A few days had passed since then. My hair had returned to its shiny silver color, and I had fully regained my strength. However, my sense of smell still wasn’t functioning properly. Perhaps because I had used a lot of magic at once to care for Leopold, my body was taking time to fully recover.

“Hazel.”

As soon as I finished getting ready, I heard Leopold’s voice outside, as if he had been waiting. He visited me every morning and evening to personally prepare my meals. It was uncomfortable to eat when I couldn’t fully taste the food, but having Leopold by my side made it more bearable. Maybe it was because his presence put my mind at ease.

“Ma’am, we’ll be leaving now.”

“Alright.”

As the maids bowed and left, Leopold appeared. Behind him, a few attendants carrying trays entered, quickly set the table, and then disappeared.

“Did you sleep well? How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling great. How about you?”

“As you can see.”

He approached me and spread his arms, as if to show he was fine, flashing a smile. Knowing full well that he wasn’t alright, I found myself sighing in relief at his calm demeanor. Yet, I was incredibly grateful that he was no longer pushing me away and had returned to his gentle self.

“Come over here.”

I took his hand and stood close to him. While I couldn’t heal his heart immediately, I could at least alleviate his fatigue. Sensing the faint ripple of magic, I infused him with energy. Leopold quietly observed what I was doing before speaking.

“You never seem to get tired of this.”

“I’m doing this because I want to live a long life with you, so how could I get tired?”

“…What if that spell doesn’t work?”

I lifted my gaze from his hands and looked up at him.

“That won’t happen. And even if it does… I’ll find a way to save you, so don’t worry.”

I finished speaking with a big, deliberate smile, hoping to put him at ease.

His green eyes, which had been slightly averted, gradually met mine. His gaze was dark, likely due to anxiety. It seemed like unspoken words were floating in the slight gap between his lips.

“The soup will get cold.”

I pretended not to notice and led him to the table, still holding his hand. Since the current Leopold was a bit of a coward, it was better to avoid any negative conversations altogether.

“How does the soup smell today?”

I changed the subject in a cheerful voice. After pulling out my chair for me, he took a seat across the table. He gazed at the table for a moment before softly describing it.

“It smells rich. There’s a nice blend of milk and butter. It seems they’ve generously added the well-cooked potatoes you like.”

Fortunately, the stiffness in his expression began to ease a little. I picked up my spoon and, with a face full of anticipation, asked another question just for fun.

“And how’s the taste? Is it good today too?”

Leopold paused for a moment, probably out of habit, as he always waited for me to eat first before picking up his spoon. Then he tasted the soup and gave a brief reply.

“…Yes, it’s good.”

“Is that all? It sounds like you’re forcing yourself to say it.”

Just as I followed his lead and tasted the soup, I let out a groan.

“Ugh.”

I quickly poured myself some water and drank it. Leopold jumped up in surprise and came closer.

“Hazel, what’s wrong?”

I grimaced, trying to erase the strange taste lingering in my mouth.

“The soup… it’s too sweet!”

“What?”

He couldn’t hide his confusion as he looked between me and the soup.

“You said it was good, right? Then maybe it’s just my soup that’s like this. Try it.”

I pushed my plate slightly toward him. However, Leopold didn’t budge. As I tilted my head in puzzlement, he spoke sharply.

“We should call the chef and reprimand them immediately. Making such an absurd mistake—it’s outrageous.”

He seemed unable to overlook even minor mistakes, perhaps because he was someone who always handled work perfectly. Or maybe it was because he had no room for relaxation. However, I didn’t want to cause a fuss so early in the morning.

“You can just give a light warning. Maybe it’s because the atmosphere in the mansion has been unsettled lately. Anyway, let’s share your portion for now. Is that okay with you?”

“No, have them bring all the food out again.”

“Let’s just eat everything except the soup. It would be a waste.”

I deliberately pulled his plate slightly toward me. Since Leopold was notoriously stubborn, it was better to start eating first to get him to sit down. Besides, I didn’t have to eat the soup; I planned to just pretend to taste it and then return the plate to him.

“No, it’s just that, Hazel—”

“…Ugh.”

To my surprise, the soup on his plate tasted exactly like mine. I had to drink some water again.

“Sigh….”

Leopold placed one hand on his waist and turned his head, then ran his hand through his hair with a sigh.

There he stood, with a soup that tasted only sweet and a face full of embarrassment. I couldn’t understand what was going on.

“Didn’t you just say it was delicious?”

Instead of answering, he slumped into his seat. I tasted the soup once more, both his and mine, and they remained sweet. Trying to regain my composure, I asked a question.

“Why did you lie about it being good? Are you playing a joke on me? But this kind of joke isn’t even funny….”

Suddenly, several facts flashed through my mind.

“Come to think of it, you… you’ve always avoided eating with others. Even before the regression, you were particularly sensitive when dining with me… I thought it was just because you disliked me. But there was another reason, wasn’t there? You particularly enjoy wine and Cana tea because you can savor them through their aroma… Do you have difficulty tasting flavors?”

I thought I had understood him to some extent by glimpsing into his memories.

“Tell me. Things I still don’t know about you. There’s no need to hide them anymore.”

I asked him pleadingly. Although it pained me that he still lied to me, I understood it might be a wound he didn’t want to expose.

After a moment of silence, he spoke with difficulty.

“…Yes. I can’t taste anything. Since I was a child.”

“Since you were a child…?”

“That accident. The one that injured my mother.”

“Oh….”

Suddenly, a pang of pain struck my heart. I vividly imagined young Leopold’s fear and guilt.

Once he started talking, it seemed easier for him to continue, and he recounted his story in a calm tone.

“Something went wrong back then. Ever since the accident, I couldn’t taste food. But compared to my mother losing the use of her legs, it was a trivial matter.”

“…So you never told anyone.”

“I couldn’t. If I said I couldn’t taste anything, they’d think I was just being picky about food.”

He paused to catch his breath.

“…I was scared.”

Bitterness seeped into his voice. Unable to contain my sympathy, I quietly stood up. Then I approached Leopold and murmured softly.

“…You were scared.”

I gently held his shoulders and pulled him into an embrace. Without resistance, Leopold buried his head in my arms.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know… It must have been hard for you to eat, and yet I often insisted we dine together.”

I had only wanted to get closer to him, but instead, I might have been causing him distress…

“Don’t apologize. It wasn’t insistence; it was something you naturally could have said. I was… the bad one.”

Shaking his head, Leopold wrapped his arms around my waist. I patted him gently, trying to convey my comforting feelings.

“You were trying for me even in D’Agnon. But back then, you really seemed to enjoy the food… It just shows how foolish people can be, seeing only what they want to believe.”

“Back then, I too was under the illusion that the food was delicious. Maybe because I was so happy you were by my side.”

He lifted his head and looked up at me with a smile. Feeling my face flush, I diverted my gaze to the air. Just then, a suitable question to distract Leopold occurred to me.

“But how did you learn to cook?”

“That’s the result of rigorous training. Didn’t you see my memories?”

He tilted his head in curiosity, and I explained step by step.

“I didn’t see everything. I mainly focused on the moments when power was used, and only glimpsed the conversations I had with my mentor when I cast the regression spell. Since your daily life seemed repetitive, I skimmed through most of it.”

“That’s a shame. You’d be surprised to know how hard I worked to practice cooking.”

Feigning disappointment, he lowered the corners of his mouth, then nestled back into my embrace. Though his childlike behavior was unfamiliar, I found it endearing, and my heart felt ticklish. Trying to calm my slightly quickened heartbeat, I asked.

“Why did you practice so hard?”

“Because you look happy when you eat delicious food. So if we met again, I wanted to cook for you myself.”

“…Then it’s a great success.”

It felt like the sound of my pounding heart echoed in my ears. As I managed to respond, Leopold spoke again, this time in a slightly subdued voice.

“And I thought if my cooking was good enough to make you happy, you would smile. Even if it wasn’t through cooking, I wanted to make you smile in this life… But that’s a complete failure, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. So make sure to survive and make up for it.”

Though I said it jokingly, he didn’t reply. It seemed he found it difficult to answer, betting on an uncertain future. Even if it was just an empty promise, it would have been fine. Feeling awkward, I gently pushed him away.

“Oh, this isn’t the time for this. I might be able to restore your sense of taste. Let me try.”

Fearing he might avoid it if I hesitated, I took hold of Leopold’s hand and impulsively channeled my magic into him. However, no matter how much power I exerted, his sense of taste did not return.

I tried to guess why my power didn’t work, but just like I couldn’t heal his mother’s legs, I couldn’t understand the cause at all.

Leopold consoled me, telling me not to worry, but I couldn’t help but finish the meal with a heavier heart than ever.

Perhaps when we go to the Ice Land and meet the shaman, we might gain more insight into Leopold’s condition. They were said to know extraordinary ways of sharing life…

After placing the water cup down for the last time and tidying my mouth with a napkin, I spoke after some contemplation.

“Leopold, this won’t do. I know you’ve been postponing the trip to the Ice Land, but let’s stop that and leave tomorrow.”

He furrowed his brows slightly, then relaxed his expression and nodded silently.