Joan and the Queen
Some time had passed since the Direwolf subjugation, and I was once again visiting the royal castle. This time, since my older brothers were at the academy, I came with just my father. The purpose was to report about the contract with Pearl.
This time, I was guided straight to the terrace from the beginning.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Miss Joan. Have you been well?”
“Yes, Uncle Alex. It’s been a while. Hm? You look healthier than before.”
“Ah, that’s thanks to your dried fruits. They’re really great. All my fatigue vanished in an instant.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I brought more with me, so I’ll give them to you later.”
“Ah, thank you. Now, Stan, is that adorable puppy the one we talked about...?”
“Yes… Joan.”
“Yes. Pearl, greet everyone.”
(Yesh. I’m Peawl. Nice to meetcha.)
“““““““!!”””””””
“S-So cuteeee!! This is seriously dangerous!!”
“Your Majesty... I understand how you feel, but your true self is showing.”
Hehe, as always, the Queen is getting scolded by Suzy.
“But still, is it really a Fenrir?”
The Chancellor voiced his doubts.
Well, she’s so cute it’s no wonder they’d be skeptical.
“Joan, do the search.”
“Yes, Father. Search, open.”
---
[Pearl]
Fenrir.
1 month old (around 3 years old in human terms)
Contractor: Joan
Status:
Healthy
Note:
A Fenrir pup that got separated from its parents.
Attacked by a Direwolf in Crimson Woods.
Escaped a deadly crisis thanks to Joan’s skill.
Due to the contract, can speak with humans.
Will be able to freely change size upon reaching adulthood.
---
“““““““!!”””””””
“Amazing!! Joan, you really are on a different level, just like my brother said.”
Hey! You little neighborhood bully.
That was kinda rude, you know. And when did you start dropping the honorifics...? Hm? Or wait, in this case, maybe the rude one is that scheming prince? He’s probably the reason the others are calling me without honorifics now.
“I-It really is a Fenrir…”
“See? I told you. I wouldn’t lie to you guys… Still, it’s also true that we were only able to defeat the Direwolf thanks to Pearl.”
“Yeah, Luke and Jacob already told me about that. Oh, and that reminds me. They also said Nancy was ‘still alive and well’... Did those two do something?”
“Ahh... well, I’ll explain that in detail later.”
Father glanced at me as he said that.
Huh? I tilted my head in confusion, and Father smiled gently and patted my head.
“Hey, Joan. I want to play with her!”
“Fred? It’s about time for your lessons, remember?”
The Queen reminded Prince Fred, who wanted to play with Pearl, that it was time for his studies. Prince Fred nodded reluctantly and left the terrace with his royal guard.
＊＊＊＊＊
With Prince Fred off to his lesson and my father and the others discussing the subjugation, I was once again visiting the Queen’s room, just like last time.
“Joan-chan, you really are something else. First a Pegasus, now a Fenrir? How overpowered can you be?”
“Even if you ask me... Oh, right, Prince Fred’s royal guard wasn’t the same as before, was he?”
“Ah, that. I completely replaced his guard. The ones backing the previous knights were a bit of a problem, you see.”
“Ah, I thought so.”
“Oh? You noticed?”
“Yeah. Just had a feeling... So, when you poked around, a lot of dust came flying out, huh?”
“Not just dust—there were mites and all kinds of bugs too. Well, never mind that. I actually wanted to ask you something, Joan-chan. Everyone, if you please.”
“““Understood.”””
With that, the three maids left the room.
“Sorry about that. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about in private... It’s about the dish you gave me the last time we met in secret... the ‘slimy potato’ soup.”
“Oh, the taro stew? Did something happen?”
“That’s a local dish from the Tohoku region in our past lives, right? If I remember right, it comes in soy sauce and miso flavors...”
“Right, my family used soy sauce.”
“... When I ate that stew, it triggered some memories.”
“Memories?”
“... My family also used soy sauce. Eating your stew made me feel nostalgic, and then... memories of my hometown that I hadn’t been able to recall came flooding back. Thank you so much. Thanks to you, I remembered my family from my previous life.”
A single tear slid down the Queen’s cheek.
“I see... I’m glad. I’m really surprised that my cooking helped, and if the seasoning’s the same, maybe we were from the same prefecture. I’d been making that stew since elementary school, so the method was ingrained in me.”
“Wait, elementary school?”
“Yeah. We used to make it in groups, just us kids. So, people from my generation all knew how to make it.”
“Could it be... from T Elementary?”
“Eh!? How do you know that?”
“No way... My mom in my past life used to say the exact same thing...”
“Wait... then... we were from the same area? Your mom was...?”
“My mom’s name in my past life was... Mieko.”
“!! ...Mieko. No way... then, Queen... are you... Mirin-chan?”
“What!? How... How do you know that...? Who are you, Joan-chan?”
“Didn’t Mirin-chan’s mom have a friend who lived in Kanto?”
“She did... and she’d come back during summer break with her kids... Wait—no way... Shuko Obachan!?”
With teary eyes, I nodded.
“Shuko Obachan... Obachaa~~~n!”
The Queen hugged me and began to cry. I gently patted her back.
What do you think about this chapter?
Awww