“Excuse me.”
As I made a frown with my mouth, the head butler entered the room.
He pushed in a silver cart, served tea, and placed the afternoon tea stand on the table before leaving.
Come to think of it, I’m kind of hungry.
On the tea stand, there are small sandwiches, macarons, and scones.
There’s butter, but it’s probably the milk kind. I don’t really like that, so I think I’ll go with jam instead…
Oh.
Should I ask the ladies first in situations like this? It wouldn’t be good if I just ate by myself.
That’s when I glanced at Lady Citroen.
Vander let out a sigh and leaned back against the sofa again.
“…Hey, Vander.”
I can’t help but worry; I’m just too nice sometimes.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m just tired.”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“There have been various issues in the Earl’s territory lately. I’ve been a bit overworked.”
The main source of income for the Earl of Sheen comes from customs duties and the trade of imported goods, taking advantage of its border location.
While it may seem glamorous and lively, it’s true there are tax evaders, thieves, and con artists.
I mainly handle border patrols on horseback during the winter months, but they’re running around guarding the borders all year, so they must need a lot of stamina.
“Is it related to bandits?”
I thought so, but Vander shook his head vaguely. This conversation seemed to be over.
“Um… if it’s not too presumptuous, may I say something?”
Suddenly, a vibrant voice rose from beside me.
“Huh? Uh, sure.”
It was Vander who looked more surprised than I was. He stared blankly at Lady Citroen.
“Are you not suffering from anemia? I hope you’ve seen a doctor properly?”
Lady Citroen looked at Vander, sitting across from her, with a furrowed brow.
“Anemia…”
I muttered quietly.
Somehow, it gives off an image of a woman’s illness.
One where she turns pale and faints.
“Why do you think that?”
Vander neither confirmed nor denied it.
He picked up the handle of the cup with his fingers and gracefully brought it to his lips.
“That nail of yours.”
“‘Nail?’”
Vander and I spoke in unison.
“It’s what you call a ‘curved nail.’ It’s common in those with anemia.”
Lady Citroen was pointing at Vander’s finger resting on the handle. Or rather, at his nail.
“Oh. This?”
Vander returned the cup to the saucer and opened his hand to show his nails.
“Well… it is curved.”
“It’s just like its owner; it bounces back, right?”
I added a comment, but Vander ignored me.
“What about medicine?”
Lady Citroen tilted her head, asking Vander.
“Oh, the doctor told me to.”
Vander briefly glanced at me.
Wait, is he really anemic?
But as soon as our eyes met, he looked away.
It seemed like he didn’t want to be noticed.
He looked embarrassed or maybe awkward.
Why does he have that expression?
As I was puzzled, Vander started to mumble.
“I put old nails in wine… and I’ve been drinking that.”
“Oh, I see.”
After Lady Citroen nodded several times, she tilted her head again.
“How’s your diet? How about pig liver or chicken…?”
Suddenly, Vander grimaced. I hurried to interrupt.
“Vander has been known as the ‘Bloodsucking Count,’ but he has disliked meat since long ago…”
Apparently, he has a sensitive sense of taste and smell, so he won’t eat the fishy meat of beasts.
“I heard you were at the border earlier… How about fish?”
Nodding to me, she turned her attention back to Vander.
What’s this? She talks a lot, doesn’t she?
“I do eat fish, but I wouldn’t say I like it.”
I guess he still dislikes the fishy taste; I imagine he eats bland white fish seasoned with herbs and salt.
“Well, basically, he’s only eaten bread and vegetables since a long time ago. Occasionally, I think he puts some sausage or ham in his mouth.”
“Bonito is great; it’s just the right season now. That part with the blood…”
Lady Citroen continued, but—
“Blood, that’s the part, right?”
Vander’s face twisted further.
Well, I can’t blame him. It’s the most fishy part of the flesh.
“If the smell bothers you, you can wash it well in cold water and soak it for a while. If you coat it and mix dried herbs with the breadcrumbs, it’ll reduce the smell even more. Then just fry it… Yes, if you sprinkle some lemon on it, the absorption rate in the small intestine will increase.”
“Absorption rate?”
I couldn’t help but ask back. Lady Citroen turned her purple eyes toward me and nodded.
“It’s not just about eating iron-rich and nutritious foods. There’s a way to eat them. If it’s not anemia caused by internal organ issues, it’s entirely possible to improve it through diet.”
“Eating iron… Do you eat iron itself?”
Curiously, I inquired, and Lady Citroen tilted her head slightly.
“You don’t eat iron itself. Foods contain iron.”
Then she turned her purple gaze back to Vander.
“Earlier, you mentioned drinking wine with nails added; that’s also one of the methods passed down since ancient times. The iron components dissolve into the wine, and the idea is to drink that to improve your condition.”
There was no hesitation in Lady Citroen’s words.
“However, it’s also important to enhance your daily meals. Ideally, pig, cow, and chicken liver are rich in iron and easy for the body to absorb, but eating things you dislike every time is nothing but torture. There are other iron-rich foods as well.”
Lady Citroen continued to speak to Vander.
“For example, komatsuna, spinach, and hijiki are also good. In legumes, there are soybeans. However, the iron contained in these plants is hard for the human small intestine to absorb. So, even if you eat a lot, you won’t absorb it as well as with animal livers. However, you can improve that absorption rate by combining foods.”
“Combining foods? You mean eating something together?”
Vander leaned forward, asking.
“If you consume it together with vitamin C or citric acid, the effect increases.”
“‘Vitamin C and citric acid?’”
Again, our voices overlapped. What in the world is that? First of all, what language is that?
As I was puzzled, Lady Citroen became flustered.
“Um… like fruits and vinegar. Eating those together is good… I think you can be creative with cooking methods. Like marinating, or drinking orange juice with meals.”
“‘Oh, I see.’”
Vander and I exclaimed in unison, sounding foolish, and then looked at each other.
When I noticed him suddenly looking away again, I wondered what was going on, only to see him pouting like a child.
“Anemia, huh…? You thought it was a disease only women get, right?”
I was about to say yes, but I held back at the last moment. I felt like I would hurt his pride or something if I said it.
So, he didn’t want to admit to me that he was feeling unwell because of a sickness.
He’s still the same vain guy.
What an idiot. It doesn’t really matter how he tries to impress me.
“There’s no gender distinction when it comes to illness.”
I said instead.
“That’s right. The discomfort caused by illness knows no gender. Everyone suffers equally.”
Miss Citroen smiled brightly next to me.
“When your anemia improves, you’ll be surprised at how much better you feel. ‘Wow. Is it really this easy to breathe for everyone else? That’s so unfair,’ you’ll think.”
And then, Miss Citroen brought her fists together on her knees.
“Let’s do our best to eat well.”
“…You sound like a doctor.”
When I said exactly what I was thinking, Miss Citroen literally jumped a little from the sofa. I swear she floated a few centimeters.
“N-no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!”
From midway through, I couldn’t tell if she was saying “no” or “yes.”
She kept repeating it while shaking her head, and by the end, she must have gotten dizzy because she leaned against me. “Oh dear. I’m sorry,” she said, moving to the edge of the sofa. What is this adorable creature? What should I do?
“Seriously, no jokes here.”
Vander’s low voice filled the room.
The air became tense.
“Do you have knowledge of medicine? The Tania Kingdom is an inland mountainous area. I’m sorry, but we have no dealings with our earl’s territory… Is your father Lord Barrymore, the royal physician or something?”
“N-no, um…”
Miss Citroen, who had been blushing bright red until just now, suddenly turned pale and hesitated.
Seeing her like that made me a little worried. Was she involved in some kind of state secret?
“Um… Did you learn about medicine somewhere?”
I interjected, glancing at her.
Miss Citroen looked up at me with a somewhat awkward expression.
But she remained silent.
“Um… I hate to say it this way, but is what you’re saying accurate? If I really eat like that, will my anemia be cured?”
I tried to phrase it differently from Vander. I thought it might be a bit harsh, but Miss Citroen nodded as if relieved.
“There are individual differences, but what I’ve told you should be correct. Unless there’s an internal organ disease, anemia can be improved this way. Lord Vander, your nails are claw-shaped and have ridges. That indicates that your body was in a state of malnutrition when those nails formed. Perhaps your diet is fundamentally lacking?”
“You’re saying the son of an earl has a poor diet? What’s up with that?”
I was dumbfounded.
If it were during my student days, I’d be forced to eat at the cafeteria, but as soon as I returned home, this guy was doing whatever he wanted.
“You’re not a doctor, are you?”
Vander pressed on. He was being kind of persistent. I thought it was fine, but…
“I’m not a doctor… Just, please believe me. This knowledge shouldn’t be wrong. If you continue the diet I mentioned, Lord Vander, your health will recover, and it will back up my words.”
Miss Citroen said, clenching her fist firmly.
Well, that makes sense.
“I see… So you’re not a doctor, but you do have knowledge of medicine.”
“Huh?”
When I looked at Vander after his muttering, he suddenly said that.
“Hey, Saryu.”
“…What is it?”
I felt a bit intimidated when he looked straight at me.
“When can you bring this young lady to my territory? What’s the soonest date?”
“Huh?”
An incredulous voice escaped me.
He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me close.
The table shook, and from below, a rich scent of butter and sugar wafted up.
“I’ll submit an application to His Majesty in my father’s name. When can you come to my earl’s territory?”
He asked, his nose almost touching mine. He was still as impatient as ever.
“Uh… I have work too…”
Now that we were this close, I couldn’t help but notice his sickly skin color. He really needs to eat well to get better.
“How many days will it take to sort things out?”
“…About five days, I guess.”
“Then, for travel… It’ll take at most seven days… Okay. I’ll tell my father.”
As soon as he said that, he kissed my cheek again.
“Stop that!”
When I pushed him away, he gracefully stood up and bowed to Miss Citroen.
“Well then, I’ll be waiting for you in my father’s territory, mysterious young lady.”
With his usual graceful smile, he left the room.
And so, it was decided that Miss Citroen and I would go to the Earl’s territory together.
