I managed to make it back to my room and began pacing in circles, deep in thought.
‘Now that I think about it… I remember hearing before I transmigrated that people crave kimchi and instant noodles when traveling abroad. Is Ed feeling the same way?’
From what Ed said earlier, it was clear he liked sweet things, but I had a feeling that the reason I just thought of might be the bigger factor.
So, I headed straight to the kitchen. While I had lived in the Morton household eating whatever was served, making me far from a cook, perhaps I could replicate something close if I gave it a try. After all, I was the only one here who knew what the food from the Morton estate tasted like.
“Oh my, what brings you here?”
The head chef and the cooks, busy preparing dinner, peeked their heads out when I opened the kitchen door. They asked with puzzled looks on their faces.
‘Was coming to the kitchen always such a nerve-wracking thing to do?’
Still standing at the door and gripping the handle tightly, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“Well… I’d like to try cooking something.”
With the head chef’s permission, I stepped inside and began searching for ingredients that could create a similar flavor.
Every time I moved, I could feel the wolves’ gazes following me, making me break out in a nervous sweat. But if I wanted to give Ed something delicious to eat, I had to muster my courage.
Pretending not to notice the eyes on me, I clumsily moved about and started cooking. Of course, with my limited skills, I had to rely on the head chef for help, and before I knew it, time had flown by.
I didn’t leave the kitchen until dinner time, when I had promised to eat with Billy.
***
“You’re here.”
Billy immediately pressed his lips together, trying to stifle a laugh as soon as he saw me. Then, softening into a smile, he greeted me warmly.
Ed was already seated diagonally to Billy at the head of the table. While his lips were pouting, he kept stealing glances at me, clearly regretting what had happened earlier.
I took a seat across from Ed. Watching me carefully, Billy spoke.
“Your… appearance is…”
Billy trailed off, looking slightly awkward, giving me a chance to recall how I must have looked.
My rolled-up sleeves were smeared with dough, and my hands gave off a sweet smell.
“Haha, I’ve prepared a special gift,” I said, sneaking a glance at Ed as I sat down.
Then, the maids began bringing out the dishes one by one.
The main course was a hearty meat dish that the head chef had prepared with care, alongside a salad meant for me.
In front of me, Ed didn’t even glance at the salad.
At the Morton estate, salads were served drenched in sweet dressings, so it was no surprise that a plate of fresh greens didn’t suit Ed’s taste.
Previously, I had assumed Ed liked salads in general, but now I realized it was thanks to the dressings.
The meals here had been adjusted to suit my taste, which avoided anything leafy, but I hadn’t anticipated this outcome.
‘But this salad will be a little different.’
I slid the salad plate closer to Ed. His eyes widened as his nose approached the plate to sniff it.
After taking a whiff, Ed’s wide eyes turned to me.
His lips began to curl into a small smile.
“Lady Remi, this…”
“That’s right. I added some dressing.”
At those words, Ed’s eyes lit up like a Korean traveler finding unexpected kimchi abroad. He jumped up and quickly moved the salad onto his plate.
Seeing Ed, who had been barely picking at his meals since arriving at the manor, take the initiative to serve himself, the nearby staff exchanged surprised glances.
Ed genuinely enjoyed the salad, eating it with gusto. It made me look forward to his reaction to the dessert that would be served later.
“It seems you were right,” Billy said, letting out a small sound of admiration as he watched Ed. He then calmly cut the veal into bite-sized pieces and ate with practiced ease.
As dinner neared its end, the dessert the head chef and I had prepared was brought out.
It was a meat pie, made to closely resemble the ones from the Morton estate.
There had been no children in this household, and Billy didn’t have a sweet tooth, so desserts had naturally disappeared from the dining table.
Realizing this oversight, Billy gave the head chef new instructions. From now on, the household would hire a patissier to ensure desserts were served daily.
As the meal concluded, I turned to see Ed beaming with a pure and childlike smile.
***
After dinner, I chatted briefly with Billy before heading toward the stairs to the second floor.
“Lady Remi.”
Ed, who had been lingering hesitantly by the stairs, took a step forward.
In truth, even Ed didn’t fully understand why he had thrown such a tantrum. He had never acted like that before—was it because Lady Remi felt like the most approachable adult here?
Knowing he had been in the wrong, Ed spent the entire dinner sneaking glances at Remi.
‘What if she’s angry and decides to punish me?’
When he had been at the Morton estate, her scolding hadn’t bothered him much because it wasn’t due to his fault. But this time, knowing it was entirely his doing, the thought of hearing harsh words made his chest ache.
Yet, every time Lady Remi caught his eye, she smiled gently. That smile eased his heart little by little.
Lady Remi, who had the same kind expression she had worn at dinner, looked at Ed as if to ask what was the matter.
“Why did you suddenly call out to me? What do you want?”
Ah, is Lady Remi mad at me after all?
Ed, looking even more hesitant than before, mustered his courage and grabbed the hem of Remi’s sleeve.
“I’m… sorry for earlier…”
His voice was barely audible, but Remi seemed to have heard him clearly. Her eyes widened for a moment before she gave him her usual gentle smile and spoke.
“Ed, I understand how much you miss familiar food. But do you remember what you said to me back then? You told me you were good at everything, so you’d easily gain weight.”
It was something Ed had said to her when she first arrived at the Morton estate and tried to help him gain weight, thinking he looked too frail.
“Yes…”
“But I want you to grow taller and stronger. To do that, you need to eat a lot of meat.”
“Will eating meat help me grow taller?”
“Compared to leafy greens like salad? Without a doubt.”
Something about her tone had subtly changed just now, but Ed didn’t seem to mind. Clenching his fists, he nodded enthusiastically.
“I can do it!”
Then, Remi crouched down to his eye level, placing her hands on his shoulders. Raising her eyebrows into an exaggerated frown, she said,
“That’s great. I believe in you. And I’m sorry for earlier. You told me what you wanted, but I spoke to you that way. However—”
Now, with a slightly sterner expression, she continued in a soft, chiding tone,
“If you throw a tantrum like that again just because you don’t get what you want, it’s going to be a problem.”
Suddenly, she stood up and ended her sentence in a sharp, firm voice.
“So don’t expect any sympathy next time you whine.”
“Yes, Miss!”
Ed answered firmly, his eyes filled with resolve.
During the days he hadn’t seen Remi, he had felt as though something was missing, even surrounded by the servants who took care of him and his stoic uncle.
Now, however, he felt as if that emptiness was being filled.
‘So this is what it was,’ Ed thought, nodding to himself.
He had unknowingly grown accustomed to the way Remi treated him.
When Remi suddenly paled and clamped her hand over her mouth, her gaze fixed on something above his head, Ed tilted his head, confused.
Watching her expression shift into joy, he thought to himself,
‘She’s such a strange person.’
***
A few days later, a mage from the Magic Tower visited the household.
Having noticed Ed’s latent magical power, Billy had summoned a mage from the tower to officially confirm it.
Kopen, a promising mage from the Chimpanzee family, stood nervously before the grand gates of the estate.
This was the home of the one person who could speak casually to the new and notoriously fearsome master of the Magic Tower—a person who greeted that terrifying master with a smile.
And now, Kopen found himself at that very household.
Recently, the new Tower Master had taken a strong stance against the long-neglected issue of magical slaves, mobilizing personnel for investigations. Now, Kopen had been sent to this household as part of an official assignment.
Riding high on the recognition he had earned during the investigations, Kopen’s eyes burned with ambition as he resolved to make a strong impression.
‘I need to make sure I leave my mark!’
Filled with lofty aspirations, Kopen entered the estate, unable to keep his head still as he marveled at the mansion’s grandeur.
“The young master is on the second floor,” the butler informed him.
Following the butler’s lead, Kopen climbed the staircase to the second floor and began walking toward Ed’s room, his steps trembling with nervousness.
Whoosh.
Something—or someone—darted behind a pillar at lightning speed, peeking out at him.
‘What was that?’
Was that the young master? But he had heard the young master was a child.
Ignoring the butler’s subtle signal to pay no attention and keep walking, Kopen instead approached the pillar where the figure was hiding.
‘A sheep?’
The figure before him was unmistakably a sheep beastkin. No fangs, pure white hair typical of sheep beastkin, and a gentle expression.
As someone who secretly regarded carnivorous beastkin as superior and had little respect for herbivorous ones, Kopen’s brow furrowed slightly.
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