For the first time in a long time, the dining table is doing its job.
The dining table, which had been gathering dust for a while since Yuria, was finally getting some work done.
As I was cooking in the kitchen, I saw people sitting at the table.
A girl with a cold expression.
Hannah became the youngest Auror user in the Empire.
And the godfather of the restaurant industry… no, even Malik, the eldest son of the Histania family, and other famous figures of the empire were sitting at a shabby table, drinking hot black tea.
Hannah, savoring the scent of black tea, looked at me with a small smile.
"It's not green tea this time?"
"I spent some money because I thought Hannah would come."
Hannah smiled at the kind words.
"Really? I was trying to surprise you."
I guess it was a joke that suited Hannah's taste.
Hannah looked at the teacup carefully.
Hannah, with a subtle smile, touched the handle of her teacup and muttered to herself.
“The green tea was also... delicious.”
I thought this was the moment, so I took out the cheap green tea can that I had kept in the cupboard.
The cheap green tea that my lady and I tried to empty somehow, but ultimately failed. After drinking artisanal black tea, the green tea that hadn't seen much of the light for a while, I decided to take this opportunity to get rid of it.
I showed Hannah a green tea container made of iron.
"Would you like to eat?"
The girl, who noticed the evil intention of trying to take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of the leftovers, said.
"Ricardo's leftovers are bad."
"It's just leftovers. I'm just trying to serve tea to suit your taste."
"...That's what you do with leftovers."
She was a clueless girl.
Hannah shook her head awkwardly.
He said it was okay, but I felt bad that I couldn't handle it this time, so I tried to suggest that he take it home, but thanks to the girl's conscience, I couldn't succeed.
I spoke to the girl with anger.
"Then, I'll have green tea and biscuits for snack tomorrow."
"...Disposing of leftover food is bad."
"It's okay. Sometimes the landlord has to take care of the leftovers."
"then..."
The girl looked at Hannah.
With eyes that hope for a helping hand.
"You eat it."
And he handed the green tea to Hannah.
Hannah refused.
They say the green tea I make is delicious or something.
I was the one who put the green tea back in the cupboard with a regretful heart.
Dinner was prepared quickly.
Tonight's menu is tteokbokki.
It's a shabby menu to serve to guests, but I had no choice but to make it because Hannah asked me to, as she had brought me a bunch of wrapped gifts.
Hannah wanted it too.
Because that was also on the menu for dinner tonight.
However, it was inevitable that I would feel nervous about showing off my new dish in front of the masters of the restaurant industry.
Malik had been watching me cook with his arms crossed for a while.
Malik's appearance reminded me of a cooking show from my past life. I couldn't concentrate on cooking because I felt like he would say, "Miss Jo, come down for a second."
"Hmm... you're pretty good at it."
Malik watched me skillfully prepare the ingredients and gave a short comment.
I wasn't sure whether to take it as a compliment or to tell the guest to sit down and not judge him.
Malik asked with interest, watching the dish take on a more presentable appearance.
"What are you cooking?"
"Oh, is this your first time, Mr. Malik?"
Malik nodded.
The only people who have tried tteokbokki in this mansion are Miss and Hanna.
Come to think of it, Malik had never tried tteokbokki before. He needed an explanation of the dish. Just as I was about to give Malik a brief explanation, I heard Hannah's sharp voice, sitting in her chair.
"Just shut up and eat."
"...Okay."
Malik was unable to control himself in front of Hannah.
Last time I saw you, you were anxious because you couldn't catch Hannah, but something about their relationship has changed a lot.
Perhaps my advice from last time had helped, as the two seemed to be on better terms than before, and the word "siblings" seemed fitting.
Bickering and bickering.
"What are you doing in someone else's house?"
“Because this is an occupational disease….”
"Occupation? Isn't your brother a knight?"
"That's right...! A royal knight."
"So, like a knight, just stay still."
Isn't it?
He seems like a boss with a strong sense of professionalism...
Anyway, I'm glad it looks good.
I'm just worried about the relationship between the young lady and Malik.
The young lady had been glaring at Malik with her arms crossed since a while ago. She seemed upset by the uninvited guest.
The two of them were at odds from the very first time they met.
-Who are you?
-...you?
-Yeah. You.
-Then who are you?
-I am the landlord here.
-Ah... Are you the rumored villainess Olivia?
-...Let's fight?
The girl glared at Malik.
Malik glared at the girl.
In many ways, they were two suffocating people.
As soon as the young lady and Malik's fierce gazes crossed, Hannah poked Malik's side hard.
"...Don't be a jerk."
It was Hannah who became Malik's bully.
Hannah seemed to have changed significantly. The dejected look of pride in her sword had vanished, and she now displayed a confident, dignified demeanor. I find her current appearance pleasing.
When the tteokbokki was done, I put on my mittens.
The girl who saw this said.
"Ricardo is sick, so Malik bring him."
Malik glared at the girl, but Hannah's strong hand poked his side again, and Malik walked back to the kitchen.
***
The pot was quickly emptied.
Malik, who was looking at the food with curious eyes, threw away his noble manners and greedily emptied his plate, and Hannah, sweating profusely, muttered, "This is the taste...!" and quickly emptied her plate.
"My dinner..."
The girl was holding a fork and looking at the hopeless pot, and she was crying and saying, 'Oh... this won't work...'
Perhaps because Hannah and Malik were prosecutors, they possessed an extraordinary talent for eating. Watching them eat so deliciously that they would have succeeded in a mukbang in their past lives made me feel good.
Of course, the young lady's expression was rotten.
“Eat a little, you pigs…!”
"..."
"..."
"Don't ignore me!"
By the time the pot was almost empty.
I decided to cautiously interrupt their meal.
A question I couldn't ask earlier.
'Why are you here?'
I couldn't ask earlier because I was in a hurry, but now that I have time, I decided to ask.
"So, what brings you to our mansion?"
It doesn't seem like they came here to play, and it doesn't seem like they came here to eat.
I pointed to Malik.
Because there is a reason I can guess.
"Seeing you've come here with so many gifts wrapped up like this, I think you must have come for another reason. Isn't that right, Mr. Malik?"
Malik, who was poking rice cakes with a fork, shuddered. He shook his head slightly, wiped his mouth, and then answered.
"I didn't come here for the same reason as last time... no, not for Pascal or anything. I came here to say thank you."
As expected. I think it's because of the potion I sent this time.
I sent a sword to Hannah and a package of potions to Malik. They must have come to say thank you. I pretended not to notice.
I think people should pretend not to know anything to be humble. Then, I can get a meal voucher and some pocket money from Forest Friends.
I looked at Malik with a look of ignorance.
"Thank you?"
Malik chuckled as if he had read my mind.
"Yeah. Thank you... I guess it's faster to show it than to say it."
Malik put down his fork and clenched his fist.
A light brown glowing aura.
It was small and weak, but it was definitely an aura.
Malik smiled charmingly. He gave me a provocative look, but I didn't like the man's smile, so I wanted to punch him in the face.
I guess I have to endure it since I am the water lord.
I unclenched my clenched fists, having to bear the weight of the eldest.
Malik spoke to me, his expression a hint of relief from ten years of pent-up guilt.
"Thanks to the potion you gave me, I was able to overcome my limitations."
I shook my head, hiding my dark feelings at Malik's words.
"Hey... what help did I give you? Wasn't it all Malik's effort?"
Malik nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"That's definitely true.
He is a guy who doesn't have four things.
On the one hand, Malik was right.
If a potion could awaken Aura, who in the world wouldn't? Every wealthy noble would have used Aura and flown around. Considering that the youngest Aura user before Hannah was a commoner, obtaining Aura through doping was nearly impossible.
Malik also knew this fact, so he gave up his humility and admitted it.
Still, being unlucky is being unlucky.
Malik smiled with a hint of excellence.
"I've been enlightened ever since that day."
"When you say enlightenment, are you referring to my excellent swordsmanship?"
"Don't you have any humility?"
"...Isn't that right?"
Malik continued speaking with a look of unluckiness on his face, saying, 'Tch.'
"Anyway, you see, after that battle, I realized how inadequate I was. I was so consumed by my sense of superiority that I couldn't care for those around me."
Malik tried to grab Hannah's hand.
It seems like family love is welling up.
Hanna frowned and slapped Malik's hand away. Then, she said something to Malik's face that her brother often said.
"What are you talking about, dirty."
They really looked like siblings.
Malik told several stories.
I asked Hannah for forgiveness.
He said he was beaten to death at the academy.
He proudly said that he had been beaten with a sword, an auror, and a dog in front of everyone for hanging on to Hannah who refused to accept his apology.
He looked like a crazy person.
The same goes for you, young lady.
"That crazy guy."
He left the same review as me.
Anyway, Malik said he gained enlightenment during the process.
Thanks to that, I was able to awaken Aura.
Hannah said she came to our mansion to thank us for giving her the famous sword.
As he finished his story, Malik pointed to the presents piled up next to the table.
Dolls. Flowers. Accessories. And.
"Huh..?"
Even a meal ticket for the girl's favorite forest friend.
The girl's eyes widened as she saw the meal ticket in Malik's hand.
"Ricardo's meal vouchers. 10 of them!"
The girl with the brightest smile I've seen today.
I lowered my head and whispered in the girl's ear.
"That person is the boss."
"president?"
"Yes... a friend of the forest."
The girl looked at me as if to say, "Why are you telling me that now?"
The girl looked at Malik in disbelief, then at me again, and asked if that made sense. I nodded and answered her.
The girl whispered in my ear.
"A family with nothing but swords on their heads?"
"yes."
"Even though he's an idiot who only knows the sword?"
I nodded.
"So is that the person Ricardo was talking about? The one who gave him a lot of money?"
"yes."
"...Did I make a mistake?"
The young lady was silent.
And awkwardly, he reached out his hand to Malik.
"Well... I'll ask you to take good care of it."
Malik said coldly.
"It's late."
The girl lost her world.
*
As time got late, the Histania siblings decided to sleep over at the mansion.
The overnight stay was arranged at my suggestion and the young lady's efforts to win Malik's favor.
Hannah went into the lady's room with the lady, and Malik and I sat in the dining room drinking tea.
"after.."
As the hot tea cooled, Malik thanked me for dinner.
"I enjoyed the food. It was my first time trying it, but it was really delicious."
"I'm glad you enjoyed the meal."
There was a moment of silence, and then Malik spoke to me with a serious expression.
“So, I’m thinking of adding that tteokbokki dish to our restaurant’s menu….”
I swallowed hard.
"yes?"
Malik said, "Of course I'll pay you for the recipe, but we'll work together as a partnership, and I'm sure it'll be a hit."
"I'll make it 3:7 so you don't feel bad. Let's conquer the entire continent's food industry together," I said to Malik, who was aiming for a strange place.
"Mr. Malik."
"Why don't you like it? Then the distribution should be 6 to 4... No more."
It seemed like Malik had a natural talent for this rather than swordsmanship. Of course, he was also skilled at swordsmanship, but... that's it.
The talent in the food service industry was outstanding.
"Wasn't your dream to be a knight commander?"
Malik kept his mouth shut.
After the business talk, Malik took a piece of paper out of his pocket.
"3:7 on the condition that you give me the recipe. I'll run it, you'll develop it, right?"
"Yes. Mr. Malik will do the annoying work."
"...What bad luck. Well, let's end this story here and talk about this piece of paper. I'm sure you're most curious about this, too."
Malik spread out the paper on the table.
A blueprint for a chair with two large wheels on either side was spread out on the table.
"I read the letter you sent me carefully. The handwriting was quite serious, but I was able to resolve it by calling in an ancient language interpreter... The handwriting was terrible. Anyway, looking at the picture, I can definitely see that it's a remarkable invention."
Malik asked with a question mark floating over his head.
"What was the name of this chair?"
I told Malik.
"It's a wheelchair."