The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Unfortunately, there were only a handful of dishes I could make with just a single spice.

Now that I thought about it, to actually “cook” using chili powder, I would have to use it in much greater quantities. Finding garlic, another ingredient commonly used in Korean cuisine, wasn’t particularly difficult. The real problem lay elsewhere.

“Making gochujang would be impossible, wouldn’t it?”

I wasn’t exactly sure when gochujang started to become a staple in Korean cuisine, but it must have been sometime after the Imjin War. After all, chili peppers were only introduced to Korea after that period.

I had a vague recollection of how gochujang was made. I thought it required things like glutinous rice flour and fermented soybean powder.

Of course, it wasn’t as if I could produce fermented soybeans here myself. While I knew soybeans were the base ingredient, I had no idea how to ferment them. I understood the concept of “fermentation,” but even if I tried gathering soybeans and fermenting them, countless issues would arise.

There were ‘preserved foods’ in Delkis. There were even ‘fermented foods’ made using moose milk. In the south, there were reportedly fermented foods similar to kimchi, so it wasn’t as though fermentation for preservation was an alien concept.

The problem lay in fermenting soybeans.

During the fermentation process… well, the smell was, let’s say, an issue.

Even foods that weren’t as notoriously pungent as cheonggukjang still produced odors strong enough to alarm anyone unaccustomed to fermented soybean dishes. And it wasn’t just the smell—the appearance was no better.

I didn’t have the confidence to endure the stares I’d get for eating something like that.

If I considered the reactions of those around me, the best option was to import ground fermented soybeans instead of trying to make them myself… but the problem was that I wasn’t even sure if fermented soybeans existed in this world.

Throughout history, human intelligence hasn’t varied greatly. Considering the long history of fermented foods, it was reasonable to assume similar products existed in this world.

However, considering the “medieval fantasy setting,” Eastern cuisine would likely remain confined to the East. Even if I could obtain it, the smell and appearance would still be unavoidable issues. At least if it came with the label “imported from the East,” it might save me from some misunderstandings. But another issue remained—

—In reality, the countries that consumed fermented soybeans were much farther from Europe than India was.

If I were to import fermented soybeans, they might end up being more expensive than pepper.

…Once again, I despaired. I couldn’t think of a way to make gochujang. And without gochujang or fermented soybeans, there wouldn’t be any ssamjang or chogochujang either.

If I had resigned myself to the complete absence of these ingredients, I might have been able to endure it. But the hope dangling in front of me made giving up even harder.

“…No, wait.”

It was too early to give up.

After all, I had chili powder and, though not napa cabbage, I’d heard of a kimchi-like dish made with fermented cabbage. Then let’s start with kimchi. Didn’t Korean Soviet immigrants in late 19th-century Russia make kimchi with carrots?

I wasn’t sure if carrot kimchi could be used to make kimchi stew, though.

As I was lost in thought, staring at the chili powder Amelia had given me, there was a knock at the door.

It wasn’t a common occurrence. In Delkis, most people simply barged into my room without permission.

So I could guess that the person knocking was an outsider.

“Lady of Delkis, His Highness the Prince requests an audience.”

Even through the thick door, the voice was crisp and clear, with a perfect royal accent.

In Delkis, everyone handled their own affairs. To begin with, there were no maids assigned to me as a “young lady.” In Delkis, every single person, whether or not they bore the blood of the baronial family, was considered a precious resource. It was far more practical to give someone a bow and arrows and have them hunt than to assign them to do laundry.

Thus, the clear and gentle voice belonged to someone from the prince’s retinue who had arrived a few days after him.

Although she was a maid, there was a very high likelihood that she outranked me. Of course, she wasn’t revealing her status outright.

“Yes, come in.”

Feeling slightly awkward at the unfamiliar act of granting permission to enter, I answered, and the thick wooden door scraped against the floor as it opened.

The person who entered looked like a maid straight out of a painting. Blonde hair neatly tied back into a bun, fair skin, blue eyes, and a maid uniform.

She stepped into the room first, bowed slightly, and then moved aside. Following her, the prince entered.

It seemed that for the past few days, the prince had been opening doors himself simply because his retinue hadn’t arrived yet. Considering he was of the Alwen Kingdom’s most noble lineage, his actions now seemed more reasonable.

Whether it was just my imagination or not, the prince’s demeanor now seemed noticeably more cautious than before.

At the very least, he hadn’t brought up sparring with anyone from the House of Delkis again. Perhaps it was more due to losing to me once and Amelia later suggesting we postpone further sparring sessions.

But even while postponing the sparring, she had used the excuse of wanting to “get to know each other better,” so the prince probably still thought I had feelings for him.

That annoying overconfidence he displayed whenever dealing with me must stem from that belief.

Honestly, I was tempted to challenge him to a duel and crush him, but doing so would risk putting my family in the royal family’s bad books.

Once the prince officially became the crown prince, there’d be no need to worry about such things, but until then, it would be a hassle in many ways.

“Lady of Delkis.”

“Prince Evan.”

I rose from my seat and offered my respects to Prince Evan. At first, this greeting had felt awkward, but with practice, it had become much more natural.

Thanks to Amelia’s rigorous coaching, of course.

“I’ve come with an important request. Would you hear me out?”

Judging by his tone, it sounded more like a command than a request. Still, what could I do? The prince coming here meant he had already received my father’s permission.

Really, what was Father thinking, allowing the prince to approach me again after what happened last time? And Mother? Why hadn’t she stopped this?

“Of course, if it’s a request from Your Highness, I would gladly comply.”

I spoke as a loyal subject should, but that narcissistic prince somehow interpreted my words differently, curling his lips into a smile. That confident smile, a stark contrast to the stiff expressions he’d worn when he first arrived, annoyed me greatly.

“Since I am staying in Delkis, I thought it only proper to learn and adopt Delkis customs during my time here.”

That was logical enough. After all, he had come here to achieve “manly accomplishments,” which was probably why he had skipped visiting the grand duke’s castle while passing through the duchy. It wouldn’t do to attend a lavish party while on a quest to prove himself in a harsh wilderness.

According to Amelia, such behavior was considered rude, prompting the duke to protest by sending her here. But I didn’t know the details nor was interested in finding out.

“I heard that the people of Delkis regularly go hunting.”

Hunting and scouting, to be precise.

Since Delkis had extremely limited agricultural production, hunting was a vital means of acquiring food. Thankfully, the population of wild animals in Delkis had remained stable. Their sheer size meant even one kill could feed many people, and the number of apex predators was naturally limited.

Still, the people of Delkis were well aware that indiscriminate hunting would lead to food shortages. Therefore, they relied on supplies from the grand ducal house as a baseline and treated hunting as a way to secure additional provisions.

“We don’t always hunt during scouting missions, but we do occasionally bring back game,” I clarified.

The prince nodded at my explanation.

“I’ve received permission to join a hunt. However, most of the scouting parties are already full, leaving little room for me to join. I heard that you, Lady of Delkis, often form a party on your own. If you permit it, I would like to accompany you on a hunt.”

It wasn’t hunting, but scouting. Still, if Father had approved, then I had to comply.

Even so, I needed to clarify one thing.

“My ‘party’ includes my wolves, not just myself. Are you alright with that?”

You screamed last time when one of my wolves bit my head, remember?

“….”

The prince hesitated for a brief moment before replying,

“That’s fine.”

If he said so, then sure.