“Come here, Elden. If you can’t avoid it, then enjoy it. Isn’t that what you told me back then?”
“Haha! You’re just going to endure it from now on, just like I did.”
“How does it feel? It hurts, doesn’t it? Don’t even think about running away. We’re fated to be—husband and wife, remember?”
Jolt!
That was a summary of my morning wake-up call.
It seems the cursed letter sealed with a cross was quite effective after all.
Just a brush with it, and I ended up having such a nightmare.
Of course, it’s utter nonsense, but it was enough to reignite my desire to escape.
The probability of me actually marrying the heroine was converging toward zero, and even if I just sat there, my chances of escaping would still eventually open up.
“Ugh.”
Anyway, it was a chilling morning.
Standing by the window, I shivered at the spot where I had sealed that curse, and after a moment, I began preparing for the evaluation.
After a refreshing wash, I plopped down onto the sofa in my study.
I crossed my legs on the table.
And started humming a little tune.
I opened a book.
Smirking, I began to read.
This was the preparation of a withdrawer for their evaluation.
Training the body and mind for a pointless evaluation would be an insult to the sacred act of withdrawing.
Just pretending to play along should suffice.
Thus, while enjoying an easy morning, I passionately devoured the book until a knock reminded me that departure time was drawing near.
Knock, knock.
“Oh, the time has come already. Come in.”
Rendler the old butler must have come to urge me to get a move on.
As expected, Rendler opened the door and bowed his head deeply.
“My Lord.”
“I’ve been waiting. Shall we go?”
“A moment, My Lord. It seems a guest is waiting for you.”
“What?”
“It appears that before your departure for the evaluation, there’s something the guest wishes to convey.”
At this early hour? Who could it be?
As I donned the fur coat Rendler offered, I asked.
“Who is it?”
Then, with a gaze mixed with pride and emotion, my teary-eyed butler looked at me.
“…Why do you look so happy?”
“My Lord, today must be the happiest morning since I started serving you.”
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
Access to the annex where the noble families were was strictly forbidden to outsiders, and only the organizing party of the Grand Ducal Betrothal had access. So, it couldn’t possibly be Lumina or Gelwood.
Moreover, their visit couldn’t possibly be a reason for Rendler to experience a ‘happy morning.’
With tearful eyes, Rendler wiped his nose and spoke.
“It’s the first time I’ve met someone who introduced themselves as your ‘friend’ all these years I’ve served you. Truly, if I died now, I would have no regrets.”
…Well, it’s nice that you’re having a good time, old man.
But considering what might happen in the future, it might balance out your happiness.
“A friend?”
“Indeed, she is a cute and lovely young lady.”
“…A young lady?”
A cute and lovely young lady, huh.
There were many such ladies in the Grand Duchy, but the only one who would come to see me was undoubtedly Ariel.
The golden-bun-haired lady, Ariel, was certainly cute and lovely; however, she was supposed to be at the library at this hour.
Moreover, knowing I had withdrawn, I couldn’t imagine Ariel wasting her time coming to cheer me on.
With such confusion, I headed towards the entrance of the annex with Rendler.
“Ariel?”
And there she was.
“Ah, Elden!”
With a big smile, Ariel rushed towards me, clutching the book I had lent her yesterday.
It seemed she hadn’t even stopped by the library today.
Was she really here to deliver a message before the evaluation began?
“What’s the matter? For a bookworm to skip the library, it must be something significant.”
“Yes! It’s something really, really important!”
Hee hee.
Judging by her unable-to-hold-back smile, it didn’t seem like bad news…
“Lend me your ear!”
As Ariel gestured for me to lean down, I bent over, allowing her to whisper something into my ear. The message she delivered seemed to retroactively recreate my morning nightmare.
“Last night I met our classmate Erenscia. She, um—actually, the Third Duchess would love to marry you! So don’t withdraw! Give it your all!”
…
…
…
…
…
Hmm.
What a chilling morning indeed.
“Fighting—! Elden!”
“Take care of yourself out there.”
With a cheerful curse, Ariel raised her clenched fist high, and as I boarded the carriage, I received a satisfied smile from Rendler, who glanced back and forth between her and me.
There’s no morning that’s just a simple confusion piled upon confusion.
‘By the way… it seems the heroine is bustling about quite a bit.’
I could clearly imagine Lumia, buried in her thoughts, racking her brain in her determination to induce my participation as a contender.
Encouragement notes with confessions that were nowhere near my heart, messages requesting that she directly visit Ariel to persuade and support her late at night.
And there was no way to inform anyone that Lee Jun-woo was an alien possessed from another dimension; it was obvious that I’d just receive backlash for deceiving them. Thus, all I could do was enjoy the current situation and be a bystander.
Just like this.
While reading the [Monster Cuisine Encyclopedia].
“Oh, Drake’s tail stir-fry, huh… Rachel? Have you ever tried it?”
Rachel was riding alongside me in the carriage heading to the northern mountains for the evaluation.
Drake’s tail stir-fry—it was driving me insane just thinking about it.
I asked Rachel, hoping that since she enjoyed monster cooking from a young age and had wandered around the kingdom for training, she might have tasted it at some point.
“Yes.”
Oh!
“Then can you tell me how it tastes?”
“It was good.”
“……”
Right.
I guess it was my fault for expecting a descriptive flavor analysis from my stoic master.
Indeed, I would have to taste every dish in this encyclopedia for myself.
With that thought, I started reading the encyclopedia again when Rachel’s question pulled my attention back.
“Why are you practicing for a leisurely food journey?”
“…Are you already bored of training me?”
“If safety is your goal, wouldn’t it be easier to hire mercenaries?”
Of course, if the only concern was the purpose of moving, then there was no need for training at all.
Even if the count’s house was declining, there was sufficient money for a food tour; it would be easier to hire mercenaries to ensure a safe journey.
Simply moving from city to city to sample delicacies would be enough.
However, for me, a culinary journey was something far beyond that.
It was an adventure infused with romance, laden with the fresh ingredients that were hard to come by in this medieval world.
So, gazing through the carriage window at the expansive snowy landscape, I responded.
“No matter how fancy a meal may be, it can’t compare to the taste of fresh fish caught by my own hands.”
“…Are you saying you’ll hunt the monsters yourself?”
“Of course. There’s nothing fresher than a newly caught monster.”
“You’re willing to risk danger for food, huh?”
Exactly.
I snapped my fingers and nodded in agreement.
“However, I’ve never seen you cook, My Lord.”
“A remarkably keen observation, Rachel.”
“……”
I was contemplating that very point.
Should I hire a professional or rely on my memories from the modern world to try cooking myself?
For a lonely young man without anything to show for it, takeout was a luxury; I would break my budget, cooking up meals seasoned to taste like cardboard using an absurd amount of spices.
I thought about incorporating those experiences here, but it just wouldn’t work.
Not only were modern seasonings unavailable, but the cooking tools and techniques here were rudimentary, making it difficult to replicate other flavors.
The memories and methods from the modern era were meaningless in this context.
I considered trying to learn how to cook, but given my hectic schedule filled with delicious reading and rigorous training, I simply didn’t have the time.
Cooking skills aren’t something one can master overnight.
It was a tough situation all around, but I had told Rendler to look into bringing in a professional, so I should be hearing some good news soon.
For now, however, I decided to shelve that idea.
Creak.
The carriage, racing through the dazzling snowy field, suddenly stopped.
This evaluation was held in the last available chapter of the original work.
In the original, while the evaluation was nominally called a ‘hunting competition’, curiously, the heroine referred to it as ‘tag’.
No explanation was given, and since it was the last free chapter, I hadn’t been able to read any further.
At any rate, there was no need to worry or feel tense, but I was still curious.
I was curious about why a hunting competition would be called ‘tag’.
“Well then, I’ll be waiting here.”
“Alright.”
After getting off the carriage with Rachel’s farewell, I began climbing the snowy mountains, filled with curiosity.
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