Side Story

1. Snowflake Duchy

About ten days after our engagement was made public, Lord Glen and I were in a carriage on our way to the Snowflake Duchy.

“After we have our debut feast in the Duchy’s capital, we’ll head to the town of Eins by the sea.”

I nodded along to Lord Glen’s explanation in the swaying carriage before stopping him to ask, “Debut feast...?”

“It’s a festival to introduce my fiancée to the citizens. After greeting everyone on stage in the plaza, we’ll go look at all of the stalls and exhibits around.”

Once, when I was little, I’d snuck a look at a festival from the barony’s manor grounds. I saw people in gorgeous and colorful costumes playing instruments as they walked. The children chasing after them seemed to have a lot of fun, and I remembered being jealous.

Since I’d been adopted by Margrave Sargent, I’d been so busy studying in order to stay with Lord Glen that I wouldn’t have had the time to go to a festival if one had taken place. I’d heard that the royal capital was in festival-mode the day our engagement was made public, but I couldn’t say I wanted to go see it for security reasons.

“It’ll be my first festival. I’m so excited!”

I gave a stronger-than-usual nod, and Lord Glen smiled at me bashfully.

＋＋＋

During midday, five days after we’d left the royal capital, we finally reached the Snowflake Duchy’s capital. It was up on a hill, with the Duchy’s castle-like consulate at the top. Apparently it also served as the ducal family’s manor.

As we rode through the city, I saw colorful flags decorating the outside walls of the citizens’ homes, beside the shop signs, and on the street lights.

“Those decorations are unique to the Snowflake Duchy,” Lord Glen explained while I stared at the colorful fabrics outside of the carriage window. “We put them up when something good happens. Other places have different colors or patterns, while some put nothing up at all.”

Looking closer, I could see that they were all made of palm-sized pieces of fabric joined together. So that’s why none of them look the same!

As I looked around in surprised amazement, we made it to the castle. I took Lord Glen’s hand as he helped me out, and we were met by a myriad of differently dressed people all lined up. In the middle was a smiling old man in a butler’s uniform, with his dark brown salt-and-pepper hair slicked back.

When we approached the entrance, the line of people split.

“Welcome home, Your Highness. And welcome, Lady Fiancée,” said the old man in place of the group. They all bowed their heads.

“I’m home, everyone.”

Their heads rose at Lord Glen’s reply. They all looked so happy, and I could feel that he was important to all of them. I knew it wasn’t something I should be doing to people below my station, but I curtsied back at them in an attempt to show good faith. Slow and polite, as graceful as I can be...

The old man smiled, eyes crinkling.

“His name is Sebastian. He’s the Snowflake Duchy’s acting lord. He’s also technically a baron, but he gets cranky if you call him by his full name.”

“As His Highness says, my name is Sebastian. Before I was acting lord of the Duchy of Snowflake, I was His Highness’s butler. Please, do call me Sebas.”

“She’s Chelsea, daughter of Margrave Sargent. She’s both my fiancée and a research fellow at the Royal Research Institute.”

“My name is Chelsea Sargent. Please, call me Chelsea.” I introduced myself with a smile, and the old man...Sir Sebas gave me a bright smile back.

“We will call you Lady Chelsea until the day that you two are wed.”

All of the other people nodded in agreement.

＋＋＋

Since Lord Glen and Sir Sebas needed to talk about things related to the duchy, I was shown to my room first. It was a really spacious room on the third floor, in a spot with lots of sunlight. The curtains and carpet were a low-key wine red, with a sofa of the same color.

Huh? I looked all around, but for some reason, there was no bed.

“The bedroom is beyond the door,” said the maid, as if reading my mind.

So it’s split into a room for sleep and a room for play. How fancy!

“Thank you ever so much for showing me to such a wonderful room.”

When I thanked her, the maid blinked a few times in shock. Did I say something strange? I tilted my head in confusion, and her expression changed to a smile.

“If you need anything at all, please ask,” she said before standing in wait beside the wall.

I walked over to the window and looked outside. Since the consulate was on the highest point of the hill, I could see the entire ducal capital at once. It was also fun to see the cloth decorating the buildings and street lights from here.

My gaze slowly moved closer to the actual consulate, and the gardens caught my eye. Not only were there flowers, but vegetables growing as well.

Isn’t having plants other than flowers a bit unusual? Since Lord Glen and Sir Sebas’s talk is supposed to take a while, why don’t I go for a little walk?

Curious, I asked the maid waiting off to the side. “Um... Would it be all right if I were to take a walk through the gardens?”

“Yes, of course!” She nodded with a smile.

Strolling down the paths decorated with pansies, petunias, and snapdragons, I walked towards the garden—or rather, the field. I reached it after passing under an arch of roses.

“Tomato, basil, lettuce, and these are chili peppers?” I rattled off the names of plants I’d seen in my book as I slowly walked through the fields.

“My lady, you’re familiar with the names of vegetables?” murmured the maid accompanying me in surprise.

“Yes. My research involves plants.”

In actuality, it was on my Skill [Seed Creation], but I gave a more general answer since it would take too long to get into detail. The maid seemed to accept it.

All of the vegetables planted around me looked nice and healthy. They reminded me of one time when Lord Tris had said, “Plants’ll get saucy if you forget to take care of them for even a moment,” so that must have meant that these vegetables were well taken care of.

After looking at all the lively veggie fields, I went back to the path to continue my garden walk. After a short distance, I ended up at the stables. The brown-coated horse that had pulled our carriage was right near the entrance, so I walked up to it.

“My lady, you mustn’t get so close,” warned the maid, looking nervous.

Normally, a horse might get defensive and act violently when someone they didn’t know approached, but...

“This one is fine.”

When I held out my hand, the horse moved its head and nestled against my palm of its own accord. I’d actually had a few conversations with the cart horse via the Communication Spirit during our journey to the duchy. I’d also given it an Aopo Seed when it was tired, so we were fairly friendly.

“No way any lady who’s friendly with a horse could be bad,” said the old stablehand brusquely as he walked out from within the stable, giving me a smirk.

The maid accompanying me looked surprised again. I wonder why she’s getting so surprised? I was curious, but not curious enough to ask.

Once my walk was finished and I’d returned to my room, I was told it was time for dinner. After checking to make sure I looked all right, the maid led me to the dining room.

Inside, Lord Glen was already sitting. He beckoned me over, urging me to sit down at the seat beside him.

From an etiquette standpoint, I should sit across from him, but...

“It seems that you’re troubling Lady Chelsea,” chided Sir Sebas for me, but Lord Glen just shook his head.

“This isn’t a formal dinner, and there’s no one here I wouldn’t want to see us, so sitting side by side should be fine. Sit beside me, okay, Chelsea?”

He was smiling so happily that I just had to nod obediently.

“All right,” I said, sitting in the seat beside him.

For some reason, I could feel the gazes of Sir Sebas, the maid who accompanied me, and the servants who brought the food out. Sort of amazed, sort of surprised... Their expressions put me at a loss.

Our dinner was a dish made with the Snowflake Duchy’s local specialty beef. On top of a hot steel plate was a delicious-smelling hamburg steak that was easily cut, spilling out its juices. I lifted it to my mouth and took a bite. It was soft, juicy, and delicious.

＋＋＋

Once I was fresh out of the bath, I headed to the master bedroom.

As I walked in, the first thing I saw was the huge bed. It was probably big enough to fit five adults, if not more. In the middle of the room was a three-seat sofa and a low table, so I went to sit down for the time being.

When I sat on the soft cloth sofa cushion, I bounced a bit. This is kinda fun...!

After bouncing a few times, I heard a knock on the door. It seemed that the main bedroom was connected to the hallway.

“I’ve brought you your evening snack.”

I recognized the voice as Sir Sebas, so I let him in. A maid pushing a cart came in as well, setting some fruit water and bite-sized chocolate on a little plate out onto the low table.

“Have a wonderful evening,” Sir Sebas said, as he and the maid left the room.

I took a sip of my fruit water before reaching out for the sweet-smelling chocolates. When I bit into one, a sweet liquid seeped out of the middle and spread through my mouth. As the sweetness subsided, there was a slightly bitter aftertaste. I’d never had anything like this before. Aside from the taste, the chocolate made me feel like I was floating.

“Yummy...”

I grabbed another and put it in my mouth. Then another. I was so entranced by the sweet liquid that I had eaten half of the plate before I realized what I was doing.

“I wanna eat more...but I want Lord Glen to have some too...”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard a door open. I looked towards the hallway entrance, but no one was there. The lack of anyone puzzled me, but before I could think much about it, I heard someone approaching from the other direction.

“Chelsea?”

“Huh? Lord Glen?”

I tilted my head while he blinked at me.

“Is somethin’ wrong?” I giggled as a smile spread over my face. Huh? The floaty feeling is making it hard to talk.

Lord Glen’s gaze fell to the table. “Are you...?!”

He looks so handsome, suddenly grabbing a chocolate and throwing it in his mouth...

While I was busy thinking that, he swallowed and then held his head in his hands. “These are liqueur chocolates...”

I heard him saying something, but I wasn’t comprehending anything. Everything felt so floaty. I reached out for another chocolate. Just as I was about to put it in my mouth, Lord Glen grabbed my wrist.

“No more for you.”

“Why...?” I asked, tilting my head again as he looked away. They’re so good... I wanna eat more...

Looking at the plate, I remembered that I’d eaten about half of them.

“Oh... So we were splitting them.” He must have said no because the rest were his.

“No, that’s not...” he mumbled as I nodded to myself.

I don’t really get it, but if half of them are his, I need him to eat them...

“Lord Glen, say ‘ahhh!’” I said, still feeling floaty.

His hand left my wrist, and he finally looked at my face, blinking again.

“Ahhhh~ Say ‘ahhh~’” I repeated, bringing the chocolate to his lips. He swallowed hard before slowly opening his mouth. “Here you go!”

I tossed the chocolate in. He’s so cute, chewing it up... I want to feed him more...!

“Lord Glen, come sit right here!” I urged him, smacking the seat beside me. He sat down, blushing a little bit.

Once I was sure he was sitting, I picked up another piece of chocolate and lifted it to his lips. Though he looked embarrassed, Lord Glen opened his mouth and ate it for me.

Before I knew it...all of the chocolates were gone.

＋＋＋

I woke up to the sunlight flickering in through the gaps in the curtains. Looking up at the unfamiliar ceiling, I remembered that this was the master bedroom in the Snowflake ducal manor.

Huh? When did I fall asleep? I had no memories after I started eating the chocolates. Wait... I think I remember Lord Glen being there. But when did I get in bed?

Confused, I sat myself up. I looked around before my eyes drifted to the other side of the bed. There I saw dark-blue hair at the very, very edge, nearly falling off. Timidly, I leaned closer, only to see Lord Glen sleeping.

Long eyelashes, the same color as his hair... A well-shaped nose. Thin lips. He really is just as beautiful as an angel. I couldn’t help but stare.

But as I sat there blankly looking at him, I realized: Why is...Lord Glen here?

“Huh?!” I squealed in surprise.

When I did, his eyes opened, our gazes met, and I froze up. After blinking a few times, he sat up and chuckled.

“Good morning, Chelsea.”

While I was busy flapping my gums in confusion, he just stretched.

Interlude: Glen

After she made me eat all of the liqueur chocolates on the plate, Chelsea stared at my face, smiling happily with intoxicated eyes. I don’t think I could be blamed for getting embarrassed after how long she did it.

“Chelsea?”

“Yes?”

“It’s kinda embarrassing having you stare like that,” I said honestly.

She blinked a few times.

“Your face is just as pretty as an angel’s; I can’t help it,” she said, smiling again.

I could feel my face heating up from her defenseless smile. I really wanted to hug her, right then.

Blissfully ignorant to my thoughts, she asked in a more relaxed voice than usual, “Anyway... Why are you here, Lord Glen?”

“This is my room... Why are you here?”

I realized as soon as the words left my lips. This was the main bedroom, where the current Duke and Duchess Snowflake would sleep together. It was connected to both of their private quarters.

I was the current Duke Snowflake, so setting that aside...Chelsea must have been taken to the duchess’s room, despite us not being married yet. It wasn’t odd that she would use it as the future Duchess Snowflake, but...it was way too early for us to be sleeping in the same bed.

“I understand. This is your room. I’ll sleep somewhere else!”

She got up and started walking away, but ended up flopping down on the sofa again.

“Huh?” Apparently she was even drunker than I thought.

“You’re not getting anywhere in your current state. I’ll sleep somewhere else.”

“No!” Chelsea refused strongly, shaking her head side to side. I froze, wondering what she was doing. “This is Lord Glen’s room. I’ll go.”

Despite her assertion, she was too drunk to even stand up.

After looking back and forth between her and the bed, I muttered, “Okay... We’ll sleep on the bed together.”

“Together?” she asked, tilting her head.

She was so cute that I couldn’t help but reach out and touch her cheek.

“Your hand is warm, Lord Glen.” She smiled again, nuzzling against my palm. I had to hold myself back from doing something else with how defenseless she was.

No making a move on a woman until you’re married. I resisted my urges, repeating that in my head. Things weren’t as relaxed here as in my past life.

“That bed should be fine as long as we sleep to the sides.”

“That’s true! It’s a huge bed!” Chelsea laughed happily.

Seeing as she couldn’t stand on her own, I picked her up and took her over to the bed. Her arms naturally circled my neck to keep herself from falling. My heart began to race at the fact that we were practically holding each other.

Heart still pounding, I laid her down more to the middle of the bed, since I was worried she might fall off at the edge. She let go as I did, looking up at me with drunk eyes.

I wasn’t doing a single thing wrong, but I felt like I was gonna end up feeling guilty anyway.

“C’mon, close your eyes.”

I lightly covered her eyes with my palm, and when I pulled it back a moment later, her eyes were closed and she was breathing steadily.

I admired her sleeping face for a few moments before getting into the other side of the bed. Thinking back, I must have been a little drunk on the chocolates too. Otherwise, I would never have suggested sleeping together in the same bed.

The next morning, I woke to Chelsea’s shocked cry. Her clothes weren’t messed up, and I hadn’t moved from where I’d lain down. Even though we were engaged, I was relieved to know I hadn’t imposed myself on an unmarried, underage girl.

“Good morning, Chelsea.”

She was cute when she was drunk last night, but she was cute frozen like this too. And from how she was acting, it seemed like she might not remember what happened the night before.

Now, how am I gonna explain this to her? I thought, chuckling.

2. The Festival in the Duchy’s Capital

When I woke up, Lord Glen was sleeping in the same bed. I was super shocked, but he just chuckled.

“This is the master bedroom for the duke and duchess... Meaning, for me and the future duchess, who is you. That’s why it’s okay for us to sleep in the same bed,” he explained, slipping out and onto his feet.

It seemed like nothing had occurred, but there was something I wondered about.

“Um... I don’t remember anything that happened after eating the chocolates,” I confessed, using every bit of courage I had. “I didn’t do anything rude, did I...?”

Lord Glen shook his head. “The chocolates you ate last night had liqueur in them. You got drunk and fell asleep pretty fast, so you didn’t do anything rude at all.”

“I see,” I replied with a sigh. That’s a relief.

＋＋＋

Once we had a light lunch, the maids helped me into a dress that was visually extravagant, but easy to move in and without a corset. Apparently it was chosen so that we could go look around the stalls and exhibits after I greeted the people as Lord Glen’s fiancée.

If I’m in this, walking for a long time won’t tire me out!

After giving my thanks to the head maid who’d chosen the dress, Lord Glen and I got into the carriage. The greeting would be held in the plaza near the center of the capital, and as we traveled from the manor, I could see lots of people.

We got out of the carriage partway through. During the celebration, travel by carriage was restricted around the plaza for everyone’s safety. From there we headed to the stage deeper in.

Heart pounding, I walked on stage with Lord Glen and stood in the middle. I knew everyone’s eyes were on us.

Lord Glen greeted them as duke, then looked over at me. “This is my fiancée, Lady Chelsea, daughter of Margrave Sargent.”

“My name is Chelsea Sargent... Please, everyone, do treat me well.”

I was so nervous that I couldn’t squeeze anything but that out. Despite this though, the citizens clapped and cheered. Everyone back in the Sargent Margraviate is nice, so maybe everyone here in the Snowflake Duchy is nice too. When I thought that, a smile came to my face naturally.

Once we were done with our introductions, the two of us descended from the stage and started visiting the stalls. I was so excited to finally experience a festival that I nearly started running, but I held myself back because of all the eyes watching me.

Lord Glen noticed, and he gave my hand a tight squeeze.

“Looks like you might go flying off somewhere if I don’t hold you down here,” he whispered in my ear with a chuckle. My heart was pounding too much to respond verbally, so I just squeezed his hand back.

After that, he didn’t say another word and just started walking.

The first thing we came across was a strange performance called toss juggling, where the performer threw multiple things into the air and caught them over and over again. The man in his feathery hat threw palm-sized balls up in the air one by one before catching them in his opposite hand and tossing them once more. Before I knew it, there were five balls in the air at once, and everyone was cheering.

Just watching the man tossing the balls with great timing was fun. I was mystified by how he didn’t drop any.

“Is he using magic or a Skill?” I asked Lord Glen quietly.

He shook his head. “Some people fake it using magic or Skills, but this man isn’t. He’s doing it out of pure technique,” he said while using his Sage-level [Appraisal] Skill.

It seemed that the performer heard him. He didn’t say anything, but his expression brightened as he kept throwing his balls.

“I’m getting a bit hungry. Let’s look around the stalls.”

I nodded back at Lord Glen’s suggestion. Holding hands, we headed towards the food stalls, and I smelled something delicious.

“That smells sweet... What’s this?” I asked, looking at fruit and cream rolled up on a thin layer of batter.

“These are crepes,” Lord Glen explained, buying one with plenty of fruit. “You don’t rip these up. Instead, you bite into them as is.”

So I have to do the thing that my table manners taught me to never, ever do?!

Despite my shock, I did as he instructed and bit into it. A bit of cream popped out of the side and onto my cheek, which Lord Glen promptly wiped off with a finger before licking it.

“Sweet and delicious.”

Everyone around us was buzzing, but none of it reached my ears. I was mortified—both by the fact I got cream on my face like a little kid, and that Lord Glen had to wipe it off! I was so embarrassed that I considered not eating anymore.

Other than that, we snacked on lots of things, like fried donuts, fruit skewers, sandwiches, and hot dogs. Once we were full and had a little break, we moved on to the shop stalls that were all lined up.

There were shops with tables full of hair decorations, shops with animal-shaped dolls and clothes for those dolls to wear, and shops with old books. It was fun seeing all of the different things for sale.

I stopped in front of one shop selling ornaments with magic stones attached. They have hand mirrors...

After I looked at one for a few moments, a big dog popped its head out from under the table. It sat down right beside me, tail wagging as it nudged at my dress with its nose.

“Oh my, how rare for her to warm up to someone,” the shop owner said.

I knelt down and put my palm out, only for the pup to rest her chin there, as if to say, “Please pet me.”

“May I pet her?”

“As much as you’d like!”

After getting permission from the shop owner, I scratched the dog’s chin and neck. It was then that the Communication Spirit appeared.

«It’s sayin’ that Lady Chelsea smells like a nice girl!»

I wonder what a nice person smells like? I tilted my head, but the Spirit didn’t say anything else and flew off somewhere.

While I was busy petting the dog, Lord Glen thanked the shop owner after apparently buying something.

“We’ve been around the whole plaza, it seems. Let’s get going.”

“All right,” I agreed, following him back to the carriage on the main road.

As I watched the townscape and citizens through the little window, Lord Glen took out a paper bag.

“I bought you a present. Open it!”

I did as he instructed and found the hand mirror with magic stones on it that I’d been looking at before.

“This mirror is special,” he said, smirking like a child about to pull a prank. “Try pressing the stone on the back.”

I nervously did, only for the edges of the mirror to light up.

“Hwah?!”

“Those are made so ladies can fix their make-up, even in darker places.”

“It’s handy how it can be both a mirror and a light,” I commented as I looked it over.

Lord Glen smiled. “Do you like it?”

“Yes, very much!” I decided to put it in my storage room in the Spirit World so that I could take it out whenever I wanted.

That night, Lord Glen and I slept in the same bed again, but I fell asleep instantly thanks to all the walking we’d done.

The next morning, Lord Glen looked exhausted.

“Oh no, did I keep you awake by moving or talking too much in my sleep?” I asked worriedly.

“It’s fine,” he said, shaking his head. “You were just as quiet sleeping as you are when you’re up.”

Does that mean he watched me sleeping? I was too embarrassed to ask.

3. The Seaside Town of Eins

We left the duchy’s capital the day after the festival, and three days later, we were nearing the seaside town of Eins.

Eins was one of the top two flourishing towns in the Snowflake Duchy, and both the marine products they fished from the sea and the Shine Muscat grapes they grew on land were apparently delicious.

“Once we get over this hill, you’ll be able to see the ocean.”

Listening to Lord Glen, I stared out the little carriage window. Once we were at the top, I saw the water sparkling in the distance. I’d heard about the ocean, but I hadn’t expected it to be so big and sparkling.

“It’s so...pretty...” It was so huge and beautiful that I was at a loss for words.

Thinking back, I’d heard that my adoptive father said that the Blue Lilies blooming looked like the ocean. I’d also thought that the field of Sky Lilies reminded me of the sky. If we planted both, would they look just like the view I was seeing now?

I stared at the sea, but something in front of it caught my eye. Really big and blue somethings, walking sideways towards the grapevines on the coast. They had round bodies, two big scissor claws, and four legs on each side of their body. It appeared that they were rushing fast through the netting and wooden walls between them and their destination. Past that was a big group of people with weapons raised.

“Um, Lord Glen... People are battling some blue creatures.”

Hearing my question, he leaned over me from behind to look through the window. My heart jumped smelling the sweet scent coming off of him.

“From what I can see, they’re monsters called Muscat Crabs. As per their name, their favorite food is grapes, and they seem to be targeting the Shine Muscats on the coast,” Lord Glen explained, giving a sign to the carriage driver to speed up.

We watched through the window, seeing the armed people fighting the human-sized Muscat Crabs as if they were used to it. By the time we arrived, the monsters were all defeated.

“We got a good haul tonight!” The armed crowd cheered.

Then the same people who had fought started cutting up the Muscat Crabs. As they did, a great amount of liquid flowed out of the crabs. It was apparently unneeded since they just let it soak the ground. Once the liquid was drained, they separated the crabs’ bodies from their shells, then loaded them onto carts to take somewhere else.

“I hadn’t heard any reports of monsters... What’s happening?” muttered Lord Glen inside the carriage, hand to his chin and a grim look on his face.

After that, we headed straight for the mayor’s home.

“We’ve got an inn prepared elsewhere for us to relax in. Let’s just greet the mayor first,” said Lord Glen before we stepped out of the carriage.

In front of the mayor’s home was a man with a tough-looking face with a scar on it, smiling at us. “Welcome, Your Excellency, Duke Snowflake!”

“I’ve brought my fiancée mainly for sightseeing, but...” Lord Glen immediately asked about the monsters.

“I will explain that inside,” the tough-looking man—or rather, the mayor—said, leading us to his manor’s parlor.

Lord Glen and I sat down next to each other on a big three-seat sofa, while tea and baked sweets were put out on the low table.

“Those crab monsters have been showing up for the last month or so now,” said the mayor, sipping his tea.

He explained that the Muscat Crabs had washed up and settled on an island off the coast more than half a year before. Initially, they’d been left alone since they weren’t causing any trouble, but that seemed to change recently.

“Why did you not send a report on the monsters?”

“That’s because the fishermen have been vanqui— I mean, hunting them.”

So the people with weapons were fishermen. They had looked really used to beating the Muscat Crabs.

“They said something about getting a big haul.”

“Though the Muscat Crabs are monsters, their meat is incredibly delicious, and their shells can be made into armor. I didn’t report on them since we could manage the situation ourselves. I apologize,” the mayor explained, bowing down.

“It’s not too late. Please, tell us where and how often they appear.”

As Lord Glen was talking, I was staring at a Muscat Crab carapace decorating the room. It was big enough for someone to hide in, and sparkled a special shade of blue different from both the sea and the sky.

“They’ve been appearing once every two or three days, in numbers ranging from a single crab to five at most. They come from the sea to target the Shine Muscats,” the mayor told us, looking up in thought.

“And they’re being taken out around the grapevines?”

I remembered how the fishermen cut one up right beside some withered grapevines.

“Yes, they are.”

“I’d like to go see.”

“I’ll bring you right there!” The mayor stood up at Lord Glen’s words.

“Chelsea... I know we just got here, but would you mind coming along?”

“All right.” I gave Lord Glen a firm nod.

This was a job for Duke Snowflake. As his fiancée and future duchess, it was probably better for me to go too rather than just stay in my room.

We headed to the withered grapevines in our carriage, stopping it on the road so we could go out and inspect the field. The closer to the sea the grapes got, the more withered they became. Even the ones far away didn’t look too good.

Lord Glen let go of my hand and squatted down to look at the ground. “I just used my [Appraisal] Skill, but this entire area is damaged by salt.”

“What do you mean ‘damaged’?” I asked.

“There are some exceptions, but most plants won’t grow in places with too much salt.”

Seawater was salty. I knew this because I’d heard that licking it tasted really bitter. And here, it didn’t help that big ocean monsters were coming up on land, and were then cut apart after being defeated.

“It seems that every time the crabs are killed, they let out tons of incredibly salty water, which is affecting the Shine Muscats.”

“I have had reports lately from the farmers saying that the grape harvest was suffering,” the mayor said, looking at the grape fields in shock.

“So the salt damage has just started to take effect.”

The mayor nodded.

After that, we looked around for a while before finishing our inspection. On the way back, Lord Glen instructed the mayor to write a report before we parted ways.

＋＋＋

We finally made it to our intended destination, the inn. The one Lord Glen reserved was right beside the ocean, with the sandy beach right below it.

“Let’s rest for today. Wanna walk along the beach tomorrow?”

The maids back at the ducal house told me that you could do something called “beachcombing” here, where you pick up shells, rocks, and driftwood that the tide brought in. Apparently it was incredibly fun.

“Yes, of course!” I nodded, and Lord Glen chuckled happily at my answer.

Led by an employee of the inn, we were brought to a large room deep within the first floor. They opened the door for us, and I could see a myriad of furniture within. There were two big beds on the left side, with a dining table just to the right of the entrance; further in were a sofa and a low table.

“Please, feel as if you are at home,” said the employee before leaving.

I’d traveled with a carriage a number of times before, but this was the first time I’d stayed in such a magnificent hotel room. Since there’s a dining table, we’ll probably be eating here... I was shocked, since I’d only ever been to inns where the rooms were on the second or third floor with the first reserved for eating.

“This inn caters to nobles and royalty.”

“So that’s why it’s so fancy.”

“It’s got a barrier and security, so it’s safer here than if we’d stayed with the mayor,” Lord Glen explained.

I gave him a few nods back in understanding.

Looking at the sunset through the window, he continued, “Since we went to inspect the fields, it’s already nearly time for dinner.”

As the sun set on the horizon, it was reflected in the ocean, looking long and thin. While I was enthralled with my first ever view of a seaside sunset, someone knocked on the door, and a man in a chef’s hat stepped inside.

“May I bring your dinner in for you?”

“Please.”

After Lord Glen answered, men and women pushing carts started coming through the door one after the other. Once everything was put on the table, the man in the chef’s hat bowed, and the entire group left the room.

“Let’s eat.”

Lord Glen took my hand and led me to the table, where we sat across from each other.

“Amazing... The tableware is embedded with magical stones to keep the food the temperature it was finished at. Hot food stays piping hot until you take it off the plate, and cold stuff stays cold.”

I looked at all the food on the table in surprise, while he looked at a note left on the table.

“Next to the cutlery is an aperitif of white wine. There’s only a small amount, but you shouldn’t drink it since you might get drunk.”

“All right,” I nodded, thinking back to my mistake at the ducal manor. If chocolate liqueurs were enough to make me so drunk I couldn’t remember anything, it would be best for me not to drink any alcohol at all.

“Chilled pumpkin soup, shrimp terrine, roasted duck breast, scallops and shrimp grilled in salt, flounder carpaccio...”

The pumpkin soup was in a cute bowl shaped like a flower, with parsley sprinkled on top; the terrine and roast were all in bite-sized pieces on a single plate.

“Crab-cream croquette, crab gratin, grilled crab... This is all from those Muscat Crabs.”

The crab-cream croquettes were steaming in their brown batter. There was lightly charred cheese sizzling around the edge of the plate the crab gratin was on. It looked really delicious. The grilled crab was simply grilled.

“Seems like there’s dessert afterwards too. Let’s start.”

“Yes!”

I clasped my hands together and said a prayer to the earth gods.

“Thank you for the food,” Lord Glen murmured.

“Thank you for the food,” I murmured at the same time, getting a happy smile back from him.

4. How to Deal with Salt Damage and Monsters

After we finished eating and were lounging on the couch, Lord Glen was staring out the window.

“Is something the matter?” I asked, following his gaze out.

“I was just remembering what happened earlier,” he said, looking apologetic. “Going on inspections and thinking about the duchy while we’re on vacation... I know I shouldn’t, but I just can’t help thinking about it.”

I shook my head. “I don’t mind going out on inspections during our vacation. Rather, I’m happy that you’d bring me.”

Lord Glen was the King of Chronowize’s younger brother and the current Duke Snowflake. Not only that, but he acted as an advisor to the nobility, and worked as an appraiser at the same time. Though we were engaged, he was taking me on a vacation when he shouldn’t have had that much time to spend on me. I was nothing but glad for it.

“And...I will eventually be living here.”

Once I became duchess, I would be living in the Snowflake Duchy. The cheers and applause I was given when I was introduced in the capital were all heartwarming.

“I want to think more about the people of the Snowflake Duchy as well...” I said, pouring my heart out.

Lord Glen put a hand to his mouth, smiling happily. “Then let’s think together.”

“Yes!”

“The gist of it is like this...” he started, pulling paper and a pen out of his Item Box and writing:

Before the Muscat Crabs appeared.

Fishermen: Able to fish enough to get by.

Farmers: Making huge profits from selling Shine Muscat grapes to the royal family.

After the Muscat Crabs appeared.

Fishermen: Making huge profits from selling Muscat Crab meat and carapaces.

Farmers: Grape production output lowered by withering plants. Flavor suffering in remaining plants, and sales dropping.

“As you can see, the fishermen and farmers’ financial situations have reversed after the crabs appeared.”

Because of the abundance of salt, the damages to the Shine Muscat vineyards kept worsening. Not only were sales dropping, but the fields would inevitably end up not producing anything at all.

I nodded, remembering the plants withering from the salt damage. The farmers putting their all into growing the grapes must feel sad.

“The farmers are suffering damages. The fact that only fishermen are prospering now will probably end in some hostility towards them. There’s a chance that conflict will erupt if this prolongs.”

My expression warped at Lord Glen’s explanation. “If only both sides made huge profits. Revenue would soar, and the duchy would prosper...”

Lord Glen suddenly looked as if he realized something. “With your [Seed Creation] Skill, we might be able to do just that.”

“Really?!” I looked up at him.

If I could help not only Lord Glen, but the duchy as well, I’d do whatever I could.

“There are two things we need to do. First, stop the Muscat Crabs from going to the vineyards.”

“So... You mean we’d be luring them somewhere else?”

“Exactly.” He nodded. “We just have to make a grape they’d like more than the Shine Muscats.”

Normally, monsters attacked humans because they amassed mana. But when they had a favorite food, they would ignore humans in favor of eating. Back when a monster whose favorite food was liquorice plant appeared, we were able to stall it by planting liquorice seeds. All we had to do was make something that would be at the top of their list of favorite foods and make them eat that instead.

“Second, we’ll need to reverse the salt damage to the withering Shine Muscat vineyards,” Lord Glen continued, smiling bitterly. “Salt damage is a real pain, and sometimes it takes from a few years to a few decades to remove the salt content from the ground.”

If the vineyards stayed withered for that long, the farmers would lose their livelihoods.

“I’m thinking you could make a seed that could immediately remove—no, collect the salt content in the ground.”

My Skill allowed me to make any seed I wished for. All I needed to do was wish.

“Understood. I’ll make two types of seeds.”

And thus began our process of trial and error...

“We should lead the Muscat Crabs to the beach. That means we’ll need to use plants that can grow in the sand as reference to make a grape tree.”

Plants that can grow in the sand...? I opened my plant book to the page on coconut palm trees.

“I see, palm trees, huh... How about we make them a bit shorter, with grapes growing instead of coconuts?”

“Should the grapes be the same size as the Shine Muscats?” I asked.

“Nah, let’s make a single orange-sized one. If we make them hard for the crabs to grab and take longer to eat, it’ll buy more time for the fishermen to defeat them.”

“All right.”

With that, we thought up a new seed for a tree that would lure the Muscat Crabs away.

Strengthening the image in my mind, I cast my Skill. “Make a seed for a tree with grapes that the Muscat Crabs will love, and can grow on the beach—[Seed Creation]!”

With a little pop, a round green seed the size of my palm appeared in front of me.

“The seed looks like a cross between a coconut and a Shine Muscat,” commented Lord Glen before using his [Appraisal] Skill to check it out. “It’s called a ‘Wonderly Grape,’ and it’s the Muscat Crab’s favorite food. Seems that it doesn’t taste good to humans.”

“That means people won’t eat them all then,” I said, using my Skill to make ten seeds total.

“Next up is a plant to collect the salt in the ground...”

“Since we can’t think of any plants to base it on, we’ll need to draw up a blueprint,” I said, wishing for a pen and paper back from my Spirit World storage via the bracelet on my left wrist.

“They’ll be planted right beside the withering plants. If they’re too tall, they might end up impeding the grapevine’s growth.”

“Perhaps a shrub would work... Or maybe a type of short grass.” I wrote down “short plant” on the paper. “If they’ll be sucking up the salt, should they have thick roots?”

“Thick would be good, but since we don’t know how deep the salt has saturated, it might also be good to make them grow deep, like dandelions.”

I flipped to the page on dandelions in my book and saw that their roots were both thick and long.

Glen added, “If they’re gathering the salt, why don’t we make it so they produce fruit made of salt?”

“Maybe fruit that contains the salt...” I jotted that down on the paper.

“By the way, what do you think of salt as, Chelsea?”

“Whitish granulated powder... Is there some other kind?”

When I asked, Lord Glen explained how there was both salt made from the ocean and salt acquired by mining.

“If the salt is coming from sea monsters, then it’ll probably be the same as sea salt, right?”

White salt turning into a fruit... When I thought that, a plant immediately sprung to mind. I opened my book to it and showed Lord Glen.

“What if we made it produce pure white eggplant-like fruit?” I asked.

“That’s a good idea. Easy to think of.”

I wrote down “white eggplant-like salt fruit tree.” After that, we decided that it would only leave one seed when withering to keep it from affecting other plants, and that the salt fruits would be hard like walnuts, needing a hammer or something to break open.

Looking over our blueprint again, I strengthened the image of it in my head. “I’ll make a seed for a salt fruit plant that follows the blueprint I made with Lord Glen exactly—[Seed Creation!]!”

With another pop, a pure white seed the size of a piece of candy appeared. I immediately showed it to Lord Glen, who appraised it.

“It’s called a ‘Salt Egg Seed.’ It produces fruit filled with sea salt. Since the husk is hard, it’s good for using in long-term storage. You made something really interesting,” he said, smirking. Sometimes, he smiled just like a little kid before a prank. He rarely showed me those smiles before, so it might be proof that he trusts me.

After that, I made a total of ten Salt Egg seeds too.

“Tomorrow, we’ll get the mayor and go plant them.”

“All right.”

And with that, our first night in the seaside town of Eins was over.

＋＋＋

When I woke up the next morning, the sky was clear and birds soared above the sea.

Apparently we were having breakfast in our room as well, so after we told the staff we were awake, they brought out the warm food. The potage soup is so warm; it’s like my body is absorbing it. After thinking that, our breakfast was done.

“The mayor has business this morning, so we’ll head over after noon.”

“Then can we try beachcombing this morning?” I asked excitedly, getting a nod and a gentle smile back.

The beach wasn’t ten steps from the inn.

“It really was close,” I commented, standing on the very edge of the grass before taking a step onto the beach. I was shocked at how different the sensation was compared to dirt in the fields. When I walked a bit further, I understood what the maids had meant by the sand being difficult to walk properly on. “So this is a beach!”

Lord Glen chuckled as I had fun walking back and forth. “I’m glad you like it. Let’s get a bit closer to the water so we can beachcomb.”

Holding hands, we slowly approached the water’s edge. As I watched the waves come and go, I saw something white and closed in on it. Lord Glen must have used his [Appraisal] Skill, because while he laughed, he didn’t say anything else.

Pumping myself up, I picked up my first find of our beachcombing... a white, broken shell.

“Aww...”

“From what I know of beachcombing, you rarely find anything good.”

“I won’t give up though,” I declared to him, letting go of his hand and wandering the beach.

After a while, he started as well, bending down to pick something up.

We continued to search until lunch. Unfortunately, the only things I was able to find were broken shells... As I slumped in disappointment, Lord Glen walked up in front of me.

“Here, you can have this,” he said, handing me a light pink shell.

“It’s so cute!”

Since I figured I’d lose them otherwise, I gathered Glen’s shell and my broken shells together and sent them to my storage in the Spirit World.

＋＋＋

Once afternoon came around, we headed for the mayor’s house, where a lady representing the farmers and a man representing the fishermen were waiting.

“They wanted to argue their cases, no matter what...” explained the scary-faced mayor.

“I’ll hear them out while we head to where the Muscat Crabs were defeated,” Lord Glen conceded, prompting the farmer lady to speak.

“When the monsters first started appearin’, they were eatin’ the grapes closest to shore...” Apparently the damage sustained wasn’t very bad, but they were giving up on those plants. “Then the fishers came’n said they’d beat’em.”

The fishermen had realized that the crabs wouldn’t counterattack while they were eating the grapes, so the fishermen used that opportunity to defeat them.

“The fishermen killed ‘em all. But while we were relieved then, the vines started witherin’.”

The amount the monsters had been eating was negligible. But when the vines themselves started to decay, they stopped producing fruit, and the farmers couldn’t go on.

“That’s why we want ‘em to stop killin’ the monsters.”

“We can’t stop! If we don’t kill ‘em, they’ll multiply!” the fisherman countered her. “Ye can only handle the amount they’re eatin’ ‘cause there are only a few. If they multiply, witherin’ plants’ll be the least of yer problems!”

“C-Calm down.” The mayor got in between the two, gesturing down with his hands, but they kept arguing for and against defeating the monsters.

“I understand both the farmers’ and fishers’ points of view as the lord,” Lord Glen said, finally quieting the two.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the spot where the Muscat Crabs had been defeated, and where the Shine Muscat vines were withering from salt damage.

“Last night, I discussed the issues with my fiancée here, and we’ve thought of a solution,” Lord Glen declared to the group as soon as we arrived.

The mayor cocked his head to the side, while the fisherman and farmer woman looked shocked simultaneously. They kind of look alike.

“Ah, I haven’t introduced her, have I? This is Chelsea, daughter of Margrave Sargent. She is my fiancée, as well as a research fellow at the Royal Research Institute.”

“My name is Chelsea Sargent. My research mostly involves plants,” I said, introducing myself the same way that I did to the ducal manor’s maids, and getting a shocked look from the mayor as I did.

“Let’s plant the seeds now, Chelsea.”

“Yes,” I replied, willing a single Salt Egg Seed back from my Spirit World storage. Then I pushed it into the soil where Lord Glen pointed.

The candy-sized Salt Egg Seed immediately sprouted, growing quickly up to my waist and blooming white flowers. The flowers then became a white eggplant-like fruit. It all happened so fast that the mayor and the two representatives were frozen in shock.

After giving the Salt Egg seedling a good look-over, Lord Glen pulled off the fruit. It rattled when he shook it, and sounded hard when he lightly hit it with his knuckles.

“This is a plant called a ‘Salt Egg,’ and it gathers salt from the ground, then makes it into a fruit. We’ll plant these uniformly in the salt-damaged ground.”

“What is inside of the fruit?” the mayor asked in surprise.

“Let’s check,” Lord Glen said, getting a hammer from his Item Box and lightly hitting the Salt Egg fruit in his hand with it.

A crack formed after a few hits, and it broke like an egg. Inside was rough whitish powder.

“[Appraisal] confirms it’s sea salt,” he continued, taking a pinch and eating it. He urged the mayor and the others to follow suit. I tasted it as well.

“That is indeed salt.” The mayor nodded.

After that, I took all of the other Salt Egg Seeds that I had out of my storage and handed them to Lord Glen, the mayor, and our guards. They all timidly fanned out and planted their respective seeds.

“Once they collect a certain amount of salt, they’ll wilt and leave a single seed. Make sure to then plant that seed in another patch of salt-damaged earth.”

The mayor and the farmer woman bowed their heads to Lord Glen’s words.

Next, we headed to a patch of beach on the edge of town, where people didn’t normally go.

“Wh-What will we be doing here?” the mayor asked curiously, looking around.

“We’re making sure that the Muscat Crabs won’t target the Shine Muscats anymore. Chelsea, if you would.”

“Yes.”

This time, I took my Wonderly Grape Seeds from my Spirit World storage and planted one in the sand. It too sprouted and grew in an instant.

It was about the same height as two adults. And a bit lower than the height coconuts would grow—or the height the crabs would barely be able to reach with their pincers—were grapes about as big as an orange.

“This is a Wonderly Grape tree, which grows grapes that the Muscat Crabs love. Please be aware that they do not taste good to humans,” I explained, planting them at regular intervals in the sand.

While I was in the middle of planting, a Muscat Crab appeared from the water and began approaching us.

“We’ll see if it eats them or not. Everyone, get back.”

On Lord Glen’s orders, we all retreated to a spot that was a little higher on land. The crab ran at full speed to the Wonder Grape trees, then strained to grab a grape in its claws.

“It’s taking a while for the monster to get a grape to eat, just as we wanted. This will give you all more time to defeat them.”

Keeping an eye on the crab’s movements, Lord Glen stood up and cast a spell. “Bind...”

The Muscat Crab froze, unable to move.

“Gust of Wind...” He continued casting, using a wind spell to slice it vertically and end things.

Lord Glen walked towards the defeated crab.

“If we bring this back to Micah as a souvenir, wouldn’t she cook it for us?” he muttered.

“I think she would make something delicious,” I answered, prompting him to put the whole monster in his Item Box.

Once he’d seen the effects of the Wonderly Grapes, the mayor bowed his head towards Lord Glen. “My lord! Thank you so much for preparing such wonderful plants for us!”

“Thank you so much for them Salt Egg Seeds! Once the trees get all the salt outta the ground, I reckon our crops’ll grow marv’lously again!”! Thank you so much.”

“And with the Wonderly Grapes, we can beat up the monsters without causin’ any trouble with the vineyards. That’ll let us fishermen keep profits up, and keep them monsters from multiplyin’. Thank you, thank you so much!”

Both the farmer woman and the fisherman expressed their gratitude, but Lord Glen just shook his head and looked over to me. “This was all made possible by my fiancée Chelsea’s Skill. She should be the one you thank.”

“Huh?” While I was shocked from suddenly being included in the conversation, all three of them walked up to me and bowed.

“We’ll definitely return the favor. Thank you so very much!”

“Thank you!”

I looked up to Lord Glen in a panic as they did, but he just gave me a soft smile and patted me on the back.

“There shouldn’t be any issues with either of the seeds, but the monsters’ movements may change. I’d also like to know how the vineyards fare. Make sure to report it all.”

“Understood,” the mayor replied.

And so, our second day in the seaside town of Eins was over, having taken measures against both the salt damage and the monsters.

5. Souvenirs?

It was our third day in the seaside town of Eins. As we gathered our luggage and were getting into the carriage, we suddenly heard a fuss from outside.

“Your lordship!” It was the farmer’s representative woman from the day before. “We’ve got an incident!”

She was in a panic, trying to explain with hand gestures, but the words didn’t seem to be coming out.

“Please, calm down.” I comforted her, getting her to take a deep breath. She seemed to calm a bit after taking a few, then looked at me.

“All the Shine Muscat vines that’d been withered up are healthy again!”

“Huh?”

The Salt Egg plants are only supposed to take the salt out of the earth around them, not do anything to the Shine Muscat vines. What in the world happened?

I tilted my head in confusion, and Lord Glen did the same.

“Please, explain,” he said to the woman, who nodded back.

“After yesterday, I went back to check where the Salt Eggs’d been planted. I watched for a while, an’ after a bunch of fruit sprouted, it withered. Then, just when the one seed dropped, it sprouted an’ grew again! A few hours later, it did the exact same thing again!” the woman explained.

She pulled a bunch of white eggplant-like salt fruit out of her apron pocket.

“While that was happenin’, all of those Shine Muscat vines were still withered. But then I went again this mornin’, and everything close to where the Salt Eggs were planted was all lively!”

In the end, all we got out of what she said was that the Shine Muscat vines were healthy again the morning after.

“Should we go check on them?”

“Yeah...”

And so, Lord Glen and I went back to the grape vineyards. When we arrived, the sight we all saw was exactly as the farmer woman had described.

Lord Glen used his [Appraisal] Skill on the healthy vines, the Salt Egg trees, and even the earth and surrounding areas. Once he finished analyzing everything, he spoke to me.

“So for the Shine Muscat vines, they’re all well-nourished, and are just as healthy as they look.”

I looked at the fresh leaves, feeling happy.

“Next are the Salt Egg trees. Just as the farmer’s representative said, they’ve been withering and dropping their seeds every few hours.”

A seed would drop to the ground and sprout again. And the remaining twigs and leaves would wither, turning into smooth fertilizer for the new tree.

“Last is the ground. All of the salt in the earth around here has been absorbed from it,” he finished, looking at me. “Did you wish for the grown plants to wither into fertilizer when you created the seeds?”

I shook my head. “I had done that with the Blue and Sky Lilies, since that had been in the blueprints. But I haven’t wished it with any other plants,” I answered, thinking back to all of the things I’d planted. “Although, now that I think back... Every seed I’ve created since the Sky Lilies has turned into fertilizer upon withering.”

“So that trait just became a natural effect in your head,” Lord Glen said, pointing at the ground. “The wilted Salt Egg plants become fertilizer that improves the soil quality, and also brings other withered plants back to life. That’s why the Shine Muscat vines are all healthy again after just one night.”

I was surprised to hear that there were unintended effects.

“Shouldn’t we bring some of this back with us to the Research Institute to study in-depth?” I asked, getting a nod back.

“Tris would definitely be happy if we did.”

I couldn’t help but giggle when I imagined Lord Tris spreading the fertilizer.

“This’ll be a good souvenir for him.”

It seemed that every time I came home, I brought Lord Tris back a seed as a souvenir. “If possible, I’d like to buy something normal to bring home as a souvenir as well.”

Lord Glen smiled at my words. “Then let’s go check around the shops in Eins.”

“Yes, let’s.”

“One time a while ago, when I came for inspections, they were selling accessories made from shells and driftwood. Handkerchiefs dyed with grapes were popular too,” he said, muttering with a hand to his chin as he thought back. “Oh yeah. When I was making a reservation at the inn, I heard there were classes where you could make your own accessories with the shells you found beachcombing.”

“We could make our souvenirs ourselves? That sounds fun!”

And with that, we headed back into Eins to buy souvenirs to bring home for everyone.