as a good luck charm, was moving around, trying to find a comfortable spot on her thigh.

"You're a woman, so of course it's unreasonable!"

A phrase she hadn't heard since moving to the palace. The border territory was in dire straits, far worse than even her knowledge from the academy could handle.

"Can't you just say you'll protect me?"

She asked Oliver with a sigh, noting that he was starting to resemble his mother. She was surprised at her ability to read his hidden thoughts, but she still couldn't be honest with him.

"What nonsense!"

Oliver's face turned red, and he awkwardly looked out the carriage window, falling silent. His clear attitude of not wanting to talk to her made her smile again. In the past, she would have thought she had made him angry again, but now she could see that he was just embarrassed, which she found endearing.

In the quiet carriage, she recalled the circumstances that led to her sudden trip to the Imperial Kingdom while knitting the delicate lace, not quite as fine as her husband's but still beautiful.

---

Last night, while sewing a dress for Emma's friend, they were talking about nostalgic Japanese food.

"Miso soup is so nice to have, isn't it?"

William was excited, saying that among the ninjas, there were those who could make miso and tofu.

The ninjas took turns visiting the Stewart household, making miso and soy sauce when the ingredients were available, in exchange for providing them with a place to sleep and meals. The empty rooms that were not being used were turned into their resting area.

"By the way... what about dashi?"

She had been hearing about miso and tofu, but no one had mentioned dashi.

"Huh? Dashi?"

Georg tilted his head, not understanding.

"If you're making miso soup, you need dashi, right? Kombu, katsuobushi, or iriko..."

Dashi?

The men looked at each other, confused.

"Um... maybe dried scallops could work? But do we really need katsuobushi?"

Emma stopped her needlework and asked Mersa, feeling a sore spot.

The miso soup at the Tanaka household was mainly made with katsuobushi dashi. The leftover katsuobushi was automatically the cats' snack.

"Meow!"

"Meow meow!"

"Meow!"

"Meow meow!"

The moment Emma mentioned katsuobushi, the cats, who had been dozing quietly, started meowing.

"Katsuobushi! We definitely need it! I want to eat katsuobushi! ...Because..."

Emma translated, and the whole family thought they understood.

"Do you want katsuobushi, Cho-chan?"

"Meow!"

"Do you want katsuobushi, Kan-chan?"

"Meow!"

"Do you want katsuobushi, Ryu-chan?"

"Meow!"

"Komei-san..."

"Meow meow!"

The cats, with their eyes sparkling, were all over Komei. Even their bellies, which they usually didn't let anyone touch, were now calmly being petted... katsuobushi... amazing.

"But, will they understand katsuobushi? I'm not even sure if they understand rice..."

The exchange for food aid was rice. The ship leaving tomorrow was for the Stewart family's emergency food aid, separate from the kingdom's diplomatic relations. The excellent merchant from the Rothschild Trading Company was asked to bring back rice, along with its characteristics, even if it was just a little.

"According to the ninjas, there is a little rice in reserve, but if not, they can get seedlings or seeds to grow it... but the language barrier is a problem."

Joshua had chosen an excellent person from the trading company, but the language barrier was thick.

"Meow!"

Just when they thought Komei had calmed down, he suddenly left the room and came back with a ninja in his mouth.

"??????"

The ninja didn't seem to understand what was happening, but no one could resist Komei.

"Hey, isn't that Momochi-san?"

The ninja, who had been able to explain the situation to the prince, was one of the ninjas who had been taking turns resting at the Stewart household, brought back by Komei.

"Lord William... what is this?"

Momochi, who was being dragged by Komei while holding a piece of bread in one hand and a bowl of potato salad in the other, asked William.

"Meow!"

"Meow meow!"

"Meow?"

"Meow meow?"

The cats surrounded Momochi. The large cats made Momochi, the ninja, tremble.

"What? What? What?"

The ninja backed away, bumping into the wall. There was no place to run. Behind him was the wall, and in front and to the sides were cats. It was a "cat corner" instead of a "wall corner."

"Are there katsuobushi in the Imperial Kingdom?"

Emma, who had squeezed through the "cat corner" to reach Momochi, translated.

"Katsuobushi!? ...What? Katsuobushi!? ...What??"

"Meow meow!"

To the cats, it was a cute request for katsuobushi, but to Momochi, it felt like a threat due to their size.

"Katsuobushi... there should be more than enough, unlike rice. The food shortage is because the crops... didn't grow..."

For a moment, Momochi looked like he had said too much. The food shortage was due to bad weather, but there might be other reasons.

"Then, we need to contact the Rothschild Trading Company to bring back katsuobushi as well..."

William called a servant to send a message to Joshua.

"Huh? Kachumushi?"

"It's 'katsuobushi.'"

"Karushiru?"

"It's 'katsuobushi'..."

"Kurushii?"

It didn't make sense... Rice had been understood as the staple food of the Imperial Kingdom, but katsuobushi was difficult to explain.

"Shouldn't someone go to the Imperial Kingdom to check?"

Even if they wrote an order in the Imperial language, only the Tanaka household could verify if the actual item was correct. Katsuobushi might not even look like food...

"Ah! Then I want to go to the Imperial Kingdom!"

Emma raised her hand straight up, volunteering.

"You have school, don't you?"

Mersa said no, and Emma's hand drooped.

"Meow..."

Komei patted Emma's back with his paw to comfort her.

"Then, I'll go. Georg and William have school."

Leonard was excited about the sea voyage. In the landlocked Palace, there were few opportunities to ride a ship.

"You have a hunting instructor session the day after tomorrow, don't you?"

Mersa reminded Leonard. In the capital, Leonard trained young aspiring hunters once a week. Hunting was dangerous but paid well, especially in the Palace, where the pay was nearly double that of other border territories. After training in the capital, they were sent to the Palace. The harsh hunting profession had a high turnover rate, and retaining hunters was an important task for the border lords.

Until now, Urban had recruited and sent them during his breaks from the university in the capital, but with time, Leonard had selected and sent promising candidates, reducing transportation costs.

"Ah, Georg... can you take over the session?"

Leonard, who had forgotten, asked Georg to substitute.

"Georg has school, and if he beats you, it might discourage the young hunters."

No matter how strong a man was, the hunting profession was tough. Georg, who had been hunting since childhood, was exceptional.

"Then, who will go to the Imperial Kingdom?"

William tilted his head, wondering if no one would go.

"I'll go!"

Mersa stepped forward, placing her hand on her chest.

"Wh-What!?"

"I was originally aiming to be a diplomat and have the necessary training. The kingdom's food aid is unfamiliar in the Imperial Kingdom, and someone who can teach them how to cook it is needed."

That was a point they hadn't considered. Different countries had different ingredients and cooking methods. Mersa, who was skilled in cooking from her previous life, was a logical choice...

"No, it's not safe. Sending Mersa to a place no one from the kingdom has ever been to... I'm worried. What if something happens? What if she gets hurt?"

Leonard opposed.

"I'll be fine. Emma will lend me Violet."

She smiled at Emma, who nodded.

"You're smart and capable, I know! But when you're in danger, I want to protect you! And being away from you... is lonely."

"..."

The three siblings watched their parents with the expression of Tibetan sand foxes.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Too much!

"Leonard... you always say such things in front of the children!"

Georg sighed.

"Father is truly devoted to Mother."

Emma placed her hand on her cheek, impressed.

"But, consider the children's feelings... It's like having sand in your mouth."

William sighed. The parents' affectionate moments were the last thing the children wanted to see, but they often encountered them in the Stewart household. The siblings' imitation of Tibetan sand foxes was getting better with each passing year.

In the end, the situation was explained to the ninja Momochi, who agreed to send five ninjas with the prince on the ship the next day to report in detail. They would also protect Mersa, and Leonard reluctantly agreed.

Leonard, who said "I love you" every day.