Chapter 54: Beef Stew

I was bored—so bored it was almost unbearable.

With nothing else to occupy my time, I ultimately had no choice but to devote myself to training in order to increase my mana capacity. It was monotonous, repetitive work—the kind that dulled the mind if one wasn’t careful—but in this situation, it was quite literally the only thing I could do.

“I’m back. I’ve finished preparing it.”

How much time had passed since I began that mindless routine?

After what felt like a decent stretch of time, Her Highness, the Second Princess Emma, returned to me.

In her hands, she carried a large pot.

“…That’s quite… an ordinary-looking dish.”

As she had mentioned earlier, what she brought was beef stew.

It looked like something you’d find in a common household—simple, hearty, unpretentious. It bore no resemblance to the refined meals I had eaten during my time as a noble, nor did it match the rough, practical rations consumed on the battlefield.

“I borrowed an unused house and simply cooked with ingredients I bought from a regular shop. Of course it turned out ordinary.”

“…From my place, I assume?”

“Yes. Yours was the only shop still open at this hour. I’ve been procuring various things—strategic supplies included.”

“Wow…”

To think that the very merchant company I had so carefully established for use during an occupation would end up tightening the noose around my own neck like this.

I certainly hadn’t prepared it so I could be imprisoned.

This was well beyond anything I had anticipated. Honestly, it was enough to make me sigh.

“I’ll raise the bed for you.”

As I was lost in those thoughts, the bed beneath me creaked softly as it shifted. Slowly, my upper body was lifted into a seated position.

“Wait—what? It can do that…? Oh, I see. This is one of my company’s products, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s quite convenient. A feature that lets you raise the bed without using magic—very nice. Was it made for me, perhaps?”

“I’ve never developed products with the assumption they’d be used for imprisoning people.”

It was meant for those who had difficulty sitting up on their own.

…Well, to be honest, the kind of person I had in mind when designing it probably wouldn’t have needed it anyway. Even if they lost both arms, they could just use their abs to sit up. Perfectly reasonable, when you think about it.

“Fufu. Now then, shall we eat?”

“If it’s mealtime, I’d appreciate it if you removed these handcuffs.”

There was no way I could eat properly with my hands restrained and raised like this.

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll feed you.”

“…What?”

The Second Princess Emma ladled the beef stew from the pot into a bowl she had brought into the room, then moved it closer to me.

In one hand, she held the bowl. In the other, a spoon.

“…You’re serious?”

“Completely.”

She scooped up a portion of the stew and gently brought the spoon toward my lips.

“Here—say ‘ahh.’”

With a radiant, almost dazzling smile, she continued to press the spoon toward me insistently.

“… ”

“Come on—ahh.”

“…Tch.”

It was obvious. Even if I tried to ignore her, she wouldn’t back down.

There was a certain force to her—an unyielding determination that made it clear she would not be satisfied until I actually ate.

“Grr…”

Never in my life had I imagined I would end up in the same position as Shia-neesama. This was beyond unexpected—it was absurd.

“…It’s good.”

And to make matters worse, it was genuinely delicious. That only made it more frustrating.

“Of course it is. I’ve been dreaming of the day I could serve you like this, so I’ve been studying cooking for quite some time.”

“…For quite some time?”

“…It’s nothing! Now then—open your mouth already!”

“Hot—wait, that’s hot! Hey!”

With the spoonful of steaming stew pressed against my lips, I let out a startled cry and instinctively opened my mouth.

“Eat up! Eat, and then we’ll sleep! I’ll be sleeping in this bed too!”

“Whaaaat!?”

“Oh, and just so you know—the occupation of Warmir has already been completed. We’ve secured the former royal castle of the Kingdom of Poln, as well as the administrative building established by the Rosha Empire. Once we reached that point, everything fell into place. The higher-ups issued a declaration of surrender, and it’s all over. There was no intense urban warfare—this was a clean victory for us.”

“No, wait—there’s something far more concerning right now!?”

Compared to the situation in Warmir—which was, for all intents and purposes, already won—

the events of tonight were far, far more pressing.