Diana had a goal.
It was to marry Shirud.
She was only 8 years old, but she was not ignorant of the meaning of marriage.
According to Dayton, marriage meant that a man and a woman become a family.
She had never thought too deeply about what that meant, but she knew one thing.
That is, family shares everything.
What that meant was that she would have access to Shirud’s snacks, drinks, and planes.
So, how could she not aim for that?
“I want to marry this brother.”
That was the meaning behind her words.
It could be considered materialistic, but at her young age, it was a pure desire expressed with the utmost sincerity.
However, Dayton, her brother, who was the one to receive her confession, flicked her forehead and said this.
“You fool, that’s something that people who like each other do.”
“But I like this brother.”
“……Ahahaha.”
However, Shirud’s expression, upon hearing Diana’s heartfelt (?) confession, was more one of embarrassment, trying to laugh it off.
Despite that, Diana was quite perceptive.
Having grown up in an orphanage, she had developed the ability to read someone’s expressions and understand the meanings behind them.
Perhaps her brother didn’t like her after all.
Thinking that made her want to cry.
The ‘heartbreak’ she experienced at such a young age (though she wasn’t sure if that was the appropriate expression) felt justified.
“……Ugh.”
“Huh? W-Why is this kid suddenly crying?”
It was Dayton who seemed flustered.
“Well, Dayton, did you hit her too hard on the forehead?”
Yerna also replied, sounding a bit flustered at the sudden crying.
In hindsight, it did seem plausible.
“Is that so? Hey, I’m sorry! Did it hurt that much? I thought I was controlling my strength…”
But as Dayton started panicking and apologizing, Diana felt even more upset at the thought that ‘her brother didn’t know why she was crying,’ and began to cry even louder.
“I’m not crying just because my forehead hurts.”
“Waaaaah!”
Tears finally flowed down her chin, and her sobs erupted.
“Diana, did it really hurt that much? Oh no, your forehead is red.”
Yerna gently stroked Diana’s forehead while giving a piercing glare at Dayton.
“No, I didn’t hit her that hard…”
Dayton felt wronged.
He had only given her a light flick on the forehead, the same kind of playful jab he used all the time.
It was the first time Diana had cried like that.
However, it was already too late for excuses; Diana was crying. But above all, what was more unbearable was Yerna’s look, which seemed to be scolding him.
As he despaired inwardly, thinking he wasn’t a bad person, Dayton outwardly squeezed out more apologies to try and calm Diana.
A chaotic scene.
Just a few minutes ago, the once peaceful plane was now almost a battlefield.
The only calm one here was Pyris.
She simply sat on the sofa, watching Diana cry with sleepy eyes.
At that moment, Luke, unable to just stand by and observe, stepped in and gently patted Diana’s forehead, speaking kindly.
“Diana, marriage is something that requires a lot of consideration between two people.”
“……Hic, w-what is consideration…?”
Diana finally stopped crying as she recognized the gentle voice of Luke, who seemed to understand her feelings, and both Dayton and Yerna sighed deeply.
Dealing with a crying child was always a difficult task, no matter the circumstances.
Seeing that Diana seemed to calm down a bit, Luke continued speaking in a softer tone.
“Right, you need to understand each other’s thoughts, personalities, and feelings…”
There were certainly more complexities, but it seemed unlikely that Diana could understand them all at her age, so he decided to omit that for now.
“Marriage isn’t something to decide lightly. It’s one of the most important choices in a lifetime. A hasty and wrong marriage could bring misfortune to both the bride and groom.”
“Um…”
Diana quickly grasped that.
Since it was Luke, the spirit girl, who was telling her this, it must undoubtedly be right, and in Diana’s mind, it became a truth.
Thus, she asked to find an answer.
“So what should I do?”
“First, it’s most important for both of you to know each other and become close.”
“……”
Diana thought deeply while rubbing the forehead that her brother had flicked.
But as Shirud looked at how seriously she was contemplating, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was beginning to sweat.
The atmosphere inside the once-chaotic plane seemed to be gradually calming, but Shirud still couldn’t figure out what to say.
Having never heard such words before, he felt unsure of how to respond.
Well, he certainly wouldn’t feel uncomfortable if it was a serious proposal to reject, as he wasn’t an ordinary child.
He had enough discernment to not assign meaning to every word a child uttered.
The only reason he couldn’t outright reject it was that he feared it would just make her cry again.
In that sense, he felt grateful that Luke had mediated the situation well.
After a while, Diana suggested with a bright expression.
“Then, brother. Let’s be friends!”
“Sure. Well, that level of relationship is…”
It was much better than marriage.
——-
The next day, at Yerna’s house.
Diana went straight to Luke’s house to take her first step toward her goal.
Knock knock.
“Luke, I’m here!”
“Oh, you came already? Please wait a moment.”
Soon, the door opened, and Luke came out to greet her.
Seeing this, Dayton handed Diana over and spoke.
“Alright, I’m counting on you today.”
Dayton, having taken several days of leave, had to stand duty with Yerna for a while.
Since he had no choice, he had to find a place to leave Diana for some time, but because she was struggling not to go to the childcare facility she usually attended, leaving her with Luke seemed like the most ideal solution.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll take good care of her.”
“Thank you! Luke!”
“Yeah, just don’t cause trouble…”
Putting the two troublemakers together was no easy task.
Though Luke seemed reliable, she had also been quite a mischievous child in the past.
Yet, because she had shown a few reliable moments at home, Dayton’s feelings of worry and trust in Luke were evenly split.
“If you really can’t handle Diana or if anything goes wrong, please call me. Got it?”
“Sure, Luke. It must be tough to take care of two kids by yourself…”
Yerna, having finished preparing for work, spoke with concern.
Luke lightly clenched her fist, tapping her chest with a smile and saying, “Don’t worry too much, I’ve got a lot of experience with kids, so you can go.”
“Is that so?”
Yerna recalled that Luke had played the role of the eldest sister at the “facility,” and with that thought, she stroked Luke’s head several times in appreciation before finally preparing to leave.
“Okay, then let’s go. Dayton.”
“Ah, yes.”
——–
Thus, with the guardians having left, only Luke and Diana remained, aside from the still-sleeping Pyris.
“Luke, is it starting now?”
“Yes, it’s time to start.”
What exactly were they starting? It was the bride training.
This was something that Luke had suggested first.
Historically, a woman’s primary means of elevating her status was through marriage to a noble, and from that perspective, Diana’s idea was a concept familiar to Luke.
In fact, she found it surprising that Diana, at such a young age, was already considering her social status.
Modern society doesn’t openly show artificial distinctions, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any disparities in status.
From that standpoint, Diana’s desire to be with Shirud, who seemed to have quite a fortune, was not a negative thing from Luke’s perspective.
So could she not assist the child’s goal? If Diana could become a fine bride, it wouldn’t be bad for Shirud either.
Even if Shirud wasn’t her future spouse, becoming a woman who could proudly stand beside anyone wouldn’t be a bad thing for Diana.
It truly was all gain.
There was no reason not to do it if that was the case.
As long as Diana had the will to pursue this.
“It might be quite tough. Are you still alright with that?”
“I’m okay!”
Diana’s determination seemed firm.
“Alright.”
Luke stood in the corner of the living room and took her stance, while Diana sat down in the living room, gazing at Luke with sparkling eyes.
“So, Diana, what is the most important thing for becoming a bride?”
“Um…”
Perhaps the question was too difficult for her, but Luke quickly answered without dragging it out.
“The answer is cooking.”
“Cooking?”
As if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard, Diana mimed stirring something in a frying pan.
“Yes, cooking.”
Luke nodded in affirmation and continued her explanation.
“Since ancient times, delicious food has captivated people’s hearts, and cooking that can capture a person’s heart can naturally also seize the affection of the opposite sex.”
That was indeed true.
How had she felt when she first tasted Dayton’s cooking?
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had been captivated by the food.
If she had really been a ‘sensitive, romantic adolescent girl,’ might she not have developed a crush on Dayton?
Of course, she felt absolutely no such feelings, but even so, she realized that it was his skewered dishes that held great significance in garnering affection for him as a person.
“So, cooking is the answer. However, Shirud is a high elf, not a typical elf, so it might be difficult since he cannot use even a little bit of animal-based ingredients.”
Listening carefully to Luke’s words, Diana raised her hand excitedly and shouted.
“I can cook elvish food!”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, I learned a few things from my brother about not using fire!”
“That sounds interesting. Let’s try it right away!”
“Okay!”
———
“……”
Where did it all go wrong?
Was it when Diana randomly picked up the Magic Herb from the refrigerator, barely knowing its name?
Or was it when, midway through, she felt something was off but was deceived by Diana’s words, “It’s fine! This is how cooking is supposed to be!” and left her to it?
Or was it when Diana genuinely thought she could cook the dish she learned from Dayton?
As her lack of experience in cooking meant she merely followed the recipe accurately, perhaps it was her assumption that it was just “Dayton’s recipe” that led her to ignore the growing abnormalities in the dish.
Through the process, the plate that ended up in front of Luke contained a bizarre substance that defied identification.
“What on earth is this?”
Because she had used the Magic Herb whole, it resembled a mass of magic rather than food.
In fact, it was so rich that it could be easily detected even without focused Magic Sight.
“How is it? This is Beriton-style salad. Try it!”
Diana confidently asked for a taste review.
However, that blackened substance seemed absolutely inedible…
The aroma was ambiguous, and the texture and taste were unimaginable.
“……Ah, I see. But……”
She was left pondering how to decline without hurting the child’s feelings.
“Yawn…”
Pyris rubbed her eyes and stumbled into the room.
Upon seeing the peculiar black substance on the living room table, she immediately exclaimed in awe.
Pyris rushed over and sat before Diana’s dish, shouting:
“Wow! That looks tasty! Can I eat it?”
“……Pyris, are you serious?”
“Yeah!!”
“……Well.”
If she wanted to eat it, Luke didn’t feel the need to discourage her.
It was unlikely that an ancient spirit would perish just because it indulged in junk food…
Luke decided to forget the words she had been about to say.
“Do as you wish.”
“Yay!! Really!?”
As soon as Pyris received permission, she immediately buried her face in the plate and began to “inhale” it.
Luke couldn’t fathom how Pyris found anything appetizing about that horrendous substance but thought maybe it had to do with some sort of supernatural sensibility that spirits could sense.
That was something she could study further down the line.
For now, let’s focus on the current situation.
“Hehe, is it that delicious?”
Diana began to rub the back of her head bashfully, but Luke, watching that scene, facepalmed.
If someone presented that meal to someone else, it would certainly create a misunderstanding that they disliked them.
That was not a desirable outcome for either the counterpart or Diana.
“Diana, for the next recipe, let’s make it based on my instructions. It will probably suit Shirud’s taste better.”
“Okay! Got it!”
Thus, Diana thoroughly followed Luke’s orders for the next dish.
