Outaishihi ni Nante Naritakunai!! Chapter 333

Although I made friends with Ilya, she hurriedly returned to her country with her husband in the evening of the very same day.
Unfortunately, she's also a crown princess. She can't stay in another country for long.
I decided to exchange letters with Ilya about how we are doing and about Rena. It seems Ilya would contact Rena's father immediately.
Speaking of Rena, she got permission from Sion to study reading and writing. What's more, he undertook the role of Rena's teacher. I thought he would, but it was a relief. Rena will be able to work even harder with Sion as her teacher.
I heard from Freed that Prince Hendrik's little sister, Princess Ophelia, will visit Wilhelm to study for a short period of time. To be clear, the schedule is being adjusted.
Princess Ophelia is eighteen years old, same as me. She'll be accompanied by her knight. I was a little amazed to hear that them coming is Prince Hendrik's scheme to get them together, but I'm happy for a chance to become friends with a royal of my age. I wondered if she's close with Ilya, so I immediately asked about it in a letter, but Ilya doesn't seem to interact with Princess Ophelia much.
It seems she spends most of the time in the castle alone to not expose her identity.
When I heard such a lonely story, I came to want her to at least enjoy exchanging letters with me, so it was only natural that I increased the frequency of my letters.
And like that slow days that made it seem like the time of my engagement was a lie flowed.
Spring ended, and early summer is drawing near.
I slowly began to get bored with my much too leisurely daily life, and suddenly got an idea.

"That's right! Let's open a Japanese café!"
"Lidi, what are you talking about?"

A little while after the afternoon teatime, I was reading a book embraced by Freed from behind on the sofa in our room. Suddenly, I closed the book and declared that. As soon as I did, Freed remonstrated me.

"Another suspicious thing. You've only just opened a hamburg steak store. And now… a Japanese café? What in the world is that?"
"Err… Nh, jeez, Freed, let go."

Having my cheek pinched, I pouted.
I don't dislike reading in Freed's embrace, but it's troubling when he remembers to flirt with me.

"I'll select Japanese confections from my recipes and open a Japanese café. Curry and hamburger steaks are meals, so I think it'll be nice to open a dessert store next."
"Japanese confections? Are those confections from your previous life, Lidi?"

I'd told Freed that I have memories of my previous life. That's why fortunately I could talk right away.
Yup, I nodded.

"That's right. Both daifuku or youkan are Japanese confections. Actually, Ms. Delris published a beverage recipe. It suits Japanese confections amazingly, which is also why I want to open the café."

Ms. Delris's green tea is what's called sencha. I received permission to spread it to the public and was taught the recipe, but unsurprisingly, it's made completely different from actual green tea.
The medicinal herbs that are the basis of the tea are steamed with special chemicals, then rolled and dried… And mysterious green tea is ready.
I'll repeat. Ms. Delris's green tea absolutely doesn't use tea leaves.
It seems the ingredients change when mixed with special chemicals, but… Yup, I heard the explanation, but I don't get it at all.
That said, as expected, it's not Ms. Delris's tea for nothing.
It's not just a simple tea, it's turned into a very high-spec sencha that has an excellent nourishing effect and does wonders for digestive organs.
In other words, it's something like a delicious medicinal herbs tea.
I was worried whether it was really alright to sell such a special tea, but I was advised that it's not a problem for the human body, and if I'm uneasy, to limit it to three cups a day.
Three cups a day. That's enough. Let's give the Royal Capital a new shock using Ms. Delris's tea.
When I arranged my thoughts and explained it to Freed, he said, "The Medicine Witch, huh…" with a somewhat convinced face.

"You even engaged the Medicine Witch this time. Well, I wasn't opposed from the start, but… Really Lidi, you get involved in all sorts of things."
"I-I wonder about that."

I'm not aware of it, so I tilted my head. Freed fixed his hold on me and said in a soft voice.

"Lidi, I think you're cute when you're unaware like that, so I've had no choice but to cooperate from the start. Since I'm anxious when you don't tell me what you're scheming, I'm glad you consulted with me."
"Err, then, can I open a Japanese café?"
"Lidi, I know your cooking skills more than enough. The hamburger store seems to be going well, so a café is not a bad choice. Since you're doing it, why not have it in a prime location facing the main street? I'll invest my personal assets."
"Eh?"

My eyes widened at the smoothly said words. A café in a prime location facing the main street? Certainly, it sounds wonderful, but just thinking about how much money it will take scares me.

"N-No. I was thinking of opening it in some corner of the town like before. You shouldn't waste money."
"It's not a waste of money. After all, this will be the first Japanese café, right? Lidi, you intend to unveil original recipes that you haven't shown yet, don't you? Then I have no doubt it will become the talk of the town, so I think it will attract more customers if opened in a prominent location on the main street."

He had a point, but it's different.
I appealed to Freed.

"I don't intend it to be a high-class store. I want the Japanese café to be a place where everybody can relax. It makes no sense if only nobles gather there…"

Various customers come to the curry store and hamburg steak store regardless of social status. I'm happy about that, and I want the Japanese café to be the same.

"I understand your wish, Lidi. You want a place where social status doesn't matter, right? Lidi, you can set the prices to make it the store you want. So don't worry about the store location. I only have a request."
"Request?"

I looked at Freed questioningly. With a serious face he told me.

"Until the Japanese café gets going, have only people dispatched from the castle work there. Lidi, you'll be visiting the café frequently for a while, right? You're my consort already. I can't go with you every day, so I'll be worried if you aren't surrounded by trustworthy people from the castle."

His request was extremely reasonable.

"… I understand. But, once it gets going, can I hire people from town?"

It'll lead to revitalization of the town. When I asked so with that in mind, Freed readily nodded.

"Of course, Lidi. By that time, you won't have to visit the store every day. Really, thinking about it now, the hamburg steak store was fortunate. The manager is a castle cook so I wasn't worried, and I could go with you often. Hey, Lidi. Why don't you choose the manager from the castle kitchen?"
"I don't mind, but won't the kitchen be troubled?"

I think the head chef won't be happy if I take too many cooks. All the cooks in the castle are remarkably skilled, so it's hard to find a replacement.

"I don't want to bother them too much, but I'd have to borrow some cooks."

To satisfy Freed's condition I have no doubt I'd have to borrow some cooks from the castle kitchen.
When I decided to at least recruit those who want to help, Freed said.

"Well, I don't think you need to worry about that much. Everyone will raise their hands to help you, Lidi. At any rate, they recognize you as their master rather than my consort."
"Ah, aah…"

That's certainly true.
After getting married, everybody calls me 'Princess Consort' or 'Her Highness the Princess', but only the cooks stubbornly continue calling me 'Master'. It seems to be something only the cooks understand… Since it doesn't matter to me, I told them to do as they like.

"Every time I go to the kitchen, I feel like you've been stolen by them, Lidi… Even though you're mine alone."

Freed unwrapped his arms embracing me and sat me sideways so he could see my face. Having my position on his lap changed, I reached out my arms and clung to Freed.

"Don't worry, I'm your wife, Freed. No one will steal me."
"I know that, Lidi, but I feel you're very far away when I see you surrounded by cooks. Your cooking makes everyone happy. And all your stores make people happy. It's correct as my consort. I know that, and yet, from time to time I wish you'd stop cooking and look only at me."
"… Freed, I look only at you."
"Yup. I should understand that more than enough. But even though they're my feelings, I can't quite control them. It's troubling."

As Freed lowered his eyebrows making a truly awkward face, I rubbed my cheek against Freed's. Freed's beardless cheek was smooth and very pleasant.

"Freed, I love you."

Wanting to cheer Freed up, I kissed his lips. Freed's wide-eyed expression of astonishment instantly turned bewitched.

"To be so easily touched by Lidi's words of love, I've become a simple man."

Despite saying that, his voice was extremely sweet. Feeling happy about it, I said.

"I'm the same, so we're equal in this regard."
"Lidi, you too? You are touched?"
"Yup."

Of course. When I nodded, Freed returned a happy smile. Delighted about that, I once again kissed his lips, and as a result he did his usual thing.

Chapter end