I woke up early the following morning thanks to the birds. Gem’s bed provided me with another comfortable night’s sleep.
“Thank you, Gem.”
My familiar returned to its spherical shape and bounced up and down happily. All right, I thought. I’ll make breakfast and the bentos. I boiled some eggs the night before, and I peeled them, sliced them in half, and removed the yolks. I put the yolks in a bowl with some sour cream and chopped fresh herbs, added pepper, and gave it a good mix. Once the mixture was neatly placed back into the egg whites, my deviled eggs were complete.
I then took the crushed breadcrumbs, which I had soaked in buttermilk, and laid them in a tart mold. I fried up some spinach and bacon in butter, added salt, pepper, parsley, egg, and cream, and poured it into my mold. After I topped that off with some cheese, I placed it in a hot oven to bake, and my spinach and bacon quiche was done.
I had one more dish prepped last night—some chicken thighs marinated in olive oil and herbs. I fried them in a pan, skin-side down, to crisp them up nicely, and finished my roast chicken thighs with herbs. Once all of these dishes had cooled, I packed them into my basket. Even I thought they looked delicious.
Next, I worked on my pottage. I boiled some pumpkin, ground it into a paste with a mortar, and added it to my strained bouillon. I used more butter to cook flour on a low heat, then mixed it into my bouillon with a splash of milk. With that, my pumpkin pottage was done. I placed the deviled eggs, quiche, and roast chicken with herbs for my bento onto a plate and added a small salad. A hearty breakfast that all fit on one plate was ready. I know I’m biased, but I feel like this can be served in a chic café.
Just as I finished changing into my uniform, I heard Prince Rena’s voice.
“Good morning, Misha,” she called.
“Good morning,” I replied.
She dazzled brighter than the sun, as she always did.
“Here are the ingredients, as promised,” she said.
“Woooow!”
She brought a wooden box filled with fresh vegetables, meat, and fish. Right… I promised to eat breakfast with her in exchange for ingredients. It had slipped my mind when I went shopping for food. I wouldn’t need groceries for a week, but I gratefully took them. I placed them in a magic fridge, so I had no worries about them spoiling.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m so happy!”
“Thank goodness,” Prince Rena said.
I welcomed her inside to serve her breakfast.
“This looks delicious,” she remarked. “Did you make all this yourself again?”
“Sure did. I prepped the dishes the night before and cooked them this morning.”
“I see…”
We said grace, offering thanks for the food, before we dug in. The pottage was rich and smooth—it was worth the effort of mashing the pumpkin. The deviled eggs also had a lovely, smooth texture, and I felt like I could eat a plateful. I was tempted to just grab my quiche and stuff it into my mouth, but I had to be proper in front of the prince, so I took a knife and fork to elegantly cut myself a bite. The chicken was fragrant and juicy with crispy skin.
Prince Rena’s eyes sparkled with every bite as she voiced how delicious it all was. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast. After we were satisfied, I was tempted to take some time for tea, but unfortunately, it was time for school.
“You’ve got a lot of baggage today,” she remarked.
“I made a bento—a lunch,” I replied.
“Why’d you do that?”
“The cafeteria is expensive, and it’s practically a warzone to get some bread at the store. I thought a homemade lunch would be easier.”
“You’re eating quite a bit.” She pointed to the two baskets I was holding.
“Oh, one’s for Ehr,” I said.
“You take good care of your friends, I see,” Prince Rena said.
“I guess you can say that.”
Ehr was my friend, of course, but every now and then, I felt like his mother. I just couldn’t leave him be, and I worried about him at times.
“A homemade lunch… That sounds nice,” Prince Rena said. “I might ask the personal chef in the dorms next time.”
Wow… I guess someone as amazing as her even gets a private chef. The chef was likely hired to provide nutritional meals and to ensure that no food was poisoned. A school established by the royal family undoubtedly had all its bases covered, enough to be meticulous about whatever touched Prince Rena’s lips. I worried that people would faint on the spot when they learned that she also ate meals that I cooked.
“What excuse do you give to your chef or dorm parent about breakfast?” I asked.
“I tell them that I’m not hungry and sneak out.”
She had been worried about her body’s growth—especially her chest—recently, and she had been skipping breakfast. It wasn’t particularly unusual for her not to have a few meals.
“And what about those who attend you?” I asked.
“I managed to slip out of their watch.” She claimed that she used a magic scroll to teleport here directly from her room in the dorms.
“Um… I won’t be beheaded for serving you breakfast or anything, right?” I asked.
“Don’t worry,” Prince Rena assured me. “I’ll risk life and limb to protect you.”
That heroic line would make any maiden’s heart race in a manga, but I was up against a crown prince who faked her gender. Why is she so cool and handsome? Since I had to carry the bentos, I didn’t want to ride the unicorn today—we stood out immensely as it was, and I feared the backlash.
“Then let’s walk to class,” she suggested.
“I’d like that.”
She kindly offered to carry one of my baskets for me, but I couldn’t possibly ask the crown prince to carry my belongings. I politely declined. Then, Gem reached out with its appendages to carry both baskets for me.
Were the prince’s fans waiting for her at the shoe rack again? I cautiously took a peek, but no one was around.
“Huh? Your minions— I mean, your friends aren’t around today,” I remarked.
“They aren’t my friends,” Prince Rena muttered. “They learned of my identity from their parents and are just trying to earn my favor.”
“H-Hmm…”
I couldn’t say that she was wrong. The prince apparently told them that she’d break off her friendships with them if they continued to pester her and follow her around. Nothing was scarier than a threat from the future king of the nation.
When we arrived in the classroom, far fewer students dared to approach her; only those who genuinely wanted to be her friend and didn’t know her identity tried to chat her up.
Ehr was reviewing his homework diligently this morning as well. “Morning, Misha,” he said.
“Good morning,” I replied.
I told him that I had a bento ready for him today and pointed to the basket that Gem carried. For some reason, my familiar looked proud of itself as it handed Ehr the basket.