Volume 1, Chapter 64 – Feeding Play?

“Can Fia accept sweets?”

“I suppose I like them?”

In her memory, there wasn’t any food she disliked.

“Then let’s try this. I’ve only seen it in the southern continent before—I never expected it to have spread to the northern Milcandis Holy Kingdom over the years.” Claire took a step forward but then withdrew her foot as if remembering something. She turned to Fia with a wry smile. “If I go, I’ll scare that person. I’ll have to trouble little Fia with this.”

“No problem, leave it to me.”

“Remember not to add extra sugar to my portion.”

With Claire’s reminder, Fia walked up to the stall.

As she had anticipated, the so-called “ice dessert” was nothing more than shaved ice—large ice blocks crushed into thumb-sized pieces and drizzled with animal cream.

When he noticed someone approaching, the young man didn’t even lift his head, just lazily waved his hand.

“Five copper coins per serving. Six if you want extra sugar.”

Ah, so that’s why.

Fia immediately understood why people had only asked about the price before leaving. Five copper coins for a single serving of dessert was a burden most families couldn’t afford. Typically, five copper coins could cover a family’s daily food expenses. Snacks in the commercial district were usually priced in iron coins.

“I’ll take two servings.”

“Huh?”

The young man jerked his head up. Upon seeing Fia’s face, he froze for an uncontrollable moment before realizing how impolite it was to stare. He quickly averted his gaze, only to notice the black formal dress she was wearing.

“A—a noble lady…? My apologies. The goods haven’t sold for so long that I was about to pack up and go home.”

In this world, if commoners offended nobles, the nobles could skip the step of fabricating false charges and simply have the guards arrest them. Fia’s attire clearly marked her as someone extraordinary, and coupled with her delicate features, the young man naturally assumed she was nobility.

Fia simply smiled and handed over a silver coin—leftover from purchasing magic scrolls.

“Two servings, please. Though it’s none of my business, pricing it this high means even if ordinary people want to try it, they can’t afford to enjoy it.”

The young man, scooping ice from a wooden barrel, instantly looked troubled.

“I don’t want to sell it at this price either, but white oil and sugar are hard to come by. If I don’t charge five copper coins, I won’t make any profit. Besides, making ice consumes my mana. I can only produce one barrel a day, and afterward, I’m left dizzy from exhaustion for a long time.”

Only one barrel of ice a day?

Fia couldn’t help but use [Wind of Exploration] to inspect the man. His mana appeared purple, only slightly stronger than the deep purple of those with no magical ability. This young man likely came from a family that wasn’t wealthy but was desperate to learn magic.

Fia had always liked helping such hardworking people. She carefully considered her words.

“Have you thought about changing your target audience? For instance, instead of selling to commoners, market it to nobles. They have the money to enjoy these things.”

“Why would nobles like commoners’ food? Noble ladies like you, who are so approachable, are rare. If I served something as unrefined as this to a noble, I’d probably get my legs broken and be thrown out.”

The young man spoke bitterly.

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The rules of this world were so harsh…

“Then try raising the price even higher. Grind the ice into fine shavings and mix it with fruit juice. Or better yet, freeze milk and juice together from the start—the texture would improve significantly. If you garnish the cream with sliced fruit, the presentation would be even more appealing. Nobles are human too; they’d love something that looks delicious.”

“But the cost would rise to at least seven or even eight copper coins…”

“The higher the price, the more it signifies status. Nobles love setting themselves apart. If the price is too low, they’ll assume the product is inferior.”

“You can do that…?” Though his voice was strained, a glimmer of hope appeared in the young man’s eyes. “Freezing juice into ice, then crushing it into fine shavings to sell… No one’s ever done that before. It’s a completely new dessert. My lady, are you… are you planning to sell this idea to me? But I don’t have the money to pay you.”

No, I wasn’t planning to charge you.

In Fia’s era, humans no longer needed treats like ice cream. She was merely recounting the shaved ice desserts people enjoyed in the old days.

When she explained she didn’t intend to charge him, the young man immediately frowned.

“That won’t do! I may be poor, but I’m a mage with pride. I can’t accept favors without repayment!”

His earnest declaration drew glances from passersby.

Fia felt a headache coming on.

“If you insist… then how about sharing a portion of the profits with me for every dessert sold? But I won’t always be in Aurora City. I’ll collect it when I need it.”

In any case, she wouldn’t be returning to Aurora City, so collecting payment was out of the question. As the elf princess, Fia wasn’t so destitute that she needed to collect copper coins from commoners.

“Thank you, my lady! I’ll start working on the recipe tonight! No—right now!”

“You haven’t given me my order yet.”

“My deepest apologies!”

In his excitement, the young man had forgotten to hand over the dessert.

After that, things proceeded smoothly. Persuaded by Fia, the young man didn’t immediately pack up his cart and go home. Instead, he carefully considered how to present the dessert in a way nobles would accept. To prove he wouldn’t deceive Fia, he secretly provided not only his name and address but also wrote down the names and residences of his fiancée, parents, and even all his relatives.

An exceptionally earnest person.

Worth mentioning was that when Fia returned to Claire with the ice desserts, the children lingering around the stall all stared at her with pitiful, longing eyes. According to the young man, these children were waiting for Fia to finish her treat so they could scavenge the thick leaves used as containers, scraping off the remnants of cream to enjoy a rare taste of sweetness.

The situation sounded so tragic that Fia couldn’t help but buy smaller portions of the ice dessert from the young man and distribute them to the thin, pitiful children. This act elicited ear-splitting cheers from the kids. Some of the younger ones even cried while eating, calling Fia a “goddess.”

Though passersby cast envious glances at the children’s good fortune, Fia ignored them—these were adults, after all.

The reaction was excessively dramatic.

If word reached the church, they might mistake her for a heretic trying to steal believers.

After expending considerable effort to dissuade the children from following her while singing praises, Fia and Claire finally managed to sit down in the shade. It was early summer in the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, and no one enjoyed strolling under the scorching sun.

“Little Fia, as an elf, you don’t seem to dislike human children at all. If elf children fell into human hands, they’d surely be bullied relentlessly.”

Wiping sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, Claire’s tone was full of admiration.

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“Well, that’s true…”

But in Fia’s time, intelligent beings no longer cared much about racial differences. More than innate disparities, they focused on differences in consciousness, beliefs, and ideals. Thus, Fia’s sense of racial identity was quite faint. If not for her status as the elf princess, whether elf or human, they all shared one common label in her eyes—”people of another world.”

Besides, these children had done nothing wrong. The ones who deserved punishment were those who committed wrongs for personal gain.

As Fia pondered how to respond to Claire, the latter, holding her ice dessert, noticed something on Fia’s face and leaned closer with a look of concern.

“Fia, you’ve got cream on your face.”

Was this the setup for one of those cliché romance manga scenes, where one partner wipes cream off the other’s face with a finger and then licks it?

Unfortunately, things didn’t unfold as Fia imagined. Claire simply handed her the handkerchief and let her wipe it off herself.

A bit disappointing.

In Claire’s eyes, Fia was probably like a little sister. Only Fia harbored feelings close to affection for Claire.

“What’s wrong? You look unhappy.”

Noticing Fia’s disappointed expression, Claire tilted her head curiously.

Fia quickly switched back to a neutral expression and joked deliberately.

“Nothing. I was just wondering if outsiders might mistake us for close sisters.”

If she weren’t the elf princess but the elf prince, now would be the time to say “lovers.”

“I think they’d see us as a noble lady and a monster. Ah~ The elf crown princess is actually walking with a freak like me—Claire is deeply moved.”

“Stop putting yourself down. Claire knows she’s actually very beautiful, right?”

“There you go with ‘beautiful’ again. Throwing that word around so casually might make people develop feelings for you, especially someone like me who’s always called a monster. Honestly, after all these years, I’ve lost all confidence.”

Claire’s lovely face was full of distress as she looked up, troubled.

Fia corrected her with utmost seriousness.

“This might sound self-indulgent, but Claire’s beauty rivals that of the elf princess. Not just in appearance, but also in the kindness you always maintain—it’s incredibly charming. The night I first saw you, I thought you were an elf from the moon.”

“An elf from the moon…” Claire repeated the phrase softly, then gradually curled her lips into an amused smile. “What a strange description, but oddly fitting. Even someone like me feels happy hearing little Fia’s words. You’ll surely captivate countless men in the future—’naturally enchanting,’ shall we say? In that case… I should do this before other men get the chance.”

Do this before other men get the chance?

The peculiar phrasing put Fia on guard, but she couldn’t fathom what Claire intended to do. Though there was a hint of self-deprecation in her tone, if it were something like a kiss, they’d already done that yesterday.

Without a verbal reply, Claire took the wooden spoon from Fia’s hand, scooped up a portion of Fia’s dessert, and gently brought it to her lips. Her beautiful face was filled with expectation and entreaty, her clear jade-green eyes sparkling like a child’s.

“I’ve wanted to try this for a long time, but I never had anyone to do it with. Can I try it with Fia?”

“Mmm.”

Fia couldn’t help but avert her gaze.

Claire didn’t seem to realize that the distance between them was just a wooden spoon apart. Her eager, emerald eyes were so captivating that Fia didn’t dare meet them for more than a second.

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Utterly mesmerizing.

Claire was completely unaware of her effect on Fia.

In the past, whenever she saw couples doing this in public, she’d inwardly curse their shameless display of affection. But now that she was the one involved, all that remained was a mix of eagerness and embarrassment.

“D-Don’t you like it?”

Claire’s voice carried a hint of hesitation as she withdrew the spoon slightly, her expression turning cautious.

Fia could guess Claire’s thoughts. She probably assumed Fia was unwilling, that she’d overstepped by assuming their relationship was closer than it was, and now Fia was displeased.

That wasn’t the case.

Fia was just embarrassed.

Just as Claire had never had someone to feed before, Fia had never been fed by anyone—especially not by a girl she harbored near-romantic feelings for.

If yesterday she hadn’t fully realized her feelings for Claire, today she was too afraid to confront them.

Summoning her courage and suppressing her shyness, Fia tried her best not to let her embarrassment show.

“Then I’ll really eat it.”

Claire’s slightly dimmed eyes brightened again.

“Please do.”

Fia quietly swallowed, then parted her lips slightly and took the spoon.

The creamy, cool sweetness.

It tasted different from before.

But if asked to pinpoint exactly how, even the Fia of the past wouldn’t have been able to explain.

The real change came from within.

Her racing heart, the blood rushing to her cheeks, her tense body—all these subtle shifts made the same thing feel entirely different. It culminated in her inability to meet Claire’s bright gaze.

“Hmm… It doesn’t feel particularly special. The couples I’ve seen feeding each other always looked so blissful.”

Watching Fia swallow the cream-covered ice, Claire seemed somewhat puzzled.

Fia felt a surge of irritation.

“That’s because Claire was the one feeding. Of course you wouldn’t feel it. This time, it’s my turn.”

Taking the spoon from Claire, Fia scooped up a portion from Claire’s dessert and brought it to her lips.

Once again, Claire’s face filled her vision, but this time, their roles were reversed.

Suddenly, Claire hesitated, her gaze shifting away, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

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Was she… embarrassed?

Fia couldn’t help but wonder.

Her own embarrassment stemmed from her near-romantic feelings for Claire, but Claire’s reaction was harder to decipher.

Fortunately, Claire didn’t make Fia wait. After a moment’s hesitation, she tucked a strand of silver hair behind her ear and carefully took the spoonful of cream.

Then, their eyes met—only to dart away simultaneously, as if electrified.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence.

Like would-be lovers accidentally brushing hands, a peculiar tension hung between them.

“I… I think I understand how Fia felt now. When I was feeding you, it didn’t feel like much, but being fed… my heart started racing uncontrollably. We were just like… like lovers.”

What Claire left unsaid was that, in that moment, she’d felt a sudden flutter in her chest.

Even though they were both girls, the thought was absurd.

“Don’t say things like that…”

Still avoiding Claire’s gaze, Fia blushed and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

How embarrassing.

Now my heart’s racing too.

Her entire body felt feverish. She wanted nothing more than to rush back to the clinic and douse herself in cold water.

At that moment, it was as if the rest of the world ceased to exist. The chatter of passersby, the clatter of carriage wheels on cobblestones, the distant cries of street vendors—all faded into oblivion.

Time itself seemed to freeze.

Was this atmosphere urging her to confess?

Abruptly, the thought crossed Fia’s mind.

But it was far too soon.

The heart-pounding silence lasted a few seconds. Just as Fia felt that prolonging it would make speaking even harder, an unusual discussion erupted nearby. Both of them seized the ill-timed interruption like a lifeline.

“Um… Fia, shall we go see what’s happening?”

“Y-Yes.”

Translator Note

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