「大丈夫ですか? 白湯を飲みます?」
心配する雨妹を、立彬がギロリと睨む。
「......なにも言わないでください。
この説明にもなにか言いたそうな立彬だが、そこはぐっと呑み込むようにする。
まあ「あんな怪しい宦官いるか!」などと、立彬様が言えるはずがない。
そんなことを言えば、言葉が自分に向かって超高速旋回で返ってくるのだから。
しかし来てしまった人を追い返すようなことが、下っ端宮女である雨妹にできるはずもない。
一方で美娜は、見知らぬ宦官の姿に目をパチクリしている。
「おや、宦官が増えた。
こういうのは大勢の方が楽しいってもんさね!」
これを聞いた美娜がそう言って笑うと、近くから卓を引っ張って来て楊と杜の分の席を作る。
その様子を見て、雨妹は「美娜さんて、大物だ」と感心する。
美娜はおそらくは皇帝の容姿を間近で見たことがないから、杜に対する疑念を抱かないのだろうが。
それでもこの宦官、ちょっと宦官にしては迫力というか、威圧感というか、「なんとなく怖そう」という感じを抱いてしまう男なのだ。
この違和感は立彬とて同じなのだが、杜はそれよりももっと違和感が強い。
――オーラを隠せていないっていうか、そもそも隠そうとしていないっていうか......。
立彬が一応は宦官のフリをしようと努力しているらしいのに対して、杜は見た目を誤魔化しただけという感じで、そのあたりが違うのだろう。
ともあれ、二人の分の席が用意されたので、雨妹は月餅をそちらの卓にも並べる。
「ほぅ、これはまた美味そうな月餅であるな」
相手が誰であれ、雨妹はこの月餅を褒められるのが嬉しい。
「美娜さんお手製で、私もちょっと手伝いました!」
そう言って胸を張る雨妹に、杜が目を細める。
「そうか、お主も手伝ったのか......ありがたくいただこう」
ずいぶん上品な食べ方である。食べたのは、かぼちゃ月餅だ。
「これは、なんだ?
「そりゃあ瓜だよ」
首を捻る杜に、美娜が説明する。
「ほう、甘い瓜があるとは知らなんだ」
「瓜の仕入れ先によると、南方の瓜だそうだよ」
――やったねかぼちゃ、この国で一番偉い人に食べてもらえたよ!
この瞬間はきっと、かぼちゃの崔国制覇の第一歩かもしれない。
雨妹がかぼちゃの出世をわが身の事のように喜んでいると。
「そうそう、雨妹よ」
杜にそう呼びかけられた。
「お主、聞いたところだと、明の奴に名乗らなかったそうだの?」
杜の指摘に、雨妹は「その話か」と頷く。
「はい、だってあちらからも名乗ってもらっていませんし」
雨妹はあっさりと言う。
そうなのだ、立勇や李将軍から明についてを聞かされたものの、本人から直接、何者かを告げられてはいないのだ。
偉い人だと下っ端宮女なんて名乗るに値しないのかもしれないが、少なくともこれまで出会った偉い人からは、名乗るまでもない有名人は別として、そうした扱いをされたことはない。
「さようか、それは明の礼儀がなっとらんな」
「名乗り合うって、お互いを認め合う行為でもあるでしょう?
なるほど、ダメ大人は確かに嫌いになろうな」
雨妹の言い分に、杜が愉快そうに笑う。
そして「話は変わるが」と杜が切り出す。
「我も月餅を持って来たぞ。甘い月餅はたんとあると楊に聞いていたのでな、肉詰めのものにした」
そう言って杜が楊を見ると、ずっと無言である彼女は持っていた手荷物の包みを卓の上に置いた。
中にはもちろん、焼き目も美しい月餅が入っている。
その一つを手に取って、雨妹は驚く。
「あ、焼き立てですか!?」
月餅は通常、しばらく寝かせてしっとりさせたものが食べられるのだが、これは生地がまだカリッとしていた。
杜のそんな通のような発言に、雨妹はなんとなく「大人だ!」と感心してしまう。
それに焼き立てなんてものは恐らく、皇帝であったら食べられないだろうに。
この男、今の立場を最大限に楽しむつもりのようである。
そんなまだカリカリの月餅を、雨妹はハムッと齧って、また驚く。
辛みを感じると同時に、香りが鼻に抜ける。
この国では、香辛料は外国から取り寄せる高価なもの。
地味に見えて、きっと最も高価な月餅はこれだろう。
「すごい、新しい、美味しい!」
思わずその場で足踏みをして感動を表現するのに、美娜が「そうかい?」と自身も手を伸ばす。
「雨妹よ、わかったから足をジタバタするのを止めなさい」
立彬は雨妹にそう注意して、しかしこちらは杜の月餅に手を伸ばさない。
さすがにこの状況で飲み食いするには、喉を通らない様子である。
「ん~、美味しい、幸せ~!」
美味しさに感激するあまり、注意されてもどうしてもジタジタしてしまう雨妹の足については、この場では見逃してもらうことにする。
「......やはり『あちら』と違って、ずいぶんと活きがいいな」
ボソッと呟いた杜の声は、幸いなことに雨妹の耳に届かない。
百花宮の秋の夜は、こうして更けていった。
"Are you okay? Do you want to drink some hot water?"
Yui Mei was worried about him, but Libin just glared at her.
"...Please don't say anything. That person is the Eunuch Du, apparently."
Libin looked like he wanted to retort something to this explanation, but he held his tongue, in the end.
Well, it wasn't like Libin could say "as if there's a suspicious eunuch like that!" .
If he said those words, he would definitely get a rebuttal at the speed of light.
Nevertheless, Yui Mei was just a mere low-ranking court lady, so she wasn't in the position to drive people away.
Mei Nai stared at the unfamiliar eunuch with interest.
"Oh, the number of eunuchs increased. Is he an acquaintance of Yang?"
"Really! Well, yeah, in these kind of things, the more the merrier, right!"
Mei Na laughed when she heard her response, then she pulled a table nearby to make some space for Yang and Du.
Yui Mei was amazed while looking at them, inwardly thinking that Mei Na was awesome.
Mei Na had probably never seen the emperor before, so she didn't have any misgivings or doubts toward Du.
Be that as it may, this person's aura was too strong, or should she say too intimidating for a eunuch, and it wouldn't be a wonder if people would harbor a sense of fear towards this person.
The air was similar to Libin, but Du's aura was far more uncomfortable.
'Rather than saying he couldn't hide his aura, it's as if he isn't even attempting to hide it at all...'
Libin worked hard to act like a eunuch, but compared to him, Du looked like he only perfunctorily changed his appearance, and that was the difference between them.
Anyhow, the two newcomers' seats had already been settled, so Yui Mei also arranged the mooncakes on their table.
"Hoh, these mooncakes look delicious."
Yui Mei was happy when these mooncakes were praised, no matter who the other person was.
"It's Mei Na's creation, and I also helped her a bit!"
Du narrowed his eyes as he watched Yui Mei puff her chest with pride.
"Really, so you also helped make this... I gratefully accept."
His movements were extremely elegant. The mooncake that he chose was the squash one.
"What is this? It's unfamiliar, but it tastes good."
"That's made from gourd."
Du was perplexed, so Mei Na explained it.
"Hoh, I didn't know that there are sweet gourds."
"The gourd supplier said it's from the South."
'Congrats, squash, the most important person in this country is eating you!'
This moment could surely be the first step of the squash's invasion of the Sai Empire.
Yui Mei was filled with happiness because of the success of squash, as if it was her own triumph.
"Oh, right, Yui Mei."
Du called out to her.
"I heard that you didn't name yourself in front of that guy Ming?"
Du pointed that out, and Yui Mei inwardly thought, 'so it's about this'.
"Yes, well, that person didn't even introduce himself, either."
Yui Mei readily replied.
Indeed, she heard about Ming from Li Yong and General Li, but the person in question didn't tell her anything about himself directly.
Well, it might be true that there was no need for a big-wig to bother introducing himself to a low-ranking court lady; stil, among all the big-wigs that Yui Mei encountered, no one treated her like that, even if they were famous people who didn't have any obligation to tell her their name.
"Indeed, Ming's manners had been lacking."
"Besides, self-introduction is part of mutual acknowledgement, no? In that case, that person should get his act together. If this continues on, he's totally a good-for-nothing adult at this rate."
"Hahaha! I see, indeed, good-for-nothing people are despicable."
Du chuckled happily at Yui Mei's words.
He then changed the subject, saying "on a different note".
"I also brought some mooncakes. Yang said you already have the sweet ones, so these are filled with savory meat."
Du glanced at Yang after saying that. She had been silent since earlier, and now she wordlessly placed the package on the table.
It contained beautifully baked mooncakes, of course.
Yui Mei was amazed when she picked one.
"Wow, these are freshly baked!?"
Mooncakes were generally set to rest so that it would be moist before being eaten, but these mooncakes were still crispy.
Du commented like a connoisseur, and Yui Mei was moved with admiration, thinking that "He's a proper adult!"
Besides, he wouldn't be able to enjoy freshly baked and cooked food as the emperor.
This guy apparently wanted to enjoy his current identity to the fullest.
Yui Mei stuffed her mouth with the crispy mooncakes, and her eyes widened when she bit into it.
The scent assaulted her nostrils at the same time she tasted the spicyness.
In this country, spices were considered a luxurious commodity obtained from other countries.
It looked plain, but it was an extremely valuable mooncake.
"Wow, amazing, how novel, it's so delish!!"
Yui Mei unwittingly started to stomp her feet in excitement, so Mei Na also took a piece.
"Yui Mei, we get it already, so do stop kicking your legs."
Libin cautioned Yui Mei, but he didn't attempt to get one of Du's mooncakes.
As expected, he would probably choke, unable to swallow if he were to eat and drink given this situation.
"Hmmm~ So yummy, this is heaven~!"
Yui Mei was so touched because of the deliciousness of the mooncakes that she couldn't help but still vigorously swing her feet, so he decided to just let it go this time.
"...What a lively child, she's really different from 'her'."
Du's faintly whispered, but it fortunately didn't reach Yui Mei's ears.
And this was how the autumn night passed in the Hundred Blossom Palace.
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ