The Girl Who Was Forced by Her Stepsister to Marry the Cursed Duke

Chapter 15: Magic Box and Returning the Favour

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『What are you doing again this time?』

“Yes. Umm… I’m thinking of making a shrimp based dish called ajillo.”

I’ve heard about this dish called 『ajillo』and how to make it but I had never gotten to try making it back at my parents’ house because it required a lot of high-quality oil. 

『You’re as enthusiastic as ever…. But why did you even bother to freeze these creatures first? 』

I explained to Bhadra-sama that shrimps were quick to spoil. The kind chef back at my parents’ house told me he once had an upset stomach from eating shrimps that had been left out for a while. Well, actually nothing drastic happened. There was a possibility that he might’ve gotten an upset stomach for another reason entirely too. 

『I see. But…. 『Ice stone』, huh… So you sealed the cold air using a 『magic stone』in that box… My lady, you haven’t learned any magic yet, right?』

“Huh? Y-Yes. I can’t use any magic.”

『………………… I see. So in other words, you’re doing it unconsciously.』

“Unconsciously?”

『I guess it’s not possible for someone with 『devil’s green hair』to pull that off… 』

Bhadra-sama muttered to himself, his voice was too quiet for me to catch what he was talking about. 

I wonder what he’s talking about?

『Miltia-sama.』

“Y-Yes!”

『Miltia-sama, if you received a proper magic lesson, I’m sure you will be able to use magic soon enough.』

Bhadra-sama declared nonchalantly. 

Is it really possible for me to learn magic in a short amount of time?

Realizing I wasn’t convinced in myself, Bhadra-sama didn’t push the matter any further. Instead, he went into the kitchen and brought back a small box with him. 

『But still, it is impossible to learn and use magic right away. If you want to preserve perishable food then… We have this『space-time storage box』. You should use this instead. 』

“What?! B-But… Such an expensive magic tool is…”

『Don’t worry. You can just use it. You can only store 10 items of each types. There are 30 types of things you can store here…. This magic box… If no one uses it, it will be no different than an ordinary box. 』

S-so this is what being a high-ranking noble feels like…! To be able to store 10 items of 30 types… That means this magic box’s capacity is three times bigger than the one in my parents’ place…! I still feel like I don’t deserve to use such a prestigious magic box but when you put it that way… It does seem wasteful if I don’t use it…

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!! But still! To be able to store the freshly caught shrimp in its prime condition without changing anything…. It’s just too convenient….!!

『….. I’ve received the permission from master. You may keep that box for your personal use.』

What the……!!!

A-a-a-a-a-as a thanks for this box…. I need to do something to return the favour….!!

I tried to think of something I could do that would make Maricle-sama happy. 

…………. Yeah…. He’s a duke so… Even if it’s expensive, he can easily buy everything he wants, right?

When I was thinking about his daily life, the image of him resting in his stone chair came to my mind. 
Maybe… If I wiped his body all clean and remove all of the 『sea fragments』that covered his whole body, he would be able to rest on his own bed…???

It’s the least I can do to thank him… I guess it’s worth a shot.