IPBD CHAPTER 13

It was just something said in a moment of frustration.

Just a childish complaint because she really didn’t want to eat the hard bread.

‘Well. It’s not like it’s wrong.’

Emilina replied with an indifferent expression.

“Yeah. We’re pretty poor.”

Compared to other noble families, Baron Klein’s household was indeed quite poor.

One only had to look at their living conditions to see it.

Of course, it wasn’t as if Emilina hadn’t tried to improve their financial situation.

Like the female protagonists in reincarnation novels, she had used her past life’s knowledge to plan a business and even gave her father some advice.

But both Mactren and she… well, they seemed to lack the necessary talent because things didn’t go so well.

No, to be honest, it was a complete disaster.

They say business requires talent, after all.

In novels, the female leads always succeeded so effortlessly, so she thought she would, too.

But the ideal and reality were completely different, and the happy ending she had dreamed of never came.

So after that, she gave up and just decided to be content with her current life.

To be exact, the bitter failure made her realize her limits, and it was easier to ignore it than to face it.

As Emilina thought about that and smiled bitterly, Kir looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked again.

“Why?”

“Hm─”

Is there really a reason for being poor? Emilina shrugged.

“I was just born, so I live.”

“Huh?”

Kir looked at her with a bewildered expression.

As if he had heard something completely unexpected, he seemed confused.

“Then why are you asking?”

“Well, it’s just that… you sometimes say you feel miserable because of how poor you are……”

“Yeah. It really is miserable.”

Emilina looked down at the bread with a gloomy face.

Ten years of eating hard bread was just too much.

Even if she had come to terms with her life, meals were still something she struggled to endure.

“So I’ve made up my mind. When I become an adult and earn my own money, I’m going to buy and eat delicious meat every day!”

Emilina clenched her fists with determination.

Her green eyes seemed to flicker with an imaginary flame.

Kir silently watched her for a moment before cautiously speaking.

“Then… what if I could make sure you could eat meat every day? What would you do?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Emilina tilted her head to the side.

“I mean, hypothetically.”

“Hm. If that were the case, then of course─”

Emilina suddenly grabbed Kir’s hand.

“We’d have to live together forever!”

Her sparkling eyes were filled with excitement. Even if it was just an empty promise, she liked the sound of it.

Kir stared at her with a strange expression.

Then, like a broken toy, he slowly repeated her words.

“Live… together… forever…”

His heart pounded.

The awkward words lingering in his mouth felt strangely pleasant.

A clear smile spread across his lips.

“Then it’s a promise.”

“You can’t take it back later,” Kir whispered, almost as if speaking to himself.

Emilina, not hearing his quiet words, asked what he had said, but Kir simply smiled without answering.

* * *

“This won’t do.”

After finishing her meal, Emilina had been rolling around on the bed with nothing to do for quite some time. Then, suddenly, she sat up straight.

She turned toward Kir, who was sitting on the sofa across from her, and spoke.

“Let’s go to the market, Kir. I’ll make sweet and sour pork for lunch.”

“Sweet and sour pork?”

Kir looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Emilina smiled meaningfully and continued.

“Yeah. Sweet and sour pork. I think you’ll like it.”

Kir didn’t quite understand, but he nodded anyway.

If Emilina was going to cook something for him, that was more than enough reason to agree.

More than anything, Emilina’s cooking was always delicious.

“Okay.”

“You weren’t satisfied either, were you?”

“Huh? With what?”

“Breakfast.”

Kir avoided her gaze with an awkward smile.

Emilina completely understood.

If he said it outright, it might seem disrespectful to Katie’s efforts, so he was being cautious.

But still, that was that. Emilina had a different perspective.

Bread and soup alone were simply not enough to be satisfying.

At the very least, she wanted to have a fulfilling meal for lunch.

“Alright, let’s get going!”

Emilina waved her hand and then held it out toward Kir.

The two clasped hands tightly and set off for the market.

The marketplace was unexpectedly crowded.

Most people carried a basket in their hands, clearly there to buy groceries.

Some were preparing lunch, others were thinking about what to make for dinner, and lively chatter about their various concerns filled the air.

Blending into the bustling crowd, Emilina looked around.

She was searching for the butcher shop to buy the essential ingredient for sweet and sour pork—meat.

‘I’m sure it was around here somewhere…’

But she couldn’t spot it easily.

With taller people blocking her view, it was difficult to find the shop.

As she anxiously bounced on her feet, scanning the area, a familiar voice called out from somewhere.

“Hey, miss!”

At the sound of the voice, Emilina instinctively turned her head.

Not far away, she saw someone waving at her.

“Rosie?”

“Yeah, it’s me!”

It had been quite a while since their last meeting.

The last time was when she had received Kir’s snacks… ah.

Emilina’s face, which had been bright with excitement, instantly turned serious.

A humiliating memory that made her grit her teeth came rushing back.

For a brief moment, she debated.

Should I kill him now or later?

“Yeah. Now sounds good.”

Letting go of Kir’s hand, Emilina suddenly sprang forward.

Then, she aimed her knee at a very important area.

Or at least, she tried to.

If Rosie hadn’t reacted quickly and jumped back in fear for his life, he would have been in serious trouble.

As a result, Emilina landed precariously on the ground, then snapped her head up to glare at him.

Rosie, looking as if he had just escaped death, choked out a protest.

“Y-You just…!”

But he couldn’t finish his sentence.

How could he even bring himself to say out loud that she had just tried to kick him in such an… unfortunate place?

Rising to her feet, Emilina smirked, her face the picture of innocent mischief.

“What? If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

“Haa─ Forget it. I won’t say anything. What did I even do to deserve this…?”

“You? Oh, your crimes are plenty. Put your hand on your heart and think carefully. You really don’t remember?”

“What did I even do?”

“Well then, let’s keep going until you do.”

“Ahhh!”

Emilina, unable to contain her frustration, smacked Rosie on the back.

Then, rolling up her sleeves, she prepared to properly deal with him.

But just as Rosie was about to make a run for it, Kir suddenly stepped in front of him.

Kir tugged at Emilina’s sleeve and asked,

“Sis, who is this guy?”

Oh, right. Kir was here.

As if she had never been brimming with murderous intent just moments ago, Emilina put on a harmless smile.

Rosie couldn’t help but click his tongue at her terrifyingly quick mood shift.

But she paid him no mind. Instead, she spoke in a voice filled with exaggerated sweetness.

“Kir, can you wait just a moment? I need to teach this mutt a lesson.”

“What?! Who are you calling a mutt?!”

“Oh? Would you rather be a chicken?”

“Are you kidding me—”

“Maybe I should make chicken stew today?” Emilina said, tilting her head with a refined smile.

Despite her pleasant expression, her words were downright chilling.

Feeling threatened by her dual nature, Rosie immediately clamped his mouth shut like a frightened clam.

Then, as a sign of quick surrender, he shook his head vigorously.

‘Should’ve done that from the start.’

Satisfied, Emilina patted Kir on the head.