The Reincarnated Villainess Whose Romantic Trauma From Her Past Life Is Too Strong Is Sweetly and Painfully Doted On by the Prince of the Neighboring Country - Chapter 17

That day, after Cherie finished tending to the flowers at the Offering Altar, Salute offered to see her home. “If you’re heading back, I’ll escort you,” he said, and she gratefully accepted.

She climbed into the carriage sent for him, and they sat side-by-side.

(Since we’re together, I should try to start a conversation…)

Cherie thought to herself, but between the exhaustion of using her Flower Power during the offering and the warm, pleasant sunlight streaming through the carriage window, she found herself drifting off into a drowse.

(Mmm…)

Feeling blissful as her head rested against something warm and soft, Cherie was jolted wide awake when the carriage gave a sudden lurch.

“—Ah, sorry. Did I wake you?”

The moment she snapped to attention, Salute’s gentle voice drifted into her ear. It wasn’t actually his fault! It was the swaying of the carriage yet he apologized all the same. But more importantly…

(W-wait! was I… was I sleeping on Prince Salute’s shoulder…?!)

Realizing that his shoulder and face were directly above her, the reality of the situation dawned on her. Instantly shaking off the last vestiges of sleep, Cherie scrambled back in a panic, overwhelmed with embarrassment.

“I-I am terribly sorry…!”

“There’s really no need to apologize.”

“But…”

“Truly. It was warm having you lean against me. Besides, I was just thinking that I was curious about that shop over there.”

Salute pointed toward a weathered-looking shop on a corner of the street. Next to a sign that read General Store / Handyman, there were smaller notices: Far East Country, Sub-Continent, and Rare Ingredients Available.

And there, tucked quietly among them was the word “Rice.”

Cherie’s eyes were instantly glued to the text.

“……….”

“Do you mind if we stop by for a moment?”

“Oh… yes, of course.”

Distracted as she was by the shop, Cherie readily agreed when Salute asked for her permission. They entered the store together and found, just as the sign promised, a clean display of seasonings and ingredients that were incredibly familiar to Cherie.

(Soy sauce, miso, mirin, dried seaweed… Wait, are you serious?)

Was this because she was inside an otome game developed in Japan? Cherie felt a bout of dizziness at how aggressively these seasonings had been shoved into a fantasy world where they didn’t quite belong.

(I mean, sure! I’ve seen romance fantasy novels where the “Far East” exists for some reason just so the protagonist can get Japanese ingredients, but still!)

Isn’t this a bit too blunt? Cherie wondered, exasperated. However, as the initial shock faded, a different, much stronger urge began to bubble up inside her.

I want to eat it.

Her instincts as a former Japanese person made her throat itch. Hot white rice. Warm miso soup with tofu and wakame. Crispy, fragrant toasted seaweed.

The memory of those nostalgic flavors hit her with such force she almost started salivating.

“…What is it? Did you find something you want?”

Lute, who had moved to her side while she was standing frozen in the middle of the aisle, peered at her curiously.

“Ah… no. I was just impressed by how many rare ingredients there are…”

Cherie replied, desperately hiding the unladylike hunger gnawing at her. But as she spoke, a sudden question popped into her mind.

(…Come to think of it, why did Prince Salute say he was ‘curious’ about this shop?)

Would a prince from a great power like Trigea normally show interest in a run-down general store on a street corner? The moment the thought occurred, a suspicion took root in her mind.

(…Could it be that Prince Salute is also a reincarnated person?)

Until now, it had never crossed Cherie’s mind that there might be other reincarnators. In the novels she’d read in her previous life, the standard trope was a modern person inhabiting the villainess; at most, the “True Heroine” might also be a reincarnator in a twist.

(…Following that logic, I haven’t even considered the possibility that Lily might be a reincarnator either…)

If she had to point a finger, Lily seemed far more suspicious than Salute. After all, Lily currently had every single “capture target” wrapped around her finger. Normally, a player would specialize in one route and become intimate with one of the three (technically four, including Salute) targets. The fact that she had charmed all three so thoroughly suggested she might know the original game’s plot.

(Is that why she’s been so persistent about getting rid of me…?)

Thinking about it that way, everything that had happened so far started to make perfect sense.

“I wonder what ‘Far East’ cuisine is like.”

Cherie approached Salute as he looked over the seasonings with genuine interest. He had picked up a tub of miso and was peering intently at the ingredient label.

“…Prince Salute, are you interested in this kind of food?”

Judging by his tone, Cherie guessed he was curious but had never actually tried it. She asked the question as a subtle way to probe whether or not he was a fellow reincarnator.

“I’ve never had Far East cooking, so I wouldn’t know but I’d certainly be interested if it’s something you made, Cherie.”