Chapter 1-19 : The Girl And The Cat Feel The Danger Approaching
Later on that day, Charlotte came to Elle’s cabin. She brought a maid with her this time.
She returned the money she borrowed from Elle and gave her a pack of premium chocolate as a thank-you.
「Whoaaa! So this is chocolate!?」(Elle)
Elle once read about chocolate in a book and wanted to try it at least once.
Her father never bought her chocolate when he went to work in the royal capital because it was too expensive for a commoner to buy.
「Thank you, Charlotte!」(Elle)
「You’re welcome. I never thought you would be so happy.」(Charlotte)
「What are you talking about? It’s chocolate! Of course, it makes me very happy! I’ve always wanted to try it!」(Elle)
「Hm? It’s just chocolate, right? What so special about it?」(Charlotte)
「I read in a book that chocolate was food only for princesses!」(Elle)
「Only for princesses? Really?」(Charlotte)
Charlotte turned her face to the maid, seeking an answer from an adult.
「I don’t know what kind of book Elle-sama read but that’s not too accurate. However, Ojou-sama, chocolate is a highly expensive sweet. It’s very hard for commoners to get their hands on it.」(maid)
「I see. I didn’t know that. Anyway, Elle, shall we have a tea party?」(Charlotte)
「Tea party! That sounds like a great idea! Hold on a second.」(Elle)
Elle took out her magic pot, put water in it, and turned it on.
It didn’t take long until the water boiled. She then put some tea leaves in it.
Charlotte and her maid looked at the magic pot curiously.
「What is this pot? You don’t need fire to boil the water.」(Charlotte)
「Yeah, because it has been installed with a fire magic stone in the bottom later.」(Elle)
「I see… Normally, you would make fire first with a fire magic stone and put a pot on top of it to boil water. What a clever design.」(Charlotte)
「Right? My Master made it.」(Elle)
「I bet your Master is a skilled craftsman.」(Charlotte)
「Yeah, he was…」(Elle)
「Was…?」(Charlotte)
「He’s no longer in this world.」(Elle)
「I… see… I’m sorry…」(Charlotte)
「No, it’s alright.」(Elle)
「But, this pot has a really cool design. I think my father will like it. I can imagine he would say, “This will sell well!”」(Charlotte)
「Your father?」(Elle)
「Yeah, he’s a noble and a businessman. He has several factories and many stores in this region. He was on his trip to inspect some places to build new factories, and thinking that my brother and I would get bored staying in our mansion, he asked us if we wanted to go with him. That’s how we ended up on a family trip.」(Charlotte)
「A family trip, huh? It must have been fun.」(Elle)
「To be honest, it was kinda boring. There were no interesting places at our destination. The nearby villages were abandoned due to an epidemic.」(Charlotte)
「I see…」(Elle)
Elle guessed the epidemic Charlotte was talking about was the black spot disease.
「I thought I shouldn’t have gone on this trip. I thought it would have been better if I stayed home… Well, I thought so at first, until… I met you…」(Charlotte)
Saying that, Charlotte looked away shyly.
Elle couldn’t help but smile.
「I’m happy to get to know you too.」(Elle)
「Uhh, it’s kinda embarrassing… Oh, right! Do you remember the reason why I went to the bakery alone this morning?」(Charlotte)
Trying to hide her shyness, Charlotte quickly changed the topic.
「Umm, because your brother said you couldn’t do anything by yourself?」(Elle)
「Yeah, and you know what? He looked really shocked when I returned with the bread! He must have thought I would never manage to buy bread by myself. Phu phu!」(Charlotte)
「Ahahaha!」(Elle)
「After that, he left for the bakery, trying to show me that he could do that too, but…」(Charlotte)
「But? Don’t tell me…」(Elle)
「Yup. He didn’t bring any money with him! He then came back empty-handed and acknowledged how amazing I was! Phu phu phu!」(Charlotte)
「Hahaha! I’m glad for you!」(Elle)
「It’s all thanks to you. Thank you, Elle!」(Charlotte)
Charlotte took Elle’s hand and showed her a big smile on her face.
Elle had never had this kind of interaction with a girl her age. She smiled back at Charlotte as she felt the warmth in her heart.
「Elle, why don’t you try the chocolate now?」(Charlotte)
「Un!」(Elle)
Elle opened the package and took a bite-sized square piece of chocolate. It was shiny and smelled sweet.
It would be her first chocolate, so she was kind of nervous.
While wondering what it would taste like, she put it in her mouth. Her heart was pounding.
The chocolate melted slowly on her tongue, and at the same time, the sweet, pleasing taste spread in her entire mouth.
「Mmmmm~~! It’s sweet! It’s amazing!」(Elle)
It was so delicious that it was hard for her to put it into words.
「You like it?」(Charlotte)
「Un! It’s so delicious!」(Elle)
「Good for you. Here, have another one.」(Charlotte)
Charlotte took another piece of chocolate and pressed it against Elle’s lips.
Elle then opened her mouth slightly to let the chocolate enter her mouth.
「Mmmmmmm~~!!」(Elle)
「Fufu. It feels like feeding a cute small animal. It’s kinda fun.」(Charlotte)
◇◇◇
Time flew so fast when they were enjoying tea and having fun conversations.
The sky turned dark orange before they realized it.
「Seems like the sun will sink soon. Elle, let’s go to the deck and watch the sunset! I think you will like the view!」(Charlotte)
「Alright, let’s go!」(Elle)
After the maid put a thick coat on Charlotte, they went outside.
Elle was carrying Yoyo in her arms.
There were not many people on the deck because of the cold wind.
They went to the forecastle at the tip of the ship and leaned forward against the fence while looking at the sunset.
「It’s beautiful…」(Elle)
「It is, but… Ugh, it’s kinda cold here. Don’t you feel cold?」(Charlotte)
「I’m fine with this much cold. The wind is bothering me more than the cold. It’s really strong.」(Elle)
「Ah, it’s not the wind. This ship is moving at high speed.」(Charlotte)
「So, it’s speeding?」(Elle)
「Yeah. My father and I had lunch together with the captain this noon. The captain said he got an urgent message and it seemed that this ship must get to the destination port earlier than scheduled. That’s probably why.」(Charlotte)
「I see.」(Elle)
As they were talking, the sun kept moving down into the horizon. It would completely sink in a little while.
「Ugh… I can’t stand this cold wind.」(Charlotte)
Charlotte rubbed her arms. She was shivering.
「Ojou-sama, I think we better go back now.」(maid)
「Your maid is right. You will catch a cold if you stay here.」(Elle)
「Ugh, how about you?」(Charlotte)
「I want to stay for a bit longer.」(Elle)
「Alright then… Say, Elle, would you go buy some bread with me tomorrow?」(Charlotte)
「Sure.」(Elle)
「It’s a promise then!」(Charlotte)
「Un. It’s a promise.」(Elle)
「Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow! Good night, Elle!」(Charlotte)
「Good night, Charlotte. See you tomorrow!」(Elle)
After waving and smiling at Elle, Charlotte turned around and walked toward the stairs.
The maid bowed once at Elle and followed Charlotte from behind.
For the first time, Elle made a promise with a girl her age. It somehow made her happy.
After Charlotte walked away far enough, Yoyo started talking.
「She’s a good girl. You’ve always wanted a friend, right? I’m glad you met her.」(Yoyo)
「Un.」(Elle)
Elle smiled as she looked at the back of her friend.
She then turned around and looked at the sunset again.
Immediately, Yoyo, who had good eyes, seemed to notice something.
「…Hmm? Elle, do you see that?」(Yoyo)
「See what?」(Elle)
「There’s something over there.」(Yoyo)
「Hmmm?」(Elle)
Elle squinted, trying her best to see the thing that Yoyo was pointing at.
There was indeed something in the distance, but she couldn’t tell what it was. It looked just like a small black dot in her eye.
「What is that? Don’t tell me… It’s a monster!?」(Elle)
「No, I don’t think so. It’s not moving. But… I really have a bad feeling about it…」(Yoyo)
「Ba, bad feeling…?」(Elle)
「Hm!? Wait, that shape… I think I know what it is! It’s an iceberg! And I think it’s a huge one!」(Yoyo)
「Wait, are you sure!?」(Elle)
「I’m sure! Elle, if we keep going in this direction with this speed, we will crash into it!」(Yoyo)
「No way!」(Elle)
You can gain access to [Early Access] page and read up to ten chapters ahead by supporting me on [Patreon]