Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

Nanny Ella used a spoon to scoop a small portion of the rice at the edge of the pot, the part with the crispy crust, and put it into her mouth.

She chewed slowly, her expression remaining clouded.

Just as I began to worry, thinking maybe it didn't suit her taste, she quietly muttered,

"It's delicious. Really, it tastes just like authentic Sphain."

"Really? I'm so glad!"

I beamed with joy.

Toppo, who had been watching anxiously as well, also smiled broadly, his cheeks flushed as he twirled around Nanny Ella.

"Make sure to try the tortilla too! Toppo’s proud of it!"

"Yeah, I tasted it myself, and it was really good. Head chef Toppo is truly a skilled cook. He’s traveled all over the world just to make delicious dishes."

"That's amazing... I had no idea."

"Also, you’ve met Thomas, the gatekeeper, right? And Adam, the stable keeper? They’re from Luhab. Thomas’s family runs a guesthouse—I even stayed there once, and the landlady taught me how to make it—"

I was chatting away happily when suddenly,

"Ugh,"

Nanny Ella groaned, covering her mouth. She coughed two or three times,

"Ubeee—"

and spit out what was in her mouth.

The chewed food fell back onto the paella plate with a plop.

...What...?

She began coughing violently, even vomiting what was in her stomach. The steaming paella quickly became covered in her vomit. Tears streamed down her face as she apologized.

"I'm so sorry, please forgive me... what have I done!"

While saying that, she thrust her fork back into the paella. As if trying to eat the food soiled with her own vomit, she opened her mouth—

"Wh-what are you doing!? No!"

I panicked and snatched the plate from her hand.

"I-I'm disappointed you couldn’t eat it, but if it wasn’t tasty, it can't be helped—"

"No, I’m sorry. It’s not that it tasted bad! It’s my fault... I was born with a condition that makes me unable to eat tomatoes."

Unable to eat tomatoes?

I gasped.

That’s right... I’d heard from Tunic about a condition where certain foods cause a strong rejection reaction.

It can be congenital or suddenly develop in adulthood. Science still doesn’t fully understand it, and even if someone dies after eating, it’s often dismissed as mysterious shock death. According to Tunic, if someone eats too much of that food from a young age or applies it on wounds, they’re more likely to develop the condition. That’s why she avoids using bath additives or body creams made from the same ingredients repeatedly, even if they’re effective.

For sufferers of this condition, even their favorite foods can be like poison. It has nothing to do with taste preferences.

I’d been careless... It was my fault for not checking properly. I should have asked Nanny Ella if there was anything she couldn’t eat, not just about likes and dislikes. I took her words at face value when she said she liked everything and didn’t think about her condition.

But... still.

Nanny Ella is Sphainese and should know how traditional paella is made. Didn’t she realize the moment she saw this paella? That it had tomatoes in it... that she couldn’t eat it? That if she forced herself to eat it, she would inevitably throw it up?

I might have looked terribly cold. Nanny Ella looked up at me, her face draining of color. With a pale face and teary eyes, she clutched the plate covered in vomit.

"It’s my fault. Everyone worked so hard to make this for me, so I couldn’t say no."

"......!"

"I’m truly sorry. Please don’t worry about it. I’ll take responsibility and eat it all myself—"

"Stop it!!"

For some reason, the words came out harshly, almost like shouting. Nanny Ella’s face turned even paler. Then,

"I’m sorry..."

She covered her face and burst into tears.

...Nanny Ella is such a pitiable person.

Suddenly brought to an unfamiliar castle, forced into work, and trying her best.

She thought she was summoned by the lord’s wife, only to be fed poison. When she couldn’t take it and spat it out, she got scolded. Even though she did nothing wrong, it felt like she was being blamed...