The basement of Eisengard Estate.
As the heavy iron door groaned open, a wave of cold air rushed out.
“Ugh... it’s cold.”
Count Eisen tightened his thick coat collar and shivered.
I, on the other hand, felt refreshed.
“It’s nice and cool. Reminds me of home, so that’s good.”
Breathing out white puffs of air as I stepped inside, a massive cave-like space unfolded before me.
Blue-glowing magic stones hung in clusters from the ceiling, and beneath them all kinds of foodstuffs were stored in frost-covered piles.
「Ice Storage」.
A simple name, but it was the crystallization of the Empire’s magical engineering—a massive magic stone-powered facility that maintained sub-zero temperatures all year round.
A mega-sized refrigerator that only nobles or wealthy merchants could afford.
“Wow... the Empire’s technology is impressive. To think a single magic stone can make it winter even in summer.”
I was genuinely impressed.
Of course, our tribe had no need for such machines.
You just open the door and the whole world is a natural refrigerator.
But in civilized society, being able to store meat without worrying about it spoiling was an enormous advantage.
“Haha, well, for people from Norheim, this would be a luxury item, wouldn’t it?”
Count Eisen smiled bitterly.
“The maintenance costs are no small matter, but it’s worth it to supply my territory with fresh ingredients. Now, let us hurry. Lady Kara is waiting.”
With solemn expressions, we headed toward the inner section of the warehouse where a sign hung reading 「Winter Claw Tribe’s Gift」.
The place where the enormous bundles of luggage that the tribespeople had packed tightly when we crossed the border with Count Eisen last time were stored.
The very luggage that had weighed us down inside the carriage.
“I’ll search this side!”
“Understood!”
We began tearing through everything like madmen.
Dried reindeer meat.
Smoked fish.
Bundles of medicinal herbs....
“It’s not here either.”
“This box is a bust too.”
Thirty minutes passed.
Both Count Eisen’s expression and mine darkened.
Everything else was there, but the most important ‘thing’ was missing.
“...It’s not here. Damn it, everything’s here, so why are only the strawberries missing!”
I clutched my head.
Now that I thought about it, it was only natural.
Snowfield strawberries only bore fruit in the depths of Norheim’s winter, in the coldest of shadows.
The problem was that they grew coated in a thin film of ice.
The moment that ice film melted, the flesh became mush far more quickly and easily than ordinary strawberries.
If the temperature rose even slightly during transport or if they received a shock, they lost all commercial value—a truly glass-like fruit.
There was no way they could endure a carriage journey to the inland where the weather was warming up, especially in an ordinary luggage compartment without freezing facilities.
That’s why merchants avoided handling them fresh and mostly brought them processed into jams or preserves.
“My Count... might there be another fruit shop or warehouse within the territory....”
I asked, grasping at straws, but Count Eisen shook his head.
“R-right now... I-I have R-Ronas s-searching everywhere... but....”
“......?”
The Count’s voice was strange.
I turned to look and saw him trembling, his shirt soaked through with sweat.
It was because the moment he heard my words in the study earlier, this fastidious gentleman had dashed here at full speed without even putting on an overcoat, his necktie loosened completely.
The combination of sudden physical exertion and the cold air of the underground warehouse had caused the cold-induced stutter he had shown back in Norheim to relapse.
“O-out of... s-season..... s-strawberries... m-might be here, but... N-Norheim m-mountain... f-frost s-strawberries... p-probably not....”
He delivered the despairing news, his teeth chattering.
Imagining Kara’s disappointed expression when we returned empty-handed made my vision go dark.
What husband in this world could say to his wife suffering from morning sickness, “Sorry, I couldn’t get any. Just endure it”?
Then, Count Eisen, who had been trembling, carefully opened his mouth.
“V-Varg, my boy. I-if... a direct approach... d-doesn’t work... s-shouldn’t we... u-use a... t-trick?”
“A trick?”
“P-processing... o-ordinary... s-strawberries... to l-look... l-like f-frost s-strawberries.”
“......Excuse me?”
I doubted my ears.
“You want to commit fraud? On my pregnant wife?”
“I-it’s not... f-fraud! It’s p-psychological therapy... a-aiming for the p-placebo effect... a-and the m-magic of c-cooking!”
More than that, I couldn’t believe the concept of a placebo effect even existed in this world setting.
Count Eisen’s glasses flashed as he passionately argued, all while trembling.
“What Lady Kara wants... m-more than the n-name... f-frost strawberry... is its unique ‘taste’ and ‘texture’! That s-sour, c-cold, c-crunchy feeling! W-we just... n-need to r-reproduce that!”
“......”
Honestly, it felt shady.
But there was no other way.
It wasn’t like I could fly to Norheim right this instant.
I had to make a convincing fake to at least settle her morning sickness.
“...Let’s give it a shot. What the hell.”
I clenched my fist.
Shortly after, in the mansion’s kitchen.
“Huff... huff... I bought them!”
Ronas came running, panting, carrying a box.
It seemed that running on foot without sending a servant was a family tradition of House Eisen.
When the box was opened, red and plump strawberries were neatly arranged inside.
“These are the most expensive, highest-sugar southern Empire premium strawberries from the market! One gold coin each!”
Ronas shouted proudly, but both mine and Count Eisen’s expressions were complicated.
The problem was that these strawberries were ‘too’ good.
Empire strawberries were big, sweet, and soft.
But snowfield strawberries were small, sour, and firm.
We were in a situation where we had to remodel something with completely opposite characteristics.
“Good. From now on, we’re remodeling these guys into 「Frost Strawberries」.”
I wrote down the characteristics of frost strawberries from memory on the blackboard.
Scritch, scritch.
“Oh, so Father taught you properly.”
In the midst of it all, I was praised by Ronas for my handwriting.
「Characteristics of Frost Strawberries」
【 1. The shape is not smooth like ordinary strawberries, but bumpy, like tiny red grapes clustered together like a flower. 】
【 2. The taste is extremely sour, with a cold and refreshing aftertaste. (Almost no sweetness.) 】
【 3. The surface must be covered in white frost. 】
The head chef and head maid clutched their heads upon hearing the explanation.
“My goodness... you want us to crush these expensive things?”
“What about the shape? They have to cluster like grapes... are we supposed to cut them apart and stick them back together one by one?”
“We must. For Lady Kara’s palate.”
At Count Eisen’s stern order, the kitchen transformed into a laboratory.
The chef mixed lemon juice, vinegar, and lime peel to create an extreme sour sauce.
“More! It needs to be more sour! Enough to make your tongue sting!”
The head maid performed the eccentric feat of using tweezers to pluck the strawberry flesh apart grain by grain and reassemble it into a flower shape.
“Don’t let the shape collapse! Apply a little syrup!”
And I was scraping away at ice.
Scrape, scrape.
I had to make fine ice powder and sprinkle it on the strawberry surface to complete a visual as if frost had fallen.
“Colder! Frost strawberries need to be so cold that your mouth goes numb!”
Count Eisen supervised from the side, holding a stopwatch.
We clung to the strawberries like madmen.
Could this even be called cooking?
Maybe alchemy.
Perhaps, in a world where the term ‘placebo effect’ exists, we were presenting the first-ever molecular gastronomy.
And so, after an hour of desperate struggle.
“W-we’ve finished it....”
The chef held out the plate with trembling hands.
Upon it sat a 「Fake Frost Strawberry」, emitting a clear crimson light while draped in white frost.
The shape was...
roughly similar.
The taste was...
sour enough to make your mouth water just imagining it.
“At this level, she’ll be de—... no, she’ll be satisfied.”
Count Eisen wiped his sweat and nodded.
We headed to the study with solemn expressions, carrying the plate.
We had to succeed.
Without fail.
In front of the study.
Both Count Eisen and I swallowed dryly.
Behind us were the head maid and chefs who had followed to hear the evaluation of their creation.
And Ronas, who had not returned to work at some point and was just loafing around, had tagged along too.
Everyone was nervous, afraid that Kara might be sensitive due to her morning sickness.
‘What if she gets angry? What if she throws it, saying it’s fake?’
I carefully grasped the doorknob.
But then.
“Kya ha ha... really?”
Kara’s soft laughter leaked from inside.
“......?”
Count Eisen and I exchanged glances and cautiously peeked through the door crack.
An unexpected scene was unfolding inside the study.
Alina, the youngest daughter of House Eisen, was sitting right beside Kara, who was leaning against the sofa.
Alina was gently stroking Kara’s belly with her tiny fern-like hand while reading a fairy tale.
“...And so the brave knight saved the princess. The end!”
Alina shouted, closing the book.
Her voice trembled as if she had not yet learned to read for long, but her sincerity was admirable.
“Did you hear that, baby? This sister... no, is it noon? Anyway, I’ll read you something more fun later.”
Alina whispered toward Kara’s belly.
At that sight, Kara smiled brightly and stroked Alina’s head.
“Thank you, Alina. Our baby loves Noona’s voice so much that it kicked with its feet. Can you feel it?”
“Really? Hehe... it really is! It’s wiggling!”
Truthfully, it was not yet the time to feel the fetus move.
Kara had probably flexed her belly slightly so that Alina could feel a squirming sensation.
At Kara’s warm white lie, Alina excitedly bounced around.
That peaceful and lovely scene.
The child’s clumsy yet warm voice was softly melting Kara’s sharp nerves caused by her morning sickness.
‘Thank goodness.’
Count Eisen and I let out sighs of relief simultaneously.
The timing was perfect.
Right now, it seemed she would accept this 「Fake Frost Strawberry」 in a good mood.
“Let’s go in.”
Count Eisen signaled with his eyes.
I nodded solemnly and opened the door wide, holding the plate of strawberries.
“Kara! I brought strawberries!”
The fateful tasting time was approaching.
“Oh my, you’re here? Wow... these are real frost strawberries!”
Kara’s eyes sparkled as she received the plate.
Alina also watched from the side, as if fascinated.
Then, Alina tilted her head and asked.
“But sister. How did you meet that husband of yours?”
“......Huh?”
Kara froze at the sudden question.
In that instant, the air in the study shifted subtly.
The ears of everyone except me perked up.
Count Eisen adjusted his glasses and pretended to be distracted, but his ears were turned toward Kara like radar.
The head maid and butler, who had been closing the door, stopped and took up positions to eavesdrop, and even Ronas stuck his head through the door crack.
It seemed everyone had been curious.
‘What’s the big deal?’
I was dumbfounded.
In my memory, our meeting was far from romantic.
A beast in human form caught in a trap, and the chief’s daughter.
A younger brother and older sister who had entered the family as adopted children.
A case where we just growled and fought whenever we made eye contact until we grew fond of each other.
There was no dramatic first meeting or fateful romance.
So I thought I’d just give a deflating answer like, “It’s no big deal. We just lived together since we were kids.”
But.
“Hmm... our first meeting?”
Kara blushed and smiled.
Her sapphire-colored eyes grew misty and distant.
“It was a very cold day. In a snowy forest swept by a blizzard, Varg... was fighting a huge pack of wolves alone.”
“Woah....”
Alina’s eyes grew wide.
The people’s eyes also sparkled with the expectation of ‘Now that’s a barbarian romance!’
‘Wait, that was him almost dying because he was caught in a trap. Why are you glorifying it? More importantly, you weren’t even there!?’
I tried to object, but Kara’s story continued.
“He was growling at me with a body covered in wounds... but those eyes were just like a lost baby wolf, so I couldn’t just pass by.”
“And then? And then?”
“So... I picked him up. To make him my husband.”
“Kyaa! Sister is so cool!”
Alina clapped her hands, and Count Eisen and the servants also smiled with satisfaction.
‘No, it was my father-in-law who picked him up, though?’
The distortion of facts was severe, but the mood was so good that I couldn’t interrupt.
At this rate, Alina looked like she would ask for the proposal story too.
If the cliff racing story came out, this atmosphere would definitely be ruined.
More than anything.
‘The strawberries are melting!’
The fake frost strawberries on the plate were exposed to room temperature and gradually losing their luster.
If the ice powder melted, the true identity of the soggy strawberries would be revealed.
I sweated cold sweat as I gauged the timing.
Then, Alina asked with wide, sparkling eyes, pointing at Kara’s belly.
“But sister. How is the baby made inside your belly?”
“......!!!”
In an instant, silence fell over the study.
Kara’s face turned red as if about to explode.
Count Eisen coughed and averted his gaze, and Ronas hurriedly tried to close the door but got his hand caught and screamed.
“Ack!”
The adults’ hearts became one.
‘Now!’
‘We have to change the subject!’
‘We can’t destroy a child’s innocence!’
I quickly picked up a strawberry and popped it into Kara’s mouth.
“Here, honey! Say ahh! You have to eat it before it melts for it to taste good!”
“Mph?!”
Kara reflexively ate the strawberry.
Count Eisen also lifted Alina into his arms and made a fuss.
“O-oh, Alina! It’s nap time already? Your brother says he’ll read you a fairy tale! Let’s go!”
“Huh? Really? Brother? But brother is busy? Really?”
“Huh? Uh...”
Ronas was dragged out by Alina without knowing what was going on.
We looked at each other with the expressions of men who had aged ten years.
Fortunately, the strawberry was still cold and passed Kara’s palate.
“Oh... sour! But it’s delicious! Varg, you’re the best!”
Kara gave a thumbs up and began inhaling the strawberries.
Count Eisen and I let out sighs of relief as we watched her.
It was a day spent sweating a sweat colder than the frost strawberries themselves.