After changing, I went looking for breakfast, or rather lunch since it's far too late for breakfast, and on the way I ran into Eve and Syl'Vyr. Syl'Vyr was impressed with my new clothes.

After all, they are incredibly beautiful and elegant, and their quality is impressively high. With that, we moved on, chatting until we reached the lunch spot where food was already waiting for me.

This was a pleasant surprise. I never expected such good treatment. I guess I got too used to the castle, where all the food I had was either stolen or assigned to other candidates for the throne.

"..." I sit down at the table and glance to the side, seeing Clarissa. For some reason, Esther brought her along, possibly because she was the only maid who served me? I guess it doesn't matter!

Everyone deserves a second chance! Although Clarissa was nasty in the past, after I scared her and made her my maid, she seems to have improved a little.

"Eve and Syl'Vyr, do you want to eat with me?" I ask the two of them, moving my hand to indicate they can stay here with me. A few servants look at me but don't say anything.

"No need, Evelyn-sama. I've already eaten," Eve says while I look at Syl'Vyr, who gives a strange little smile.

"I've eaten too, Evelyn-chan. Besides, I think you need this more. After all, you were put on the griddle last night! Hihihi." When Syl'Vyr says that, I get confused before turning completely red.

"T-That's not how it is!!" It's obviously a joke! But it's so tasteless to say I was "put on the griddle" last night! Yes, the night was hot, and yes, there was sex, but that doesn't mean you should joke about that sort of thing!!

"It's fine, Evelyn-chan. You look quite lively today, just as Eve said. You recovered really fast!"

"What are you talking about?!" I ask, frustrated with where this conversation is going.

"Nothing major, Evelyn-sama. Just Syl'Vyr being stupid as usual," Eve interrupts Syl'Vyr before I can say anything else.

"...Then... I guess I'll just eat..." I say, turning my attention back to the food as Eve and Syl'Vyr step away from the table. The two of them seem to start a heated conversation as I cut a piece of meat.

'It's pork...' I taste the flavor, and it's amazing! It's surprising that it's so good! Because as far as I remember, pork is one of the most difficult meats to prepare properly in a medieval-era culture.

Of course, for the nobility! Pork was relatively common among commoners and was relatively easy to prepare, but among nobles, it was seen as an inferior meat unless prepared by a head chef.

Because of its fat and strong flavor, most common cooking methods couldn't truly bring out the best in the meat, which made the nobility avoid it as something closer to peasant food.

Although it was also one of the fanciest foods when prepared perfectly. In other words, it was the kind of meat where achieving the perfect balance of flavor and texture was very difficult, meaning only nobles with extremely skilled chefs had it for meals.

However, probably because magic in this world makes it easier to maximize the good flavor of the meat, the incredible taste shows the care the servants put into the food.

Something I never expected from anyone for me in this world. It's true I've tasted many delicious things in this world, but all of it was generally made for other people, rather than being made directly for me.

'Yeah, this isn't bad at all... A mansion safe from assassins, stable housing, tasty food, and materials to strengthen myself... Maybe I'm finally getting a little lucky?!' I admit, Esther taking care of me seems promisingly positive now that I see the gains I'm getting!

Okay, so she's a bit controlling, but I can handle a little control if it comes with so many benefits included.

"Hmmm..." I try a juice from some strange fruit, and the flavor is wonderful! And since I'm a puppet, even though my body can change physically, I won't get fat, so I can eat without worrying about calories!

'Finally, the advantages are showing up!! I knew it! I'm too incredible for this universe to keep me down for long! From here on, I'll climb even higher!!' I just hope I don't run into problems, so I won't declare victory too early.

'Although I miss pizza... I wonder if I explained roughly how it's made, could the person in the kitchen manage to make it?' It's kind of simple, right? It's some sort of soft, well-kneaded bread to serve as the dough.

Cheese, tomato sauce, and some extras depending on what you like. Maybe it's possible to recreate pizza in this world!

...

...

...

"Esther-sama, do you need me to keep an eye on Evelyn? But that doesn't make sense if she's living at the mansion, right? Can't the normal servants already do that?" Elizabeth asks me, confused.

"...No. You must keep an eye on every action she takes within the mansion," I say coldly as the carriage moves.

"Evelyn is more dangerous than I expected and needs to be... properly 'pruned' so she doesn't overstep her bounds. For that, I need to know just how far her own strength can go." Just with the basic explanation Evelyn gave, I already understand her ability is strong.

And because it's strong, I need to keep her under control. Because she herself said she wants to fight for the throne, and I don't deny that perhaps... she could manage it. If she has strong enough "puppets," it's a real possibility.

"...Her? Dangerous?..." Elizabeth says, sounding somewhat incredulous, as if such a thing were somewhat absurd. And to a certain extent, I agree. It is strange that the one considered a failure could be so dangerous.

'But even this incredible ability has its price...' Evelyn stupidly handed me the greatest weakness of her power, showing that both my power and hers are conflicting abilities.

'Evelyn can never become strong individually... meaning she can never defeat me without the help of her puppets...' If I have to fight Evelyn, I just need to focus on defeating her.

However, the problem is that, from what I sense, focusing on her might make my ability redirect to her puppets because they share the same vitality and practically the same magic. It means I have to know exactly where Evelyn is.

'Without a doubt, our abilities are perfect for canceling each other out...' Evelyn seems to know my ability well. I don't know how she found out, but now we are equal in our knowledge of each other's abilities.

'Evelyn herself must already know that to defeat me, she would just need to create a large army and hide... and yet she has the nerve to ask me for resources...' Evelyn might think I underestimate her, but she's wrong.

I take her very seriously because she is just like me, and because I know she is just like me, I can't disregard the damage she could do.

'...It's stupid for me to give her materials... but...' I want to give her these materials and see how far she can go. Even if it's a stupid idea to strengthen her, I still want to see what her limit will be.

And above all... I feel that perhaps she'll start to like me more if I help her, even if the help is for her to challenge me.

'Why do I feel like this...' I look out the carriage window, not quite understanding what I feel. I've never been so counterintuitive as to strengthen an enemy, yet here I am, doing exactly that now.

"Elizabeth, ignoring the previous subject, what do you think of my marriage?" I ask, watching the houses slowly pass by.

"Honestly... it's a bit confusing... I don't understand why you're giving Evelyn so much power... Most of the nobles are also confused about why you actively decided to protect her. After all, you gave her that big kiss in front of everyone during the wedding," Elizabeth says with a confused tone in her voice.

"..."

"...I.... just think that she... forget it, I'm not very sure of my recent choices either." Even I am confused by what I'm doing. It seems irrational when viewed in a broader context.

"..."

"E-Esther-sama, if it's not too intrusive... may I ask why you... had an 'active' first night with her? You never showed interest in that before... and you didn't really need to have relations; just being in the same room during the night would have sufficed..." She asks, confused.

"..." She's right. I didn't really need to deflower Evelyn, since even without that, no one would have questioned the marriage. But I wanted to do it. I wanted to make Evelyn mine in every sense, and I realize my mother deduced that I would do this.

'It seems my mother is much more brilliant than I predicted...' She spoke with certainty that I would do it. She said I had feelings for Evelyn since I chose her.

'Is that it? Do I love Evelyn?... But I don't feel in love...' I don't understand, but I don't think I love Evelyn to the extent of all this, yet I clearly feel something for her.

"Elizabeth, what I think or do not think is none of your concern. I believe you are overstepping," I say, not wanting to answer her question, because to answer, I have to understand what I feel.

And I don't want to believe that I love Evelyn, so I push it all down to mere interest. I am interested in her, and that's all.

Naturally, since I'm interested in her, I end up making much more personal decisions, and that's logical. It has nothing to do with irrational actions driven by feelings I don't understand.

"You may leave. I don't see how this conversation can be productive. I will arrive around 7 PM to uphold my agreement with Evelyn, so during the time I am not at the mansion, keep an eye on her," I tell her coldly, looking out the window.

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