"Hah... It seems it’ll take some time to persuade her... I’m truly sorry for the spectacle I caused. I’ve raised our youngest daughter, allowing her to do whatever she wanted, so she’s grown up quite spoiled..."
"..."

The Duke of the North sighed heavily, shaking his head.
I was at a loss for words.

'Anyone can see that she’s an extremely rational and kind-hearted daughter.'

I was worried because the emperor had been so threatening.
But the ones I needed to worry about weren’t Princess Merilda; it was her guardians.
It’s hard to believe that the princess is as mature as Charlotte and Yulia, while her guardians seem utterly incompetent.

How on earth did such a sharp-witted princess come from guardians like these?
It was simply astonishing.

"Has the princess always been like this since she was young?"
"Hah. She definitely wasn’t like this when she was younger. She was a good child who listened well when spoiled and loved... But at some point, she started getting upset and demanding special treatment! I don’t know what she learned at the academy, but she keeps thinking about the common people...! The common people want you to live luxuriously and wastefully, Merilda!!!"

The Duke of the North was almost in tears, struggling to control his emotions.
I understood the situation vaguely.
Logically, the princess was a hundred percent right and rational, but...
That logic didn’t seem to hold in this fortress city.

'Just a glance back tells me. Princess Merilda is like an idol here.'

This was because Merilda held a position greater than just an ordinary princess in Esther.
She wasn’t simply cherished by the Duke of the North and her nine brothers.
The whole city adored her and sanctified her, making her like an idol.

Have you ever seen fans who criticize idols for indulging in delicious food or wearing nice clothes?
Have you ever seen fans who begrudge spending money on idols?
No. Esther is a city full of fans who worship the idol that is Merilda.

Thus, they must be extremely sensitive about her safety.
Even if Esther is, contrary to common perception, a very safe city where no one has died in the past 100 years,
the reality that there’s even a 0.1 percent chance that Merilda could be harmed is something these fanatics cannot tolerate.

'So, the path to caring for the people is actually to indulge and escape...'

No one wants their beloved idol to risk themselves and join them.
Only by resting comfortably in a safe place can the common people focus on battling monsters.
It’s truly an odd city.
How can an entire city be one massive fandom?

"Of course, in the worst case, even if we have to cancel the escort mission, I’ll still pay the fee. So please don’t worry too much."
"That’s not something you need to worry about. We will carry out the mission no matter what."
"Hoho. Do you have a sharp method to persuade our daughter to come with you, Count?"
"I can’t guarantee, but I believe it’s worth a try."
"Give it a go! I don’t mind anything! Ah, but I won’t allow shock therapy! Any deception or threats toward Merilda are completely unacceptable! Even if I forgive you, the people won’t, and they could turn into a mob and harm you, so be especially careful."
"...Yes. I’ll keep that in mind."

I gulped and nodded.
If it were anywhere else, the talk of a mob would sound like a joke, but here in Esther, it felt entirely plausible, making me even more anxious.
Of course, the method I plan to use to persuade them isn’t something like shock therapy, so there’s probably no need to worry too much.

"Just leave it to me."

Let’s go. Time to persuade the precocious princess.

"What is this, Charlotte...?"
"There's so much food!!!"

Bam.
Charlotte and Yulia’s mouths dropped open as they entered the banquet hall.
In the vast banquet hall were numerous large dishes lined up.
Faced with bowls overflowing with food of every color, Charlotte and Yulia couldn’t help but salivate.

'This is the Duke of the North’s castle! He’s someone greater than a count, so he’s a lofty figure. So we must be careful not to lose our dignity here...'

I had been drilled with etiquette training in the mansion.
Although Aslan wanted to postpone etiquette training as much as possible due to the persistent urging from the maids,
after the emperor visited, Aslan could no longer delay it.

The lessons Charlotte and Yulia learned from the maids were:
Never move ahead alone.
Always walk with your companion, following slightly behind them.
And... and...

As Yulia was mentally recalling the numerous etiquette rules.

"There’s so much meat...!"
"Charlotte!"

Thud.
Charlotte dashed out alone and grabbed a dish.
In turn, Yulia’s mind turned into a mess, causing her to forget all the things she had memorized.

"Y-You shouldn’t do this, Charlotte. It’s rude to get up freely during a meal."
"Huh? Was it?"

Charlotte tilted her head in confusion.
Yulia slapped her forehead in realization.
This girl didn’t concentrate at all during etiquette training!

"It’s okay. You can get up freely and get food, Yulia."
"Huh? But..."
"This is a buffet, so it’s fine. You can take as much food as you want."
"Ohhh...!"

Charlotte and Yulia’s eyes widened.
A buffet, huh? It was certainly intriguing.
In the mansion, the amount of food was predetermined and served in individual bowls.
If they wanted more food, they had to call the maids, which was bothersome and felt wrong.

But here, they could eat as much as they wanted, freely!
Indeed, buffets are the best!
Charlotte and Yulia looked up at Aslan as if seeking permission, and when he nodded, they rushed off to grab food.

"What adorable kids. The Count is somewhat similar to me, isn’t he? He becomes cold and stern in places without children, but with kids, he turns incredibly gentle. Am I wrong?"
"You are exactly right. I think he belongs to the same category, just differing in degree..."

I am not so clouded in judgment that I can’t make normal decisions.
As the Duke of the North approached with a friendly demeanor, Aslan quickly drew a line.

"Hoho. It might just be the difference between a biological child and an adopted one. Count, when do you plan to grant the Vermont surname to your children?"
"Well, I think it’s still quite early for that... Perhaps when the children become adults."
"Oh."

So the adoption would be decided when they became adults.
After all, there’s no benefit in pushing too early.
It would take a considerable amount of time for the children to accept the Count as their father, so waiting patiently isn’t a bad idea.

I had worried a bit because the rumors about Aslan Vermont floating around painted him as a scoundrel who only had ill intentions toward children,
but it seemed he was, as Vanessa said, quite a trustworthy person.

Just as the Duke of the North chuckled warmly and patted Aslan’s shoulder, a thought crossed Aslan’s mind.

'No, wait. Did I answer that incorrectly? I could grant them the Vermont surname with an engagement. While the wedding could take place after they become adults, engagements can happen before that.'

He was contemplating slightly different ideas.
But anyway, having gained the Duke of the North’s trust was a good thing.
Aslan decided not to think too deeply about it.

"Uncle! There’s so much meat! Lamb, goat, duck...! It’s so varied and plentiful!"
"Aslan, Aslan! There are so many fruits I’ve never seen before! Come on, try some!"
"Okay. You guys eat first."

Before long, Charlotte and Yulia returned, bursting with excitement.
Each of their plates was piled high with various dishes.
As they sat down, Charlotte and Yulia couldn’t hide their excitement and picked up their forks.

"Let’s eat well...!"

Chomp, chomp.
They began shoving all kinds of meat into their mouths.
Meal etiquette? Eating gracefully?
All of that was forgotten.

In fact, the other guests enjoying the banquet around them weren’t maintaining much dignity either.
They were freely chatting and enjoying drinks and food.
Due to the frequent battles in the North, strict discipline was observed during wartime, but outside of that, a culture had established itself that didn’t require much formality.

So Charlotte and Yulia were gulping down the food when...

"Ugh... Why is all the food cold...?"
"The taste is all pretty similar... It’s all just salty and peppery..."

They couldn’t help but let their expressions harden.
The food was cold! And tough!
Was it left out for too long after being pre-cooked?
That never happened at the Vermont mansion!

And more than anything, the fact that all the varieties of meat tasted similar was the real issue.
The meat was heavily salted and spiced, cooked to the point where the juices had all been drawn out.
It was so tough that they couldn’t eat it, and just a few bites filled their mouths with an overwhelming spice that left their tongues tingling.
The steak served at the Vermont mansion was much softer, and the flavor of the meat was much more prominent!

'The maids are amazing cooks!'

Until now, they had thought that nobles always ate delicious meals.
But the Duke was also eating this tasteless food!
Charlotte and Yulia were already shocked, and their appetites had completely vanished.

Of course, it was just that the food was less tasty compared to what they had in the Vermont mansion.
But the meat was still meat, so they didn’t show their displeasure outwardly and forced themselves to chew and swallow.

'Hehe. I did well to dismiss the awful head chef and promote the maids who can cook well as the new head chef. They must have become accustomed to the mansion’s food, making this place’s food seem unpalatable.'

Looking at the kids who were struggling to eat the tough meat with their eyes squeezed shut,
Aslan couldn’t help but grin.

Just a few months ago, they thought that hard bread and watery soup were delicacies.
Now they were finding the meat unappetizing.
He couldn’t contain his pride and couldn’t help but smile.

"But when is Merilda coming out?"
"Ah, I believe she’s still in the garden..."
"Hmm. Is she really not coming to the banquet? Just how long will she keep this up...?"

Throbbing.
At that moment, the Duke of the North pressed his throbbing temples.
Aslan, who had been slicing and eating meat beside him, spoke up.

"Princess is on her way here now."
"...?"

The Duke of the North tilted his head at Aslan’s confident demeanor.
Merilda was on her way?
How would someone who had been in the banquet hall know that?

"I’m sorry for being late."

At that moment, the banquet hall door swung open with a bang.
A masked guard appeared, followed by Princess Merilda.

"Yuria, let’s go together..."
"...!? "

But Merilda’s face looked strange.
It looked as if... she were a girl in love?
The sight of his daughter’s feminine expression, one he had never seen in his life, made the Duke of the North furrow his brows deeply.