Rikimaru (10)
As the three of us were laughing and watching the goldfish, I noticed that some food had been placed on the low table without us realizing.
"It's a little early, but let's have a snack. You must be thirsty after walking here, right?"
In elegant glass dishes, there were foods I had never seen before. Naruhito happily sat down on the floor.
"Ice cream! I wanna eat ice cream!"
Is it something Naruhito can eat? I’ve never seen this kind of snack before.
"So, this is called ice cream? This is my first time seeing it."
It seemed sister-in-law didn’t know about it either. As she stared at it curiously, Her Majesty's voice called out:
"If you don't eat it soon, it’ll melt."
Naruhito said, "Let’s eat," and took a bite. It looked delicious. Sister-in-law and I also said "Let’s do that" and took a small scoop into our mouths.
"It’s cold."
"It’s so good."
"It’s yummy!"
Our voices overlapped in unison. Wow, I’ve never had anything like this before. It melts in your mouth, and the sweetness spreads… it’s incredibly tasty. This has to be something Naruhito loves. It’s right up his alley. As I looked over, he was taking small bites, closing his eyes and smiling contentedly after swallowing.
Yeah.
He’s adorable.
I couldn’t help but keep watching him.
Still, this ice cream is really tasty.
"Hitachimaru loved ice cream too. The first time he ate it, he said, 'This is amazing,' with the same expression as you on his face.”
Her Majesty said, giggling as she remembered.
That made me recall something as well.
"My older brother used to say that the most delicious thing in the world is ice cream when he was little."
"I think I’ve heard him saying that, too.”
Sister-in-law added.
She had heard it as well?
"But he stopped saying it at some point."
"That’s true."
"It might be because I told him it was a secret treat. Since you could only have it at banquets, not many people knew about it. He was a smart child, so maybe he thought he shouldn’t talk about it. He didn’t need to worry so much, though."
"That’s just like him."
"… I’m sorry for all the trouble Hitachimaru went through for Hiiro. Even as a child, he was made to stay by Hiiro’s side constantly. Hiiro didn’t want to bring guards to school because the other children didn’t have them, but we couldn’t just leave him without protection. So, when I heard that there was a child stronger than most adults in his class, I asked for help. I’m sorry we ended up taking your brother away so often, Rikimaru."
"No, I think my brother and His Highness are just good friends. His Highness was often at our place, so it felt like I had two brothers. Um, if it’s not too presumptuous... sister-in-law was there too, and it was always lively."
"I see... thank you. He’d also come to this room sometimes, and he was always in a good mood when he had ice cream."
"That’s quite the privilege.”
Her Majesty looked somewhat relieved. There really wasn’t anything for her to worry about.
"Hiiro doesn’t like sweets much, so Hitachimaru would always end up eating two portions. Would you like seconds as well, Rikimaru?"
"… Yes, please."
When it became quiet, I noticed Naruhito had started nodding off. The last bite of his ice cream was slowly melting in the glass dish. As I reached out to support his drooping head, I was suddenly swatted away. Lord Murashige, who had appeared at some point, was now holding Naruhito.
"You promised not to touch him. I let it slide in the hallway, but don't forget.”
It wasn’t the ice cream, but something in my stomach chilled at that moment.
What do you think about this chapter?
