TGDHC Chapter 43

Chapter 43: A Delicious Picture

Milo and his wife were passing through Goldrain.

They were on their way back home after selling the wool they had gathered over the winter.

“How about we stop to eat?”
Milo asked his wife. They had left early in the morning, but it had taken longer than expected to negotiate prices. If they had gone straight home now, they would have missed mealtime completely.

“I am feeling a bit hungry,”
His wife replied, glancing around with a hesitant expression.

The nearby restaurants seemed to be open, and the smell of food filled the air.

“I am hungry, but… not here…”

The couple had once been wandering shepherds, but they had settled in the Blenheim last spring.

Blenheim was just as pleasant as people had said.

Outside the mountains, they always worried about monsters, but after moving to Blenheim, their lives became much easier and more stable.

Now, they couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

Still, places outside the village felt unfamiliar.

Since neither of them could read, they had to guess what kind of shop they were entering or ask people for help.

Especially in Goldrain, the shopkeepers were known to be unfriendly.

One time, they had mistaken a café for a restaurant and were laughed at and thrown out. Since then, they have avoided eating in Goldrain.

But today, after carrying wool all morning, they were especially hungry.

“If we see a place we like, let’s try it.”
They didn’t expect much and were even thinking of grabbing something small from a street vendor. They kept walking until they nearly left the alley.

“What’s that?”
Milo squinted at something in front of an inn.

A delicious smell had been drifting from that direction even before they turned the corner. The couple moved closer to the building without saying a word.

“Is this a restaurant?”
A large menu board stood outside the door, with drawings of food that made their mouths water.

“Oh, I think it’s a home-style food place.”
They leaned in to look more closely at the menu drawings. One picture showed grilled chicken legs, and there was a star next to it.

“So it was chicken we were smelling.”
Milo licked his lips, realizing the spicy scent was from that dish.

The crispy grilled chicken in the picture almost looked real, especially with the smell filling the air.

“Shall we try it?”
Drawn in by the smell and pictures, the couple entered the inn’s restaurant. It was busy with customers.

“Welcome!”
The owner greeted them warmly, which was unusual for someone from the north, and led them to a table.

“Today’s special is grilled chicken legs.”

“Today’s special?”
“Oh, sorry! It’s your first time here, right?”
The owner chuckled kindly, saying most guests recently came because they heard rumors and forgot to explain.

“If you order the special, you get a free dessert. See the star next to the menu item?”
Below the grilled chicken picture were small pictures of pudding and pie.

“Today, you can choose between milk pudding or apple pie.”

They had just come to eat, but the warm welcome made it feel like more. Milo looked at his wife with a pleasant smile. Her cheeks were slightly red—just like his.

“I’ll have today’s special. What about you?”

“I’ll have the same.”

“What would you like for dessert?”

“Hmm… I’ll have the milk pudding.”

“One milk pudding and one apple pie, please.”

His wife had hesitated before choosing the pudding, so Milo chose the pie—thinking they could share later.

“This place has a nice atmosphere.”

It was busy, but not noisy. His wife, who always looked uncomfortable when they came to Goldrain, smiled peacefully for the first time.

Milo also felt a rare sense of warmth in the busy street.

Since all the guests had ordered the same dish, the roasted chicken legs came out quickly. They were shiny and delicious-looking, just like in the picture. Milo let out a satisfied sigh after the first bite.

His wife had already eaten some of the roasted potatoes and nodded in approval.

“No wonder this place is so popular.”

“It’s really good.”

It was one of the most satisfying meals they had ever shared. The owner’s husband, it seemed, brought out the desserts at just the right time.

His wife, who loved sweets, happily ate both her pudding and half of Milo’s apple pie.

“It’s been a while since we’ve enjoyed such a relaxing meal.”

“Having dessert makes me feel like a noble lady.”

She looked happier than him.

“Let’s come back here for lunch next month.”

Seeing her cheeks blush like a young girl’s, Milo felt both joy and a bit of sadness.

They had been on edge ever since moving to a new place.

‘I should give her more days like this,’ Milo thought, nodding happily.

Just then, a young lady and a man sat at the table next to them. Her clothes were simple, but her face looked noble. The man across from her had the face of a knight.

‘Maybe a noble lady out on a secret trip,’ Milo thought as he watched his wife eat pie. Then he overheard their conversation.

“I’ll have the spicy tomato stew!”

“Didn’t you come here just for today’s special?”

“Well… but it’s hard to give up the tomato stew…”

Hearing this, Milo’s wife suddenly spoke to the noble-looking girl.

“Miss, try today’s special.”

“Pardon?”

“Looks like the owner forgot to explain it to you. Look over there.”

Milo wanted to stop her—talking to nobles could be risky—but the girl didn’t seem upset. In fact, she looked curious.

His wife cheerfully explained the menu and the desserts.

“You can choose between milk pudding and apple pie.”

“Which did you like better?”

“Both were so good. You should order one of each and share with the young man. It’d be a shame to miss either.”

“I’m excited. I’ll do that.”

Just then, the innkeeper noticed the noble lady and rushed over.

“Oh my! Your Highn—!”

“Can I place an order?”

The innkeeper quickly composed himself and asked, “O-of course. What would you like?”

“Two of today’s special, please.”

“And one milk pudding and one apple pie.”

She gave Milo’s wife a playful wink. His wife smiled warmly.

“You won’t regret it. It was delicious.”

After a cheerful goodbye, Milo and his wife got up to leave.

As Milo paid, he looked back to see the lady chatting with the young man, who sat very properly.

“Is that lady someone important?” he asked the innkeeper, just curious.

The innkeeper whispered, “She’s the second most important person in Blenheim, after the Grand Duke.”

“Second most…?”

‘The Grand Duchess?’

He had guessed she was noble, but this was more than he expected.

The innkeeper, smiling proudly, added, “She’s the one who saved our inn.”

“Saved it?”

He leaned in closer.

“She created today’s special.”

Milo looked confused, so the innkeeper looked fondly toward the Grand Duchess and explained with warmth.

“She’s so thoughtful and kind to the people here.”

Then, handing back Milo’s change, the innkeeper said with a grin:

“I hope this doesn’t sound rude to His Grace, but…”

“He truly married well.”

‘But wasn’t the Grand Duchess rumored to be a fake saint and a villain?’

Listening to his wife happily talk about how good the food was, Milo realized—

There was still so much more to learn about Blenheim.

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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •

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Advance chapters of this novel are available on my kofi channel

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