[V4C7] Things He Likes

Monica had been in turmoil over suspicions of a romantic relationship between her friend and familiar, but she mostly regained her composure after hearing Isaac’s arguments. Now, she was sitting in a chair, sipping on the lemonade Isaac had made.

Observing Monica from the side, Isaac decided to start preparing dinner with the ingredients he brought.

Today’s main ingredient was white fish. Isaac skillfully prepared the fish, separating the filet from the bones, and exposed the bones to cold water.

“Ike, what are you making today?”

Monica, having finished her lemonade, asked Isaac as she washed the glass.

Isaac answered her while chopping various vegetables.

“I’ll simmer the bones with vegetables, strain them into a soup… As for the filet, what should I do?”

“Um, um…”

Monica, fidgeting with her fingers, looked at Isaac with upturned eyes like a child pleading with a parent.

“I… I want to eat sautéed fish, please.”

It was unusual for Monica to make this kind of request. She would generally eat whatever was served without complaint.

Thinking back to the days at Serendia Academy, Monica was never good at making requests. Before it came down to making requests, she seemed to struggle with asking people for anything.

In response to this rare request from Monica, Isaac gave a satisfied smile.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s sauté it with butter today. I’ll add your favorite, lemon as a finishing touch.”

“…! Ike, you knew? That I like fish sautéed with lemon butter.”

“Of course.”

Isaac knew that while Monica would eat anything served to her, she did have preferences. Monica clearly saved the foods she liked for later, savoring them carefully.

“I’ve only tried preserved or smoked fish before… So when I ate it at Serendia Academy, I was a bit moved.”

“Yeah, there’s been some recent developments in using ice magic for transportation.”

Although transportation with ice magic had made remarkable progress in recent years, it was still naturally more expensive. Therefore, the privilege of eating fresh meat and fish was limited to those in the upper class, such as those attending Serendia Academy.

In remote villages far from the sea, even salted seafood was considered a luxury item.

Monica had been living in the mountains for a while, so she likely never had the opportunity to taste fresh seafood.

(Nero is still hibernating, so maybe I’ll stick with fish dishes for a while.)

That black dragon, despite disguising himself as a cat, didn’t particularly like fish. As a result, meat dishes tended to be the main course when Nero was awake.

“Ike, Ike.”

“Yeah?”

“Ike, what kind of food do you like?”

Monica showed an interest in him. She wanted to know what he liked. Even such a trivial thing made Isaac happy.

However, Isaac found his tongue frozen as he tried to answer Monica’s question.

——When trying to think of his favorite food, he realized that nothing came to mind.

(…I certainly remember Arc’s likes and dislikes. He dislikes meat, fish, and vegetables. He likes fruit. But generally, he has a small appetite, always unable to finish his meals and ends up teary-eyed.)

In the early days of the swap, when it was decided that “Prince Felix is sick,” Isaac, in order not to arouse suspicion, had to eat the small portions of a sick patient’s diet.

Since Prince Felix ate sparingly, it was necessary to limit his portions after making his social debut. It would be too unnatural if he suddenly turned into a big eater.

Extreme likes and dislikes could raise suspicion too. Therefore, the safest approach was to evenly try anything presented.

When playing the perfect role of the second prince, Isaac Walker’s preferences were nothing but a hindrance.

If asked, “What is your favorite food?” he could simply answer with the other person’s favorite dish or something local. This way, he could start a conversation and make a good impression.

…Having lived that way for almost ten years, he had completely forgotten his own favorite things.

Isaac closed his eyes and slowly retraced his memories.

Things he liked, things that stirred his heart, his favorite things from his childhood…

“…I guess I like meat dishes. Whenever there was a festival, I looked forward to getting meat skewers.”

“Oh right, we ate skewers with Glenn-san in the backyard of Serendia Academy! Um, after passing the dance exam.”

“I honestly wanted about three more at that time. I endured it because it wouldn’t be very princely to be a glutton.”

Isaac spoke somewhat jokingly, and Monica widened her eyes in surprise.

“Ike, you’re a glutton?”

“Just average. About the same as Dudley-kun.”

“Um, to me, Glenn-san seems like someone who eats a lot.”

Indeed, the always energetic Glenn Dudley-kun’s catchphrase was, “I can’t get energy without meat!”

Isaac secretly empathized with that catchphrase. Ideally, he wanted to fill his entire belly with meat.

“Um, Ike… uh, you don’t have to hold back in this house. Please eat as much as you want, okay?”

Monica spoke with earnestness after struggling to find the words. Isaac returned with a warm smile.

——Even if he were to lose everything, he still had a place to live as “Isaac Walker”.

He would search for the “things he liked,” recall them one by one, sometimes discover new ones, and lay them out on this table. Together with Monica’s favorite things.

(That would surely be… a very happy dining table.)

As he contemplated this, Isaac opened the cupboard.

“…Huh? There are a few new teacups.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right! I accidentally broke one… so Lana and I went shopping together!”

Monica fluttered her hands while reporting on her shopping trip with Lana, as well as how delicious the fried pies were.

Isaac stirred the soup pot while enjoying the story.

＊　＊　＊

The meal was white fish sautéed with lemon butter, soup with fish broth and vegetables, soft bread, and baked apples.

After Monica enjoyed Isaac’s home-cooked meal, sipping post-dinner tea from the new teacup, there was a loud knock on the door.

Monica rose from her chair, but Isaac raised his hand to stop her.

“I’ll get it.”

“But, um…”

“Yeah, I know.”

Few knew that the Silent Witch lived in Sazandol.

To prevent aspiring disciples or outlaws like Hubert Dee from barging in, Monica had all her important mail relayed from the Jade Chamber to Sazandol.

Also, whenever Monica’s friends visited her house after dark, they always gave advanced notice or identified themselves from the other side of the door.

Isaac gave a side glance at his belongings placed in the corner of the room. Included in them was the rifle he brought for self-defense.

He hesitated for a moment before ultimately leaving the rifle behind, and called out to the other side of the door.

“Who’s there?”

“I’m from the Flux Company.”

Monica recognized the flat voice with a lack of modulation. The visitor was Clifford Anderson, Lana’s secretary. She stood up and explained his identity to Isaac.

“He’s Lana’s secretary. We met at lunch… I wonder if something happened to Lana.”

“…Hmm?”

Isaac raised an eyebrow, looking doubtful, as he opened the door.

On the other side of the door stood a young man with messy black hair tied up, and round glasses covering half of his face——Clifford Anderson.

Clifford looked between Monica and Isaac and, for some reason, turned his attention to Isaac rather than Monica, the homeowner.

“So you’re Bartholomew Alexander.”

He had gotten the wrong man.

Isaac was about to deny it when he suddenly stiffened, and a bit later, Monica also realized the reason.

In Clifford’s right hand was a small pistol. The barrel was aimed directly at Isaac’s heart.

Maintaining his completely emotionless voice, Clifford questioned the now visibly pale Monica and Isaac.

“Where is Lana?”

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