CH 313

Princess Mia is Unwavering Part 2

“Mia, do you want to stop soon for lunch?”

Mia had been completely focused on the hunt until Rafina told her to stop. In fact, the way she was so focused was so scary that many people had tried to tell her to stop but had given up in the face of her quiet intensity.

Rafina was the only one who was brave enough to bother her. So, Anne’s basket, which she carried on her back, was now full of mushrooms.

At least 60% of them were “a little bitter but still good to eat. About 20% of them were just plain bad. Only 10% were at least somewhat tasty.

Mia couldn’t help but grimace when she saw this strange collection. As a mushroom guide with years of experience, this was by no means okay.

“Wait… Just a moment longer…”

Rafina looked sad.

“I understand that as the person in charge of this event, you feel like you have to make sure it goes well, but I think we could all use a break. Look at poor Anne. She must be worn out.”

Mia stopped, and the reminder made her eyes widen. She had forgotten about Anne because she was so focused on finding mushrooms. It was one thing to run around and pick, but it was a whole other thing to have to carry her haul around.

“Moons, you’re right. Anne, I have been very careless.”

Mia felt a tinge of regret.

“I apologise. You must be pretty worn out.”

“Nonsense, milady.” Anne laughed and puffed out her chest as she said, “I can do this all day long.”

Then, the tone of her voice changed.

“That’s me, though. I think you should stop working for a while, milady. You won’t get anywhere if you push yourself too hard.”

Mia was moved when she saw the worry on her maid’s face.

So much love… Anne really is something special. Even after everything I’ve done to her, she won’t say anything bad about me.

She was so moved that…

Anne doesn’t know much about forests. She must have had a very hard time keeping up with a forest girl like me…

That… She should get something for her unwavering loyalty.

And I know exactly what to do. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make her a delicious mushroom stew.

… She was even more determined to find better mushrooms.

When Mia got to the clearing, the rest of the group had already finished making lunch. On the ground, a mat was spread out, and her friends were sitting on it in a casual way and talking to each other. To her great surprise, her fake goal of bringing the student council members together through this event was working amazingly well.

Who would’ve guessed? At least not her!

The boys’ friendship was especially strong after the time they worked together to cook. This helped Sapphias the most, because they had always had trouble fitting in. Now, he was happily chatting with a casual air of confidence.

The girls shouldn’t have been hit, though. They talked as loudly and quickly as their counterparts, if not more so, because of the forest’s enchanting atmosphere.

“Mmm.” Mia said of the scene, “Not a bad sight, if I do say so myself.”

The natural friendship she saw was contagious, and she wanted to join in the fun more and more. Picnics in the woods during lunchtime were not a part of her life in the past timeline, so that’s not surprising.

Rafina said, “I couldn’t agree more.”

She had a soft smile, but her voice was full of feeling.

“It’s a wonderful lunch to see everyone, nobles and commoners alike, sitting on the same level and eating sandwiches in a forest clearing. Mia, it’s all because of you.”

Bel waved excitedly when she saw that Mia had arrived.

“Come on, Miss Mia! Over here!”

Mia did what she was told and sat down on the mat. Abel was on one side, and Sion was on the other.

What, did you expect her to sit next to Bel? Of course not.

Mia came to enjoy her youth. Even though it was fall, her spring was in full bloom. She was ready to have the time of her life when she found herself between two handsome boys.

Before you start picturing this, though, let me remind you that Mia was still wearing her weird mushroom outfit. So, it looked more like Mushroom Princess Mia was being served by two handsome men who used to be princes of kingdoms that Mia’s fungi had destroyed.

Bel sat next to Sion, and Citrina sat next to Bel. Bel, on the other hand, was happy with how the seats were set up.

“Well,” Sion said to Mia as soon as she sat down, “I think it’s time to compare our loot now that we’ve fought the fungi well. Mia, how’s yours? Will Tearmoon’s honour stay the same?”

Mia looked at him, thought about how rare it was for the Sunkland prince to say something funny, and smiled.

Oho ho. Sion! Sion! Sion! You try so hard to look grown-up all the time, but all it takes is a picnic and some fun music, and you’re right back to being a child.

Whether or not she was mentally mature enough to take such a condescending stance is debatable, but she replied with a snarl,

“I don’t know, but I think it’s better than Sunkland’s.”

“Really? If I were you, I wouldn’t be so sure,” he said, looking at his own basket.

Mia looked where he was looking and saw a pile of mushrooms sticking out of the top.

If she could remember right, most of them were ones that Citrina had said were “tasty.”

She huffed and looked at the big pile of mushrooms sticking out of her basket. Citrina had said that most of them were “not poisonous.”

“You should know… This battle is still going on. It’s just getting started,” she said with a snarl.

Sion laughed with mirth

“All right. Then you should go to bed and get some rest so you can fight better in the afternoon.”

Before she could get mad at his annoying behaviour again, a glass of water slid into view in front of her.

“Here, Mia, take a sip.”

“My, Abel. Thanks.”

“Yeah, that outfit of yours is pretty hot. I figured you’d appreciate a drink.”

“Of course I would.”

Some of her clothes were a bit warm. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and took a drink. Cool water ran down her throat, which felt good. She took a few more bites and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

I didn’t realise it before, but I think I’m pretty worn out.

As she looked at the food on display, she thought, “I really should get some rest before going for round two in the afternoon.”

But before I do that, I need to make some decisions. All right, boys, let’s see what you’ve got.

She looked at the sandwiches with the kind of focus usually reserved for heroes who have finally caught the bad guy who killed their parents.

She picked up one of the sandwiches and said, “It’s time to give these a try.”

Hm… There’s nothing interesting about the shape. It looks like any other loaf of bread… Minus one point for lack of originality.

After making that rude first judgement, she tore off a piece of just the bread and put it in her mouth.

“Hmmm… It’s not bad. It has a soft sweetness that makes it very tasty.”

Most of the time, Mia’s taste buds were about the same age as she was. That is, she had the taste buds of a child, which meant she loved everything sweet.

“Ha ha, I’m flattered that you think so highly of me.

Sion smiled at her in a polite way.

“…Oh, yes. You did make the dough, right?”

“He sure did!”

Bel piped up.

“He’s good, isn’t he, Miss Mia?”

She looked coldly at her granddaughter.

All right, girl, calm down. All it is is bread. She can sometimes be such a fangirl. I mean, it’s good bread, but it’s still just bread. I’m currently eating a sandwich. Sandwiches are all about how well the bread and the fillings go together. The filling and the bread! The whole is what the sum of the parts makes it!

She talked to herself about the essence of sandwiches with the arrogance of an armchair expert and the zeal of an overeager foodie.

Then she took a bite, including the filling. Her eyes grew twice as big right away!

It’s so tasty!

Fresh greens crunched under her teeth, and then she tasted the rich flavour of fried egg, which was complemented by a mild sourness, likely from white sauce, and the smell and taste of smoked meat.

The inside of her mouth turned into a wonderful place to eat.

H-How… How did they get it to taste so good on the first try? This… This just isn’t right!

“How is it? We did what we could, but…”

She looked up and saw Abel’s face full of worry. Sion, Keithwood, and Sapphias, who looked just as eager as he did, were also holding their breath as they waited to hear what she was thinking.

As she looked from one surprised face to the next, she finally realised that she had lost. She realised that it wasn’t about being able to get married. She had been trying to win the wrong war.

They were clearly the real winners of the day because they were having a great time.

So, after a short time of thinking, she said, “It’s… delicious. Absolutely delicious.”

Her sincere compliment made people smile in the same way. She saw how proudly the boys looked at each other, and it made her a little bit envious.

It sparked something in her that…

Well, since they worked so hard to make us a tasty lunch, I should do the same for them by making them some delicious mushroom stew. I’m coming for you, tasty mushrooms!

… Again, this only made her more determined.