CH 9

The sizzling meat looked so good that my mouth started watering.

Having some leftover meat in one bowl, I handed it over to Blanc.

“I’m hungry…”

At the sniffling voice, I narrowed my eyes.

Originally, I was just going to leave him here and go up by myself, but I changed my mind.

I think it’s too dangerous to leave him alone here…?

What if he eats a week’s worth of food?

Even if I knew nothing about dragons, this was the most frightening thing to me.

I live only to eat. What’ll happen if my only joy in this tower disappears?

“…I should just show you to Albert.”

I wanted to get closer to him first, but I changed my mind and just decided to let Albert know about Blanc’s existence.

For Blanc to stay here, Albert needs to know, too.

And he might also know why Blanc isn’t seen as a dragon by other people. He’s the most knowledgeable person I know here.

Yeah, it’s better to get information straight out of Albert’s lips.

I even put Blanc’s meal on the tray.

“Well, I’m going to eat upstairs. If you’d like to eat, please follow me.”

Let’s be like little chicks, okay children? Speaking in a gentle voice as though I was possessed by a kindergarten teacher, I carried the tray. Blanc, who readily nodded, followed behind me.

“Why are you speaking formally? It’s weird. Just speak comfortably.”

“Oh, well then thank you for allowing me. Blanc, shall we go up?”

Blanc seemed to be awkward around people.

Of course, if the chance is presented to me, then I’ll take it.

I accepted his offer quickly. It’s true that it’s kinda awkward to keep speaking formally towards Blanc, who was as small as a cat. And the way he was speaking was like a child.

Maybe it’s because he’s hungry, but Blanc followed me quickly. It really felt like I gained a pet.

We’re going to eat, eat, eat! I went up the stairs excitedly at the thought of having breakfast.

“Your Highness, I brought our food.”

The moment I spoke in a brave voice, the tray was taken from my hands.

Albert was pretty good at taking care of other people. It might be better to say that he knew exactly how to get chummy with others.

I had no idea yet what his intentions were, but at the very least, it didn’t seem like he wanted to kill me.

Albert looked down at me, then spoke in a graceful tone.

“Good job, Rosé. But… what’s that thing clinging to your side?”

As he held the tray, Albert narrowed his eyes. Blanc and Albert had a staring contest right then.

Blanc tilted his head to the side, looking up at Albert as if he was a cat from Shr*k.

With a hand over my heart, I spoke.

“He’s Blanc, a new family member who entered the tower.”

“…Blanc?”

“It’s the name I gave him. Your Highness, don’t you think he’s pretty?”

“I don’t think you’re close enough with that animal to give it a name. How long has it been since you met it?”

Was it just me, or was there a sharp edge to his tone?

Did he really hate the idea of having a pet?

I smiled. I know how to get out of this situation!

“Eyy, we can start getting closer now. Oh, but I have a question—what do you think is next to me?”

And that strategy was to change the subject. I was curious about it anyway.

What would Albert answer?

Would Blanc look like a cat in his eyes, too?

Albert stared at the pitiful-looking Blanc, who was clawing up at the tray he couldn’t reach.

“A fledgling that hasn’t become a dragon yet.”

“Oh, you don’t see a cat?”

Albert’s eyes trembled slightly as I said this. He looked surprised.

“Rosé, you don’t see a cat either?”

“Yeah, but when you said he’s not a dragon yet…”

If he’s not a dragon yet, then that means he could become one later, right?

However, Albert’s reaction was strange. If Blanc’s a fledgling dragon, shouldn’t he be well-liked and respected by people? But Albert’s tone right now was dismissive of Blanc.

Of course, it’s okay even if Blanc wasn’t a great almighty being. Because Blanc is cute.

If it’s cute, everything can be solved through the power of cuteness.

Meanwhile, Albert seemed to be more interested in what I said, then, he nodded gracefully.

“What do you see?”

“Umm… A white animal. With cute eyes and a tail.”

“That’s strange. Ordinary people should just see a cat.”

“Yeah, that’s what Blanc said.”

It seemed like ordinary people couldn’t see Blanc’s true form.

But why can I see him like this?

I’m an ordinary person, too. I’m a mere, run-of-the-mill extra who doesn’t have any character buffs.

“There are usually two types of people who can see the true appearance of a fledgling dragon—the first is its contractor, and the second are mages. But you’re neither.”

“…That’s right.”

“It’s strange that you can see its form.”

I’m not his contractor, so then it must be the other case?

“Maybe I gained some power over magic after handling the wand? Maybe that’s why I have the qualities of a mage?”

“This tower is covered with magic… Thirty mages from the magic tower had built it from the ground up, so what you’re saying might be plausible.”

Well, aren’t you an overpowered munchkin to have managed to get out of a tower like this and, at the same time, prepare for a coup. I hereby proclaim thee Sir Great Male Lead.

As expected, this male lead right here isn’t someone to scoff at.

While I was admiring Albert’s skills, I saw him put down the tray and cross his arms.

I could feel it—his mood was souring. A siren rang in my head. Something had offended him.

…What did I do wrong?

With great focus, I stared at Albert. Then, he opened his lips to speak.

“You must really hate being stuck here with me, Rosé.”

…Pardon?

My sluggish eyes looked up sharply at once. I couldn’t say anything.

“I didn’t think you were serious about bringing in a pet here in the tower.”

“……”

“You managed to bring one here when you couldn’t even get out.”

His gentle tone was paradoxically thorny.

He wasn’t praising me at all.

With a smile on his lips, he asked.

“Why are you being so eager?”

“……”

“What do you hate so much about me?”

It was strange. Obviously, Albert was speaking with a warm tone, but chills kept running down my back.

Was this the south pole? Why was my body shivering all of a sudden?

But I didn’t give in.

Why?

Because… I’m hungry.

I had to finish this conversation at once. My delicious meal was right there.

My name is Rosé, and I’m the master inventor of the jingle jangle technique.

With a bright smile, I held Albert’s hand.

“Eyy, Your Highness. Don’t be like that. If it’s not the Prince, who else would I like? I didn’t call over Blanc—it’s him who came inside the tower of his own volition. He said that it’s nice here because there’s a lot of magic here.”

“I know that. But it’s not enough to justify it.”

I looked up earnestly at Albert. Whenever Albert was in a bad mood, flattery was the best solution.

“I thought that Blanc’s a great dragon, that’s why I thought that we needed to accept him.”

White lies were also a great plus for a quick escape. Opening my eyes as wide and imploringly as possible, I stacked praises upon praises.

“Your Highness is the smartest and most beautiful person that I know, so I’m sure you’ll understand how I feel.”

“No, this is the kind of situation that you really like. At this point, even if you act slyly, I can see through it all, Rosé.”

…Darn it, it didn’t work. But I decided to keep pushing forward.

“Even if you know, you’ll fall for it. Because even if I use my brain, I won’t be able to beat you, Your Highness.”

I said this proudly.

And in turn, Albert chuckled, as though he couldn’t believe what I said.

But like a hawk, I snatched up this chance.

I threw the bait, and you bit it!

“Oh, since Your Highness laughed, then we’re good? I’m hungry. Can we eat together now? Today’s breakfast is to die for.”

Albert, who was shaking his head in disbelief, remained silent as he saw the stir-fried pork on the tray.

“Why is the food you cook always red, Rosé?”

Because it’s Korean food.

Korean food and the color red cannot be separated.

I sat at the table and handed him a spoon, speaking seriously.

“It’s my identity—identity, I tell you. I love all things red. Thank you for the food!”

I mixed the stir-fried pork with my bowl of rice.

Albert, who had just been staring at the food, picked up his spoon and started mixing just as I did.

“Give me some, toooo… I’m hungryyy…”

“Ah, Blanc. Here you go.”

I handed over a bowl of stir-fried pork to Blanc, who was rolling around under the table.

Blanc smiled broadly. It felt like honey was going to drop out of my eyes at the adorable sight.

As he stared back at me, Blanc tilted his head.

“By the way, who’s Blanc?”

“Ack, I gave you that name. If you don’t like it, we can change it.”

“No, it’s okay… I didn’t have a name before… Blaaanc…”

Blanc said his name carefully. As he did so, he soon began to eat his stir-fried pork.

I looked happily at him, then turned back to my meal again.

While I was eating, Albert stared at me.

“How do I eat this?”

“It’s the same as usual. Just mix it like this and eat it with rice. Ahh, it’s so good.”

I raised my thumb. Then, with a thick slice of pork over rice on my spoon, I took a big bite.

The combination of spices, the meat’s juices, and rice was so fantastic. My eyes closed at the heavenly flavor.

Eating is the best!

For me, who was trapped in a tower, eating was my only stress reliever.

I finished my meal satisfactorily. Three cheers for mukbang.*

* * *

We’ll have apples as dessert today. If you think you need to apologize, then go straight for the apples.**

Our food was scarce and limited, so it’s a bit of a bother to cater to a picky prince’s tastes. I could make excuses, but fruits were different. Only basic needs were supplied to us.

But anyway, Albert usually ate fruits well so it’s fine.

Prince, why do you eat fruits so well? It’s okay to be a picky person who hates fruits.

But for me, the fruits that I like are peaches, refreshing watermelons, and sweet mangoes. It’s all about a balance between crunchiness and sweetness.

I ate such a good and fulfilling breakfast just earlier, but I think I’m hungry again.

I drew Albert’s face on a red apple on the cutting board. Well, I didn’t draw it deliberately.

Boss. If I were Pinocchio, my nose would already have been taller than this tower.

Shiik, shiik. After cutting up the apples prettily, I placed the pieces in a bowl.

Then, while looking at the bowl that I’ve yet to wash, I breathed out a sigh of relief. It’s great that Blanc isn’t a dragon.

Come to think of it, dragons were large, so if it’s like that, I’d need to feed him a ton of food because his appetite would be enormous.

I wondered a while ago if Blanc’s appetite was big enough that he’d eat up all the remaining ingredients, but it seemed that the amount of meat I gave him earlier was already enough to satisfy him.

Blanc, after eating, went back to the kitchen and fell asleep. Maybe it’s in his nature to sleep a lot.

With a gentle gaze, I looked at the sleeping Blanc and closed the curtains so that the sunlight wouldn’t disturb him.

I had no idea how nice it would be to feel someone else’s warmth in the tranquil kitchen.

Here, I realized once again that humans were truly social beings.

——

t/n:

* if you don’t already know, ‘mukbang’ is a kind of eating show, or an online broadcast where the host consumes food while interacting with the audience

** ‘apology’ and ‘apple’ are the same word in Korean