She received the bowl of chicken soup.
First of all, it actually looks pretty good.
Without saying a word, I scoop a spoonful of the soup and put it in my mouth.
All the girls sitting here, Olivia, Rin, Eri, Kasumi, Makoto, Haru, Aris, Yoo Se-Ra, and Han Seo-Jin, are looking at me.
“…How is it?”
As if representing them, Olivia glances at me and asks.
The flavor of the herbal chicken soup is surprisingly…
“It’s not bad. Tastes good.”
It was quite decent.
I was worried that too many cooks would spoil the broth, but it seems they made it well.
“Hmph! Even saying something so obviously pleasant doesn’t make me happy at all, you know?! How could it be possible for me, the noble princess of France, Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte, to make anything that doesn’t taste good?!”
Olivia yells, her face turning red.
According to my tsundere translator, that means she’s pleased with my compliment.
“Master! Eri’s love-filled chicken soup is delicious, right? Hehe. Eat as much as you want!”
“I helped out this time too, Deok-Sung… I hope you liked the results of the Shinozaki-style cooking class.”
Eri and Rin follow up after Olivia.
Eri, full of confidence, contrasts with the slightly withdrawn Rin.
“Lord, I worked hard!”
“Junior, don’t you think my cooking skills are pretty good?”
Passing by the shining eyes of Makoto and the carefully spoken words of Kasumi.
“Kim Deok-Sung! Seo-Jin and I worked hard on it!”
“It was only natural for me, as your aide, to do this.”
Yoo Se-Ra speaks with a bright smile, while Han Seo-Jin scratches her cheek.
“Oppa Deok-Sung, did Haru help with the cooking too? How is it? Super delicious, right? Nishi-sishi.”
Today, even Haru joins the Nishi-sishi brigade.
My head is spinning.
Without saying anything, I shovel the soup and take out my phone.
The moment I unintentionally enter YouTube.
[Shinozaki is done!!]
[Polls ranking number 1 three times in a row!! Olivia on a roll!]
[Eri and Kasumi supporters in shock!!]
[All my peers,,, love Princess Olivia~~~!!]
[Princess, you’re awesome~~~]
[Our Deok-Sung,,,, has no other partner than Princess~~!!!]
Seeing the large letters filling the YouTube thumbnail and the comments under the video, everything in front of me blurred.
No way.
What on earth am I looking at right now?
Three magnificent words.
Did they really hold a heroine poll?
Had I been short on national pride all this time?
My head spins at the ridiculous scene beyond imagination.
[Wow, that’s my little sister! Number 1 in the polls! So proud!]
The Black Prince is being all proud again in my head.
It’s ridiculous that he thinks that’s something to be proud of.
But how on earth long has this poll been running?
After digging a little deeper into the internet, I stumbled upon a suspicious community.
I dug a little deeper and discovered a suspicious community.
[Kim Deok-Sung Minor Gallery]
[Manager: Yoo Se-Ra (yusera123)]
[Related Galleries]
[Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte Minor Gallery]
[Shinozaki Rin Minor Gallery]
[Nishizawa Eri Minor Gallery]
[Hoshino Kasumi Minor Gallery]
[Kamiya Makoto Minor Gallery]
The Kim Deok-Sung Minor Gallery that Yoo Se-Ra mentioned when we first met.
Does it really exist?
She boasted about being the manager, so I briefly searched her ID, and it seems like she really is!
[Hello, fans of the Yoo Se-Ra Minor Gallery! I’m your gallery master, Yoo Se-Ra!]
It’s clear from her authenticated post on her own fan site.
Not only is there a minor gallery for Kim Deok-Sung, but she even has personal galleries for each heroine.
What kind of madness is this?
It feels like I’ve peeked into the abyss.
I’m afraid that if I look any further, I might go insane.
[Partner? Are you curious? I am. How about we take a look?]
The Black Prince whispers in my ear.
It feels like a devil’s temptation.
I click the gallery, tongue clicking in frustration.
[Is the girl here? Hahahahaha]
[Olivia: 34%]
[Shinozaki: 20%]
[Kasumi: 15%]
[Eri-Ring: 13%]
[Makoto: 5%]
[Since it’s here, let’s post it! Hahaha, Olivia team dominance! Hahaha]
[Top-notch ranking! Hahaha, 2030 pick is definitely Shinozaki! Hahaha, go to the park if you’re behind at all! Hahaha]
[Did the sample mess up? How is Eri-Ring 4th? This looks like Kasumi’s inflated numbers? This is 100% sample error!]
[Kasumi-senpai!! Kasumi-senpai!! Kasumi-senpai!!]
[This 100% phone interview with landline 15% has caused Olivia to rise! Hahaha, assured number with 100% ARS polling precision! In that case, Shinozaki will win!]
[All my friends and family are united in supporting the Galaxy’s number one beauty, Eri-Ring, why is Olivia in 1st?]
[Eri-Ring’s supporters are pretty gross! Hahaha]
[Seeing the girl’s team fail is a losing flag! Hahaha, Eri-Ring team getting wrecked! Just ^under Kaba^]
[Makoto is just laughing… only laughing… Makoto, run a bit!!]
[Public sentiment is different… Shy Makoto exists…]
What the heck am I looking at?
It’s all in Korean, but I can’t make sense of it.
I feel like blood is going to ooze from my eyes.
I hurriedly shut my phone off.
“Hey, why does your face look like that?”
Olivia’s voice whispers in my ear.
“It’s nothing.”
“Doesn’t seem like nothing…”
Ignoring Olivia’s comment, I dig into my Baeksuk (boiled chicken).
For some reason, Baeksuk tastes especially good today.
*
That night.
Camping site next to an artificial valley.
Crackle crackle.
The campfire in the middle of the square is burning orange.
It’s late at night, so the surroundings are completely dark.
Five girls sat around the campfire, lit by the flames consuming the darkness.
Olivia, Rin, Eri, Kasumi, Makoto.
The five heroines from the Cooking Club.
Aris and the chairman had gone to bed, and Haru and Han Seo-Jin were learning makeup techniques from Yoo Se-Ra.
There was a tense atmosphere among the five girls.
“Why did you call us here, Bonaparte?”
Breaking the silence was Rin.
Wrapped in a cardigan over her swimwear, she spoke in a calm voice to open the conversation.
“Right, Your Highness. What’s going on? I’m curious about Eri-Ring!”
As soon as Rin finished her sentence, Eri jumped in.
Her orange eyes were sparkling.
Makoto and Kasumi turned their gazes toward Olivia.
With all eyes on her, Olivia placed her hand over her chest.
“Let me tell you why I gathered all of you…”
Olivia opens her eyes.
“I have something to discuss about that fool. Normally, I could handle this alone… but, you know what they say, many hands make light work! Even commoners like yourselves might be of some help sometimes! Hmph!”
With her arms crossed, Olivia puffs up her cheeks.
Her cheeks turn red.
“Still not honest, huh? That outdated tsundere habit of yours remains unchanged, Bonaparte.”
Rin chuckles lightly at Olivia’s words.
“Who are you calling a tsundere?! Yikes!”
Olivia bristles at the remark.
Her face turns even redder.
Seeing this, Kasumi asks, “Bonaparte-san, what about the junior?”
With Kasumi’s words, Olivia’s face becomes slightly serious.
“Did you not notice anything?”
Olivia speaks in a serious tone.
“Notice? What do you mean…?”
The first to react to her words is Makoto.
Makoto’s green eyes turn towards Olivia.
Olivia sighs.
“That fool has been feeling burdened since he came to Korea.”
“That’s…”
Olivia’s words make Makoto gulp.
Makoto’s face turns red.
“…I felt a bit of that too. But I just don’t get why the lord is feeling so burdened…”
He didn’t know.
Makoto swallowed the rest of his words.
‘I’m just as incompetent as the lord’s sword…’
Makoto’s shoulders droop.
She fiddles with her hair, which has gone from a short cut to a bob.
“It’s okay, Makopi. Eri also noticed it, but couldn’t say anything.”
Eri pats Makoto’s head as she speaks.
He feels burdened.
Even if not as accurately as Olivia, the other girls also sensed it to some extent.
They were aware that he had been feeling some kind of burden.
It was the woman’s intuition.
A heavy silence hung in the air.
“I couldn’t be there for our junior… I’m supposed to be senpai…”
Kasumi buries her face in her knees, letting her shoulders slump.
Just then, like a spring, Rin stands up from her seat.
“…I think I understand why Deok-Sung feels burdened.”
Rin speaks in a serious voice.
All eyes turn to her.
She places her hand over her chest.
“He is the only hero in this country… Korea is counting on him. That fact must certainly weigh heavily on Deok-Sung. To realize this now… tsk…”
Rin bites her lip.
The image of Kim Deok-Sung, who felt overwhelmed by excessive nationalism, flashes in her mind.
The moments she thought were trivial.
But looking back, it was clear he might have been hoping for someone to help him.
Just like she did while living as a tool in the Shinozaki family.
It’s ridiculous that she realizes this now as the future model wife.
Rin’s hand trembles.
“Shinozaki-san is right. That fool is the only hero of this country. Everyone here has placed their hopes on him. To an excessive degree…”
Olivia speaks in a serious tone.
“I’m not as burdened as that fool, but as the noble princess of France and the heir to the Black Prince, I too carry the expectations of my homeland. So I can understand his burden a little. However… that alone won’t help him…”
“Hurry up…”
I wish I could rely on you a little.
After all, I’m your official maid.
But until now, Olivia hadn’t been able to help him at all.
She couldn’t even provide any support.
Feeling powerless about that, it was understandable.
That’s why she gathered the club members together.
Olivia lowered her head.
At that moment.
“Bonaparte. You’ve become narrow-minded, not like yourself.”
Rin’s calm voice reached her ears.
“Weren’t you the one who said that even a blank sheet of paper is better shared? I still don’t like you, but… if it’s related to Deok-Sung, I’ll cooperate as much as needed.”
Rin said with a slightly flushed face.
“I’m sure everyone here feels the same as I do. No matter what anyone says, he’s a man loved by all. If it’s too hard to do it alone, everyone can help him together.”
Rin’s eyes settled with calm determination.
“Exactly! Eri-Ling is also 100% in agreement with the Cow’s words this time! Eri-Ling is Master’s loyal number one slave! If it’s something to help Master, I’ll do anything!”
Hehehe.
Eri giggled and touched the collar around her neck.
“Ughhhh, but the number one slave of Junior is me… Even I, even I could help Junior with anything…”
“I’ll participate too!”
Olivia’s eyes trembled as she heard the responses from Kasumi and Makoto.
“You guys…”
She thought they were rivals.
She wanted their cooperation, but she never imagined it would get resolved this easily.
“So don’t try to shoulder everything alone. Bonaparte.”
Rin said.
“…Hmph. Who asked for your help?! Honestly, there are only fools here.”
Olivia turned her head.
At the sight, laughter escaped the lips of the other girls.
Tap tap.
The campfire in the center of the campground quietly burned down.
*
After camping in the artificial valley, the subsequent schedule proceeded smoothly.
The resort facilities were top-notch in every way.
The meals and the bedrooms were all luxurious, resembling those found in a seven-star hotel.
A lifestyle so luxurious that one couldn’t even dream of it back in the real world.
There weren’t many activities left, and there were no civilians or other annoying events, so I was finally able to relax comfortably after coming to Korea for the first time in a while.
The heroines still had their clumsy light novel reactions, but compared to the overdose of national pride, it felt like paradise.
It was slightly embarrassing to realize I had been scared just because we were having a retreat.
On the last day of the retreat.
In my bedroom.
While gazing at the resort scenery from a room that could rival a hotel suite in luxury, I was smiling.
‘This is what a summer getaway looks like.’
Since entering Korea, I had been hit continuously with waves of national pride and even fought with the League in Seoul.
After spending my time this busily, finally having a moment to relax felt like a breath of fresh air.
Sitting in a chair, I turned on my phone to check the calendar.
‘The retreat is wrapping up nicely.’
The last day of the retreat was approaching.
Not long after the retreat ends, summer vacation will also come to an end.
‘Soon it will be the start of the second semester.’
[Partner. Are you already excited about going back to school?]
I ignored the Black Prince’s nonsense ringing in my head as usual.
The event marking the start of the second semester is the cultural festival.
In terms of the original work, it’s the rescue episode of Saionji Aris in Volume 7.
Now that things have changed from the original, I have no idea how the cultural festival episode would progress…
Just as my thoughts reached that point.
