Published: September 4, 2025
September 1: Typo corrections made.
August 2: Corrected the name of Karina’s younger brother.
This is Satou. Many women have small appetites, but there are even more who say sweets are an exception. And it seems that this doesn't change even in another world.
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“Prince, he’s my father’s favorite. Both my father and I are fans of his cooking.”
Just as I was thinking about how to handle the prince who was bothering me, the heir to the duke stepped in to help.
The prince seemed only to have eyes for Lady Ringlande and me and looked surprised when the heir to the duke spoke to him.
It seemed the prince had met his match, and he looked troubled. I caught Arisa’s smirking face watching from the shadow of the table. She gave me a peace sign with her small hand. How nostalgic.
“Well then, His Highness Sharolik, so you are here. Please, tell us about the Royal Capital here.”
A group of women with a bit of heavy makeup pushed through the crowd to invite the prince.
Taking advantage of this, the prince made a hasty excuse to the heir and went off with those women.
“Hmm, if only he could soften up a bit more.”
“That’s impossible. He hasn’t changed in ten years.”
“He’s one of the top swordsmen in the kingdom…”
“Father, strength and character don’t always go hand in hand. If they did, Masaki would be more…”
Lady Ringlande was about to start complaining about the hero but covered her mouth, regretting her slip.
“Are the Eight Swords of Shiga famous?”
“Are you really a noble from the Shiga Kingdom?”
“Sorry, I’m just a country bumpkin.”
Apparently, the Eight Swords of Shiga is a title given to the top eight holy knights of the kingdom. The prince is ranked second and is permitted by the king to carry the kingdom’s treasure, the Holy Sword Clausolas.
By the way, the staff used by King Ancestor Yamato is traditionally wielded by the leading court magicians. The king himself doesn’t use the holy sword or staff because Yamato-san institutionalized the principle of “the right tool for the right person.”
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After the heir and Lady Ringlande left, young nobles who had been watching from afar gathered around us, tasting the food with interest.
When asked about my relationship with Lady Ringlande, I honestly said she only gave me sword instruction.
There had been a considerable amount prepared, but within half an hour, it was all gone. It seemed novelty and the appeal of freshly fried food won out.
“Lord Pendragon, may I have a moment?”
Karina arrived then, accompanied by a man.
Though accompanied, it wasn’t a romantic matter—it was Karina’s younger brother, Orion, the eldest son of the Baron Muno family. He’s only fourteen and studying abroad in the Duke’s Capital. He had sent several letters requesting a meeting soon after arriving, but had been refused for various reasons, making this their first face-to-face encounter.
“This is Lady Karina. And you must be the heir to the baron, yes? I am Satou Pendragon. Pleased to meet you.”
“Yes, I’m Orion Muno. Lord Noble Satou, I entrust you.”
Orion nodded magnanimously as he introduced himself. He might be trying to act important for his age. The only time he lowered his voice was when saying his own name, probably because the baron, who adored the hero, gave him that name. Poor kid.
After some casual talk, they headed toward the ballroom. I warned them to watch out for the prince.
By then, the dance party had finally started in the center of the hall. I had no intention to flirt because it seemed I might get badly burned socially. Besides, all the unmarried women were only about 13 to 18 years old, a bit too young to spark my interest.
Since the number of young female guests increased, I decided to serve the third dish.
It was the milk crepe that Mia likes. Arisa found some strawberries in the pantry, so I added sliced strawberries along with fresh cream.
“Oh, it smells wonderful.”
“They’ll be ready soon, please wait a moment.”
I sandwiched the cream and strawberries inside the freshly cooked crepe batter. Lulu placed the finished crepe on a plate. The head chef said it’s not proper to hand it over bare-handed, so I added a small knife and fork before giving it to the noble young ladies.