Sylvia prepared the table and used plant magic to create an identical one. She asked George to cut down a tree with wind magic and turn it into planks, which she then assembled.
She also made chairs so all the villagers could sit and served the steamed shellfish in wooden bowls. Seeing her efforts, the mercenaries moved without being asked, bringing cutlery and previously prepared dishes to the table.
The villagers salivated at the sight of the variety of foods. Sylvia welcomed them warmly.
“You’ve come at the right time. Please, take a seat.”
As people began to sit, Sylvia busily served the food. Once everything was on the table, she sat down and explained how to eat it.
“This is called ‘baekgodong.’ The one with soup is a stew, and the plain ones are steamed. Use this sharp wooden stick to pick at this part and roll it like this… See? It comes right out, doesn’t it?”
She demonstrated with a snail on her plate.
“Just remove the hard lid-like part, and you can eat the rest. Oh, did you bring the flower?”
Louis’s parents handed over a bag with the flowers. Sylvia picked one, pressed its bud over a dish, and squeezed out the chojang. The villagers widened their eyes at the sight of the thick, red liquid.
“Dip the baekgodong meat in this sauce and pop it into your mouth.”
She served it directly on the plates and explained the side dishes, rice, bread with jam, a variety of fruits, salads, and generously grilled beef.
“The stew with rice is really delicious. Here are strawberry and apple jams; spread them generously on your bread. This is potato salad, and this is pumpkin salad. Here are stir-fried vegetables, and finally, there’s plenty of beef. Don’t be shy, eat until you’re full, understood?”
Her words were not false, for the amount of food on the table was tremendous. It was more than twenty times the amount usually eaten by the mercenary group.
Hubert was moved by her generosity. He also knew from Felix that they were from the Kingdom of Capitis. Not only that, but all the mercenaries there were grateful to Sylvia.
Sylvia, an imperial who practiced charity regardless of the nation, seemed admirable.
“Then, let’s eat well!”
Sylvia exclaimed energetically. As if they had been waiting, the mercenaries also shouted loudly.
“Let’s eat well, Miss Sylvia!”
Sylvia put a piece of white jellyfish, which she had prepared earlier, into her mouth after dipping it in vinegar sauce.
“Ah, this is the taste!”
Ah, it makes me think of soju.
There is no Korean food that does not go well with soju.
Among them, she liked drinking soju with seafood. She particularly craved it today. Therefore, she brought out sangria. Since it was also alcohol, she thought it could be a consolation….
Seeing the sangria she brought out, Sylvia sternly rebuked the mercenary who was salivating.
“Don’t give me that look. Do you want to drink again after what happened yesterday?”
Felix, who was shining his eyes along with the mercenary by her side, quietly looked down. And carefully, he dipped the prepared white jellyfish into vinegar sauce and chewed it. Sylvia went to the villagers with the bottle of sangria in her hand.
“This is alcohol, so drink it only a little. And eat a lot.”
Benjamin was very grateful to her.
“Really…… It’s delicious.”
He was almost moved to tears by the taste, so different from when they cooked. Sylvia smiled and explained to him.
“It’s hard to grill this white jellyfish. It tastes better and cooks well when boiled or steamed, so eat it like this next time.”
The villagers nodded their heads upon hearing her words. Louis mumbled as he chewed.
“Sister, this jam is really delicious.”
Sylvia smiled and patted Louis on the head at his adorable look. Then she told the other children as well.
“There are lots of fruits, so don’t be shy and eat until you’re full.”
“Yes!”
Leaving the children who answered spiritedly behind, Sylvia returned to her place. Then, she poured herself a glass of sangria and placed it in front of herself alone. The mercenaries could not take their eyes off as they slurped the soup.
However, they simultaneously looked down because of Sylvia’s scolding look.
“I told you no. I can’t be on night duty tonight.”
Then, Felix casually spoke.
“Sylvia, peel some more for me.”
“Okay, got it.”
Realizing that she had already eaten all she had peeled, Sylvia quickly moved her hands. Felix couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He remembered how, when he was a child and fussy about food, his mother would cut the steak and put it in his mouth.
Quietly waiting for her to peel it, Sylvia dipped it in vinegar sauce and brought it to his mouth.
“Ah.”
He gaped slightly, looking at Sylvia, who overlapped with the image of his mother from that time. He chewed the chewy texture of the white jellyfish. The salty taste combined with the spicy, sweet, and sour taste of the vinegar sauce was very delicious.
He was glad and happy as his taste revived.
★
“So! You, Mariya!”
Sylvia, who had been drinking sangria like water, grumbled while piggybacked on Felix. She even grabbed his hair and shook it vigorously.
“Miss Sylvia!”
Hubert tried to separate her from Felix with a look of utter shock. Not only that, but all the mercenaries, except those who had gone back to the village, had a ghastly expression on their faces.
“Ah, why!”
Sylvia turned her head while still holding onto Felix’s hair, at the sound of her being called.
Then Felix said softly,
“Just let her be.”
“But, my lord….”
“It’s fine.”
Felix decisively cut off the conversation and rose into the air using wind magic. Carrying her on his back, he flew up to the tree they had climbed earlier. The mercenaries exclaimed in admiration at his free use of wind magic.
After seating a drunken Sylvia inside the branches, he sat on the outside and tightly wrapped his arms around her swaying shoulders.
“Really….”
Sylvia, who had scolded for being drunk the day before, now drunkenly causing a fuss, was frustrating yet adorable. Wondering if he had ever been like this, he squinted his eyes looking at her, when suddenly Sylvia turned her head sharply to look at him.
“You, you know….”
Curious about what she would say next, Felix responded.
“What about me.”
Sylvia, with a strange expression, furrowed her eyebrows and said,
“Don’t ever do that again….”
“What.”
“Using your mouth to, to test… such things, don’t!”
Felix realized her words were a continuation of a previous incident. So, he wanted to ask,
“Why shouldn’t I?”
As if his question was incredibly foolish, Sylvia’s expression twisted as if she had eaten something sour.
“Doesn’t it hurt? Huh? Your mouth, is it made of silver? Huh? No, why would you be silver? You’re golden… or maybe, a diamond spoon….”
Watching her ramble off into nonsensical talk, Felix asked,
“Why do you keep looking at me with a sorry expression?”
He was bothered by the recurring expression of apology she showed, wondering what she felt sorry about.
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“Did I? I don’t remember…. Ah! Is that why?”
Mulling over it by herself, Sylvia then casually gave her answer.
“I just wish… you could eat only delicious things. Like, healthy and, nutrient-rich, that kind of food….”
“So that after you meet the heroine, the two of you can enjoy meals happily together….” Sylvia almost inaudibly murmured this very softly.
“What did you say at the end?”
Felix asked, having not heard her, but Sylvia was too tired from not sleeping well the night before. She fell asleep as he looked at her intently, then Felix let her head rest on his shoulder.
Looking at the large silver moon, he listened to Sylvia’s steady breathing beside him.
His favorite moon, looking at that moon while being with Sylvia felt… unexpectedly comforting. The gentle moonlight felt like a mother’s love, warming his heart.
And hearing Sylvia’s heart, he felt hopeful.
Someday, to fully regain his sense of taste and to have a proper meal face to face with her, he harbored this great hope….
★★ 43. That’s strange ★★
Sylvia grumbled with a frown at the noisy sounds.
“Ugh… it’s noisy.”
She hadn’t expected a response.
“It’s okay, sleep more. You all, be quiet now.”
The fairies fluttering around them immediately covered their mouths with their hands. Sylvia, feeling as if she had heard a voice she shouldn’t have, blinked open her eyes. Then, she stared blankly at the white shirt obstructing her view.
Blinking, her long turquoise eyelashes fluttered, and Felix covered her eyes again with his palm, saying,
“You can sleep more.”
Feeling the hand covering her eyes and hearing the voice made Sylvia feel as if the color was draining from her face.
“Felix?”
She called his name as if to confirm, and a calm response came back.
“Yeah.”
Sylvia, overwhelmed with embarrassment, grabbed his hand and moved it away. Then, she looked straight into his eyes and asked,
“Why are you here?”
After hastily checking her surroundings, she realized she was properly in her makeshift home, sleeping, and questioned him. Felix, with a puzzled expression, said,
“What’s wrong?”
“No, why are you lying here? Didn’t you go to your tent?”
At her question, Felix chuckled and said,
“You told me not to go.”
While saying this, he stretched out his arm as if to show her something. Seeing her own arm intertwined with his, she rolled her eyes.
What on earth had she done?
She felt sweat forming on her back. Unable to respond any further, fairies flew around her, causing a commotion.
[Sylvia, I’m hungry!]
[Sleepyhead, wake up!]
[Did you sleep well?]
[Sylvia, Asta wants to eat a banana.]
[I want mangosteen!]
[No, give me green grapes! Sylvia, I want green grapes!]
[Sylvia, make me meringue cookies! Eh?]
The fairies crowded around her, each clamoring to be heard first. In front of her, Felix with his tousled hair, and seven fairies clinging to her face and hair, Sylvia’s mind became foggy.
She just wanted to collapse as if she were drunk again.
‘Sangria… you’re sealed from now on.’
Sylvia mumbled to herself, burying her face in the pillow so no one could hear.
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