547 – The Queen's Qualifications, and the Girl’s Resolve

Passing through the main boulevard of Brunhilde’s castle town, one would find oneself surrounded by several residential districts.

There were the neighborhoods built when the town was first established, and those that came later as more people immigrated to the area. Officially, they’re called the "Old Town" and the "New Town," but since not much time has passed between their developments, the buildings don’t differ much in appearance.

Back when the nation was founded, many of the settlers were from Eishen, so the Old Town still has a slight Eishen influence.

The house where Ende, Mel, Nei, and Lise lived—in other words, Alice’s house—was located in the New Town.

It stood on a slightly elevated hill, a modest-sized house with a red roof—small for a mansion, but more than enough for a home.

This wasn’t a house Touya had prepared for them; rather, it was a home Ende paid for in full with the money he’d earned as an adventurer.

They could have built something far larger if they wanted, but from the beginning, they thought, “As long as we have somewhere to live, it’s enough.” Hence the modest size.

It wasn’t like Mel had insisted, “If we have the money for a house, we should spend it on food instead!”… probably.

There was a spacious garden, and to Alice, it was a familiar place—but in truth, this house would undergo an expansion a few years later. So it felt slightly different from the one she remembered from the future, which made it oddly refreshing.

Since Kuon had visited it a few times in the future as well, he seemed to share the same sense of déjà vu.

Ende, Nei, Alice, and Kuon passed through the gate, followed the path through the garden, and arrived at the front door.

“We’re home,” Ende called out.

“Welcome back, Nei. And welcome, Kuon-kun,” Mel greeted them.

“Excuse me for the intrusion,” Kuon said politely.

Since they’d called ahead to say they’d be bringing Kuon, Mel, the mistress of the house, came to greet them.

Yes, the mistress of the house was Mel.

Why? Because Ende, Nei, and Lise were all married to her. This house revolved around Mel. Ende did most of the earning, though.

“Where’s Lise?”

“In the kitchen, doing prep work. Go give her a hand,” Mel replied.

At her words, Ende headed to the kitchen. He was the one who usually cooked in this house.

Originally, as Frazes, the girls didn’t require food to live, so they didn’t even have the concept of cooking. Naturally, that responsibility fell to Ende.

Lately, Lise had started helping him a bit—that was progress. But still, Ende didn’t trust her to cook on her own. Especially anything involving fire. Far too dangerous.

Kuon was led to the living room and offered a seat on the sofa. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Alice plopped down right next to him.

“You two seem very close,” Nei observed.

“Well, we’ve been together since we were born,” Alice replied.

“I’d say we’re pretty close,” Kuon added.

Hearing their responses, Nei and Mel exchanged glances and smiled softly.

“This might be a bit premature,” Mel began carefully, “but Kuon-kun, do you intend to take Alice as your wife someday?”

“Mou, Okaa-san! Don’t say ‘wife’ like that!” Alice squealed, turning red and squirming on the spot.

In stark contrast to the flustered Alice, Kuon calmly glanced up at the ceiling in thought.

“As things are now, I think it would be difficult,” he said flatly.

“Huh? What do you mean, Kuon? Is there someone else you like? Who is it? Do I know her? Is she stronger than me? I’m your number one, right? Right, Kuon? Say something! Come on, answer me! Say it—say it—say it…!”

Alice’s eyes suddenly went dark, her cheerful sparkle vanishing in an instant as she leaned in with a dead-serious expression. Mel and Nei were so shocked by this uncharacteristic Alice that they were left speechless. She even seemed to be radiating a black aura.

Despite Alice’s intense stare, Kuon remained unfazed and slowly opened his mouth.

“It’s not because I like someone else, so it’s not about that,” he replied calmly.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Alice brightened up immediately, her sparkle returning in a flash as she smiled again.

Mel and Nei were still stunned by their daughter’s emotional rollercoaster, but they pulled themselves together and turned back to Kuon.

“So, what did you mean by ‘as things are now, it would be difficult’?” Mel asked.

“Well, technically, I’m in line for the throne of this country. Whoever I marry will eventually become queen. To be a queen, one must be worthy of the role. If not, it could affect the governance of the nation. So, I have no choice but to be cautious.”

“Muu, so you’re saying I’m not worthy?” Alice pouted.

“Alice, being queen involves manners, refinement, dance, social gatherings, political maneuvering with queens from other nations... It’s a huge hassle, you know? And you’re bad at all of those things, right? I just don’t think you’re suited for it.”

“Muuuu~!” Alice puffed up her cheeks, unable to argue since it was all true.

“Not suited for it, huh? You make it sound like a profession,” Nei remarked.

“It’s not that far off. You could call it the ‘queen job,’ really. Some people become queens because they wanted to, and others just sort of end up in the role,” Kuon replied.

Like Kuon’s father, Touya—he’d become king after getting engaged. Naturally, that meant his fiancées had no choice but to become queens.

Elze, Linze, and Yae fell into that category. Yumina and Luu, on the other hand, had been trained for the role from the start, so they were exceptions.

“Hmm… It’s true that the partner of a king must have the proper qualifications and bear certain responsibilities. Without that, the retainers wouldn’t approve, and in some cases, it could even lead to the downfall of a kingdom,” Nei said, surprisingly showing the most understanding of Kuon’s logic.

That reaction was unexpected, especially from Nei, who usually doted on Alice. Mel raised an eyebrow.

“My, Nei. You’re taking Kuon-kun’s side quite a bit, aren’t you?”

“Well, I once served a king whose subordinates opposed his chosen partner… and he ended up fleeing to another world with her,” Nei said with a bitter smile.

“Ugh!” Mel winced.

Mel clutched her chest and crouched down in pain.

Ney's words had struck her like a dagger. As the former "Queen" of the Fraze, Mel couldn't deny that she bore responsibility for choosing a consort who brought great damage to the nation. Even if she herself didn’t believe she’d made the wrong choice, the retainers who remained in the Crystal World of Frazia probably didn’t see it the same way.

“But… if Alice receives a proper lady’s education and becomes a woman worthy of being queen, then it won’t be a problem, right?”

“Well, yes. Among those of your age, Alice is the one who knows Kuon best. If she can grow into that kind of woman, it would be very helpful.”

At this point, Mel had already realized that Kuon still knew nothing of love.

And if someone else were to appear in the future who could make him fall in love... it might be Alice who ends up crying.

To prevent that from happening, Alice needed to firmly carve her presence into Kuon now—become someone utterly irreplaceable.

Since Kuon was to become king, having concubines might be inevitable. But having Alice be just one of them was absolutely unacceptable.

She would have to reign as the Ōhi—the Queen Consort—presiding over all others. And in doing so, that would become Alice’s path to happiness.

Fortunately, Kuon, by nature of his position, placed strong emphasis on the public side of his duties. If Alice could become someone irreplaceable as queen, her position would be unshakable.

“Alice, why don’t I ask Yumina-san to arrange for you to start your lady’s education?”

“Ehh~... That sounds like such a pain…”

Alice’s face twisted like she had bitten into something bitter at Mel’s suggestion. Watching that expression, Ney gave a small wry smile and joined in.

“But if you don’t train to be a proper queen, some foreign princess might end up stealing Kuon away from you.”

“…I don’t want that.”

“If some other girl becomes Kuon-kun’s fiancée, that means she’ll always be by his side. You’ll be second best… no, maybe even third or fourth…”

“Eh? What are you saying, Okaasan? I’m Kuon’s number one, obviously! We’ve been together since we were born—there’s no way I’d be second. Right, Kuon? I’m your number one, right? Right…?”

Once again, Alice’s eyes lost their light in an instant as she leaned close to Kuon.

Perhaps used to this sort of thing, Kuon remained completely unfazed and replied in his usual calm tone.

“Well, yes. Setting aside onee-sama and Steph, among girls our age, Alice is the one I’m closest with.”

“Right?!”

Alice instantly returned to her usual cheerful smile.

“However, that and this are different matters. I have a responsibility to carry this country on my shoulders. If I’m to choose a life partner, it must be someone prepared to shoulder that burden with me.”

“Young as you are, you already have such a solid outlook…”

“I’m honored.”

To Nei, Kuon already showed the mindset of a king despite his youth—and she found it admirable.

It reminded her of Mel, back when she was still in the Crystal World of Frazia.

A noble and dignified king, kind and unwavering in their beliefs. Anyone standing beside such a king would naturally require their own resolve and effort.

Ney turned her gaze toward the pouting Alice.

“So, Alice. What do you want to do?”

“…Would you be happy if I took that lady education thing and became someone worthy of being your queen?”

“Well, yes. If I’m going to marry someone, I’d prefer it to be you. It’d be easier since we already know each other well.”

“Then I’ll do it. I want to stay by Kuon’s side forever.”

In Alice’s eyes, directed at Kuon, Mel saw a glimmer that hadn’t been there before—she had made up her mind.

Seeing that, Mel thought she understood why her future self hadn’t made Alice undergo a lady’s education from birth. Perhaps it had all been to draw out this very resolve.

True resolve isn’t something you can force. It only comes when the heart and situation align just right. And for Alice, that time was now.

If she truly set her mind to it, Mel had no doubt that Alice could attain the presence and bearing of a queen.

After all, Alice was a direct descendant of the Queen of Fraze. The potential to be a queen was in her blood… it had to be.

“But Alice… if you become Kuon’s bride, you won’t be the only one. He may take several concubines. Are you okay with that?”

Ney asked the question, remembering the ominous black aura Alice had emitted earlier.

“Like His Majesty? I don’t care, as long as I’m Kuon’s number one. Besides, I don’t think Kuon would ever marry someone I hate.”

“Of course not. There are plenty of royal families that declined due to issues with their concubines. I have no intention of taking a secondary wife who goes against the will of my queen.”

Hearing Kuon’s firm statement, Ney felt slightly relieved. Given Alice’s earlier reaction, she’d been genuinely concerned about what might happen if he ever did take concubines.

But to Alice, as long as she remained Kuon’s number one, that was enough.

“Then it’s decided. Since this isn’t something we can finalize on our own, let’s hold off on the engagement talk for now and just ask Yumina-san to handle Alice’s lady education.”

“Do your best, Alice.”

“I will!”

Something that seemed quite important was being decided in rapid succession, but Kuon wasn’t particularly concerned.

As far as he was concerned, he would have accepted anyone as his fiancée, as long as there wasn’t a major issue. If that person turned out to be Alice, then so much the better—he’d feel more at ease with that.

It wasn’t that he was cold or that he lacked affection for Alice. Rather, it was more like she felt like family to him. That was one of the complications that came from being childhood friends.

While the three others were getting all worked up, Kuon quietly sipped his tea off to the side.

That’s when Rise appeared, carrying a tray.

"Thanks for waiting. Lunch is katsu curry."

"Yay~!"

"Oh, katsu curry, huh? Nice."

At Rise’s words, both Alice's and Nei’s faces lit up. As for Kuon, he thought that katsu curry might be a bit heavy for lunch, but since he was being treated to the meal, he kept quiet. It wasn’t like he disliked katsu curry, and if it was just that amount, he could eat it without any issue.

Following Rise came Ende, holding a large stock pot. It was filled to the brim with curry.

Before he knew it, Mel and Nei had headed to the kitchen and now returned, carrying a large rice container packed with steaming white rice and a mountain of freshly fried cutlets.

These were meant for seconds. Ende aside, Mel, Nei, and Rise all had huge appetites. Alice, having inherited their blood, could easily eat just as much.

Kuon was well aware of how things worked in this household, so he wasn’t particularly surprised. Still, seeing all the food laid out in front of him like this—it was quite a sight to behold.

Mel placed a plate of katsu curry in front of Kuon.

"Don’t hold back. There’s plenty more if you want seconds."

"Thank you very much."

He didn’t think he’d ask for seconds, but Kuon still gave his thanks and picked up his spoon with a polite “Itadakimasu.”

What was in front of him wasn’t the traditional “Karae” of the Beast Kingdom of Mismede, native to this world, but rather the “Curry” popularized by Touya.

Naturally, Kuon had been eating this type of curry since he was a child (well, he was still a child).

He dipped his spoon into the border where the curry met the rice and took a bite. Instantly, a wave of spiciness and umami spread through his mouth.

It was quite a bit spicier than the curry served at the castle. But it wasn’t the kind of harsh, lingering spiciness—it was the kind that made you immediately crave the next bite.

The meat was pork. A standard pork curry. The vegetables in the roux—potatoes, carrots, onions—were all the basics. Nothing fancy or flashy. It was a traditional, no-nonsense curry.

Satisfied with the curry, Kuon turned his attention to the cutlet on top.

Surprisingly thin. It wasn’t one of those thick, heavy cuts but rather a flatter, easier-to-eat one. Probably pounded out to that shape.

He stabbed it with his fork, dipped it lightly into the roux, and brought it to his mouth. The crispy breading gave way to tender meat, and as he bit down, the flavor of the meat blended perfectly with the curry, flooding his mouth. Kuon was a little surprised by how good it was.

He had assumed it was a tonkatsu, since the curry itself had pork in it. But the flavor of this meat wasn’t pork, nor beef, nor chicken, nor lamb. It was…

"Is this… dragon meat katsu curry?"

"Can you tell? I got my hands on some really good dragon meat, so I figured I’d use it. Not from a youngling—this is from a full-grown adult dragon. The flavor is deep, the texture tender, and it's absolutely packed with umami."

"I’m the one who procured it and cooked it, though..."

As Rise boasted with a smug expression, Ende stood beside her, smiling wryly.

Generally speaking, the more magical power a magical beast’s meat holds, the tastier it is. To put it simply—the stronger the beast, the better the flavor.

So naturally, dragon meat—the strongest of all magical beasts—was bound to be delicious. And if it came from a fully matured adult dragon, it was no wonder it tasted this good.

Even Kuon, a prince, had eaten dragon meat a few times before. But this? This was on a whole other level.

Without realizing it, he started eating faster. Eat when you can—that was one of the family mottos of the Mochizuki household.