Chapter 3-9 : Sea Monster Materials (part 1)
ーCowwーCowwーCowwー!
The next morning, I heard the squawking of seabirds instead of the chirping of sparrows like usual.
Different places have different morning sounds, it seems.
I thought of waking up, but when I was about to open my eyes, I heard Thea’s voice.
「Good morning, Kako ojou-sama.」(Thea)
Did she know I was waking up? But I didn’t say a single word.
As expected from a super maid. I didn’t know she had an esper-like ability.
「…Mmhhh….」(Kako)
While battling against the drowsiness, I raised my upper body and slowly opened my eyes.
I saw Thea standing next to my bed as I carefully rubbed my eye with my index finger.
「Good morning, Thea.」(Kako)
「Ojou-sama, did you sleep well?」(Thea)
「Yeah, I slept like a log. Probably because I was really tired yesterday.」(Kako)
「Good for you. Now, please get up, and I will help you get dressed.」(Thea)
「Un.」(Kako)
I got out of my bed and let Thea change my clothes.
She took my pajamas off and put a beautiful blue dress on me. It had a small bow ribbon on the chest and a large one on the back, giving the vibe of a princess in a shoujo manga.
「Kako ojou-sama, you look cute as usual.」(Thea)
「Thanks.」(Kako)
It was a bit embarrassing when someone said that to me, but when I looked at myself in the mirror, I agreed with her.
I look super cute.
Well, it’s mostly thanks to the goddess who made my face resemble hers.
「Do you like the dress?」(Thea)
「Yeah. It looks great.」(Kako)
「This dress was originally intended for Maitena ojou-sama when she was your age, but she refused to wear it. Madam Folia was very sad back then because of that, but now, she must be happy since you like it.」(Thea)
「I see…」(Kako)
So, it was one of Maitena onee-sama’s old dresses that she never wore.
I don’t know what she looked like when she was little, but I can’t imagine a cool female knight like her wearing a cute dress like this.
「Well then, shall we go for breakfast, Ojou-sama?」(Thea)
「Yeah, but… wait a minute…」(Kako)
Looks like the inn has already prepared breakfast for us. But, as I answered Thea’s question, I realized something was off.
This is not Father’s mansion, so it feels different, but I know that something is off. I feel like my morning is lacking something.
That’s right… It lacks… fluffiness…
I turned my gaze to my bed and realized that Nyat wasn’t there.
Normally, I wake up to his warm, fluffy belly, but I didn’t feel it this time.
「Thea, where is Nyat?」(Kako)
「I’m sorry, I have no idea. He wasn’t here when I woke up.」(Thea)
「What?」(Kako)
Does that mean he woke up before Thea and went somewhere? But, that’s strange… He rarely wakes up early.
Did he catch a thief? Or did something happen to him?
No… That’s unlikely. This is a luxury hotel with good security after all.
「Don’t worry, Kako ojou-sama. He will be fine. We can look for him later, but for now, you should eat your breakfast.」(Thea)
「Alright…」(Kako)
She’s right. I know how strong Nyat is. He’ll be alright.
More importantly, I feel kinda hungry.
I agreed to Thea and followed her to the dining hall while wondering where Nyat had gone.
However, when I got to the dining hall, I saw the big white cat eating his breakfast deliciously without thinking about table manners as usual.
「He… He’s eating ahead of us…」(Kako)
「Nyat-sama…」(Thea)
Noticing our presence, Nyat looked at us and waved his paw casually at us.
「Over here-nya~!」(Nyat)
This cat…
「Why didn’t you wait for us?」(Kako)
「Sorry-nya, but the smell of fresh grilled fish woke me up-nya. I couldn’t resist it-nya.」(Nyat)
It seems that his sense of smell was so strong that he could smell fish being grilled in the kitchen from our room.
「Hahh…」(Kako)
I couldn’t help but sigh and then sat with him at the table while Thea was just standing behind me.
「Umm, Thea, shall we eat in our room?」(Kako)
「No, Kako ojou-sama. You should eat here. Besides, it’s too late to ask them to bring meals to our room.」(Thea)
I felt bad if Thea was just standing and watching me eat like last night, but as she said, it was too late.
Just a few seconds after I sat down, a waiter came with my breakfast.
That was really fast. It seems that the employees here were trained to serve the guests quickly so as not to make them wait.
「Good morning, my lady. Please enjoy your breakfast.」(waiter)
「Th, thank you…」(Kako)
After he put the dishes on the table, the waiter bowed to me and left.
「Uhh…」(Kako)
「Hm? Are you not eating-nya? I’ll eat it if you don’t want it-nya.」(Nyat)
「Huh?」(Kako)
「Fufu. Kako ojou-sama, you should hurry up and enjoy your meal before Nyat-sama eats everything on the table. Don’t worry about me. I will just eat bread later for breakfast.」(Thea)
I feel bad for Thea, but she’s right. I don’t want this gluttonous cat to eat my breakfast.
「Alright, if you say so. I’m sorry, Thea.」(Kako)
「Please don’t mind me.」(Thea)
I promised Thea we would eat together next time, but… it can’t be helped.
Well, at least we will have lunch together outside today.
I grabbed my fork and knife and started eating.
Today’s breakfast is grilled fish, just like Nyat said. Other than that, there was a bowl of soup, freshly baked bread, and some kind of fruit that had been cut into bite-sized pieces on a small plate.
First, I ate the grilled fish. The outside was crispy as I thought, but the inside was surprisingly juicy. It was rare for fish meat to be this juicy. I’m guessing that this fish was soaked in some kind of broth for a while before being grilled.
As for the taste, it was not that salty. It seemed that the chef didn’t use much salt, probably because they wanted to emphasize the natural taste of the fish. Honestly, salty food in the morning is a bit tough for me, so I’m happy with it.
Also, the skin was crispy, perhaps because the chef wiped the fish with a clean cloth to remove any excess liquid before grilling it.
Next, the soup. I took a spoon and sipped the clear soup.
「Oh? This is…」(Kako)
It tasted strangely nostalgic. The first sip of the soup somehow reminded me of Japan because it tasted similar to miso.
I wonder if miso really exists in this world. I have to find it if it does. I can’t miss such a valuable commodity as a merchant.
While thinking about miso, I took the bread, tore off a small piece of it with my fingers, and put it in my mouth.
It was warm and fluffy. I’ve never eaten freshly baked bread in my previous life. All I had was the cold bread from the grocery store, so it was new to me. Delicious!
Oh, right! I have an idea!
I took another small piece of the bread, dipped it in the soup, and ate it.
「Mmm~!」(Kako)
I knew it! This bread goes very well with this soup! What a perfect combo!
However, just when I thought I had discovered the best way to eat these two together, Thea scolded me.
「Kako ojou-sama, dipping bread into soup is bad manners.」(Thea)
「What? I can’t do this?」(Kako)
「You can’t. The proper etiquette is to eat the soup and the bread separately.」(Thea)
「Eeehhh…」(Kako)
Nobles’ table manners are too stiff!
I swear I’m going to eat my meals in my room next time. Screw this dining hall!
It’s a shame that I can’t enjoy my meals the way I want, but it can’t be helped. I continued eating while minding my manners.
Lastly, after finishing my soup and bread, I ate the fruit.
Since it had been chopped into slices, I couldn’t tell what kind of fruit it was. It looked like a dragon fruit, but instead of dark red, it had pink flesh. It tasted sweet, but not too sweet like a melon, and it also had a sourness similar to a mandarin orange.
Moreover, the seeds seemed to be edible. It had a crunchy texture and tasted a bit bitter, which went surprisingly well with the sweetness of the flesh.
「Phew… I’m full…」(Kako)
It was a bit too much for breakfast, but it was delicious!
Now, I should think about my plan for today.
Hmm… I wonder what I should do today…
「Kako ojou-sama, shall we go to the harbor now?」(Thea)
「Eh? Harbor?」(Kako)
「You said you were going to buy sea monster materials. The fishermen in this city usually return from the sea in the morning. If you plan to negotiate with them, now is the right time.」(Thea)
Aa! That’s right! I’ve already decided on my plan for today.
I was enjoying my breakfast so much that I totally forgot about it.
「Judging from her face, she must have forgotten about it-nya.」(Nyat)
Saying that, Nyat squinted at me suspiciously.
Dammit! He’s sharp as always.
「H, huh!? No, I haven’t forgotten!」(Kako)
「Reeeally-nya~?」(Nyat)
「A-anyway, Thea, let’s go back to our room and get prepared!」(Kako)
「Understood.」(Thea)
Escaping Nyat’s doubtful eyes, I hurriedly left the dining room with Thea and returned to our room to grab my magic bags before we went to the harbor.
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Theo becoming perfect maid/secretary