Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 145

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Successor Doesn’t Matter; I’ll Just Heal — Episode 145

Candied Fruit.
It was one of the snacks I’d desperately wanted to try as a child.
Perhaps even more than French toast.

‘That’s right. Why had I forgotten about this?’

Lion soon found his answer.
Truth be told, the reason was simple enough that it barely deserved the name.
Back when he’d consumed every delicacy his heart desired, a thought had struck him one day.
Pointless.
No matter how many finer foods he bought and ate, he couldn’t completely erase the envy he’d felt then.
It was like a scar that could fade but never fully disappear.
Once he’d grasped that, a deflating emptiness washed over him.
His stomach was full, yet something felt absent—a hollow hunger lingering still.
He’d thought he was making an effort to console himself, but a gut instinct whispered that he’d been going about it all wrong.
He’d hated that.

‘……So I decided to turn away from it entirely.’

Fortunately, he’d soon become consumed with work, and that feeling had drifted naturally into the past, fading from memory.
Even now, after the reincarnation, he’d scarcely thought of it.
But looking at the Candied Flower Petals resting in his palm just now, the memory pricked him like the poke of a needle, rising sharp and sudden.
It was strange, really.
The two had nothing in common except that both were preserved in sugar.

‘I was quite the child, wasn’t I.’

He’d recognized his mistake, yet refused to acknowledge it—and had spent all this time turning away from it instead.
He hadn’t understood back then that he could simply accept it and move on.

“No need to buy—go on, try one.”

When Lion stood holding the Candied Flower Petals without eating them, merely staring, the Merchant offered again, gesturing that it was fine.
Lion finally brought the single petal resting gently in his palm to his lips.
As the crimson rose petal entered his mouth, a lavish, honeyed rose fragrance drifted softly into his nostrils.
When he closed his eyes, he felt as though he were walking through a resplendent rose garden.

‘Sweet.’

It was like plucking the most abundantly blooming rose and sipping the honey from deep within its petals.
And at that moment, the hazy memory of the Candied Fruit grew sharper and clearer.
Why he’d envied it then, why he’d wanted it so badly.
Though the memory was tinged with sorrow, Lion found he didn’t mind reviving it.

“You’re enjoying that. Then won’t you try this as well?”

Satisfied with Lion’s reaction, the Merchant this time produced lemon and orange peel preserved in sugar syrup, speared them on a stick, and offered it to him.
Lion put the candied orange peel in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

“……!”

This was quite delicious too.
The tough rind, having been boiled and steeped in syrup, was softer and more chewy than expected.
If you had to describe the texture, it was almost like jelly.

‘The outer layer of the Candied Fruit would probably be quite similar to this, wouldn’t it?’

Of course, the candied fruit couldn’t be identical to the fresh version—there was a drying process involved—but the flavor itself felt remarkably similar.

“Delicious.”
“Isn’t it? When my children were young, this was their favorite snack. I thought about selling them, but… they never seemed to move off the shelf…….”

The old merchant chuckled and joked that he was considering whether to give up the business altogether.

“Once word gets out, I’d think you couldn’t keep them in stock.”

He meant it sincerely. The craftsmanship was exceptional.
At minimum, these were far too good to be relegated to a stall in some forgotten corner.
But… well, everyone has their circumstances.
Lion decided not to press further.

‘Still, this idea alone should be worth something.’

The merchant, unaware of Lion’s thoughts, reorganized the containers and smiled.

“Heh heh heh, if I could just cover the cost of honey and sugar, I’d ask for nothing more.”
“Is that so? Then at least today, you’ll earn plenty.”
“Pardon?”

Lion immediately reached into his pocket and withdrew a handful of gold coins, pressing them into the merchant’s hand.
The old merchant’s weathered eyes widened as coins spilled over in amounts that seemed to overflow his palms.

“S-sir, even if I sold everything here, it wouldn’t fetch half this amount……!”

Recognizing that Lion was a man of considerable nobility, the elderly merchant’s speech became notably more formal.

‘Though I didn’t mean it that way…….’

Lion suspected he might have gotten the same reaction even if their positions had been reversed.
Without elaborating, he picked up the jar of Candied Flower Petals he’d just been eating—the one with its lid still on.

“Regardless of what the actual price might be, this is what I believe it’s worth, so don’t refuse. You’ve helped me recall a memory I’d forgotten.”
“It must have been quite a cherished memory, sir.”
“Mm.”

Not a cherished one, really.
But…….

“I have a feeling it will become one soon.”

Lion straightened from his slight bow.

“In any case, these Candied Flower Petals are truly delicious—I’d suggest spreading the word during the day. Well then.”

Lion finished speaking and hurried away.
While the subtle sweetness lingered on his tongue, he wanted to begin making the Candied Fruit all the more quickly.

“…….”

Watching Lion disappear, the merchant finally grasped something dimly.
A young man with long hair, dressed in particularly fine clothes.
And those eyes…….

“Good heavens!”

Could the person he’d just met be the eccentric Young Master of House Asteri?
The merchant held the overflowing coins tight in his grip and offered a deep bow to the distant figure already far down the road.

* * *

Lion returned to the Estate and made straight for the Kitchen.
Though the hour was late and the staff had long since retired, the Kitchen gleamed immaculate……

“Hm?”

More than that—his favorite cooking tools were already laid out and waiting.
It seemed Alex, the head chef, prepared them every evening in anticipation of Lion’s midnight visits.

“That man’s kindness really is something.”

Lion chuckled softly and gathered an armful of fruit from the baskets—apples, lemons, oranges, grapefruits, anything with a bright, tart edge.
He took them all.
If he was going to make anything, he might as well make several varieties.
That way, he could recreate whichever Candied Fruit had been the favorite once he’d learned which.
A measure of sugar and honey rounded out the preparations quickly enough.
Now came the crucial step before any cooking began.

“Nature.”
“Chirp?”
“Will you help me make some treats?”
“Chirp-chirp?”
He cleared his throat.

Nature’s tone suggested a fair point—they’d always made these things together before. Why the formal asking now?
A fair point indeed.
Lion covered his mouth with his fist and gathered his words.

“Of course I know you’ve always helped. But what I’m making now—the ‘ultimate treats’—I need you there. Truly.”

He felt a flush of embarrassment, but meant every word.
So as he’d made his way back to the Estate, he’d spent the entire journey thinking seriously about what, as a child, he’d truly wanted to eat.
The answer had come quickly enough.
It wasn’t the treats themselves he’d craved—it was making them with someone else.
The satisfaction that came from creating together, from sharing the process—that was what mattered most.
That, Lion now understood, was the key to solving this Hidden Quest.

“This time, I don’t want your help—I want us to make them together. What do you say?”
“Chirp!”

Nature approached him in quick, eager steps and rubbed its head against the back of his hand.
A resounding yes.
That alone was enough to fill Lion with a sense of profound satisfaction.
And for some reason, his heart felt light as air.

“Then let’s take our time with it. Shall we wash the fruit first? I’ll need some water.”

Nature filled a basin to the brim with cool, crystal-clear water.
As the liquid sloshed gently within the basin, Lion rinsed the fruit gently.
Remarkably, the moment the fruit touched Nature’s water, it gleamed spotless.
But that wasn’t all.
The fruit’s quality itself had transformed.
They had become the very ideal of what fruit should be.

“Not bad at all.”

Lion praised Nature and sliced into a grapefruit.
The thick wedges fell away, releasing that distinctive bitter-bright aroma unique to grapefruit.
I could slice it thin and make it into Candied Fruit as is, but……
I think it would be better for everyone if I tamed the grapefruit’s bitterness a little.
I soaked the prepared grapefruit in salt water again.

“Let it sit for a moment.”

If I left it alone while I finished preparing the other fruit, much of the bitter taste would fade.
Lion cut the lemon and orange lengthwise next.
The fresh, tangy fragrance of the fruit pieces, skin still attached, filled the Kitchen, and my mouth watered involuntarily.
Truth be told, it had been quite difficult to resist while cutting the grapefruit.

‘……wait, I could just eat some raw, couldn’t I?’

It wasn’t as though we were short on quantity.
Besides, this was an enjoyable experience that only happened while cooking.
Lion peeled one of the prepared oranges, cut it in half, and handed it to Nature.
Unsurprisingly, Nature had no intention of holding back either, and immediately began pecking at the fruit.
Orange juice glistened on Nature’s beak and feathers.

‘She’s eating well.’

Being a bird, she must prefer fruit.
Lion bit into half an orange.

“Mmm~!”

Sweet and tangy juice flooded across my tongue.
Despite eating only a tiny piece, the satisfaction felt like I’d consumed a glass of concentrated fruit juice!
That wasn’t all.
My mouth, which had felt slick from the greasy Night Market food I’d eaten until now, felt refreshingly clean.
Just fruit, not even prepared as a dish, and this potent……
While these were fruit supplied to the Asteri Family Estate, I suspected this level of intensity came from the water Nature had made.
Lion finished preparing the apples after eating one more piece with great restraint, then washed the grapefruit that had been soaking in salt water with fresh water, separated each type into its own container, and layered sugar over the top to marinate.
Normally I would leave it for a couple of hours so the fruit’s moisture and sugar could mingle……

‘But I want to feed her sooner.’

Lion reached toward the marinating fruit and used Maturation Acceleration.
The moisture began to release as if only the fruit had been fast-forwarded, and the sugar grew wet and sticky.

“This should be enough.”

Lion ended the Maturation Acceleration and examined the fruit.
The relatively smaller pieces like apples and lemons seemed perfectly marinated, but the oranges and grapefruits could have used more time.
I’d cook them in order.
Lion placed the apples and lemons in separate pots, poured water over them, and set them to a medium flame.
As the white sugar slowly dissolved into a transparent, fragrant liquid, Lion picked up a small honey bottle.

[Evening Primrose Honey (★★)]
-A thick, amber-colored sweet liquid.
-Its rich fragrance smells as though it would carry for a thousand leagues.
-Make absolutely certain that no bear-kin discovers it!

“……is it because it’s honey?”

The Evening Primrose had unusually many warning messages related to bear-kin.

“Well, it doesn’t matter right now anyway.”

It wasn’t as if bear-kin were creatures you encountered just anywhere.
In any case, this was honey I’d gathered little by little after making the Evening Primrose Honey potion.
The Labyrinth and the evening primrose seemed to have excellent compatibility — they’d been thriving ever since.
Either way, since it had both fragrance and flavor, adding honey would work better than adjusting the consistency with something like corn syrup.
Lion poured the thick honey in a steady stream into the simmering pot, and almost at once, a fragrance of an entirely different caliber began to spread from the kitchen throughout the Estate.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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