Chapter 69

Miso Soup? Meso Soup?
--- During Afternoon Tea ---

"Huh? Bro Aran and Vince will be staying here until the New Year?"

Brother Noel asked.

"Yeah, that’s right. The academy is on winter break, and Julieta and the others will be busy at the end of the year. So, I decided to have them stay here together."

Father answered.

"Yayyy~~~! Vince, let’s play together!"

Brother Gene immediately made plans to play with Vee.

"Well, Gene. Aren’t you forgetting something?"

Grandmother asked.

"Huh?! If it’s homework, I’ll do it properly."

"That’s a given. I’m talking about something else—aren’t you starting training tomorrow?"

"Ahhh, I forgot…"

Remembering the training, he slumped his shoulders.

"Huh?! What training?"

Vee asked.

"Starting tomorrow morning, I’ll be overseeing the training. So, Aran and Vince, you’ll be joining as well."

"Ehh—why did it turn out like that?"

Vee was clearly unhappy, as he had assumed he’d get to play the whole time.

"Vince, it’s an honor to be trained by Grandmother!"

For Brother Aran, who trained on his own, it seemed like a great opportunity.

Apparently, if not for Grandmother’s training, he would have been training with the private army instead.

"Vince, give up."

Brother Gene whispered to Vee.

Since I was the one who asked for this, Vee ended up having to train too… I kind of feel bad.

Even the junior members of the private army were surprised when they heard about the training.

Maybe I should make something to apologize later.

＊＊＊＊＊

--- In the Kitchen ---

"Today, we have seuyu and meso, so I’m making a different sauce than last time."

"Oh, a new sauce? Sounds exciting."

Mr. Abe was on board with the idea.

"First, the seuyu sauce. Simmer white wine and sugar until it turns a light amber color, then turn off the heat. Add grated garniq, shonger, and ripple, then mix in seuyu and sesame oil. That’s it!"

"That’s surprisingly simple."

"Next is the meso sauce. Mix meso, sugar, and white wine, heat it to evaporate the alcohol, and make sure the sugar dissolves. Once it’s melted, add seuyu and minced garniq to finish."

"This one’s simple too. Ah—this is good."

Master licked the sauce off his finger.

"Sheesh, Master! No sneaky tasting before everyone else!"

"It was an accident! Really."

"Well, I’ll let it slide this time. Anyway, now that it's done… let’s taste it!"

[Ohh~~~!!!]

"Hm?"

In front of me were Mr. Abe, Arthur, and Master, but I could also hear voices from behind.

When I turned around, Brother Noel, Brother Gene, Vee, and Brother Aran were there.

"I heard there was going to be a barbecue, so I figured there’d be something new to taste."

Brother Gene shamelessly admitted.

"I followed because I heard Joan was cooking."

Vee said.

"I’m here to keep an eye on these two."

Brother Noel added.

As for Brother Aran—

"I’m here to keep an eye on all three of them."

"Ehehe. Well then, let’s all taste it together!"

We grilled some beef and tried it.

“””Yum~!!!”””

Brother Gene, Vee, and Master all shouted in unison.

"Mmm, the salt-based sauce was good, but this one is tasty too."

Mr. Abe commented.

"I like the meso sauce the best."

Arthur had chosen his favorite.

"I prefer this seuyu sauce over the salt-based one."

Brother Noel said.

"Not fair! Noel and Gene always get to eat this kind of delicious food? There’s nothing this good in the royal capital!"

Brother Aran complained while continuing to eat.

"So? What are you making now?"

"I’m making Anny’s meal. She has a cold, so I figured barbecue would be too much for her. I’m making a vegetable-packed meso soup."

[Meso soup???]

Everyone chorused.

"Hmm, meso soup is… Alright, it’s done. Do you all want to try it?"

[Want!!!!]

"Here, be careful, it’s hot."

"Wow, the sweetness of the vegetables really comes through! This meso soup is delicious—I love it!"

Brother Noel seemed to really like it.

"Does this have shonger in it?"

"Mr. Abe, correct! Shonger helps warm the body."

"Heh, as expected, Little Joan, you know a lot."

Master even called me "Little Joan" now.

Good, good.

"Hey, Joan, I can eat vegetables if they’re prepared like this."

Even Vee, who hated vegetables, seemed fine with this.

"This feels like something you’d crave the morning after drinking."

Master commented.

I totally get that.

After a night of drinking, you just want meso soup.

If only I had some clams—it would be perfect.

Maybe I should ask Mr. Taiki about it later?

"Hey, Joan… why don’t you come to the Longest family? I want to eat your food every day."

Brother Aran asked in a small voice.

Oh my. Wait a second—Brother Aran, that sounded almost like a proposal!

Though… saying it to a five-year-old is a bit much.

"Ehehe, please say that to your fiancée instead."

"I don’t have one."

"What?! Brother Aran, you don’t have a fiancée yet?"

"Oh, Noel and the others don’t have one either. But in my case, I keep refusing."

"Why?"

"I understand the purpose of political marriages, but I want to choose my own lifelong partner. Well, Father and Mother don’t say anything about it. The only ones who bring it up are outsiders who want to be connected to the Longest family."

"Hmm, sounds tough. But since you’re good-looking, you must be popular at the academy, right?"

"I don’t like girls who just scream and fuss over me. They only see my family background and my looks."

"Ahh, I see. That does sound annoying. My condolences."

"Heh… A five-year-old offering condolences, huh?"

He patted my head.

Nobles really have it rough when it comes to marriage.

Wait… does that mean I’ll have a political marriage when I grow up too?

Even if it’s for the family’s sake, that’s a tough pill to swallow for a modern-day Japanese person like me.