Chapter 33: Today’s Special
“…We’re really married.”
“Huh?”
“We’re truly married.”
“…….”
“We’re not a fake couple, are we?”
The Grand Duke muttered in a low voice, just loud enough for me to hear.
“The marriage contract is officially recognized by the temple.”
“Ah… Right. The paperwork is real.”
We had just agreed to end the marriage within a year, that’s all.
Why is he adapting so fast?
Not long ago, he was so serious about not pretending to be a real couple.
Yet now, he was looking at me with accusing eyes, as if I had betrayed him.
It had been a while since I last went to the inn for lunch.
Marie, who had vowed to keep the brooch I gifted her as a family heirloom, had finally calmed down and gone to prepare stew. Meanwhile, I glanced around the inn’s dining area.
Though I had come at a relatively quiet time, the inn felt eerily empty.
The thought lingered in my mind.
I still remembered how warmly Marie and Jacques had welcomed me on my first visit. And how that bowl of tomato stew, after wandering around Goldrain all day, had felt so warm and comforting.
I hope the inn does well.
It wasn’t that I had abandoned my resolve to mind my own business.
But since I had received kindness here, I wanted to return the favor in some way.
Marketing is my specialty, after all.
How could I help bring in more customers?
The owners were kind, the food was delicious, and the rooms were probably clean too.
If the inn was struggling despite these good conditions, it meant there simply wasn’t enough demand.
Was it the location?
It wasn’t the best, but being near the Goldrain district meant it wasn’t bad either.
The problem is that there aren’t many travelers. That means they need to attract local residents instead.
As I was deep in thought, Jacques and some workers entered the inn, carrying large baskets.
It seemed to be the time for restocking ingredients.
“Ah, Your Highness! You’re here.”
Yep, I’m back again.
Jacques lowered the basket and greeted me in a hushed voice. I waved him off, gesturing for him to continue working.
Baskets filled with vegetables and ingredients were carried into the kitchen one after another.
“Are you expecting a big group today?”
Marie had just returned from the kitchen with a steaming pot of stew and freshly baked bread. Seeing the sheer amount of ingredients, I couldn’t help but ask.
“Oh, no, Your Highness. I just tend to buy in large amounts. I like to keep plenty of stock…”
This isn’t just a big purchase—this is enough for a feast. Were they buying in bulk to save money?
“How many days’ worth of ingredients is that?”
“About two to three days’ worth.”
“You use that much in just two days?”
“Well… not really. We do end up with a lot of leftovers.”
“Huh? Then wouldn’t it be better to buy in smaller amounts?”
“I would if I could, but I never know what the customers will order. Since I can’t predict which dishes will be popular, I have to prepare extra ingredients…”
Noticing my astonished expression, Marie quickly added an explanation.
Oh dear.
A professional restaurant owner would shake their head at this.
Predicting ingredient needs and minimizing waste was a basic principle. If they were ordering this much every time, I wondered if they were even making a profit.
Wait, I shouldn’t be worrying about attracting new customers yet…
This inn didn’t even have a menu.
Customers could technically order anything, and the owner would try to accommodate their request.
While this was great for customer satisfaction, it made ingredient management extremely difficult.
They must be willing to take some losses to keep their business style.
Still, unnecessary expenses were just wasteful.
“Oh!”
A simple solution popped into my mind.
“Why not introduce a ‘Today’s Special’?”
“A ‘Today’s Special’?”
“Every day, you pick a specific dish and display it as the recommended meal. Customers who order it get a small discount or a free side dish.”
If they couldn’t predict customer orders, they could guide customers instead.
Marie still looked puzzled, so I elaborated.
“Some people, like me, might come here craving tomato stew. But many customers don’t have a preference. The ‘Today’s Special’ would be a recommended dish for them.”
A free glass of wine? A small pudding?
A minor perk would be enough to encourage most customers to choose the special.
That way, they could primarily stock up on ingredients for that dish, making inventory planning much easier.
They would only need to keep a minimal supply of ingredients for other dishes, reducing waste significantly.
As I finished explaining, Jacques, who had been listening, let out an impressed gasp.
“That’s such a brilliant idea!”
Marie’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes! I think customers would love it too! Your Highness, how do you even come up with these ideas?”
Seeing the couple’s excitement made me feel a little embarrassed.
Well, it’s not really my idea—it’s just common sense in my old world.
Popular menu items, daily specials, set meals…
It wasn’t even advanced marketing—this was just the basics. Almost every restaurant in my previous world did this.
It felt a bit shameless to act as if I had invented it, but who would know?
I pushed away my slight guilt.
As the couple eagerly discussed ideas for tomorrow’s menu, I finished my stew and left the inn.
By the time my carriage reached the entrance of the Grand Duke’s castle, something unusual was happening.
As the gates opened and I entered, I heard a commotion.
Inside, guards were roughly interrogating a young girl they had detained.
“What’s going on?”
As Norton asked, one of the guards glanced inside the carriage with a troubled expression and spoke.
“A girl from the castle was caught carrying a suspicious bundle of papers. It seems to belong to Her Grace, the Grand Duchess.”
“What?”
Since the guard spoke loud enough for those inside to hear, I opened the carriage door and stepped out. Norton hurriedly dismounted to escort me, but I was already walking ahead of him.
“What do you mean by that?”
The guard stiffened at the sight of me and responded nervously.
“Your Grace, this girl…”
“You mean, this young girl.”
I interrupted, correcting his words. The guard’s face lost some of its tension.
“Ah, y-yes! This young girl said she was on an errand, so we let her in. But when she was leaving, we saw her hiding papers in her clothes. The paper seemed expensive, so we checked, and it looks like a letter written by Your Grace…”
I extended my hand, and Norton immediately took the papers from the guard and handed them to me.
These are…?
They were draft letters I had scribbled while practicing the message I intended to send to Ferdinand. I turned my gaze toward the young girl being held by the guards. I didn’t recognize her, but she seemed vaguely familiar.
“Where did you get these?”
I asked, but the girl pressed her lips tightly together, refusing to answer. The guard gripping her by the collar shook her roughly.
“Her Grace is asking you a question! Answer at once!”
The girl’s brown hair whipped around violently as she was shaken.
“Enough! She’s just a child!”
The guard flinched and loosened his grip slightly, glancing at me uneasily. He looked a bit resentful, as if he felt he was only doing his duty but was being reprimanded for it.
The letters don’t contain anything too important, but…
While the content of my letters wasn’t particularly sensitive, their leakage was another matter entirely.
Publicly, I was positioned as the cherished and hidden third daughter of Marquis Freis. But my words in the letters were enough to hint at the uncomfortable relationship between me, the Marquis, and Ferdinand.
To anyone trying to gather information about the Marquis’s household, even small details like this would be valuable.
They could even use this to forge my handwriting.
More importantly, wasn’t the Grand Duke’s castle classified as a military zone? Stealing the Grand Duchess’s letters could very well be considered a serious crime, possibly even treason.
Feeling unsettled, I turned back to the girl.
If this wasn’t the Marquis’s doing… then are there others who are trying to investigate me?
Since I didn’t have a dedicated lady-in-waiting or personal maids, quite a few people could have entered my chambers.
Whatever the case, I should have been more careful with my belongings.
As I was lost in thought, Norton suddenly drew his sword and stepped toward the silent girl.
“Who sent you?”
The sharp blade was pointed at her throat, and fear filled her eyes. Her lips trembled as she finally spoke.
“I-I was just curious about the castle…!”
“You’d be wise to tell the truth. The knights have the authority to execute threats to the castle on the spot.”
Norton’s icy gaze hardened as he pressed the sword closer.
