To begin with, the night snack Merem mentioned wasn’t the typical night snack.

If you ask what that night snack was, I have no explanation!

I moved as energetically as possible since I felt a bit embarrassed about the misunderstanding.

The problem was that it didn’t seem like I was helping much.

‘Just wandering around the deck and chattering.’

Over there, a clown was juggling with potatoes. Behind him, a shop was selling baked potatoes on a griddle, emitting an indescribably fragrant and savory smell.

When I stared at that place, Merem calculated silently.

“Eat.”

“Can you buy something like this?”

“…….”

“…Yes?”

Oh, it’s hard to use polite language.

Still, the fact that I deceived and got past Merem was exhilarating.

I put a buttery potato into my mouth and chewed with relish.

It wasn’t too hot, so it was good for eating, causing my cheeks to swell.

‘Well, street food should be like this. The best food culture created by humans is street food.’

Why did street vendors suddenly appear on the Empress’s cruise?

It was all because of my taste.

The food in the Empress’s palace was luxurious and delicious, but it lacked flavor.

It was all due to this cursed body of mine being weak.

If I pick something up, I’ll faint and have to eat hospital food, and if not, I have to eat bland, low-salt food, so I missed this kind of stimulating food.

I prefer this type of food over the luxurious ones.

But I can’t just reveal my identity and go out to buy it, especially since I’m the Empress.

‘Ah, it’s been a while since I showed my true self, not ‘Empress Leona’.’

I was gradually losing my original self, but here, I felt like I was slowly finding it again.

Moreover, the food was incredibly delicious.

Grilled whole potatoes were a delicacy with their savory skin. They were full of the fragrance of dill, and with a pinch of salt, they entered my mouth irresistibly.

“Ahem.”

As I ate like that, I belatedly became aware of Merem. I hadn’t just stopped eating potatoes because of his fake cough; I hadn’t taken my eyes off the potato at all.

“Do you want to eat this…?”

Since it was for Merem, I brought out the biggest and most plump potato from the remaining ones and offered it to him with a wooden stick.

Then, he, who had been turning his head away, frowned and looked at me for a while.

Thud.

The impatient butter flowed down the handle.

The initially narrow golden pupils contracted, and he sent a sharp gaze in my direction.

“Hand.”

“My hand?”

“Excuse me.”

“!!!”

Merem, who had loosened his waist and bowed slightly, licked the pooled butter near my wrist.

Stiffening due to the sudden event, I couldn’t hide my embarrassment as I watched him extend his tongue.

“… I’m good with just this.”

“Ah… Yes. But the potato tastes better.”

Was Merem originally… such a person?
Slightly shocked, I stuffed the potato into my mouth and chewed vigorously. That seemed to calm me down.

‘Different thoughts. Let’s think about something else.’

My wrists felt a tingling sensation.

It’s like believing a huge black bear was actually a cat and then witnessing its true form.

“What flavor is that?”

“That?”

At that moment, Merem pointed to a certain street vendor.

There was a charcoal grill, where lobsters and scallops were being grilled vigorously.

“Hei-cha!”

Finally, the owner sprinkled salt, pepper, and cheese with both hands and showed off his skills.

And when he poured wine on it, flames rose instantly, capturing the attention of the people.

Staring at it blankly, I almost drooled and quickly wiped my mouth.

“Two.”

“Yes!”

Merem once again silently bought me lobster cheese grill.

But no matter how long I waited, Merem didn’t give me the lobster grill.

Of course, he was holding it out as if to give it to me!

“Don’t look at me like that. I was going to let it cool down because it’s hot.”

Detecting my complaining gaze, Merem made one excuse after another. Then, he lifted the food high enough that I couldn’t reach it.

“…Putting it in a high place will make it cool faster.”

“Even if it’s hot, I eat well.”

“Open your mouth.”

I’m confused if he’s being kind or rough.

Merem now had an expressionless face.

As I strolled next to him, watching the festival street I had artificially created, I suddenly became puzzled.

‘Wait, why am I walking so naturally with Merem?’

Suddenly waking up, the goal of choosing a favorite among the concubine candidates while admiring their faces had long disappeared somewhere.

I scratched my cheek, smoothly accepted the lobster tail Merem gave me, and pondered what to do.

Should I reveal my true identity now?

“Wait.”

But at that moment, Merem gently stopped me.

Actually, there had been a sense of someone following me since the potato butter grill shop. I wondered when Merem would notice it, but he’s surprisingly sharp.

‘Seems like he already knew. He came this way to find a suitable place to handle it?’

The lobster cheese grill street vendor was relatively in a corner, near a dark space with stacked wooden boxes.