How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

I leaned slightly toward Tristan in that moment, covering my mouth with my hand, and whispered softly.

“Tristan, Tristan.”

“Yes.”

“Did it really taste good? Was it edible?”

Tristan did not even glance sideways. He only nodded very slightly.

“It was slightly bitter, probably because of the sargassum, but it did not taste bad.”

“Wow, really?”

For someone as taciturn and expressionless as Tristan, this was high praise. I felt quietly pleased and smiled slightly.

Then, he added something else.

“However, that miyeok…”

“Why miyeok?”

“It feels like eating a worm.”

“…Excuse me?”

I was momentarily lost for words. My smile froze instantly.

Tristan continued in his calm, indifferent tone.

“I was surprised that something slimy and worm-like actually tasted quite good.”

“Worm-like? That is too much!”

My face turned red as I protested. At that moment, Gehardt, who had been stubbornly eating the miyeok soup beside me, raised his head abruptly. His eyes widened, and his expression brightened instantly.

“That is right, Your Highness! That is exactly the feeling! A worm!”

I looked at him and narrowed my eyes.

“But did you not say the taste was fine?”

“Fine or not, it is still a worm. Sargassum is easier to eat. Still, it is better than a worm, at least…”

“Yes, indeed. Sir’s words are correct.”

Even the sailors nodded in agreement. I could not believe it.

To insult miyeok like this. Shockingly, they even rated it worse than sargassum, which I had half-considered to be sea debris. I vaguely recalled that foreigners often shunned miyeok even in modern times, but I never thought I would see it with my own eyes. What is wrong with miyeok? It may be slippery, but it is delicious.

I ended up raising my voice in frustration.

“It is not a worm! It is miyeok, miyeok! It is nutritious and good for your body!”

Did they not know that new mothers eat miyeok soup for a whole month after giving birth? I did not know either, but still…

Gehardt flinched and shut his mouth. A few sailors murmured “sea worm…” beside him, and when our eyes met, they jumped and quickly looked away.

❖ ❖ ❖

The soup made from sargassum and miyeok appeared on the table for breakfast and dinner every day after that.

At first, the sailors ate it with their eyes tightly shut, reluctantly forcing it into their mouths. Gradually, they became accustomed to the taste of miyeok. Some soaked their ship biscuits in the broth, while others rolled the miyeok around the biscuits and swallowed it in one bite.

‘Rolling ship biscuits in miyeok soup? What on earth is this…’

Honestly, to me, eating miyeok with slippery miyeok was less strange than combining it with ship biscuits instead of rice.

Still, at least they ate it. Some sailors chewed the miyeok reluctantly, but everyone’s complexion improved considerably, and they slowly regained their health. Those whose gums were raw and could not chew properly were now able to chew miyeok stems while grumbling.

The sailors suffering from scurvy miraculously recovered within a few days. Around that time, crew members began coming to me one by one.

“Grand Consort! I will never forget the mercy by which you saved me!”

“Truly remarkable. How did Grand Consort think of using worm soup as medicine? It works so well.”

“Yes, at first it was difficult… but now I even miss the texture.”

“…Good. It has healed, and that is enough.”

By then, I was too tired to correct them. After all, worms were used as medicine in ancient times, so it was fine.

As the sailors’ health improved, energy returned to the deck, and the entire ship began to regain vitality.

“Land! We can see land!”