The food is ready, so I decide to head back to the room.
I wonder if the Princess is waiting properly.
Just in case, I knock lightly and wait for a response.
“Yeah, I’m here. Katia?”
“Yes.”
Lyall-san came out of the room.
He has a slightly bitter expression.
“Lily’s inside. …She’s not feeling well, did something happen?”
“Actually, the First Prince…”
“I see, that makes sense. No need to say more. My old man did everything he could, but… there’s nothing to be done about Edgar.”
That’s probably true.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t think of excluding the heir and putting his younger sister on the throne.
“I could tell you why Edgar turned out the way he did… but Lily said she’d tell you herself, properly.”
“…I see.”
It’s painful to talk about things you don’t want to talk about.
I hope I can be of some help, even if only a little.
“By the way, what’s that you’re holding?”
“This? I guess it’s a pick-me-up.”
It ended up being more of a load than I expected, but Sue-san managed to bundle it up nicely so I could carry it by hand.
It’s not finished yet, so I plan to cook it right in front of her.
“Food, huh? You’re planning to use your experience, eh? Well, anyway, I’ll leave the rest to you. Do your best to cheer her up. Akane, I’m counting on you too.”
Lyall-san said, lightly tapping my shoulder. And calling to Akane.
“Yes!”
“Whoa!”
The next moment, Akane suddenly sprouted from around my chest with a reply.
Lyall-san jumps back in surprise.
No, no, we’re not inside the room yet!
This is the hallway in front of the room.
There’s no telling who might walk by.
“Akane! That’s not good!”
“Ah, I’m sorry!”
Akane slips back inside.
Ah, that was startling.
I looked around, but there was no one in sight.
I’m glad we weren’t seen.
“I’m sorry, Lyall-san…”
“N-no, it’s fine, but… the sight of a person sprouting from another person was quite shocking…”
“Haha…”
Lyall-san leaves, and I enter the room.
Princess Lily is sitting on the bed, looking downcast.
“…Ah, Kati…”
“I’m baaack!”
Akane comes out and sits next to the princess.
She smiles at the princess while swinging her legs, and the princess’s face breaks into a slight smile.
“…Welcome back, Akane…”
“Please stay seated, Princess.”
“…O-okay. What did you… bring…?”
“I’m going to make hotcakes, hotcakes.”
“Onii-chan, you were told something warm, and you went with hotcakes? How simple.”
“Be quiet, Akane. It’s fine, they’re easy to make and delicious.”
I converted “warm” to “hot,” and from there to “hotcakes.”
I’m pretty simple myself.
By the way, hotcakes are a normal thing in this world.
“…Kati, I appreciate the thought… but I’m not hungry…”
“Princess, what time did you have lunch?”
“…? Exactly at noon, but…”
It’s exactly 3:00 PM now, snack time.
We also took a walk earlier, and I think she just can’t feel hungry due to emotional distress.
The princess is usually a big eater, despite her appearance.
She eats more than most people, to the point where you wonder where it all goes in her slender body.
“Come on, just one bite. If you can’t eat it, you can leave it.”
“…Alright…”
I turn on the hot plate I borrowed from the kitchen.
It works with aura, but pouring in fire magic makes it more efficient and produces more heat.
I’ll prepare the tea now, too.
Once it’s warmed up, I add oil, turn it down to low heat, and then pour in the batter I made in the kitchen.
A sweet aroma softly fills the room.
“…It smells good…”
The princess gulps.
At this point, I’ve practically won.
Once small bubbles appear, I flip the batter and continue to cook it over low heat.
The tea is also brewing at the perfect timing… Okay, it’s done.
“Princess, over here—”
“…!”
As soon as I called, the princess moved to her seat with an agility you wouldn’t expect from her usual movements.
So fast!
Uh, um…
“Would you like chocolate sauce or honey?”
“…Both… I’ll have both…”
“Wait, calm down! I’ll make more, so please choose one for the first one. The flavors will mix.”
“…Then, chocolate…”
Judging from this, maybe I should make the next batch?
I pour new batter onto the hot plate.
“…Kati, seconds…”
So fast!
I thought I made them pretty big.
There were no hotcakes left on the princess’s plate.
And, she’s royalty, so shouldn’t she be a little more cautious about poison, or at least let someone else taste it first…?
Of course, I didn’t put anything strange in it, but her lack of caution is not good.
…Well, it’s not the time to say that now.
“Wait a moment. If you want to change the flavor, please drink some tea to cleanse your palate.”
“…Okay… Freshly baked, delicious…”
“…Onii-chan, did the hotcakes get sucked into Lily-chan’s small mouth? Something’s weird-”
“…Maybe it’s just your imagination? Yeah…”
What kind of speed-eating technique is that? Scary.
After that, I continued to bake hotcakes mindlessly.
“…Thank you for the meal… It was delicious…”
“…Y-you’re welcome.”
The batter, enough for about ten hotcakes, was all stored in the princess’s stomach.
I was planning to eat some myself…
“I wanted to taste it too,” Akane said.
By the way, Akane can apparently taste things when she’s possessing me, and we eat together when she feels like it.
She says she can even share the feeling of fullness.
It’s strange.
“Princess, didn’t you say you weren’t hungry?”
“…Did I say that…?”
She’s already forgotten.
Well, it’s fine.
She ate a lot, after all.
“Are you feeling better?”
“…Yeah, I’m good…”
The princess makes a peace sign with a blank expression.
Her cheeks are slightly flushed, so she’s probably okay.
“…Thank you, Kati… Well then, I’ll tell you… about my brother…”
“Yes… If it’s too painful, you can stop at any time—”
“…No… I want you to hear it… I want you to hear it, Kati…”
The princess closes her eyes and begins to speak quietly.
According to the princess, Edgar used to be kind, well-liked, fair, and good at both academics and martial arts.
He was apparently expected to be the successor to the throne in the future.
However…
“…My brother, no matter what he did… he gradually stopped being the best…”
Swordsmanship and magic studies at the knight academy, and even studies of domestic affairs, strategy, and tactics…
The boy, once called a prodigy, gradually became buried in the realm of ordinary people, despite his great efforts.
“…My brother completely changed… when he was eighteen, when my father didn’t nominate him as his successor…”
It was the moment the young man’s tension, which had been driving him to meet the expectations of those around him, to strive, and to continue to improve, snapped.
Until now, it had been customary in the Kingdom of Garcia for the successor to be nominated when they turned eighteen.
It’s unclear what the late King Alan intended, but for Edgar, it was tantamount to being disqualified as a successor.
“…My brother said he hated my magical talent… And that he couldn’t forgive me for gaining popularity without doing anything…”
So this is why the princess seemed to dislike her own magical talent before.
And a beautiful princess is naturally popular with the people.
For Edgar, who had been desperately striving, it probably looked like laziness.
“…Grandfather said that a king doesn’t need to be at the top in any particular field. What’s important is… the ability to see people… and the feeling of being close to the people, he tried to reason with my brother, but…”
With a hardened heart, he couldn’t accept it honestly.
He began to hate the people around him.
“…I want my brother to recover… but as he is now, I can’t… entrust the people to him… That’s why I… can’t hand over the throne…!”
My heart trembles at the princess’s quiet determination.
Ah, this person certainly has irreplaceable qualities as a king.
Her appearance, so different from Sieg’s in bloodline, personality, and appearance, somehow overlaps with Spike-san’s.
A straightforward gaze.
“…Kati… Please cooperate with me… Even if it results in pushing my brother further…”
“…”
I knelt down, placed my hand on my chest, and quietly bowed my head in front of the princess.