~LFTV 07~

Chapter 7

“Miss Daisy, you’ve been unconscious for the entire day. Do you have an underlying illness?”

“Yes. Something like a chronic condition.”

Fel sighed with sympathy.

“Oh… I see. Have you thought about visiting a doctor in a big city?”

Daisy waved her hand as if it were nothing.

“It’s okay. I know how to treat it. It just needs some time.”

“Ah, that’s a relief.”

Fel smiled in relief. Then, glancing sideways at Callius, he whispered softly:

“However, your younger brother seems very startled. He barely speaks and hasn’t eaten anything except a sip of soup.”

“Oh dear.”

Daisy grabbed the back of her neck.

“Calli… no, Calli! You didn’t eat anything at all for a whole day…?”

In response to Daisy’s scolding, Callius’s voice came out sulky and a bit stubborn:

“Why should I eat something that won’t even help?”

That probably meant that the soup made by someone else hadn’t restored his magic.

‘Well, that’s good for me, since only my food works on him…’

But a child’s body shouldn’t go hungry! Daisy couldn’t stand it. She jumped up from her seat.

“Ugh! Impossible! Then I’ll have to handle this myself!”

“Miss Daisy? What are you doing? You’ve just woken up, and moving around so suddenly isn’t good for you.”

Fel tried to stop her, but Daisy shook her head.

“I’m fine. I know my own body better. After a day’s sleep, I feel even lighter!”

“No, that’s….”

“But! Our little one hasn’t eaten, what do we do? We have to feed him immediately.”

Daisy’s thoughts were clear:

‘If he goes hungry here, what if he gets even smaller?’

Daisy absolutely did not want to face a troublesome situation!

“Milady, it would be troublesome if you do that here.”

“Oh, just using the kitchen for a moment. But here…”

Daisy dropped a silver coin into the cook’s pocket. The cook’s face immediately changed.

“Use it as much as you need. Tell me if you require anything else.”

“Hehe, thank you!”

Daisy grinned as she watched the cook walk away.

“Spending money really is the fastest and easiest way.”

Of course, the coin wasn’t Daisy’s—it came from Callius’s wallet.

Humming lightly, Daisy surveyed the kitchen. True to a small inn’s setup, the ingredients were minimal.

“Hmm. What should I make…”

With the limited ingredients, Daisy pondered deeply.

Her first goal: get the picky Callius to eat.

‘Nutrition isn’t important right now—filling him up is. So, something simple and tasty…’

Considering Callius’s taste, it should be something children would like.

‘From what I can tell, the only ingredient Callius would eat right now is an egg. It also needs to be something filling…’

After much thought, a menu suddenly popped into Daisy’s mind.

“Butter Egg Rice!”

For a child’s palate, nothing beats egg rice.

It’s simple to make, savory, and rich—hardly anyone dislikes it!

“Hmm. Is there soy sauce?”

Daisy quickly searched the kitchen. Luckily, she found something resembling soy sauce.

‘Good thing the seasonings here are similar to the old world.’

Daisy promptly cooked the rice. A pressure cooker would’ve been nice, but in this world, that was a luxury.

While the rice cooked, she fried the eggs in a pan with a little oil.

“Eggs, soft-boiled!”

Making butter egg rice hardly counted as cooking. Preparation was finished in no time.

“Done!”

Daisy neatly scooped the steaming rice into a bowl. She placed a pat of butter and the fried egg on top.

The butter melted into the hot rice, sending a savory aroma wafting.

“Hmm, smells delicious!”

—drip.

Finally, she poured a ring of soy sauce over the top.

Daisy swallowed hard and carried the butter egg rice.

It was time to feed the disobedient little wizard.

Daisy held the bowl out to Callius.

“Calli, eat right away. If you go hungry any longer, you might grow even shorter.”

“Ugh…”

“There are no vegetables you dislike in this, so don’t glare at the bowl like that.”

“Tch.”

“Mix it well with your spoon and eat.”

Callius grumbled but took the spoon. As he mixed the rice with the egg, the soft yolk burst, coloring the grains yellow.

Watching fondly, Daisy said triumphantly:

“When have I ever given you anything bad?”

“You forced me to eat weird plants before.”

“Ugh, that was all for you, Calli.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

“Anyway, trust me and take a bite!”

Under Daisy’s urging, Callius swallowed a spoonful of the egg rice.

Daisy watched his chubby cheeks wiggle as he chewed.

Callius hardly chewed at all and swallowed it in one go. Daisy’s eyes sparkled.

“How is it? Tasty, right? Goes down smooth?”

“Hmm… chew chew… not bad at all… yum…”

Callius’s cheeks puffed like a hamster’s as he answered. Daisy smiled softly.

‘He must have been hungry. After all, his body is growing and he skipped an entire day of food.’

Daisy looked at him with satisfaction. It was always nice to see someone happily eat the meal she made.

Fel, who had been watching from a corner, approached and whispered:

“You really care about your younger brother. And he seemed to rely on you a lot as well.”

“Eh? Calli relies on me? Haha, really?”

Daisy couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Callius relying on her? ‘A lot’? That was ridiculous.

“He probably thinks of you as just a maid who cooks for him.”

Having experienced Callius’s harsh words firsthand, Daisy found that a natural reaction—but Fel, unaware of him, laughed softly.

“You speak mischievously.”

“I’m not wrong.”

“Callius stayed awake the whole time you were unconscious, watching over you. And he even acted fiercely, like a wildcat, whenever I got close.”

“That’s just him.”

Daisy ignored Fel’s further explanation.

‘Callius has a normal temperament? And he was hungry too—of course he acted like a brat.’

Daisy waved her hand to change the topic.

“By the way, Lord Fel, we plan to leave tomorrow. How much were the medical and lodging fees? I’ll give you a token of thanks as well.”

“That’s unnecessary. I didn’t do this for that.”

The polite refusal made Daisy’s eyes widen.

‘Oh, he really is from a rich family.’

Even for a small rural inn, a night’s stay isn’t that cheap. Yet he paid for a stranger without hesitation…

‘Lucky me!’

Daisy bowed in thanks.

“Then, thank you. I’ll gladly accept your kindness!”

Daisy always thought there was no need to refuse someone’s generosity.

“You’ve helped me, so only good things will happen to you. Good people are bound to receive blessings.”

“Haha, is that so?”

“Yes. People who live badly, like some I know, will eventually get punished.”

Daisy glanced at Callius, the ‘villain’ destined for punishment, and shrugged.

“Anyway, it’s all in the books. Usually, what’s written in books isn’t wrong.”

“You’re quite steadfast.”

Fel showed interest.

“There’s a reason for it.”

“What kind of reason…?”

As Daisy spoke warmly with Fel, Callius suddenly put his spoon down while eating.

“…I’m losing my appetite.”

“Huh?”