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Eating cookies and sipping tea, I can’t help but wonder why it even matters that I’m here.

Across from me, the cute shop owner beams with joy at my compliments, continuously pushing fancy cookies my way, while Gomtaengi and Tokki look up from beneath the chair, hanging onto my legs, checking if I’m comfortable.

Enjoying such luxury, I start to think maybe I should be paying the shop owner instead of receiving a salary.

“Here, try this too. It’s a new product from the cookie shop that Elysia liked last time.”

She even remembers what I like and thoughtfully suggests cookies.

When I take the cookie and pop it into my mouth, the rich flavor of premium butter fills my palate.

Indeed, it tasted just like the new products from my favorite shop, as Frecia mentioned.

But wait, what shop is that again?

Is it the one in the commercial district? Or is it the café right in front of the Academy? Or maybe it’s the famous bakery near the fountain?

As I ponder which shop’s cookies these are, a crucial realization hits me.

I don’t actually have a shop I dislike.

Every cookie that has landed in my hands has been delicious, without exception.

Even if I call it my favorite shop, to me, it’s just one of the many shops I know. They are all my favorites.

“You can eat as much as you want. Make sure to take some home when you leave.”

“But I haven’t finished the ones you gave me last time. I’m really fine, so you should have some too, shop owner.”

Frecia, who has been continuously offering me one cookie after another, hasn’t had any herself.

Feeling grateful and a bit sorry for her, I decided to voice what I was thinking.

“Come here, open up.”

“Huh…?”

“You haven’t eaten a single cookie while I’m chowing down over here. Just pushing them my way.”

I took one of the cookies she had just handed me and held it out to her.

“Alright, ahh.”

“Ah, ahh….”

Frecia shyly opens her eyes tightly, trying to imitate my voice while awaiting the cookie like a baby bird.

Normally, with Selian or Yuli, and sometimes with Anne watching from the side, it seems ordinary. But looking at Frecia with her eyes shut tight, waiting for me to feed her the cookie made me feel a bit embarrassed too.

A cookie larger than a bite would be easy to simply place in her mouth, but since it’s a bite-sized cookie, I couldn’t just shove it in.

Cautiously, I placed the cookie on top of her little pink tongue with two fingers.

However, before I could pull my fingers out, she snapped her mouth shut, catching the cookie on her tongue.

I could feel her tongue tickling my fingers as she munched on the cookie.

“Um, um… Shop owner….”

“Mmm…”

Maybe because it was an expensive cookie, Frecia, at the age where sweets are delightful, was blissfully enjoying the tasty treat without a clue about what was wrong.

Even when I called her name, Frecia, lost in the cookie, just kept her eyes shut and worked her tongue.

Since her eyes were closed, she was completely oblivious to the situation.

To make things worse, my fingers were gently caught between her teeth, making it tricky to pull them out.

Of course, her well-trained body wouldn’t feel pain from a small girl just nibbling, but the risk of forcibly pulling out my fingers could end up damaging Frecia’s delicate teeth.

Caught in this awkward situation, the feeling of Frecia’s small yet slightly sharp canine on my fingers and the tickle of her tongue only intensified my embarrassment.

If it had been Anne chewing on the cookie and casually munching it, I could have pulled out my fingers between bites.

But Frecia seemed to be enjoying the cookie like candy, busy licking and sucking rather than chewing.

I chuckled internally. Everyone has their unique eating style.

Unlike Anne, who pops several cookies in her mouth within a minute, Frecia took her time, needing several minutes just for one.

It felt like dozens of minutes had passed, and only after what seemed like hours did Frecia finally release my finger.

Even by then, I felt Frecia’s tongue following my finger, as if it wanted a taste of the cookie.

My fingers were connected to her saliva, stretching out like a strand.

…Good thoughts, good thoughts.

In this unexpected circumstance, I suddenly remembered the original reason I had come to find Frecia.

“Shop owner.”

“Huh…?”

Frecia’s gaze was slightly unfocused, as if she was high on cookies.

Well, they should taste amazing after all.

I silently thanked the shop owner for her generous gift.

“Shop owner!”

With that, I tried to bring Frecia back to reality by gently shaking her arm, trying not to make it look like I was wiping my fingers on her clothes. That wouldn’t do any good anyway.

“Uh, huh?”

Thankfully, Frecia quickly returned to her senses.

Ah… I still only have one finger… Hmm, hmm!

That thought wasn’t my true intention. It’s just that… since my finger was wet, I instinctively let it slip.

“By the way, I came to ask you for a favor.”

Pushing aside any unnecessary thoughts, I resurfaced the original objective.

“Favor…?”

“Yes. It’s a bit awkward to say since you’ve helped me so much already, but… I can’t think of anyone else to ask but you.”

Among my few connections, Frecia is one of the significant talents.

“If not me…?”

“Yes. You’re the only one that comes to mind.”

“Just me…?”

“Yes. I know it sounds shameless, but is it alright if I ask?”

Considering how Frecia generously hands out expensive cookies, I doubted she’d refuse, but I still glanced at her, worried she might be upset or show any reluctance.

But thankfully, Frecia didn’t seem angry at all. Instead, she had a small smile on her face, just like when she was offering me cookies.

“Okay. Just ask. If it’s a request from Elysia, I’ll do anything.”

Though I expected her reaction, hearing her directly reassure me put my mind at ease.

I released a breath of relief and dove into the original subject.

“Do you know anything about contract magic in detail?”

“Contract magic…? You mean the one I made with Cat last time?”

Now that I think about it, I had also received help from Frecia for the contract I formed with Cat.

I really owe her a lot.

So I popped another cookie into my mouth as I continued.

“Um… It’s a bit different from that.”

I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket and handed it to her.

The paper featured a certain symbol.

It was a drawing I was very familiar with after years of seeing it.

Master-Servant Mark.

Of course, to minimize the chance of my identity being discovered, it was drawn in the shape of circles like I had back when I inhabited a male body, rather than the heart-shaped Master-Servant Mark currently resting on my abdomen.

“Um… someone I know got this magic imprinted on them due to some unfortunate events. I heard it’s a magic used on slaves, and I’m wondering if you might know a way to get rid of it.”

I didn’t come to Frecia for no reason.

This Master-Servant Mark is quite sinister, and after covertly investigating, it seemed there was not a single way to dispel it.

I wouldn’t mention the Master-Servant Mark to Frecia if there wasn’t a risk of my identity being discovered.

But I had no way of finding a way to dispel it, and I hoped maybe Frecia might have an idea.

After all, Frecia, recognized for her talent by the continent’s only Emperor, might know something.

“Well, I’m not sure. I mainly use different magic from others…”

However, it appeared Frecia also didn’t know the way to dispel this cursed Master-Servant Mark.

“But, maybe if I investigate, I could find a way? If it really doesn’t work, I could always create a new magic…”

I tried to hide my disappointment in front of the younger girl, but it seemed I couldn’t conceal my expression after having such high hopes.

Frecia gave me a slightly apologetic look as if she felt bad for me.

At this rate, it’s hard to tell who the younger sibling is.

“…It seems all I do is take from you, shop owner. Please don’t overexert yourself. If you’re suffering because of me, that wouldn’t make sense.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t overdo it. For Elysia, this is nothing.”

She took the paper I had handed her and gave it to Tokki, who was at her feet.

“Then is this all for today?”

“Um… I guess so?”

“Yes. Well then, I’ll handle the magic stuff. But…”

It seemed Frecia had something in mind that she wanted in return for fulfilling my request.

However, since she always gave me only before, it was a bit awkward as she hesitated.

“Um…”

“If the shop owner asks for something, I’ll do it… so feel free to ask. Considering what you’ve done for me, I can do anything for you.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“Then… um, ahh…”

However, despite appearing like she was going to ask something huge, the request Frecia made was surprisingly trivial.

It was something I had just done for her a few minutes ago.

Watching her again, resembling a baby bird with tightly shut eyes, a smile naturally crept across my face.

In the end, I repeated the cycle of feeding a cookie to her mouth and putting one in mine until all the cookies on the plate were gone.

Thanks to that, my fingers got soaked in her saliva several times, but… I suppose we can overlook that minor detail.