The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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As Amelia had suggested, we left the wolves and returned to my room.

Honestly, I wasn’t too worried. Although I hadn’t confirmed the extent of my powers as Amelia mentioned, I hadn’t faced any issues up to this point when I thought about it.

It had been a few months since I’d gained my powers—a long enough time for Snow and Gray to have had pups.

Pregnant wolves, or any animals for that matter, were naturally more cautious to their surroundings. And after giving birth, they became even more so.

Yet, Snow still played around with me casually, without any hesitation.

Not only Snow, but the other wolves outside the castle grounds hadn’t shown any aggression towards humans either. In fact, they didn’t seem to mind when young children approached them. While they weren’t as friendly as when they were with me, they apparently looked at the children with the same indifference as they would at a rock.

Thus, rather than controlling creatures within a certain range, my power seemed closer to nullifying the hostility these creatures might have towards humans.

Originally, it might have been a power belonging to the giants… Well, considering that giants and humans had offspring together and that the abilities were passed down normally, maybe giants weren’t an entirely different species from humans, similar to wolves and dogs.

“Shall we look around elsewhere?”

At my question, Amelia thought for a moment before nodding.

Since the adults’ conversation wasn’t likely to end anytime soon, she would have to wait quite a while even if she stayed in her room.

After a brief hesitation, I decided to show her my favorite spot in the castle.

“Then, this way.”

“Wait a moment.”

But before I could lead Amelia, she held me back.

“…Are there any wolves where we’re going?”

It seemed she didn’t trust my abilities at all.

Well, considering that Elsie Delkis never appeared in the original work, nor did anyone with druid abilities, it was understandable.

“No, there aren’t. Actually, it’s a place where most animals can’t reach.”

Technically, animals could enter, but they wouldn’t make it out alive. Saying, “Well, technically animals do come in,” didn’t seem quite right.

“All right. I’ll trust you, then.”

At my response, Amelia let out a small sigh, looking somewhat reassured.

—

My favorite place in the castle was the kitchen.

To be precise, I loved the pantry most.

Although this region was extremely cold, it wasn’t always the same temperature all year-round like a refrigerator, so most food had to be stored in the pantry to be preserved. Any fresh meat here was usually hunted and brought in right away; the rest was processed meat like sausages and smoked cuts.

Of course, I didn’t dislike that kind of food. It was tasty. Although it was saltier and more flavorful than what I had eaten in my previous life.

But even in a pantry full of emergency rations, there were still some unprocessed foods.

One of these was mountain potatoes.

In Delkis, where snow covered the ground all year round, there weren’t many trees bearing edible fruits. They did exist but they were either too small or lacked sweetness to be satisfying. Moreover, breeding for fruit quality in this world didn’t reach the level of advancement like in modern world.

So the northern diet was mostly composed of meat, with a few edible herbs here and there.

Among the so-called “vegetables” of the North, mountain potatoes were a staple.

The mountain potatoes grew wild in the hillsides like weeds and were an essential food for the people of Delkis. Most sprouted potatoes were collected, planted in fields, and cultivated.

The taste and texture were identical to the potatoes I knew, and they grew well in the barren, cold climate. Potatoes were grown here and there across the Barony of Delkis. While they weren’t mass produced on a large scale to be known as a regional specialty, but there were plenty enough that no one would complain if I took a few from the pantry.

“Potatoes…?”

As I brought an armful of potatoes from the pantry, Amelia looked at me with a surprised expression.

“Delkis mountain potatoes are famous for their taste.”

“I’ve never heard of them…”

Really? Well, I supposed they weren’t exported, so that made sense.

“You’ll know once you try them.”

After all, I’d been roasting and eating them just before I came to greet the Grand Duke.

Confidently, I placed the potatoes on a pan.

Ideally, I would’ve liked to roast them over an open flame, skewering them and cooking them directly over the fire, but doing that indoors wasn’t practical. And I couldn’t take the Grand Duke’s daughter outside in the middle of winter.

I placed a lid over the pan. After putting it in the hearth, which always had a blazing fire, I turned around to find Amelia still staring at me in disbelief.

“So… are potatoes eaten here as snacks?”

“We sometimes serve them as side dishes with the main course as well.”

“Is that so…?”

Maybe she was simply unfamiliar with it as a noble.

Then again, wouldn’t a Korean have tried eating steamed or roasted potatoes as a snack. Like a butter-roasted potatoe at a rest stop?

Here, we had similar foods too. They made butter and cheese from moose milk, and sometimes fried potatoes in moose fat.

Still, there was a reason I chose to roast the potatoes this way.

“Anyway, please try one. I guarantee you’ll like it.”

I told Amelia confidently.

—

One side of the potato was slightly charred, but it was cooked well enough. It shouldn’t be a problem to eat it.

Amelia stared intently at the potato in the wooden dish in front of her.

Hmm, her reaction wasn’t as enthusiastic as I’d hoped.

Should I have made them butter-roasted after all? But I quickly dismissed the thought.

Potatoes were one thing, but dairy products were precious here. Even though we produced them in the barony, they weren’t plentiful enough to use carelessly. The cook would surely complain if I did.

I placed the plate of potatoes in front of Amelia, along with a small dish beside it.

Then, I pulled out my secret ingredient.

“Oh!”

Amelia looked a little startled as I poured some onto the small dish.

Heh.

Yes, the secret ingredient was none other than—

“Sugar?”

Sugar, indeed.

Not the pure white sugar from my world, but unrefined brown sugar.

It was a highly prized spice.

It was so valuable that, to get about a kilogram of sugar, we had to catch three live moose. For cows, we only needed one because they were in greater demand, but moose weren’t so abundant here. I’d even considered that the southern merchants might pay extra for moose since they were uncommon there, but only one merchant made trips here. With transport costs factored in… Well, catching moose wasn’t that difficult for me.

I had obtained the sugar on my own, so it was entirely mine, and no one could complain about how I used it.

“If you dip freshly roasted potatoes in sugar, they taste amazing.”

When I smiled and said that,

“Dip… potatoes in sugar…?”

Amelia mumbled, looking up at me with a blank expression.

What was with this reaction, like she was a character in some otherworldly story?

Unless she outright disliked potatoes, hadn’t most Koreans tried dipping steamed or roasted potatoes in sugar? Well, maybe people in other countries ate them with salt instead?

As I tilted my head and looked at her, Amelia blinked slowly and said,

“Oh, sorry. It’s just… such a rare treat.”

Hurriedly, Amelia picked up a fork, sliced the steaming potato, and blew on it.

The rising steam followed her breath.

Judging it cool enough, she dipped the potato into the sugar and popped it in her mouth.

“Hoo-hoo! Ha!”

But freshly roasted potatoes didn’t cool down after just a few breaths.

She slightly lost her composure as she exhaled the hot steam, but after chewing and swallowing, she looked up at me and smiled faintly.

“It’s delicious.”

Right? Tastes like home, doesn’t it?

Although potatoes originally came from the New World, we’d eaten them for centuries, so I figured it could be considered a traditional food.

Of course, it wasn’t as if I could admit I came from Korea.

“Lady Elsie, aren’t you going to eat?”

“Oh, yes, I was just about to.”

Amelia gave a curious look at my plate as she asked, and I moved to my seat.