Drop!! ～A Tale of the Fragrance Princess～

Volume 1, Act 04: An Encounter with a Potential Collaborator

It was several days after Cordelia’s outing with Isma.

A lot of herbs had been transplanted into Cordelia’s greenhouse. In addition to lavender, mint and lemon balm, which she’d heard about beforehand, there was also marigold, which Isma told her about, and furthermore chamomile, etc. that were all neatly lined up.

The phrase『I’m satisfied』might have been used at such times.

Then, when the plants were transferred, the greenhouse had been expanded a little.

Surrounded by those flowers, Cordelia began investigating the whereabouts of the next plant that she wanted to get her hands on, in a book she’d brought out from the library. In truth, she wanted to immediately start refining the essential oils; however, since the plants she brought back weren’t recognised as common medicinal plants, the Pameradia House’s current analysis magician was in the middle of investigating them for the presence of danger. In brief, the plants were in custody, and she had free time on her hands.

However, it was very convenient for Cordelia that they were being analysed. She had knowledge from her previous life, so she knew their effects and how to use them in an unsavoury way, but she still hadn’t grasped the relation between that and a plant’s magic. She was thankful that it was being analysed to avoid danger. It would be even better if they also investigated if adding magic gave them the same effects as the plants in her previous life.

For example: peppermint improved psychoneurotic symptoms such as drowsiness and lack of concentration, as well as improves anorexia, calming effects, and so on; lemon balm improved nerve pains caused by anxiety, insomnia and migraines; chamomile helped with stiff shoulders and back pains; lavender improved nerve fatigues, neurogenic gastritis and sleeping disorders, and then marigold, which Isma told her about, improved dermatitis.

She wrote the primary uses for the plants, but the analysis magician, who had received it, looked grim.

It seemed that investigating that was way more difficult than examining for toxicity.

Incidentally, the analysis magician was called Ronnie; he came to the Parmeradia House two years prior and was an amateur magician. Cordelia had nominated him herself, and the reason for that was merely because he was the youngest. She knew that she was trying to do something outside of conventional wisdom, so she thought someone young, who looked unconventional, would be good…… Of course, there were also veteran magicians with flexible thinking among the Parmeradia House’s magicians…… or so she thought, but if they were too much of a veteran then Cordelia, herself, would shrink back.

However, the head magician disapproved of Cordelia’s nomination. She said, “Ronnie is a very extraordinary magician, but he is a complete amateur when it comes to etiquette, so it’s a little problematic to get him to help Ojou-sama,”

However, for Cordelia, since they would be at home, if he had the ability then no one would care that much if his speech was somewhat crude. Also, if it were someone she’d know for a long time, then it would be more comfortable if they weren’t formal.

“But…… Ronnie looked like he was having a lot of fun, even though he said it was difficult.”

Was his usual job not interesting? Cordelia thought questioningly while closing the book she’d been reading. Then, she proceeded to write down the name of a place onto a piece of paper she had on hand.

“I’ll procure rosemary next if I can. Then I want to drink it with white wine. Though, the current me still can’t drink.”

It seemed that there were no age restrictions on drinking in this kingdom. To be accurate, drinking outside was allowed after one became an adult, but there didn’t seem to be any laws on drinking inside of the house. However, with her current body size, she’d probably get drunk really quickly.

That wouldn’t be good. She couldn’t show disgraceful behaviours.

If nothing happened then, that would be great, but 『Cordelia’s』body was extremely weak against alcohol. She would be extremely embarrassed if she went from being a happy drinker to a weepy one.

“…… I’d like an alcohol patch test before I become an adult. But, I could still drink until my thirst is quenched if I was an adult.” 1)

Cordelia thought that while putting the pen down and concluded that she should make pencils, sooner or later. She was used to using pens, but she missed the sensation of writing with a pencil. Selling them together with erasers might be useful ―――; she thought things like that while reviewing the paper she’d just written.

“But…… I wonder if I could 『probably』procure rosemary. As far as the literature is concerned, it’s unclear whether it could be found in this kingdom or not.”

If she had seen the real thing before, then she could definitely get her hands on it, but if she wanted them to be in 『good』condition, then that might be hard.

Rosemary was a herb commonly used in cooking, even in this country. That was why Cordelia thought that it would be easy for her to procure it, but she found out that the ones used in cooking were all dry herbs, imported from foreign kingdoms. Moreover, they weren’t precisely importing rosemary, it was just a cushioning ingredient that was imported together with eggs. Also, the reason why the chefs of this kingdom adopted rosemary in their cooking was that they became accustomed to using rosemary along with the eggs they had imported, and thus applied it to other dishes as well.

However, rosemary, which was used as a 『high class cushioning ingredient』, couldn’t be called a popular ingredient. In short, she needed to obtain stock and make dry rosemary herself.

(According to the book I’d read, it doesn’t seem like 『they use rosemary as a cushioning material because they grow so much that it rots』…… I wonder if the price is being raised due to a set commercial law; or is it being treated as a vanity case? Either way, it isn’t a big problem.)

Cordelia also read in a book that rosemary also grew wildly in the mountains of this kingdom. However, details of the state of rosemary weren’t written down; all that was written down was 『the fragrance is inferior to the imported ones』. She wondered how inferior the smell was…… The point was that she concluded that she needed to urgently confirm the real article since it wasn’t possible to determine whether the stock was terrible, or if the growing situation was bad, or if it wasn’t fresh enough, or if they have a lousy drying method. She wanted to get her hand on the foreign stock, but even then, she didn’t think she would understand anything if she didn’t have anything to compare it with.

However, the book that mentioned rosemary was written about 100 years prior, and she didn’t know how similar it was to the current situation.

(This is a problem.)

It wasn’t just rosemary, she thought that the information she could gain from the book would soon be exhausted since only a little was written on each herb. Thus she began to think that she should acquire books from other kingdoms as well. At the same time, she thought that she should research more on traditional cuisines, and instances of the use of medicinal plants in the folk remedies of those kingdoms. Fortunately, her basic education lectures had been progressing well, and she only had to take lessons in the morning now. Since her afternoons were free, she wanted to learn foreign languages while examining medicinal herbs. If she did that, then she would be able to read foreign literature, and it might help collect information. In any case, it wouldn’t be disadvantageous if she’d learnt it.

(I should consult with father next time.)

He probably wouldn’t be opposed to it, but she’d need a tutor for that, too. She had qualms about reading, writing or speaking foreign languages, but since she needed it, she had no choice but to challenge herself. If she started the challenge…… then she could picture herself desperately memorising everything because 『There was no way a bad report could be given to father』. Yup, it’s okay. Probably.

In any case, her top priority was to visit the places where rosemary seemed likely to grow and acquire stock. Then she wanted to look at its condition while examining it in the greenhouse. It was also the same for the other herbs; she didn’t want to just grow them in the greenhouse, she wanted to cultivate a lot of herbs in a large plantation. Given the research period for that, the sooner she got her hands on rosemary the better.

“Should I get Onii-sama to take me to the destination again? But in truth, Onii-sama probably wants to let his horse run faster…… If that’s the case, then I’ll just get in his way, wouldn’t I?”

Cordelia was in doubt and sighed.

She wanted to quickly be able to ride by herself. However, it was difficult for her to receive permission to go out just to ride a horse. She also needed to learn how to use offensive magic for self-defence. Should she increase her magic classes?

“It would be difficult to ask for offensive magic while I’m aiming to be a lady. I also have a feeling that it would be impossible for me to insist that it’s for self-defence. In the first place, it’s not something you could learn overnight……. Which meant, I have to consult with the head chef again about rosemary.”

The head chef’s enthusiasm and sincerity for cooking were so strong that he wouldn’t lose against anyone in that aspect. Therefore, if she insisted on the possibility of the existence of high-quality rosemary, then she felt that he would help her search for a way to obtain it. No, he would most definitely lend her a hand. Also, since he negotiated directly with merchants for ingredients, he might be able to present her with a way to procure it.

(Alright, let’s try to talk to the head chef.)

She thought as she sipped on her tea.

I also want to establish different types of herbal teas in the future; but like I expect, would the people of this kingdom, who are accustomed to the taste of black tea, accept herbal tea? Would it be easier for them to accept if I sold it as healthy food?

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Before she’d noticed, the inside of Cordelia’s head was always filled with medicinal herbs.

Just like that, Cordelia spent her days in a relatively relaxed manner, until Ronnie’s analysis was over. But one day, a sharp turning point came.

Emina usually took care of Cordelia, and never disturbed her, but on that day she came up to Cordelia with a nervous look on her face. She explained, “Marquis Flantheim has come to visit with his son,” while she quickly dressed Cordelia in a fancy dress that she wouldn’t usually wear.

I see it seems that I’ll be showing myself in front of Marquis-sama and his son.

However, up until then, she’d never been called whenever Elvis had visitors. There were times when she’d met them by chance while walking around the mansion, and they’d ask her if she’d like to join them for tea, “Ojou-san do you want to have tea with us?” But this was the first time she’d been called. Why are they calling me this time? Moreover, she couldn’t understand the reason, even more so, because the guest was Marquis Flantheim.

The Flantheim House was a family that contributed to the founding of the nation and were written about in history books. Even in general education, they would definitely teach about the history of that House. Even amongst the limited number of Marquises, their house name was at the top of the list.

Cordelia still had her doubts, but she was already on her way to the parlour. There were two men and a boy in front of her when she entered the room, urged by Emina. One was, of course, her own good-looking father, but it was her first time meeting the other two; the Flantheim father and son. The Marquis was a gentle-looking man while the boy had big, round eyes.

Cordelia confirmed their appearances and curtsied.

“My name is Cordelia Enna Pameradia. It’s a pleasure making your acquaintance.”

That she was able to greet elegantly without hesitation was the results of her daily training. Even if she looked young, she had confidence in her correct posture and correct pronunciation, which had been ingrained into her down to the bone.

Although her father tended to spoil his daughter, he was a former knight, so he was rather strict about etiquette. In practice, even if Cordelia had received a passing mark from her tutor, her father would give candid advice many times. “The angle’s not good.”

However, her father didn’t move a single eyebrow at Cordelia’s curtsy today. Seems like I passed. Well done, me.

In response to Cordelia’s greeting, Marquis Flantheim gave one big nod and with a gentle aura and an equally soft voice said, “Yes.”

“I apologise for the sudden intrusion. I am Leonard Flantheim. This is my son, Vernoux. You two are the same age.”

At that, Cordelia once again pinched the hem of her skirt and curtsied again. However, contrary to her flowy motions, Cordelia’s heart was jumping. She was able to hide her surprise and smile loosely.

The boy’s name had been too unexpected.

(Vern…oux?)

When she’d heard that name, she once again replayed it in her mind and felt as if she could scream.

The name matched the name of a character that’d appeared in the game.

He got entangled with the heroine in the city, and his surname didn’t appear until the end. However, his name was of course shown; the heroine always called him “Vernoux-sama”. Cordelia remembered that the fact that he was the son of a marquis house that had come up during a conversation, but she’d never expected to meet him at her house. “Why are you here?!” She praised herself for not yelling.

However, impatience was a taboo.

She remembered it well. Vernoux was undoubtedly a friendly character towards the heroine, but even so, he wasn’t someone that she should be wary of. Cordelia calmed her throbbing heart, as she heard her own heartbeat.

Yes, no matter how much the person appeared in the game, Vernoux should be someone unrelated to Cordelia.『Cordelia』was a character who was only interested in the Prince (and the woman involved with the Prince). Therefore, there wasn’t a scenario where she was involved with Vernoux. Of course, since the game was set in high society, there was a chance that they were mutually acquainted. However, there were no events in which they actually made contact with each other.

That was why he was a completely safe person ―――; or so she’d like to say, but it wasn’t like she had no need for concern at all. He was the Prince’s school friend. Moreover, they had a perfect friendship. According to the options, he was such good friends with the Prince that he could mediate between him and the heroine.

In short, Cordelia didn’t know when he might become a threat.

(… He’s probably already met with the Prince. I guess it’s better to avoid him after all.)

If I get involved with him, I can’t help but feel that the danger of possibly getting involved with the Prince would somewhat rise.

A normal noble lady might be pleased if that happened, but Cordelia was different.

Something like getting close to the person I must avoid; no thanks.

She couldn’t let it show on her face, even if she only thought that for a moment. In the first place, she had to entertain her guests no matter what she thought. Since that was the case, she postponed her thinking until later.

Cordelia once again curtsied at Vernoux. However, Vernoux continued to look at her as if he was looking at something slightly unusual. His behaviour wasn’t like that of a Marquis’s son. He didn’t correct his expression until he was prompted to by the Marquis.

“…… I’m Vernoux Flantheim. Nice to meet you.”

Vernoux opened his mouth and said that in a childish and loveable voice; utterly different from his silence up until then. That went with his expression. He was probably cuter than the girls in the area…… Even so, that was the first time she’d seen another child other than herself, in that world.

In the game, he was a young man with sharp eyes. Right now, he was a boy who only suited the word『cute』. But, if she looked closely, she indeed felt that there were definitely parts to him that would transform to become manly in the future. Perhaps because the Marquis, standing next to him, was looking at him with such eyes. She also recalled that, in the game, his voice was a lot lower but sweet. When she thought that, she could certainly hear the remnants of it in his current voice.

(…… It’s a strange concept to say that something in the future is a remnant.)

Cordelia recalled information in that way, while still being a little wry; she then sat down prompted by Elvis and examined the Marquis father and son pair.

“Elvis and I are old friends, you see.” The Marquis opened his mouth while Cordelia was sitting down.

Cordelia was a bit surprised at those words. She’d never heard about this friendship from Elvis. She seldom heard about his interests…… But in any case, it seemed the Elvis and the Marquis were childhood friends. Even if Elvis showed an annoyed face, it must be so, since the Marquis had said so. There might be various adult circumstances around it.

In fact, Elvis didn’t hide his annoyed expression, but he also didn’t tell them to 『go home』. Furthermore, he might have already said that to them, but they didn’t go home, or he knew it was pointless to say it……. He had that kind of expression on his face, so he must have trusted the Marquis more than average.

(There’s a thin line between love and hate…… It’s the same as that, I’m sure of it.)

Cordelia decided to stop thinking too profoundly and concluded.

(But, what kind of intentions did he have to bring his childhood friend’s son and his own daughter together?)

Cordelia thought and arrived at a conclusion.

Which was, this was probably a 『marriage interview 2) 』.

(Eh, it couldn’t be that my fiancé would be decided at 8 years old, during our first meeting…… Could it?)

Cordelia broke into cold sweat.

I know. It isn’t uncommon to get engaged at 8 in this world, but I had said that I wanted to become father’s bride. So this can’t be. I’m not getting engaged, right? …… I want to think that I’m not.

However, Cordelia’s worries ended in needless anxiety. Instead, she was stuck with listening to a terrifyingly passionate story. It was the Marquis’s own love story, which was probably too complicated for 8-year-old children to understand; the story took so long that the tea in front of them had gone cold. At any rate, it was a long story, full of love, and she was tired of having to force a smile on her face. Moreover, the way he was speaking was as if he was the main lead in a play. Also, he wasn’t a smart actor, like his beautiful looks indicated, but an extremely hot-blooded one.

The story was so long that Cordelia only listened until about halfway, but she knew that the Marquis treasured his wife from the bottom of his heart… Or so she felt. Maybe I could understand a tenth…… No, a hundredth of the Marquis’s hot…… Pardon me, passion. That was why she never said what she thought, being loved that much seems heavy.

(That’s right…… I’m still a child, so there’s no way I would understand. Let’s leave it that way……)

Neither Elvis, who clearly had a disgusted look on his face, nor Vernoux, who was only interested in the confectionary, seem like they were listening to the Marquis’s speech, but neither of them disrupted the Marquis’s feverish speech. So before Cordelia, who was forcing a smile on her face, the Marquis was able to continue his solo performance peacefully until the end. “Love has worth only because the feelings of two people are the same!” Cordelia was tired but more than anything else, she was glad that he seemed extremely happy.

When Cordelia began to wonder if that was why they called her here, the Marquis calmly concluded.

“If you also find someone you like, then you should do everything you can to get them. It would be good for you to remember that well.”

With that assumption, you can steal them away!? Also, was that something to preach to an 8-year-old?!

Cordelia wanted to smile wryly, but from his speech, she understood the Marquis was probably not someone who forced their child into any engagement without giving them a say in the matter. Also, at least, the Flantheim House was free from political marriages while they remained on active service as a Marquis.

If Vernoux said that he wanted to get married to Cordelia, then the Marquis’s spirits would probably rise, but from what she could see, he didn’t seem interested in anything other than confectionaries.

Yes, children were like that.

In this situation, it didn’t seem like they would say something like 『We’re childhood friends, and their ages are close to each other so let’s engage them together』. Cordelia was relieved and stroked her chest.

That’s great. I don’t want a fiancé or anything right now.

Even if Vernoux became her fiancé, the path to her downfall would not be opened…… Probably. In terms of it being inconvenient or not, she could say that it was not. However, she wanted to be spared from getting engaged while still being inexperienced with first love. Since she was already at it, she wanted to experience love too, if possible. Although it was a tale that was still far into the future, she couldn’t even imagine that at that moment, so she got embarrassed thinking about it too deeply.

Beside Cordelia, who was like that, her father let out a bitter voice.

“Your love story is nothing more than a climax that’s been reached and little bits and pieces.”

Elvis said that while raising his hand lightly and urged the servant with his eyes to exchange the tea that had gone cold because of the Marquis’s passionate speech. Elvis complained, “Do you remember how much trouble I went through because of you,” “I aged three years because of that,” “Don’t forget who cleaned up afterwards,” and “You often barged in on people who have been up all night.” But the Marquis just brushed him off. It seemed that Elvis had to endure some great hardships.

However, Elvis, who was particular about etiquette, was cursing the Marquis without hesitation. They both either knew each other well, or they owed each other too much to care. She wanted to hear more about it, but she firmly endured and smiled. She could clearly see that if she heard about it, Elvis’s mood would drop.

It seemed the Vernoux, who had only been eating confectionaries, had noticed that the speech was over.

Even though he was already bored of hearing that story many times, and hadn’t listened to what the Marquis said at all, he had already returned to his beautiful appearance that had been broken before.

The Pameradia House……No, most probably, normal nobles wouldn’t break their posture, even if they weren’t interested in the conversation until it was over; but that wasn’t the case with the Flantheim father and son. Or perhaps the Marquis had been so passionate that he didn’t notice it. If that was the case, then Vernoux was extremely intelligent. Let’s remember that…… Cordelia thought, and Vernoux looked at Cordelia and smiled.

“Hey, you have a greenhouse, right? Show me.”

… Was it my imagination?

She had seen both sides of his previous attitude up close, but she felt that his appearance was different from that of an obedient child. To be more accurate, it seemed like he had a hidden side to him.

She felt that he was someone she should possibly be wary of, whether he was connected with the Prince or not, and said, “I will guide you.”

He was someone she wanted to be on her guard around, but she also wished to get away from the adult conversations. Cordelia guided Vernoux to the greenhouse before the Marquis could recite his love story once more.

It seemed that the greenhouse that they’d arrived at was beyond Vernoux’s imagination.

He walked curiously around the greenhouse, and when he saw the peppermint he muttered in wonder, “What kind of plant is this? Will some kind of beautiful flower bloom from it?”

However, she was still in the research phase, so even if she could give him the plant’s name, it would be difficult to provide him with a detailed explanation…… Or rather, Cordelia was concerned whether it would be good to deepen their friendship. Therefore she smiled vaguely and dodged the question. In the first place, she didn’t want to tell anyone about it, since she hadn’t even started her research.

However, at that time, Vernoux’s round eyes narrowed a little.

“You’re a strange one.”

Resembling his father, in the near future ―――; In short, Vernoux spewed those words at Cordelia with an aura that resembled his game self a little.

Cordelia wanted to return those same words back to him. Vernoux wasn’t normal. Even his actions from before seemed very cunning. However, she restrained herself, tilted her head in confusion and answered him as if she didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, “…… Are you talking about my actions?”

Then just like before, Vernoux stated his pure opinion.

“Yeah. You’re just like a man!”

Cordelia, 8 years old.

She received shocking words for the first time in her life, in spite of being born, raised and educated beautifully.

She didn’t know about when she was a Japanese person, but she had already been living here for eight years. She understood that men and women acted differently in this world. She was aware that she wasn’t that normal when she was conducting her research, but she didn’t let it show in her appearance. She didn’t have any intentions of acting strong-willed enough to be told that by a boy who’d she just met for the first time.

Nevertheless, her face didn’t twitch, because as expected, she had been raised as a young lady.

Similarly, Vernoux was also a noble and should have also learnt how to treat ladies, to some extent. Or rather, he would hear about it even if he didn’t want to, with such a father. Nevertheless to say such a thing…… Cordelia thought that other young ladies would surely cry if he told that to them, but, since this was Vernoux, it wouldn’t be easy for him to think that other young ladies acted like a man. That was precisely why he described Cordelia as 『strange』.

Vernoux kept his eyes on the peppermint and continued, “Because you see, other young ladies would stare at me and then their faces would turn red. Your reaction, it’s just the same as a boy’s.”

“…… I’m very sorry about that.”

“I don’t mind. On the contrary, it seems like you can act like yourself.”

His mischievous laugh was befitting of his age, and he was no longer the hard to deal with boy from earlier.

Seeing him like that, Cordelia, too, relaxed her shoulders a bit.

Somehow or another, he doesn’t seem like someone who I should be that cautious around like I’d thought. On the contrary, I was the only one being cautious.

“Vernoux-sama, do you visit the houses of young ladies often?”

“Occasionally. It’s a hassle, but according to father, I won’t have a big romance if I don’t meet them.”

“…… That is certainly so, isn’t it.”

Indeed, if he was searching for the great romance that the Marquis spoke about, then he first needed to meet his destined person. If he didn’t have many encounters, then such a stunning meeting wouldn’t happen ―――; Cordelia wanted to look off into the distance, but strongly resisted and agreed. Not surprisingly, Vernoux, who had honestly said, “It’s a hassle,” was still not interested in romance yet. He might have had enough of being brought around everywhere.

(It’s hard to have a father who had a great love, isn’t it……)

Cordelia secretly sympathised with Vernoux in her mind.

“By the way, you said that you wanted to see this…… Vernoux-sama, are you interested in flowers?”

“Honestly, not really. But if you can control the temperature, then you can raise birds from the southern kingdoms…… Well, it’s not like I don’t want them.”

So that was it, he probably wanted to go to the greenhouse to get away from the parlour. But Cordelia got unforeseen information from him when she raised the topic.

“There’s also talk about making something similar to this at the Royal Castle, too. It seems like the Queen wished for it and the Prince also seems interested in it.”

“…… You’re well informed.”

“That’s because I study together with His Highness.”

As expected, he was already acquainted with the Prince and, judging from the way he spoke, they already got along really well.

That fact strengthened the caution that Cordelia had loosened for a moment. She didn’t do this consciously, she’d only reacted unconsciously to the danger word 『Prince』. However, Vernoux didn’t hesitate to tell her about the Prince; so it was probably safer to avoid him after all. She didn’t hate him, but to her regret, that connection was dreadful. Her life was at stake.

However, while she thought that, Cordelia suddenly noticed a reverse possibility.

Vernoux knew the Prince’s tendencies and would be a useful source of information for her to avoid the Prince with. Was there a better way to avoid the Prince than to hear about him from someone who is close to him? Instead, wouldn’t getting closer to Vernoux be a good plan?

(He might become an existence like a joker, though……)

She was thinking about such things, so her expression became just a little serious.

Vernoux just stared at Cordelia, who was acting like that, and he slowly softened his expression.

“…… You’re really unusual, aren’t you?”

“What is unusual about me?”

“Aren’t you interested in the Prince?”

“…… Why would you say that?”

It wasn’t like she wasn’t interested, it was just that her interest was the opposite of 『wanting to get close』.

Cordelia returned Vernoux’s question with a question. However, his amused expression remained the same.

“Everyone would immediately react to the word, ‘Prince’. No matter if they are noble boys or girls. Even though they turn red when looking at me, they would persistently try to get close to me. For some reason, you seem different from them.”

Hearing those words, Cordelia felt even sorrier for him than she did when she heard that the Marquis brought him around because of his love story.

Under normal circumstances, he was the heir to that Flantheim House. She could imagine that he had a comfortable position just from looking at his outward appearance. Moreover, if he were used not only for that but also as a foothold towards the Prince, then he’d have something to be dissatisfied about. It might be because of that, that she was able to catch a glimpse of a calculated front, different from innocence, despite him being young.

“Well…… I respect His Majesty’s regime, but I haven’t talked with His Highness…… Also,”

“Also?”

“My father seems like a more wonderful man to me than His Highness, whom I have never seen before.”

Cordelia laughed, and Vernoux nodded looking convinced.

“Indeed, I really can’t seem to understand a woman’s heart. It’s too complicated. But it’s easy to talk with you; if you ever have something you would like to talk about, it would be great if you can come to me for advice.”

“Same here. Please treat me kindly from now on.”

“Would you mind if I called you Dilly?”

“By all means.”

Thus, Cordelia succeeded in making a connection with a promising future friend of the Prince. Of course, she didn’t have any intentions of using him only as an information shop. If he said that he wanted to understand the thing called a woman’s heart, then she thought about giving him advice, anytime. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any experience in love, but she didn’t dislike listening to love stories…… However, whether she could be helpful or not was a different story. However, she felt that his experiences would be disastrous if his love standards were influenced by that Marquis’s story. Thus it would certainly be useful to listen to『the advice of others』when he felt lost. However, she felt that it was necessary for Vernoux to generally understand a woman’s heart.

“But I really think that it would be better if the goddess statues in this greenhouse were a bit more voluptuous. It’s the Goddess of Fertility, isn’t it?”

…… She definitely thought that it was imperative to teach this eight-year-old child about a woman’s heart.

“Vernoux-sama, do you know that in this world there is a word called modesty?”

(Being an honest child is good, but being too honest could also be a fault.)

Cordelia shrugged her shoulders at her childish but grown-up friend.

References

1. ↑ An alcohol patch test is similar to an allergy patch test, but supposedly reveals alcohol tolerance:

2. ↑ omiai