Gremory's mood became strange. Today, all of the Grand Duke's family members invest time in her. Chession, Isolene, Anna, and the maids.
Why on earth? What do you think someone like me would do?
"Mori, try this first. It's a rare steak, and if it suits your taste, dip it in the sauce, and then Mori?"
"..."
Gremory was at a loss as to what to do with the tickling sensation on her chest.
She had never felt this kind of turmoil since she was born. Not even when she had been in trouble in the Demon World, not even when her old friend was found dead. But why now?
The dining room was momentarily silent as Gremory remained frozen in place, showing no intention of moving. Anna, unable to bear the atmosphere, hurriedly brought the cutlery and placed it in Gremory's hands.
"If it doesn't taste good, you can be honest and tell me it doesn't taste good. We're all prepared for it."
Isolene offered a chair.
"Yes, let's sit down and eat slowly. I'm sorry for talking badly about eating raw meat. I said it was gross, but when I was being witch-hunted, I was so hungry that I ate all sorts of gross things. We're both going through the same pain, but I was too harsh."
And Gremory, sitting on the chair, hesitated for a while before opening her mouth.
"... Thank you."
The eyes of Isolene and the maids in the room widened.
"What... Mori? Could you speak? You said your tongue was half cut off?"
"It's stuck."
"Wow, the regenerative powers of the people of the northern snowfields are truly amazing! That's fortunate, really."
"Wow! Congratulations, miss!"
Anna was hugged tightly by Gremory. Gremory chuckled as she watched the people who were happy that her tongue was attached to her. As expected, humans have many cute aspects. What is this?
Gremory, who had taken her seat at the table, began tasting in earnest. She began tasting from the end of the table. The food that Gremory rejected immediately became the maids' meal.
"I don't like fish."
"Oops! I have to eat the grilled salmon!"
"Turkey? That's not very good either."
"The turkey leg is mine!"
Leaving behind the excited voices of the maids, Isolene stood next to Gremory and explained about the food.
"This is beef stew. It's made by boiling beef and various vegetables."
"I don't like vegetables."
"Just try the broth."
Sniff sniff. Gremory sniffed the broth, then took a spoonful.
"It's not bad, but it's not a taste that I would go out of my way to seek out and eat."
"Hmm. I'll keep that in mind. Yes, next up is fruit! That's called a grape. Do you need an explanation?"
"You don't have to do it."
Gremory tasted a little of the fruits lined up in a row.
She didn't even want to look at grapes. Pineapple was horrible. Just smelling peaches made her sick.
And finally.
"This is delicious."
Gremory found a fruit that suited her taste, an apple.
The maids and Isolene cheered.
"Wow, finally! Congratulations, Miss!"
"How about trying some apple-based food from now on? Like apple pie!"
"You're so picky! Hahaha!"
Isolene was so happy that she hugged Gremory. Gremory, who didn't have the wit to joke around in this atmosphere, just quietly thought back to what tickled her chest.
***
That night, Chession fell ill with a fever.
He received treatment for his leg from a healer, but the spider's venom left him with aftereffects for a night or so.
Even while suffering from a high fever, Chession kept giggling.
'Mori, you're a person with many surprising sides.'
Chession had spent his entire life cultivating his strength to protect others. It was impressive to see him being protected for the first time in his life.
Maybe that was why his heart kept pounding as he thought about Mori. Chession calmed his mind by recalling the words he had said to Isolene.
'I knew it all along, but I ignored it. I thought it would cool down quickly. The women I saved always had feelings for me. Of course, I would have felt the same way. If a wonderful woman saved me from danger, I would have feelings for her too.'
Yes, this is just a temporary crush. He shouldn't be mistaken in thinking that he likes Mori.
'But, among my knights, there is one from the northern snowfields, but he is not as strong as Mori. Is Mori special?'
Just then, someone knocked.
Knock knock.
It was Mori's rough knocking style, a bit different from what she usually heard.
"...Mori?"
"Oh, you're alive?"
As if she didn't need Chession's permission, Gremory opened the door and appeared.
Chession's face, barely wearing a robe, turned red. He was startled and pulled the blanket over himself to cover himself.
"You're the first person to barge into my bedroom without permission at this late hour, Mori."
"Just to check if you're feeling better. Your face is red. Do you have a fever?"
Mori's small, white hand was placed on Chession's forehead. Chession was startled and pulled the blanket up to his head.
"Oh, it's okay. I'll be fine after just one day of rest. I've been bitten by spider venom before, so I've built up some tolerance. But..."
Chession pulled the blanket down again and peeked out of his eyes.
"Did you come here because you were worried about me?"
"Yes."
Gremory answered readily. She must remain sound for at least ten years before she can devour his sister's soul.
Chession, who had no way of knowing, was simply thrilled. Mori's white skin contrasted with her black eyes, and she was quite pretty. The eyes, which were raised like a cat's, also seemed somewhat attractive.
Gremory added another drink to it.
"Go to sleep. I'll be by your side until you wake up."
"Next to me? Why?"
"Because I'm worried."
My prey.
"!!!"
Chession didn't come out of his blanket for a while. Gremory ignored him and sat down on the chair next to the bed.
It was 30 minutes later when Chession calmed down and reappeared.
"Hey, Mori."
"You haven't slept yet?"
"I have something urgent to say."
"What is it?"
Chession didn't mind Gremory speaking informally to him. Even her strangely nervous tone, which seemed to overwhelm him, only made his heart flutter.
"At the imperial banquet next month, I plan to confirm the life or death of my half-brother. I have been forced to leave the palace for some reason, and I will no longer be able to protect him. So whenever there is an opportunity like a banquet, I will go check on the child's condition."
"I see."
"...It was a serious story, but there was no reaction."
"Should I applaud?"
"No, that's fine."
Chession, who had regained some sense of reason, continued the main topic.
"Anyway, I need someone's help with my plan. It's difficult for me to do it alone."
"So?"
"Would you like to go to the banquet pretending to be my partner?"
"Well, that's what it is."
Gremory answered quite readily. That drove Chession madder still further.
"Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Until then, I'll continue showing you around my territory."
"Yes, so go to sleep now. If you don't, I'll knock you out."
"Yes."
That night, Chession couldn't sleep at all. He didn't seem to feel much pain from his high fever.
***
The next morning, the maids prepared dessert this time.
The maids' lounge. The table was filled with various cakes and breads. Tea was also prepared according to type.
Gremory's tasting began. It was a tense moment.
"Chocolate cake is not that good. This is not that good either."
The financiers and croissants were kicked off the table. Next, the madeleines and macarons went into the maids' stomachs. Meanwhile, all the desserts with apple jam were accepted. Mori especially liked the apple pudding.
"This is delicious."
"Yes, apple pudding passes."
Isolene scribbled in her notebook. She had been analyzing Gremory's eating habits since yesterday.
Next came teatime. Isolene shrugged her shoulders in front of the seven teacups lined up in a row.
"I brew all of these. I'm really good at brewing teas."
"Well, this isn't really that great."
"Anyway, it suits the taste of the average person."
Tea was easier to drink than food. She could just drink it all up. The flavor lingered in her mouth for a long time, which was a bit odd.
Fortunately, Gremory's taste in tea was popular.
"This smells good."
"Oh, I won black tea. That's lucky. It's the tea most consumed by nobles. Try other teas too."
Gremory then drank the rest of the tea. There were two cups of tea left. One was yellowish, the other black.
Gremory drank the yellow tea first. But.
"What is this? It smells so good!"
Gremory's expressionless face brightened. She drank the remaining contents of her teacup in one go.
"Give me more of this. It's so delicious. I feel like I'm going crazy."
"Haha! It's not easy to enjoy this tea, but you have a unique taste. It's Rilke's flower tea. There's a famous saying in Rilke's that the flower seduces and kills witches..."
"Ugh."
Suddenly, Gremory vomited blood. Anna, startled, ran towards Gremory.
"Miss Mori! Oh my! I think you drank poison! Miss Isolene, could it be that there was poison mixed in the tea leaves?"
"Oh, no! These teas were sent directly from my family. That can't be true!"
No matter what Isolene said, Gremory just kept coughing painfully. Her body seemed to gradually lose strength, and finally, she lost consciousness.
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