Martin led Ariel to the dining hall, where she sat at a large table. After a while, the servants began to serve food.
“This bread was made from wheat that has been grinded this morning. It’s extremely soft.”
“This veal steak is delicious. The flavor is very light.”
“Are you a fan of lobster dishes?”
“We cooked an entire chicken.”
“How about some eggplant? It’s grilled and topped with tomato sauce and cheese.”
“This stew is made with oxtail…”
“The ham is made from the hind legs of pigs…”
“Roasted duck eggs…”
[ t/n: I had no idea translating could torture my stomach this much (Ｔ▽Ｔ) ]
The feast of food was endless. She’s the only one at the table, so why is there so much food?
‘Is anyone coming?’ Ariel sighed deeply.
She doesn’t like eating with mere humans, but what can she do? She in a situation where she owes the house a lot trouble.
‘Anyway, if anyone’s going to come, then come quickly, why are you making me wait? I’m going to die of starvation.’
She was dying to swallow her saliva with such delicious-looking food in front of her eyes.
At that moment, Martin, who was waiting next to her, asked with a worried expression.
“Why won’t you eat it? Perhaps you don’t like the food?”
“Huh? Someone’s coming right?”
“Yes?”
Martin, perplexed, looked embarrassed as if he had realized something.
“Oh, what can I do about this? I don’t think His Highness will come. He’s taking a bath right now.”
Ariel’s eyes widened. So, does it mean that all these foods are prepared just for her?
‘Do humans normally eat like this?’
She was speechless, but her stomach started grumbling.
‘What are you doing, you stupid stomach! To show such ugliness in front of humans!’
As Ariel grabbed her stomach with a burning face, Martin laughed.
“You must have been very hungry. But it’s polite of you to hold it in until His Highness comes. Come on, let’s eat. It’s delicious when you eat it before it gets cold.”
“Well, shall we, then?”
He held a fork and knife in Ariel’s hand, and Ariel reached out as if she had been waiting. After dipping a large steak with a fork and knife, the savory juice flowed out and wrapped around the tip of her tongue.
“It’s delicious!”
The first human food she tried was much more delicious than she thought. It was not even comparable to the tree fruit or grasshopper eaten in the realm.
‘Do humans eat this delicious food every day?’
Somehow, she felt unfair because humans seemed to eat better than her, a Goddess. At the same time, Martin smiled happily while he was making a frantic hand gesture.
“You really look like your father even with eating. Your Highness mainly eats meat. When he was young, he didn’t eat too much vegetables, so he was upset by this old man.”
“Father? What’s that?”
“Oh my, it’s might be a little unfamiliar to you but father means the same thing as dad.”
Martin corrected what he said, but she didn’t understand.
‘Dad? What is that? Since the human told me so, do I have to call the owner of this house dad or father?’
Ariel pondered for a moment. But soon, she was distracted by the oxtail stew she put in her mouth, and her previous thoughts were pushed back.
‘Oh, I can’t believe there’s such a delicious food in the world. I’m glad I came to the Earth.’
Ariel mumbled and gripped her cheek in ecstasy as she shoved a large piece of meat into her mouth.
After the meal, Ariel was guided by a maid and headed to the Grand Duke’s office.
When the big door opened, she walked in, and the Grand Duke, who was sitting on the sofa, asked her a question.
“Did the meal fit in your mouth?”
How could it not fit in her mouth? She has never eaten such delicious food in her life.
But she couldn’t say it.
‘If he knew that God lives on food that is inferior to humans, He will look down on me!’
So Ariel crossed her arms crossed and arrogantly raised her chin.
“Not bad.”
As if she’s supposed to live off that kind of food.
“That’s a relief.”
The Grand Duke picked up the dome on the table, then a colorful plate appeared in front of him.
‘Eh? What’s on it? A lump of mud?’
A round dough filled with thick stones. It was obviously dirt.
“Why did you put it on the plate?”
Ariel tilted her head, but the Grand Duke didn’t say anything. He just looked at Ariel with soft eyes.
‘What do you mean by this?’
She looked at the strange-looking dough by poking it and blowing it afterwards, but she couldn’t quite figure out how to use it.
‘This lump of dirt is not meant to be eaten.’
It was then when she was wondering. A bolt from the sky fell.
“Eat.”
“Eh? What? What?”
Ariel was so surprised that she stuttered.
She always has the image of a Goddess, but now was not the time to be concerned about that.
‘This insane man! Who are you asking to eat a piece of dirt?’
Even if he doesn’t know her true identity, forcing someone to eat it is cruel!!
‘Should I break all his teeth? I thing that would be a sufficient punishment!’
Ariel, trembling with anger, already planning to raise her right hand high but,
“Aren’t you going to eat it?”
Ariel’s hand fell helplessly. Ariel now had no power. The power to punish this cheeky man. She has to stay on earth until she found a way back, and that requires the help of this man. In other words, she should not offend him, but rather please him.
‘This is absurd…’
She lamented, but there was no other way. Ariel took her trembling hand to the plate. A lump of black dirt was crushed in her tiny hand.
‘This cheeky human being, one day I will surely return this disgrace.’
Ariel swore to execute her desperate revenge, and brought a lump of damp dirt to her mouth.
But…
“Eh?”
Ariel’s eyes widened. A sweet essence flowed from the lump of dirt. Something sweet burst out of the stone.
What is this? No other fruit in the realm could give off an enchanting taste such as this.
“It’s very sweet!”
Ariel crunched all the lump of dirt she could see, and the Grand Duke, who was startled, asked carefully.
“I want to ask you something.”
“Ask?”
Her words were crushed by a lump of mud that had been stuffed into her mouth so Ariel quickly swallowed the dirt.
“What do you want to ask?”
“Do you know what your last name is?”
“Last name?”
“Yeah, your family name, or your parents’ names are fine.”
“Parents? What does that mean?”
As Ariel tilted her head, the Grand Duke’s expression darkened slightly.
“Hmm, where did you live then?”
“Where did I live? Of course in the—”
Ariel, who was about to say that she lived in the realm, hastily covered her mouth.
“Ah, that stupid goddess.”
“She was born with the fate of becoming a king, but she doesn’t know how to handle the divine power, so she’s being ignored by the gods.”
It was because she remembered the words of the Grand Duke who recklessly insulted her.
‘I’m already being looked down by you, and if you found out that I fell to the earth without any power, won’t you look down on me even more?’
Ariel was upset because she had been disrespected, but she didn’t want to be looked down on even by humans. Ariel clenched her teeth. The Grand Duke asked her a few more questions, but she didn’t respond.
“You seem to know nothing.”
He exchanged glances with Ren with a puzzled expression and then nodded his head.
“Alright, that’s all.”
Ariel’s complexion brightened. She’s been wanting to chew more dirt because she got tired of his nonstop questioning.
‘Now that all the questions are over, can I eat comfortably?’
Ariel smiled and stretched out her hand, however,
“Dismiss.”
Ariel was frozen in place at the sudden dismissal. Ariel, who had been hardened like a pumice stone, was dragged out of the office by the hands of the maids.
“Nice to meet you, miss. I’m Jane, I will serve you from today.”
“I am Layla!”
“I am Ines. It’s a real honor to have you here.”
They were so excited as they greeted Ariel, then proceeded to taking her clothes. They shoved her into a bathtub full of hot water and began to rub her body as an excuse to serve her.
“Look at this shiny hair!”
“How about this supple skin?”
“I think we should pay a lot of attention to it.”
Their praise was very sweet. Normally, she would twist her body and say, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s natural!’ along with a wink.
But now,
‘My lump of dirt…’
The resentment for the lump of dirt that she hadn’t finished eating did not go away.
“Okay, that’s it!”
The long bath ended.
“You probably won’t like it because it’s a dress I prepared in a hurry. I’ll tell the butler soon, and I’ll make sure the clothes fit the lady’s dignity, so please be patient.”
And she changed into new clothes.
“Are you bored? However, it is necessary to wipe the water well so that the scalp does not get damaged.”
Even after drying her wet hair.
‘My precious lump of dirt…’
‘So because I didn’t answer the question, you won’t let me eat? Shameful human. I would be happy to be able to present the truth directly to God.’
Tears welled up in her sad heart. Jane’s eyes widened as Ariel sniffed and sucked in her runny nose.
“Oh, my lady! Why are you crying? Where are you uncomfortable?”
It was a very friendly voice.
‘If I tell this human, would she bring me more chunks of dirt?’
But it was kind of embarrassing to ask for it outright. Ariel hesitated for a while, but she could not resist the temptation of a lump of dirt.
Ariel opened her mouth.
“That…”
“Yes, lady. Tell me please.”
“That black, round thing earlier, that can you bring some more?”
“Is it dark and round?”
Jane tilted her head and soon realized that it was the cookie, and her eyes widened.
‘Has she never eaten a lot of sweets like that? This is impossible.’
It was a precious dessert that commoners would only want to try once or twice in their lifetime, but it wasn’t for the aristocrats. Isn’t she the daughter of the Grand Duke? There was no reason not to have such luxury.
Jane was surprised that she covered her mouth with a ‘hmmp’ sound.
‘Did no one gave her?’
‘Come to think of it, His Highness brought only the young lady and not her birth mother. She was filthy as if she had worn the same clothes in days.’
In fact, the dirt was just caused by falling to the earth and rolling on the ground, but the maid who did not know it continued to develop her delusion.
And the destination of her delusion…
‘Ugh! Could it have been that she had been left alone after her mother died?’
The maid’s eyes reddened.
‘Poor little girl. Alone with such a small body without her parents…’
She burst into tears and clenched her fists tightly, then,
“What a cruel world!”
She ran away.
Ariel, who was left alone in her empty room had a tearful face.
“No, I was just asking for more dirt, is it necessary to cry like that?”
The earth really is a mean place.
What a beautiful misunderstanding