Chapter 31
The area was supposed to be deserted at this time of night, but there they were, nobles who shouldn’t have been caught.
I was so embarrassed that I stiffened for a moment, but when I saw Lian quickly duck her head, I quickly realized that I shouldn’t have, and mimicked her.
“Oh, no.”
I managed to get a shaky voice out.
“Well, that’s good, then, because I was curious to see what was inside, so I opened it and was surprised to find someone there.”
The voice sounded familiar. Mei glanced up and looked at Alicia.
She wondered if she’d heard them talking, but she wondered nervously if she hadn’t.
The way she was smiling with a blank expression on her face, it was almost as if she hadn’t heard. Lian, who had followed Mei’s lead and lifted her head slightly, was also relieved to see Alicia’s reaction.
“But I heard something I’m curious about.”
“It’s…?”
But the relief quickly evaporated.
“Well, first of all, what’s the name of this Sous Chef you were talking about earlier?”
‘Why would you call Sous Chef…?’
‘Oh no, I think you heard it.’
Mei and Lian’s gazes intertwined in the air. Their faces quickly turned from puzzled to horrified.
With their hair so white, they forgot that it was a sin not to answer the nobleman’s question immediately. There was a moment of silence, and then Alicia spoke, her voice still soft.
“I was just wondering if you were the one I ran into once.”
“Ah, we apologize. We were rash.”
There was no time to hesitate any longer, and the two of them immediately narrowed their eyes and folded their loins. Feeling like they were about to fall to their knees at this point, they stammered out excuses.
However, they were interrupted by Alicia, who tried to calm them down.
“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to apologize to me… Besides, I’m not even at a party, I was just curious.”
Alicia blinked her fresh green eyes clear. Her expression, which seemed to have no ulterior motives, caused doubts to creep into the two terrified faces.
‘What is it? Didn’t you listen to Chef Sue in detail?’
‘I don’t know. But I don’t think the atmosphere is bad.’
Unsure of what to do, the two exchanged intense glances, and I cautiously replied, thinking that I needed to break the ice.
“I’m Maud Norah.”
Alicia’s face took on a hint of bitterness.
With more than one sous chef, she still hoped it wasn’t they were talking about. But it turned out that it was.
I should be happy that I confirmed what I had suspected, but on the other hand, I felt sad.
But those feelings were short-lived, and all the others could see was the same smile.
“I see. You’re so good, I wanted to know. I know it’s rare for a young woman to get a position like that, but from what I’ve been eating, it’s no wonder. What do you think?”
“Ah… Yes, you are a very capable lady.”
“Is that so? I’ve heard rumors from afar that His Majesty is an impartial judge of ability, but seeing Chef Sue in action makes me believe that it’s true.”
Mei and Lian paused for a moment, trying to find a way to agree with Alicia. They exchanged glances, as if to say, “Did you hear that rumor?
Alicia just smirked and tilted her head, as if she hadn’t seen them, until Lian elbowed Mei in the arm with a look that made her feel sick.
“Yeah… That’s right.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re right.”
The two of them nodded in unison with half-hearted expressions, as if they didn’t even realize what they were doing, just wanting to get out of this situation as soon as possible.
“Hmph… So in a way, she’s blazed a new trail?”
The trance-like nodding stopped dead in its tracks.
“… A new path?”
“Yes. The first time is always the hardest, and she’s set such a great precedent, maybe someone else will be brave enough to follow.”
A precedent…?
Mei and Lian forgot about their trepidation and muttered to themselves in disbelief. As if it was a word they had never thought of before.
Was it a precedent? They were the first female sous chefs. Only men were allowed to hold positions in the kitchen and cook, and women were mostly maids, doing chores.
So naturally, everyone was very strict with Maud, and they were also very bossy.
The atmosphere became somber. Even Oscar and Marie, who were quietly watching from the back, looked at Alicia curiously.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but thank you.”
And at that moment, a voice that shouldn’t have been heard added to the mix.
“Huh!”
“Boo, Sous Chef…”
As if on cue, the main character of this conversation was standing outside the door. Mei and Lian’s faces went white.
Oscar was glaring at me from behind, as if he’d already noticed, and Marie was looking at Alicia in confusion.
And Maud, the center of everyone’s attention, was frowning slightly, alternating between Alicia and the maid standing behind her. Once inside, Maud, with an understanding gaze, stood in the way of the maids and bowed to Alicia.
“Maud…”
“Oh, you know my name?”
Alicia nibbled her bottom lip as she realized she’d said the name without realizing it. When Maud’s questioning gaze lengthened, Alicia smiled awkwardly and spoke slowly.
“It’s… I just happened to ask them, Chef Sue.”
“Ah… You can call me Maud, like you did just now. It’s nice of you to ask my name.”
“…”
“By the way, do you dare ask what brought you here? As you can see, this is not a place for high and mighty.”
“Well, I was just looking around and ended up here. By the way, do you remember me? It’s our second time together…”
Alicia’s eyes lit up strangely as she looked at Jigsaw Mode. She seemed to be expecting something, so she tilted her head slightly and replied coolly.
“Of course I remember, and how surprised I was when His Majesty called me that day, because he had never done so before.”
“Really? I’m sure you would have been very upset even if he hadn’t, so I wanted to say hello in person.”
“Thank you for your kind words. I was honored to meet you that day, and I’m flattered that you said such nice things about me today.”
“… Ah, but where did you hear about it?”
“From the saying that the first time is the hardest time in anything.”
Alicia hid an embarrassed smile and quickly averted her eyes. Maud’s gaze lingered on her, but only for a moment.
Soon the gaze was withdrawn, and Maud muttered in a softer tone than usual.
“Thank you. When I was growing up, I was told by a friend that you were unbiased… I never really thought about what you said.”
A look of surprise crossed the faces of Mei and Lian, who had been standing still behind her. They quickly exchanged a questioning glance with each other, as if trying to figure out if it was someone they knew.
‘What was that Princess talking about…’
‘What’s wrong with Chef Sue, shouldn’t she be yelling at us to get back to work?’
No matter how aristocratic I am, my mode of showing my temper first was uncharacteristically accepting everything Alicia said. What’s with that condescending tone?
I wondered if she was doing it because she really liked what Alicia said.
‘Maybe… did she know Chef Sue was coming?’
Mei’s eyes widened as she almost caught the back-talk in real time. No matter how you look at it, if Alicia hadn’t interrupted them, the atmosphere wouldn’t have been as cordial as it was.
“Precedent, that’s great.”
Mei’s nonchalant eyes, which had been staring at Alicia, softened for a moment.
I’d never seen that before. I never expected her to be so warm and welcoming when she was always scowling or expressionless.
Mei and Lian’s eyes widened to the point of bursting.
“… So, I’m sure this is a busy time for you, but I’m afraid I’ve interrupted you too much. Can we talk another time?”
Alicia, meanwhile, was smiling strangely at the mod. She couldn’t hide the slight flush of embarrassment in her voice, like someone who had finally found a trace of someone they knew in a stranger.
“I don’t know if I should say this, given my lack of manners, but I personally would like to see the Princess more often.”
Maud dark brown eyes twinkled with favor. Alicia caught the gleam in her eyes, chuckled, and nodded vigorously.
“I’ll see you soon, I’m sure you’re busy, and I’m sorry I interrupted, but keep up the good work, everyone.”
Alicia walked away, her face lightening. Hope sprouted like spring in her heart that maybe, just maybe, she could reveal her secret to Maud as planned.
Alicia gave Maud a quick wink and headed for the door, casually crossing between Mei and Lian, who were fidgeting nervously as if Maud’s behavior was new to them.
“I hope you apologize.”
They both stiffened at the exquisitely timed whisper. I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of Alicia walking down the hall.
But she was on her way, smiling innocently, as if she knew nothing. As if the whisper from a moment ago had been a hallucination.
