Chapter 2
After nearly an hour of calming Reina down as she sobbed uncontrollably, he finally succeeded in getting her to stop crying.
By that time, the sun was already beginning to set, and the evening light was shining through the window.
"For now, today... no, starting today, it's better if you stay at the shrine."
If she went home, she would only be abused by her adoptive parents.
He had no intention of sending Reina back to that place anymore. He planned to take her in at the shrine and have her live here.
"B-But... if I don't go back, Father and Mother will..."
"Be worried... is that it?"
"N-No... um..."
There's no way they'd worry.
Even if Reina stayed out without permission, those parents wouldn't care.
At most, they'd scold her for skipping out on helping with the housework.
"Ah..."
Reina seemed to understand that her parents didn't care about her. She clutched her skirt and looked down.
"You're not the one at fault. Please don't make that face."
"Ah..."
"Don't worry about your home. I'll take care of it."
"Priest..."
When he patted her head, Reina looked like she was about to cry again.
It would be a problem if she started bawling like before.
He decided to stop with the head pats and move on to dinner.
"Well then, I'll start preparing dinner. Is there anything you don't like?"
"N-No... Ah, I'll help—let me help...!"
Reina said this with a desperate expression.
He didn't really need help, but refusing might make her feel awkward.
"Alright then, I'll count on you."
"Yes! I'll do my best!"
Reina clenched her fists with determination and let out a spirited "Hmph!"
Clael and Reina moved to the kitchen and began preparing dinner.
"As for the dinner menu... ah."
While thinking about the menu, he suddenly realized that feeding Reina apple pie might not have been a good idea.
Giving solid food to a starving child was obviously bad for the stomach.
He should have started with something easy to digest, like rice porridge or rice water, to ease her stomach into it.
"Um... Reina, does your stomach hurt? Do you feel nauseous or anything?"
"Huh? I'm fine..."
Reina looked up at Clael and blinked in confusion.
"I often eat grass from the garden or peeled tree bark, so I have a strong stomach. I can eat anything, really."
"I-I see..."
A heavy tale of misfortune came out as if it were the most natural thing.
Reina's stomach seemed fine, but now Clael felt like his tear ducts were about to burst.
"W-Well then, that's good. Can you help me out?"
"Yes!"
Reina responded cheerfully.
Reina claimed she was fine... but just in case, he decided to make tonight's dinner easy on the stomach.
(Barley porridge and vegetable soup should be good... I've got the ingredients too.)
Since he lived alone, he didn't have much food stocked, but this menu should work.
"Then, could you wash the vegetables?"
"Got it! I'll peel them after washing too!"
Reina washed the vegetables in a bucket of water.
Once finished, she skillfully peeled them with a paring knife.
He had been worried about letting her handle a blade... but it seemed that concern was unnecessary.
She had probably been forced to help with housework under her parents. She was very efficient.
(Honestly, she might be better with a knife than I am...)
"All done. I'll go ahead and cut them now."
"...Alright, please do."
He couldn't leave everything to Reina.
Clael added barley and water to a pot and began heating it.
He added a bit more water to make the barley softer, seasoned it with salt, then stirred in beaten eggs.
He brought another pot to a boil and added the chopped vegetables.
(When your stomach's upset, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, carrots, and turnips are low in fiber and easy to digest. I'll keep the flavor light and add ginger to help with absorption...)
"Alright, it's done."
Without any particular incident, dinner was completed.
In his previous life, he had remained single all his life... but thanks to cooking for himself, he could handle most meals.
"Well then, could you carry this to the living room?"
"Yes!"
Reina replied with a beaming smile.
At the same time, her stomach let out a cute "grrr" to express its hunger.
She had just eaten apple pie, but as she said, her stomach was tough.
"Ah..."
"It's good to see such energy. I'm glad your stomach's happy too."
Smiling at the blushing Reina, Clael carried both their meals and dishes to the living room.
"Let us give thanks to the gods and eat."
"Let's eat!"
As a priest, he should have offered a proper prayer before the meal... but since Reina had drool dripping from the corner of her mouth, he kept it brief.
As Clael sipped the soup, Reina also began eating in a fluster.
"Nom, gulp, munch munch...!"
"Calm down. Eat slowly. The food's not going anywhere."
"Okay!"
Her response was good, but the pace of her fork and spoon didn't slow down at all.
(Now that I think about it... there was a scene in the game where she was scolded for her table manners...)
Back when Reina was first taken in by the Grand Shrine, she would scarf down food in a panic like now and get harshly reprimanded by the priest in charge of her training.
Back then, she was whipped on the back and ended up vomiting the food she had just eaten.
(I'll need to teach her table manners too... but just for today, it's fine.)
Until now, she had never been given a proper meal under her abusive parents.
Even if she gorged herself without manners for one day, she should be allowed that much.
(Besides... it's not bad, having someone enjoy your cooking like this...)
"Nom, nom!"
Seeing Reina eat so earnestly, Clael felt his heart mysteriously fill with warmth.