CH 23

「Seriously this girl… she has no self-awareness as the Duke’s daughter. She skips the lessons and even revealed the passage that is meant to be kept secret…」

Haa… Otousama sighed as he scolded me. Of course, Okaaasama next to him is holding back. It feels like she has already gotten used to this scene… (shiver)

But, however. Today’s case is only about using the hidden passage to skip the lessons. I’m relieved because my pot of nukazuke has not been revealed yet. Otousama and Okaasama surely wouldn’t go there. If I let myself get scolded obediently, I just have to collect it in the future just to make sure…

「Cristea. What were you doing in the secret passage?」

Gasp! Okaasama, why is your perception so good!?

「What do you mean by… that?」

I tilted my head and played dumb.

「Didn’t it take you too much time just to move around? Wandering aimlessly in the dark is unusual for you who hates wasting time」

Ohhh… Okaasama is way too sharp.

「Besides, what’s that? The smell. What a hard to describe fragrance…」

N? I thought she was frowning all the time because she was in a bad mood, but smell…? Ah, the smell of pickles! Eh? You smell it? I guess it didn’t go away with a light cleaning…? Okaasama is waiting as I sniff the scent on my hands. Ha! Crap… I was careless!

「Cristea, tell us what you are hiding」

Okaasama said with a smile that wasn’t a smile. Hii! Scary! Ugh, I can’t hide it anymore… rather, it became a situation where I can’t keep on hiding it…

「I was making… this」

Giving up, I retrieved nukazuke from my inventory.

「Spatial storage…! I heard it from teacher Marlen’s report, but…」 「Dear, that’s irrelevant at the moment. Cristea, what’s this thing that gives off such stench!?」

Okaasama said while covering her nose and mouth with a handkerchief. My special inventory is irrelevant, she said… well, she’s that concerned about the smell, huh. I don’t mind it cause I’m used to it, but you would be like that if you weren’t used to it, I see.

「This is called nukazuke, it’s a preserved food made from rice bran」 「Rice bran? For that rice bran to smell this bad… is it perhaps spoiled!?」

Okaasama couldn’t conceal the shock of the smooth and silky skin bringing rice bran giving off such stench. Isn’t that right, isn’t that right? But, it’s delicious so it’s okay. Please, notice that.

「No. It’s not spoiled. It was changed into a source of deliciousness and beauty」

Fermentation or lactic acid… they wouldn’t know about that… as I thought, I have no choice but to capture Okaasama with beauty.

「Beaty!?」

See, she bit the bait.

「Yes, Okaasama… may I for a bit?」

Keeping Otousama at a distance, I started whispering to Okaasama.

「Okaasama… hasn’t your face started swelling a bit recently?」 「Eh!?」

Okaasama covered both of her cheeks in a startle.

「I’m sorry for saying something so indelicate, but… aren’t your bowel movements poor?」 「Uu!!」

Okaasama is shocked. Bullseye.

「Oy, what are the two of you whispering about…」 「「Dear (Otousama) be quiet, please!!」」 「Yess!」

He might feel lonely of being left out, but I must capture Okaasama first! I just have to let Otousama eat onigiri with nukazuke later after all! Please, obediently wait for a bit!!

「You see Okaasama, this nukazuke will make your body pretty from within, you know…?」 「From within…?」 「Yeah」

As a result, nukazuke has also been introduced. Alright! Rice has made a new companion!

I digress, but as a punishment for skipping the lessons, I was made write ridiculously lot. Ugh.