The faintest hint of sunlight peeked through the low-hanging clouds.
Through the window of the carriage, drawn by four horses, the snow-covered landscape flowed backward, endlessly. The snowfield, reflecting the winter sunlight, began to sparkle and shine, almost blindingly so.
The carriage, heading for the ancient capital, moved quietly north on the snowy road. There was no wind, and it was very quiet.
Something darted past the edge of Maximilian’s vision.
It was a pika.
Translator’s Note
A pika is a small mammal, related to rabbits, found in cold climates.
It was the first time he had seen a pika with its pure white winter coat.
He almost exclaimed, “Hey, look!” but stopped himself just in time.
His “wife,” sitting in the seat next to him in the carriage, was facing the window on the opposite side, asleep.
No, Maximilian knew she wasn’t really asleep. Hildegard had stubbornly vowed not to speak to him during their marital spat.
“Stubborn,” he muttered under his breath, turning back to the window.
The pika he had spotted was already lost in the whiteness of the snowfield.
Born as the son of a feudal lord, Maximilian did not yet understand politics.
The daily administrative tasks were all handled by his senior retainers, so there was little for Maximilian to do. He just sat at the large desk in his office, signed documents, and affixed his wax seal to important letters. After that, he just listened to reports and nodded. This probably wasn’t politics.
After all, getting married at the young age of eleven was considered politics. He tried to understand, but comprehension eluded him.
Hildegard, a year older than him, was a cute bride with flowing blonde hair and blue eyes, but like Maximilian, she was still a child.
Hildegard, who wore beautiful dresses and made impressive greetings in social circles, favored fluffy cushions and sweet treats, and would instantly become sullen if she didn’t have either.
And she was stubborn. Very.
When they quarreled over something trivial, she hardly spoke to him.
Before they got married, he thought marital spats were ridiculous, but now they were an everyday occurrence.
“I’m older than you, Maximilian,” she would say, trying to act mature, though Maximilian thought she could be a little more forgiving, he was always the one to apologize.
Even so, they usually made up within two or three days, but for some reason, this time it was dragging on.
“Hey, Maximilian.”
“What is it, Hilda?”
He thought she was awake after all, and that he should have called out to her to show her the white pika.
“Where are we going?”
“To the ancient capital. To that tavern.”
“Really?!”
She turned to him with a smile, but then hurriedly looked back at the window. She must have remembered they were in the middle of a fight. This kind of reaction was cute, so it was worth the trouble to bring her all this way.
“Really. Let’s eat something delicious.”
But there was no reply.
He peered at her face, and saw that she was pressing her face against the cushion and puffing out her cheeks.
“Don’t you want to go?”
“Maximilian, you don’t think I’m some cheap woman you can lure with food, do you?”
The carriage jolted.
“Of course not.”
“Then why did you suggest going to the ancient capital when there’s no business there?”
“Oh, for goodness sake,” Maximilian cursed inwardly. He understood her feelings. He did.
He wondered if all married couples fought like this. Was his household unique among all the couples in the world?
“It has nothing to do with our fight. Hilda, you’re always working so hard, so this is my way of giving you a present.”
“A present?”
“Yes, a present. I always want you to smile.”
He wasn’t just saying it. He meant it from the bottom of his heart. Their marriage was arranged, but Maximilian was deeply in love with Hildegard.
Of course, he preferred her smiling face to her angry one.
But her reply was not what he expected.
“…Doesn’t that mean you still think you can lure me with food?”
“N-No, it doesn’t.”
He hurriedly denied it, but Hildegard didn’t respond. She just sulkily punched the cushion with her cute fists.
He wondered if he should have given her flowers or a necklace, but that also felt like he was trying to bribe her with things.
Ultimately, he just wanted his sincerity to get through, but that was the most difficult thing to do when they were fighting. That’s why he tried to convey it in the form of a present, but this time it backfired.
A woman’s heart was truly difficult.
Even though he was only eleven years old, he was becoming more and more knowledgeable about marital spats.
If he could resolve this quarrel successfully, he might be able to write a book on how to deal with marital disputes.
While he was indulging in such pointless fantasies, the towering walls of the ancient capital peeked out from behind the hills.
“Welcome!”
“…Welcome.”
Unlike during the Grand Market, today the tavern Nobu was open for its usual business. The building, made of wood and plaster, was always full of exotic charm. The commoner patrons were all happily enjoying their drinks and snacks.
Come to think of it, this was the first time Maximilian had ever been to a place like this.
He had left his attendants with the carriage, so it would be a meal just for the two of them.
“Can you seat two?”
“Of course.”
Guided by a waitress named Shinobu, they sat at a table. He pulled out a chair for Hildegard, and she looked slightly surprised. It was usually a servant’s job. He felt good seeing this kind of reaction.
The warmth of the tavern was a stark contrast to the cold outside, and he felt a pang of anticipation and hunger. He wanted to fill his stomach with something soon. However, he didn’t know how to order.
“Hilda, how do you order in a place like this?”
The last time he came, the food had come out without him ordering anything, but today was different.
Looking around at the other customers, it seemed like everyone was ordering what they wanted, but he didn’t know how to do it.
He asked Hildegard instead of the waitress because she loved to teach him things.
But today, she was a little different.
Usually, when he asked her something, Hildegard would act like an older sister, but today she just hung her head and didn’t say anything. He thought it might be an extension of their fight, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
“Hilda, how do you order food here?”
“…I don’t know.”
“But you used to come here often with Uncle Johann-Gustav, didn’t you?”
It all started when Johann-Gustav and Hildegard discovered this tavern. Now, the name of Izakaya Nobu was somewhat known among the imperial nobility, and some nobles even visited incognito.
“…Ankake Yudofu always came out.”
“Oh, I see…”
Maximilian knew all too well about his wife’s picky eating.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t eat certain foods, but that she had strong likes and dislikes.
She could eat anything if she wanted to. She just wouldn’t eat anything she didn’t like. The head chef, who had served since his grandfather’s time, had thrown up his hands at her pickiness, but when she was in a good mood, she would eat almost anything.
Some people in the household said she was probably spoiled rotten, but Maximilian thought it was something that could be resolved slowly.
She had been married off at the age of twelve. It was understandable that she would have things she didn’t like and things she wanted to say.
“What would you like to order?”
The waitress who spoke to them was not Shinobu, but a girl who looked like she was still a young girl. She was probably about the same age as Maximilian and Hildegard. He remembered she was called Eva the last time he was here.
“We haven’t decided yet… Right, order something that suits Hilda, my wife.”
“Certainly.”
Eva bowed and went to tell the cook the order.
He thought she would ask about her preferences, but she didn’t. He was a little taken aback.
He had forgotten to ask for something other than Ankake Yudofu, but he decided it was okay. According to Johann-Gustav, this tavern could handle any unreasonable request, so they might be able to do something even with an order like that.
It was fine if Ankake Yudofu came out. Maximilian’s honest feeling was that he didn’t care what came out as long as it made Hildegard happy.
Pretending to look around the tavern, he stole a glance at Hildegard.
She was still looking away, but she seemed calmer than before. Perhaps coming to a familiar tavern had made her feel a little more at ease. Coming here as a bride at this age must have been stressful.
They listened to the bustle of the tavern for a while, but Hildegard, as if she had lost her patience, opened her mouth.
“Hey, Maximilian.”
“What is it, Hilda?”
“What kind of dish do you think will come out today?”
He couldn’t honestly answer that he didn’t care.
Since Hildegard had started the conversation, he had to keep it going.
“I wonder what will come out.”
“Come on, that’s what I’m asking you to think about!”
“You’ve been to this tavern more times than I have, so if you don’t know, I don’t think I would either.”
“You’re dodging the question again.”
He was startled by the word “again.” Come to think of it, he had done that often. He had often dodged giving his own opinion in an attempt to respect Hildegard, who was older than him.
But that was because he wanted to respect her.
“I’m not dodging the question.”
“Maximilian, I didn’t marry you to have a husband who reads my mood and doesn’t clearly state his own opinions.”
When Hildegard turned to him and said that, he was completely speechless.
He felt like she was seeing right through him, with her big blue eyes staring at him.
“I, uh…”
Just as he was about to say something, Eva came carrying something.
“I’ll prepare it now, so please wait a moment.”
It was a portable stove, a size bigger than the one used for Ankake Yudofu. Eva clicked it a few times, and a blue flame lit up in a circle in the middle. A ceramic pot was placed on top of it.
“This is handmade Donabe Dofu. Please wait a little while like this.”
Translator’s Note
Donabe Dofu is tofu cooked in a donabe, a traditional Japanese clay pot.
“Donabe Dofu?”
Since it was called Dofu, it must be a relative of Ankake Yudofu. The pot was filled with something that resembled cow’s milk cheese. He wondered if they would be served something like milk porridge.
The aroma that began to rise from the pot as it warmed up was somehow reminiscent of beans.
After waiting for a while, a thin film began to form on the surface. Eva skillfully scooped it up with chopsticks, placed it on a small plate, drizzled it with shoyu, and placed it in front of Hildegard.
“This is yuba. Please enjoy.”
Translator’s Note
Yuba is a thin, delicate skin that forms on the surface of heated soy milk.
He was about to ask if there wasn’t any for him, but he stopped himself. Another plate was prepared for him immediately.
Perhaps she had seen his reaction, because Hildegard chuckled.
“Don’t worry, there’s enough for both of us, Maximilian.”
“I know.”
He ate the yuba to cover his embarrassment. It had a strange texture he had never tasted before.
So, this was how the dish was. The milk-like soup was heated, and the yuba was scooped out and eaten.
It was a clever idea. Hildegard also narrowed her eyes in delight.
He wanted to eat a little more. He waited, but for some reason, the surface didn’t solidify.
Instead, Eva added some kind of broth to dilute the milk in the pot, closed the lid, and turned off the heat.
“Is this the end?”
“No, please wait a little longer. It takes a little time to finish.”
He had been surprised by the idea of finishing the dish at the table when they had Ankake Yudofu, and it seemed like it would be the same this time. Facing Hildegard with the strangely imposing pot between them, he somehow found himself smiling naturally.
“I’m sorry, Hilda. I was wrong.”
“Maximilian, what are you apologizing for?”
“I wanted to make up before the meal.”
At those words, Hildegard playfully puffed out her cheeks.
“You’re always like this. Do you think you can get away with anything just by apologizing?”
“That’s not my intention. But I have to apologize when I’ve done something wrong.”
“Then what do you think you did wrong?”
He opened his mouth to say something, but then he thought for a moment.
They had been fighting for the past few days and hadn’t spoken to each other, but what was the original trigger? He couldn’t remember.
“S-Sorry. What were we fighting about?”
“There you go apologizing again.”
Contrary to her words, a smile had already returned to Hildegard’s lips.
“Come to think of it, I forgot too.”
He vaguely remembered that it was a very trivial trigger. In the end, they had both continued fighting without really knowing why.
“Ah, how silly. Maximilian, I’m hungry.”
“Me too, Hilda.”
Just at the right time, Eva came to remove the lid of the pot.
When she opened the lid, there was tofu inside, not soup.
“Alright, the donabe dofu is complete. Please enjoy it together.”
“Together? Should we just serve ourselves?”
“Yes, please help yourselves.”
This was kind of interesting. After serving Hildegard’s portion, he also served himself. He spilled a little, but he didn’t mind. After all, there was still plenty of tofu in the pot.
He scooped it up with a renge and put it in his mouth.
Translator’s Note
Renge is a type of spoon, often used for soups, with a deep, flat bottom.
“…Delicious!”
It was fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth. And yet, it was smooth on the tongue.
It had a simple flavor, but he wanted to keep eating more.
“It’s delicious, Maximilian.”
“Yes, it is, Hilda.”
At first, he had been serving Hildegard’s portion, but halfway through, it turned into a competition.
After all, neither of them had eaten much since morning. They ate as if they were fighting over it, and in no time, only the last lump remained at the bottom of the pot.
“The last bite.”
“…Hilda, I’m sorry, but…”
“Oh, how unusual. Maximilian is asserting himself.”
“It’s okay sometimes, right?”
He took the ladle, and Hildegard poured the tofu into Maximilian’s bowl with her own hands.
Translator’s Note
The word used was Kaijakushi is probably a typo or a less common word I don’t know. The intended word here is likely shakushi (杓子), which is a ladle so I went with that assumption.
They smiled at each other, and it made them wonder what their fight of the past few days had been about.
A loud laugh erupted from the table behind them. It seemed like they were also eating donabe dofu at that table.
In this tavern, when people gather around a single pot, there is no distinction between nobles and commoners. Everyone is a customer who loves delicious food.
“I want to come and eat this again.”
“Of course. Next time, I’ll get the last bite.”
Saying that, they smiled at each other again.
They would continue to create days like this together. That thought suddenly crossed his mind.