After eating the eel bowl, the satisfied king went back to work, and Flora-sama played with Kumayuru and Kumakyu. Then, perhaps because Flora-sama was tired of playing, she gradually began to doze off.
Ange-san gently called out to Flora-sama.
"Flora-sama. Let's take a nap." (Ange)
But Flora-sama hugged Kumayuru and shook her head.
"Play with bear" (Flora)
It was true that Flora-sama seemed sleepy. But I could imagine how sad it would be if she went back to sleep and Kumayuru and Kumakyu were gone when she woke up.
That was why I called out to her kindly.
"Flora-sama. I'll be coming again, so could you please play with them then?" (Yuna)
""Kuu~n"" (Kuma-kuma)
Kumayuru and Kumakyu chirped as if nodding at my words.
Then, Flora-sama gave a small nod and said, "Yeah, okay," and moved away from Kumayuru. Then she rubbed her eyes as she headed to bed and hugged the stuffed bear that was next to her pillow. She was sleepy, so she fell asleep right away.
Looking at Flora-sama like that, Ange-san and I smiled.
After sending Kumayuru and Kumakyu back, I left the room.
In the end, neither the Queen nor Ellelaura-san came.
I was curious, so I asked the king, and he said that the queen was attending a tea party and didn't know about Ellelaura-san.
Well, it would be scary if the King knew all of Ellelaura-san's actions.
I left the castle and returned to the bear house without stopping anywhere.
Fina and the others hadn't returned yet, so I summoned Kumayuru and Kumakyu and relaxed.
I thought about it at the castle, but neither a hero nor a demon lord suited me. There was no desire to be a hero, and there was no desire to conquer the world. Both were just annoying. It was best to relax like this, hugging Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
I was not like Flora-sama, but I got sleepy when I held Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
Kumayuru and Kumakyu were soft, warm, and comfortable. When I closed my eyes, I fell into a dream.
"I'm home" (Fina)
I heard Fina's voice.
Apparently, I had fallen asleep.
I was still sleepy.
I could hear Fina and the others coming into the room by the sound of footsteps.
"Yuna-neechan is sleeping." (Shuri)
"Yeah, sleeping comfortably." (Fina)
"Perhaps Yuna-chan was also tired and nervous about meeting the King." (Tirumina)
Apparently, they had come back from shopping.
I had to wake up.
I slowly woke up.
"Have you finished shopping?" (Yuna)
I asked, letting out a small yawn.
"Oh, did I wake you up? I'm sorry." (Tirumina)
Tirmina-san apologized when she saw me getting up.
"Don't worry about it. If I don't want to be woken up, I'll sleep in my room." (Yuna)
To begin with, I had no intention of sleeping. I just felt sleepy when I was sandwiched between Kumayuru and Kumakyu in the living room.
Tirumina-san then started cleaning up, as she seemed to have bought ingredients in addition to souvenirs. Shuri and Fina, along with me, Kumayuru, and Kumakyu, were relaxing until Ellelaura-san arrived.
"Thank you for waiting." (Ellelaura)
Ellelaura-san rode a carriage with Shia and came to the bear house.
"Then let's go now." (Yuna)
We boarded the carriage that Ellelaura-san and Shia were riding in.
It was dusk, and streetlights were starting to shine around.
"So, where are we going to do it? At Ellelaura-san's house?" (Yuna)
"It's a restaurant. It's really delicious, so look forward to it." (Ellelaura)
This was a restaurant that Ellelaura-san, an aristocrat, said was delicious.
"Does that mean ordinary people like us can come in? This is how I dress..." (Yuna)
"My daughters and I are dressed normally..." (Tirumina)
Tirumina-san, Fina, and I looked at our clothes.
It was not the kind of outfit you would wear in a restaurant where aristocrats came to eat. It was a bit of a bias, but I had the impression that shops where aristocrats went were dressed in what looks like dresses.
"Oh, do you think there are any stores that would refuse my customers?" (Ellelaura)
Ellelaura-san said with a smile.
She was a tyrant. It was an abuse of power.
I didn't think there would be any restaurant that would turn down Ellelaura-san unless there was an emergency.
"Hehe, I'm just kidding. We've rented out the shop, so there are no other customers other than us. So, don't worry about how you dress." (Ellelaura)
No, that was not a joke. Renting out the store of short time notice was an abuse of power.
Even as an amateur, I knew that renting out a restaurant was not easy.
I could imagine the shop staff not being able to resist Ellelaura-san and agreeing with tears in their eyes.
Tirumina-san and Fina also looked a little pale when they heard that the restaurant was being reserved for private use.
"Yuna-chan, aren't you thinking something strange?" (Ellelaura)
"Excessive use of power can lead to popular rebellion." (Yuna)
History told us that.
"Hehe, I didn't use any power. I just told the other person Yuna-chan's name and they accepted me willingly." (Ellelaura)
"What do you mean?" (Yuna)
Before she could answer my question, the carriage stoped.
Looked like we had arrived.
"This place is..." (Yuna)
When I got off the carriage, I saw a bear figurine in front of the store.
"By any chance, here?" (Yuna)
"Yuna-chan has been here before, so you should be able to eat without hesitation. The food is prepared by a chef from the royal palace, so the taste of the food is top-notch." (Ellelaura)
I had definitely been here more times than other stores, and I had also been with Fina. Also, the cooks knew me, so I could eat with them without any hesitation.
"There's a bear there, but maybe it's the shop that Yuna-chan created?" (Tirumina)
When I was satisfied, Tirumina-san asked me while looking at the bear ornaments placed on either side of the door.
"Ellelaura built the shop. That bear was just a copy of my store in Crimonia by Ellelaura-san." (Yuna)
"Oh, at that time." (Tirumina)
Tirumina-san seemed to have remembered what happened when Ellelaura-san came to Crimonia.
I just went to the elf village with Sanya-san and wasn't in Crimonia, so I heard that Tirmina-san and Fina took care of Elerora-san. (See chapter 238)
"Well, I think you'll be waiting, so let's go inside." (Ellelaura)
When we entered the store, with Ellelaura-san in the lead, a girl dressed as a chef came running towards us happily.
"Yuna-san, I've been waiting for you." (Sheila)
This is Sheila, the niece of Zelef-san, the head chef of the royal palace. While working at this restaurant, she was also being trained as a cook.
"It's been a while. How have you been?" (Yuna)
"Yes. My seniors are improving my cooking skills every day." (Sheila)
She said happily.
It seemed like she really like cooking.
I had heard that cooking training was tough, but I guessed it was not that hard.
Or maybe her seniors were teaching her kindly.
"But, isn’t it popular that you can rent out the restaurant on short notice?" (Yuna)
"What are you talking about? It's hard every day. Even today, out of the blue, Ellelaura-sama wanted to rent it out." (Sheila)
"As expected, did you say something unreasonable?" (Yuna)
I looked at Ellelaura-san to confirm.
"I asked her to rent it out by herself, but I didn’t force her." (Ellelaura)
"Yes. It happened suddenly, but today is a regular holiday, so it's not a nuisance to other customers. It's just that we don't have a day off." (Sheila)
"I'm sorry" (Yuna)
I felt like that was bad.
There was nothing more unpleasant than going to school or working on a holiday.
"Even in the royal palace, if we have unexpected visitors, we may be sent to work even on holidays, and during holidays, we may learn cooking from uncle, so don’t worry about it." (Sheila)
If it were me, I would get angry, hate it, and refuse, wondering why I had to work during my day off.
So, I had nothing but gratitude to Sheila.
"Sheila, I am not your uncle. I'm telling you to call me head chef." (Zelef)
Someone seemed to be listening to our conversation, and someone called out to me from behind Sheila. He was a chubby man over 30 years old.
"Today is my day off. It's not a study session. That's why it's fine with being uncle." (Sheila)
"But today, even though we are acquaintances, we will still be cooking." (Zelef)
"Uh, I understand. Head chef." (Sheila)
The two seemed to be the same.
"But, Zerlef-san, why are you here?" (Yuna)
Zelef-san was the head chef at the royal palace and did not work at this restaurant.
"I heard that this time it was a celebration for Fina-dono, so I thought I would make it for you." (Zelef)
Zeref-san said that and looked at Fina.
"It's been a while. Fina-dono." (Zelef)
"Ah, yes. It's been a while." (Fina)
Fina was suddenly called out to and answered in a hurry.
Zelef-san smiled and then looked at Tirumina-san and Shuri.
"Thank you to Tirumina-dono for taking care of me at Crimonia." (Zelef)
"No problem, likewise" (Tirumina)
Tirumina-san bowed her head slightly.
For a moment, I thought the two of them knew each other, but then I remembered that Ellelaura-san and Zelef-san had come to Crimonia together.
"It's been a while since Shuri-dono." (Zelef)
"Yeah" (Shuri)
Shuri replied while grabbing Tirumina-san's hand.
"Today, I will be cooking the food, so please enjoy it to your heart’s content." (Zelef)
Zelef-san bowed his head slightly and returned to the back where the kitchen was. Sheila, who bowed to us like Zelef-san, followed after him.
Today, Ange-san handed the eel bowl to Zelef-san, but I didn't hear anything from Ange-san.
I wished he have left me a message.
"But, I wonder if it's okay to have the royal chef cook it for me." (Tirumina)
"It's okay. Zelef also said that he wanted to repay his kindness to Yuna-chan." (Ellelaura)
"I haven't done anything to Zelef-san." (Yuna)
On the contrary, I brought food to Flora-sama and the King, I was getting in Zelef-san's way.
He must had been preparing the food to be served to the King and Flora-sama since the morning. I'm the one who came all of a sudden and wasted it.
Normally, I might be disliked, not appreciated.
"It may have been like that at first, but now, thanks to you introducing him to new cuisines, I can't see where he'll end up as a chef, and you have shown him the path that cooking will never end. He is grateful to Yuna-chan." (Ellelaura)
"Don’t be so exaggerated." (Yuna)
"Zelef, in his position as the head chef of the royal palace, cannot easily travel to other countries or even cities. So from now on, if you find any unusual food, please bring it to Zelef." (Ellelaura)
In Zelef-san's position, he wouldn't be able to go on a trip looking for rare dishes unless he threw everything away.
"Well, if that's the case." (Yuna)
"Of course, me too." (Ellelaura)
"Ah, Yuna-san. I want to eat too." (Shia)
"Me too!" (Shuri)
Hearing Ellelaura-san's words, Shia and Shuri also raised their hands and insisted.
It seemed like it was going to end on a good note, but everything went awry.
"Okay. Next time I find it, I'll bring it to you." (Yuna)
"Yay!" (Shuri)
"It's a promise." (Shia)
Well, as long as it was not something unreasonable like having only one food in the world, there was no problem.
Author's Note
It's been a long time since last visit to a shop in the royal capital, and Sheila has appeared. That's nostalgic.