Episode 17
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll do as you ask.”
“Good.”
As they talked, April reached the front of the dining room.
At the door stood two servants, who had been on edge from the moment they spotted her.
As she stepped in front of them, the two men bowed their heads in a booming greeting.
“Ma’am!”
“Your ears are burning. Can’t you speak quietly?”
“Sin, I’m sorry. I’ll speak softly.”
April frowned slightly, and the servants, helpless, bowed their heads deeply and apologized.
April paused at the door to inspect my attire.
“Nothing out of the ordinary, is there?”
“Yes, my lady. I can’t even tell that you hastily trimmed the excess from your waist.”
“Good.”
All the while, the servants continued to stare at April.
They had realized that she was quite beautiful the day she first arrived at the Earl of Falcon, but with all this makeup, it was hard to describe her beauty.
The servants stiffened, forgetting to breathe, barely batting an eyelid.
April, of course, was not unaware of their stares.
When she had finished polishing her hair, she turned to the servants with a fierce expression on her face.
“What are you all looking at? Come on, open the door.”
“Oh, yes, ma’am. I’ll open it now.”
She looked at them for a moment with a stern gaze, then fixed her eyes straight ahead.
Slowly, the door opened, revealing the full view of the dining room.
“……Oh my.”
April’s eyes widened in surprise.
She had been in a hurry to get downstairs, but Rike had entered the dining room before her.
“Countess Falcon. You’re here.”
Reike stood up from his seat, a faint smile on his face.
He bowed to April, and she inclined her head in return before speaking.
“I must be late, I apologize.”
“No, technically, I’m early.”
“Still, as your host, I’m afraid I’m causing you a lot of inconvenience.”
“Well, it’s just the two of us anyway, so don’t be too polite.”
“When you put it that way, my heart feels a little lighter.”
Behind her back, she heard the door to the dining room close softly.
But April couldn’t bring herself to stand.
“Where should I sit?
The head table?
Or should I sit across from Reike since it’s just the two of them?
“Experience makes you act naturally.
She had never been to a fine dining restaurant in her life.
It was then.
Reike moved away from my seat and strode off somewhere.
It was the best seat in the house.
He pulled back his chair slightly and smiled at April.
“Please have a seat, ma’am.”
“……Thank you.”
He was subtly trying to help April feel comfortable, and she knew it.
“A thank you is a thank you.
Gratefully accepting his favor, she turned on her heel and began to walk a little further in.
‘What the…….’
But as she got closer to the table, she couldn’t help but grimace slightly in disbelief.
The table was empty.
“You said to trust yourself!
April glanced at Reike in disbelief.
“What’s wrong?”
Reike locked eyes with her in an all-too-casual manner, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.
“Oh, nothing.”
April shook her head.
“Have a seat.”
Reike, now behind her, pulled the chair out slightly.
“Thanks.”
Sitting down, she scratched her head.
“If I sit down, does that mean the food comes out?
She’d never been to a fancy restaurant or anything like that in her life.
While she was still thinking about that, Reike returned to his seat and sat down in one neat motion.
Only then did April turn to him and ask.
“Shall I call for the servant now, then?”
She meant to start the meal immediately. Despite his obvious understanding, Reike shook his head.
“No, sir. It’s not necessary.”
April tilted her head, puzzled, but Reike didn’t bother to explain, instead asking more questions.
“Before we start eating, I need to ask you something.”
April looked at him as if she didn’t know what to expect, so Reike continued.
“Madame, do you like to eat one thing at a time, or do you like to taste many things at once?”
“I prefer the latter.”
She had never been one for variety in the first place, nor had she ever eaten a meal with a lot of side dishes on one plate.
She’d always eaten the same thing, like potatoes or cup noodles, except at work.
So, if I had the chance, I wanted to eat a variety of foods to my heart’s content.
At her answer, Reike nodded in understanding.
“I’d like to have a long conversation, so that would certainly be better than people coming and going.”
A long conversation?
April looked at him as if she’d never heard that before.
At that moment, Reike snapped his fingers.
Bam!
“Oh my god……!”
April exclaimed, forgetting to ask what conversation he was referring to.
Pot, pot, pot, pot, pot!
Firecrackers exploded in front of April’s eyes like a small festival.
“Pretty…….”
A cloud of colorful smoke rose, obscuring her vision for a moment, but then it cleared.
And then something appeared out of it.
“No way!”
April let out a small gasp.
It was hard to believe what she was seeing, even with her own eyes.
It had to be!
The food had appeared out of nowhere, filling the long table.
Out of thin air!
At the same time, a delicious smell wafted to April’s nostrils.
Savory, sweet, sour, and…….
It smelled of many things, but none of them were foreign.
April’s body responded immediately.
She’d been hungry a few times since she’d woken up in this world, but never this hungry.
Her mouth watered, and the pit of her stomach quivered slightly as if vibrating.
“I’m glad I didn’t purr.
With a secret sigh of relief, April turned her head in a stiff motion and locked eyes with Reike.
“How did you do all this?”
She tried to sound calm, but there was a hint of excitement in her voice that she couldn’t hide.
“I thought the Duke said he’d take care of it, so I assumed he’d bring people and materials.”
“Being able to work magic also means you have an easier life than most.”
April looked at him with genuine envy.
Reike’s lips stretched at the gleam in her eyes.
“I know it’s rude, but you look like a little kid when you’re like this.”
“You’re ……?”
“You look like you’ve seen magic for the first time in your life.”
I have.
But April, feeling like she was being treated like a hillbilly, kept her mouth shut and smiled.
“Shall we start with food, then?”
April nodded her head in agreement, and Reike followed suit, spreading out her napkin.
“What would you like to eat first?”
“Well…….”
April took the utensils in both hands and stared blankly at the food floating in the air.
“How am I supposed to choose what to eat, let alone put it down?
Noticing that she was having trouble choosing, Reike raised his index finger.
He flicked his finger in a light ∞ shape, and the food slowly began to spin in a clockwise direction.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to see the far ones.”
Reike looked at April and smiled.
“Your attention to detail is extraordinary.
The bowls spun slowly, spaced just right as if there were invisible tracks in front of them.
The smell of each dish as it passed by whetted her appetite.
“It’s like conveyor belt sushi!
She watched in fascination as the food defied gravity and played in the air.
How many bowls had she passed before her eyes?
April sighed softly and set down the cutlery she was clutching in both hands.
Reike raised one eyebrow.
“What’s wrong?”
“They all look so delicious, it’s hard to choose.”
“Then……. Would you like to try one of my recommendations?”
“Okay.”
Reike looked at the food for a moment, as if trying to decide which one to try, and then he chose one.
“My recommendation is the Beef Wellington, the chef who made it is particularly good at it.”
“Really?”
April gave a short nod of approval.
On that signal, Reike snapped his fingers in the air once more.
Knives and forks appeared out of thin air, and he began slicing into the golden-roasted beef Wellington.
It was truly amazing.
“Uh, how is that possible?”
April asked with wide eyes, and Reike couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
“Haha.”
April’s gaze snapped back to him.
The moment their eyes met, Reike’s laughter stopped awkwardly.
