A few days passed until, finally, it was time to head to the Fore Elf woods the very next day.
I checked over my field rations before we set off. I had jerky, bread, dried fruits and vegetables, roasted almonds, biscuits, chocolate, and baked sweets. That felt like more than enough, but I wanted one last food item.
After some thought, I decided on candies that we could eat as we walked. I could make them with things I had on hand—sugar, honey, ginger, and citrus juice.
I hadn’t made candies in so long. It felt sort of nostalgic.
I used to make them once every three months when I lived in the Fore Elf village. My grandma, mom, and I worked on them together. However, these candies weren’t desserts. They were only eaten when someone had a cold or an inflamed throat.
The secret was in the ingredients. Honey possessed antibacterial properties while ginger warmed the body.
The Risurisu family candies passed down for generations were delicious. However, certain rude people would lie about having a sore throat just to eat them.
Mom made sure to conduct a thorough medical exam in those cases. First, she checked to see if their throat was inflamed, then put her hand on their forehead to feel for a fever. If there were no signs of illness, she would spank these rascals for being untruthful.
It was a lesson that lying could have painful consequences.
Once I had my ingredients set out, it was time to start cooking.
I began by grating the ginger and wrapping it in a sterilized cloth. Then I squeezed the juice into a pot with the other ingredients and mixed them together.
Next, I turned the heat down once it came to a boil and let it cook until it turned an amber color. Once the mixture had solidified more, I poured it onto oiled paper, let it sit until it hardened, then sprinkled it with powdered sugar. My honey candies were now complete.
I tried licking one, but I must have cooked it for too long. The rich flavor was gone, and instead, it tasted a bit bitter.
“Oh no! I messed up!”
I simmered the candies for too long since I hadn’t made them in years. Still, the flavor of the honey and the kick of the ginger remained, so I hadn’t completely ruined them. I decided to eat these on my own instead of giving them to the others. I would have to reimburse the Royal Order for the ingredients I used too.
I wrapped each one in oil paper. I would bring a few with me on the next expedition—maybe Album would eat them, at least.
It’s a shame. I haven’t ruined anything I cooked in a while.
Maybe I was nervous about the upcoming mission. I needed to calm my nerves. This called for some deep breaths. I inhaled and exhaled a few times.
All right, I’m good, I tried to convince myself.
When I returned home, I realized I wasn’t the only one on edge.
Everyone was acting restless—even Charlotte, who wasn’t coming on the mission with us.
Sir Aiskoletta was the only one operating as usual, though that didn’t come as a surprise. He and Komerv were boiling medicinal herbs together.
After dinner, Zara told me he had something he wanted to discuss. I had no idea what to expect from that. His discussions were usually things like tea party plans and invitations to sew with him. I was a little…no, I was very nervous for this conversation.
Amelia and Rih would join us too, since Zara wanted them to be there. They were seated in a corner of the room, though Rih let out a big yawn.
I decided to make medicinal herb tea with plenty of honey to ease my nerves. I served myself a plate of three varieties of sweets too. Tomorrow was our next expedition, so I wouldn’t have time to sit around and enjoy tea.
I placed a cake with dried fruit, cookies with nuts, and other baked goods made with plenty of butter out on my table.
It was almost time for our discussion. I was pouring tea into my cup when I heard a knock at the door.
“Yes?”
“It’s me, Melly.”
“Ah, please come in.”
Zara entered my room holding a plate of baked goods.
“Oh my gosh! Did we have the same idea?”
“I wanted to indulge a little before tomorrow’s expedition.”
“Same here.”
Zara had made baked meringues, bite-sized cream puffs, butter sandwiches, and more. Each treat was so dainty and cute. They were nothing like the sweets my mom made, even though they were all delicious.
Zara and I began our tea party together. We put spoonfuls of honey in our tea before drinking it.
“Mmm, this is delicious.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Sir Aiskoletta shared some of the herbs he picked with me.”
“So the great hero picked these, huh? I hope I absorb some of his strength.”
“Me too.”
I tried one of Zara’s baked meringues. It was crisp, yet it dissolved into nothing almost as soon as it hit my tongue. It was sweet and slightly fragrant—a treat like something made of magic.
The two of us discussed these sweets for a while. Eventually, the clouds parted in the sky, revealing a glimpse of the moon. That was the exact moment Zara’s expression changed.
“We’re finally going to the Fore Elf woods tomorrow, huh?”
“Yes.”
It was a homecoming I never could have predicted. How would my family react to my arrival? I didn’t know what I would say if they asked me to move back home with them. They already told me my little sisters’ dowries were more than adequately funded.
In other words, I’d completed my initial goal of earning money for them.
“Melly.”
“Y-Yes?”
“There’s something I want to ask of you.”
“Wh-What is it?”
I set my own concerns aside and sat up straight, prepared to listen to Zara’s serious request.
“What do you want to ask me?”
“Will you introduce me to your parents?”
“Of course. I’ve already been wanting to introduce you to them.”
Zara was the person who’d helped me out the most, both at work and privately. I wanted my family to know that too.
“Um, Melly, what I meant by that was…” Zara stumbled over his words. But that was when I finally realized what he was really asking.
He didn’t just want to talk to my family—he wanted to tell them we’d vowed to spend the rest of our lives together. My face was suddenly burning up. I had no idea Zara was thinking about that sort of thing. I was embarrassed to be so slow.
“Ah, y-you mean…that kind of introduction? I see. Yes, it’s not every day that you get to visit the Fore Elf village.”
“Right, but consider the circumstances. I thought maybe another time would be better, so that’s why I wanted to ask you.”
“S-Sorry I didn’t figure that out until now.”
“It’s fine. I was being indirect about it too.”
We would be going to exterminate the Dark Dragon the day after we arrived in the village, so there was plenty of time to introduce Zara to my family.
“Now that I think about it, I guess I never really asked you clearly, did I?” he said softly.
“Asked me what?”
Zara stared at me and sat up straight. I felt like I should do the same, so I imitated him.
“Melly…will you marry me?”
As soon as I heard those words, goosebumps formed on my skin. Pure joy welled up inside of me.
The old me probably would have gotten hung up on my doubts. “Can someone like me really marry a person like Zara?”
But things were different now. Zara had chosen me as his life partner, so there was no need for me to deny my own desires anymore.
“I want to marry you too, Zara.”
“Really? I’m so happy, Melly.”
With Amelia and Rih watching over us, I accepted Zara’s marriage proposal.
“Kreh kreh kreeeh!”
“Kreh kreh!”
The pair wished us a blessed future together.
I’d never felt so happy in all my life.
🥞🥞🥞