Refuse Harem
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Prius
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 010 – Dear Tenma, I Also Made Friends II
The location of the picnic was on a hill that was a little ways away from the mansion. The scent of grass blew in with the wind and tickled the nostrils.
Al spread out the red velvet he brought under a big tree that produced a lot of shade.
He then placed the basket on top of it. Since they brought a jar of tea instead of a water bottle, Al took out the tea cups inside the basket, poured the tea, and gave them to the other two.
As Sophie was about to take out the cheesecake that was intended to be used as a bribe, Rio nonchalantly told Al about the concept of “spin.”
“Hey, Rio!”
Even though I was about to show off the sales talk and bribe I cultivated in my past life!
Although Sophie raised her voice in protest, Rio told Al about it plainly, but underneath that, he commanded with his eyes, “Don’t you dare actually do it.” Al nodded exaggeratedly as he said, “I see,” and gave Sophie an amiable smile.
“Please leave it to me. As lacking as I am, this Al is good at that kind of action which expresses my affection to my little brothers!”
“Hesitate a little! Know that the other party is the young lady of a Baron family!”
“It is the duty of a gentleman to fulfill the wishes of a lady.”
Seeing how Al puffed out his chest, Rio thought, “Should I fire him today?” However, Rio could only keep his silence when he saw Sophie’s happy expression beside him.
“Really?! Is it really okay, Al?!”
“Yes, if it is a lady like Sophie-sama, I will gladly spin you around.”
Flowers seemed to bloom around Sophie’s face when she heard Al’s words. Rio, who saw them, wasn’t amused.
As the pair moved from where they sat to a more level space a little ways away, Al grasped the sides Sophie’s waist and lifted her, spinning her around with increasing momentum.
Kyaa kyaaa! Unlike the happy cries from Sophie uttered, Rio watched in suspense while giving a sidelong glance to how Sophie’s dress blew in the wind as she was spun. The fluttering of her skirt was only made worse as Al continued to increase the centrifugal force as he made use of his strength.
When it was finally over, he saw Sophie return with an excited voice.
“It was a lot of fun! Al, thank you very much!”
Although many of her actions were unladylike, Sophie, who usually insisted that she was a lady, displayed an expression today that was like that of an excited boy as she expressed her gratitude.
It was an expression of satisfaction and accomplishment, like a boy who finally got the toy he’d longed for.
For a moment, Rio thought he saw someone else superimposed over Sophie’s appearance. That mysterious sensation was wiped out by Al’s following words.
“Would Rio-sama like to give it a try?”
“Over my dead body!”
Al sadly covered his face at Rio’s harsh refusal.
“This Al is only trying to treat both of you equally and preciously…”
“I’m tired talking to you, so just shut up and eat the snack you got from Sophie already.”
“This Al is honored to be able to experience the result of Sophie-sama’s experiment with this tongue.”
This man sure had his way with his words.
Unlike me, the fact he didn’t use any words related to cooking showed how capably he handled Sophie. Rio thought so in annoyance.
“After a few failures, I finally completed it. Here’s the cheesecake!”
“I’ve never seen this kind of snack.”
“He-h, I’ve never seen such a snack either. What nation’s snack is this?”
“I don’t know? I merely read some books, then thought it might be like this and completed it. But I think it tastes delicious.”
As Sophie nonchalantly avoided answering, she cut it into pieces and put the pieces on top of plates. As they ate the first bite, Rio and Al muttered that it was delicious like they usually did.
“The cheese flavor and the faint sweetness are tasty. It feels fluffy and melts inside my mouth.”
Sophie smiled at Al, who gave her concrete impressions and compliments as he usually did.
Unlike Al, Rio, who basically only said it was delicious, kept eating silently, but the movement of his cheeks showed how delicious he thought it was, which made Sophie happy.
“Although I’m adjusting the sweetness using honey, I began to think whether the honey could be cheaper these days. If possible, I’d like it to be affordable for all people.”
As Sophie spoke her complaint, Al showed his agreement.
“It is as you say. However, since the production of honey is mostly done with stationary beekeeping, it’ll be hard to increase production within our nation.”
Stationary beekeeping refers to the collection of different types of nectars in the same place without moving. There was also mobile beekeeping, which involved moving from one place to another and collecting nectar during the flowering season. Most of the beekeeping facilities within Orlando Kingdom were stationary.
“To make it affordable for all people, you sure said something weird again.”
“Is it weird?”
“Well, that’s more of a fantasy. You know that aristocrats and commoners eat different food, right? Sweet foods are a prominent example.”
“Would Rio hate it if they eat the same thing?”
“Rather than to say hate, isn’t it normal to eat different things?”
It’s normal to eat different things…
I see, so that’s the common line of thought in this world.
Sophie nodded, then opened her mouth.
“In that case, I definitely want to make it reach everyone.”
“Hah?”
“You said that sweet stuff is valuable, right? That should be the same for other nations. If we can produce a lot, then not only people within the kingdom will be able to buy it, but it also can be exported to other nations, right?”
While Rio was dumbfounded and left his mouth open, Al thought it was wonderful and he smiled.
“Not just honey, is it possible to produce sugar as well?”
Sophie considered it seriously. There was a production limit for stationary beekeeping. However, even if mobile beekeeping was also performed, there was still a production limit. In that case, it would be best to also produce sugar as a secondary option.
“It seems sugar is mainly grown in the Daksha Kingdom, where the temperature is high throughout the year, but our nation has long cold seasons throughout the year.”
Al participated in the discussion.
Orlando Kingdom had a short summer and could have winter-like coldness even then. Although it was warm during daytime due to sunlight, it became freezing once night came, and the number of plants that could be cultivated in this climate was few. It was possible to transport fruits and vegetables from hot nations across the sea, but due to the long voyage time, the items that could be brought were also limited.
Sugar cane is climatically impossible, but I think sugar beet might be able to be cultivated here.
Sophie did ask her father to find something like that, but he couldn’t find it easily. But she managed to find garlic, so she didn’t want to give up just yet.
“I wonder if sugar beets exists…”
As her thoughts leaked out, Rio heard her voice.
“Sugar beets?”
“Ah, I mean…”
“I have a merchant acquaintance, so perhaps you can ask him if you need something.”
“Really?!”
“Al, you’re always…!”
Annoyed, Rio lowered his voice toward the escort who kept stealing Sophie’s attention.
As the breeze gently blew around them, they had an enjoyable time surrounded by warm sunlight.
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Alright, now I’m fully convinced. Rio is definitely Tenma’s reincarnation, and the person that he saw superimposed over Sophie was her past life.
is it? I’m not reading far ahead yet, but that didn’t seem to be the case so far to me
Lmao Rio is cute when jealous
ahh, the bittersweet childhood romance