I wondered why Sir Isidore Dakiten, the emperor’s direct inspector, would decline the welcoming banquet.
“You said we’d do it later, but we’re doing it after all. The new chef is already preparing banquet dishes that can be stored for a long time.”
The head maid, who had been preparing thoroughly, said it was rather fortunate. It’s a good opportunity to get back at the butler.
“For the banquet, use all the silver tableware. Head maid, you’ll be responsible for counting all the silver pieces. Have Marie and Denise count with you.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Tell the chef to consider dishes that use as many different types of silver tableware as possible.”
“Yes.”
“The budget should have been secured by now, right?”
“I’m still fighting with the butler about that. He’s making all sorts of excuses saying there’s no money, but even if it’s planting season, it doesn’t make sense that Lusenford has no money.”
“You need to stand firm. His Highness and I are on your side.”
“With both of Your Highnesses on my side, I can keep fighting without getting tired.”
Fabiola Silenster, who became the new head maid long after Kaela collapsed, was excluded from this inspector interview. So she could move around freely while the inspector was searching the castle. However, the butler was suffering greatly as the inspector began to focus his investigation on him.
“That’s very reassuring to hear.”
Now I should tell her to go. Fabiola must be as busy as Isidore Dakiten who just left.
“Um, Your Highness. Is there any food you’d like to eat?”
“…Pardon?”
At first, Kaela didn’t understand.
“The chef has excluded all the foods Your Highness can’t eat, so for this banquet, he wants to prepare something you’d really like to eat.”
“Me?”
“Yes, of course. Your Highness should have some favorite foods too. If you tell me, I’ll consult with the doctor and make sure it’s on the table today.”
Fabiola smiled at Kaela, who was young enough to be her daughter. The new chef, herself, and the three maids brought by the Grand Duchess all agreed on one thing: the Grand Duchess was far too thin.
After the busy wedding and the long journey to Lusenford, it had been tough, and then she had nearly been killed with food. How could Her Highness want to eat anything!
They were worried sick, thinking her appetite had increased a little recently, only for her to fall ill and be unable to eat well.
“Is there nothing that comes to mind?”
When there was no answer, the head maid cautiously asked. There was no way she couldn’t think of any food after nearly starving to death. The occasional upset stomach was because she tried to eat more than the set amount.
But Kaela never imagined there would be someone in Lusenford who would warmly ask her what she wanted to eat. She didn’t know such a day would come.
“Food…”
Her voice trembled, so Kaela quickly swallowed and composed herself.
“…There’s a lot, but I’m not sure if it’s possible.”
“We’ll try our best to accommodate. You’ve come from the south to the north as a bride, you should at least eat the food you miss. How much you must long for it. The Grand Duke has repeatedly instructed us to take good care of you.”
To think that her husband was among those who cared for and thought of her. Kaela clasped her hands tightly. It was a happy thing, but she felt uneasy when told that Peon was treating her well. After all, he was the one who had ultimately rejected her.
“I’d like a softly steamed fish dish. Cod or sole, anything is fine. I’d prefer white fish, with a tangy sauce on top.”
“That sounds delicious! You mean a sour and spicy sauce in the southern style, right? What else?”
“Also…”
Her repressed cravings for food stirred violently. Kaela hesitated, trying to restrain herself, and mentioned two or three more dishes.
While Kaela’s expression brightened a little thanks to the smiling head maid who said anything was fine, Sir Isidore Dakiten, who had left the Grand Duchess’s office, was watching through a corridor window as the Grand Duke ordered a horse to be brought out.
‘Why just one?’
Shouldn’t at least five or six knights go together if he’s going to check the border area? But his cousin mounted a sturdy warhorse alone after ordering just one to be brought out.
The enormous rider atop the massive warhorse was highly visible even from above. Isidore thought for a moment, then quickly descended the stairs and headed towards the stables.
“Has His Highness already left?”
“Yes, he has.”
An inspector usually faces defensive attitudes full of wariness wherever he goes. Especially the unique closed nature of Lusenford was tremendous.
But this made Isidore more worried about Kaela, who came here alone. This is why such an absurd, truly impossible incident occurred. Because this neighborhood is in this state.
“It seems he went alone. Shouldn’t there be an escort?”
“His Highness knows the geography of this area well. He carefully navigates the border and the evil dragon’s territory. He knows the roads far better than most locals.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Isidore nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Then I’ll go out too. Bring me a horse.”
“Will you be alright?”
“The Grand Duke is also my cousin. He hasn’t been gone long, so I can catch up quickly.”
“That’s not the issue. You never know what might jump out there. Since the Grand Duke moves extremely fast, if you can’t find him out there, return immediately. During this thawing season, not only are there demons controlled by the evil dragon, but bandits appear from all directions.”
“Bandits?”
“The ones living up there. People from Bainland or Volga.”
“You mean foreigners. I understand.”
“You really must be careful! The demons are dancing about!”
The knight tending to the warhorse warned earnestly as he brought out the horse. Isidore followed Peon, who had left alone and unencumbered. He had never heard of a leader roaming alone without escorts at a border where combat could break out at any time.
‘This is strange.’
It was strange. And Isidore, having the typical knight’s mindset that it’s impossible to let a superior go out alone to inspect the border, hurried to find Peon. Fortunately, he could see a rider on a black horse in the distance.
Where was Peon heading? Instead of riding straight to join Peon, Isidore maintained a distance and quietly followed from behind.
****
That evening, the new chef hurriedly displayed his skills with the budget that the head maid had obtained, or rather, wrested from the butler after a big fight.
The castle residents already knew how loudly the head maid had argued with the butler during the day, and even the outside inspectors had heard about it.
Apparently, it started quite ordinarily. The butler, exhausted from the head maid constantly confronting him since her appointment, was responding halfheartedly.
“It doesn’t make sense that there’s no money.”
“It’s planting season now. The budget usually runs out around this time.”
“If Lusenford’s budget runs out, what do we do in emergencies? You’re saying we can’t even afford a banquet right now.”
“Isn’t it that new chef demanding too much budget for making strange dishes! Being frugal and economical is Lusenford’s virtue.”
“To the people of Crania, it won’t look frugal, but poor and miserly.”
Baron Rolf Anderson’s face instantly turned bright red.
“Madam! Your words are too harsh!”
Miserly! Poor! What kind of talk is that, like those greasy Cranians!
“It’s the truth.”
Lady Fabiola Silenster spoke coldly.
“We need to be as dignified as possible, but it’s a big problem if we have no money. Her Highness already collapsed because of the banquet food, if the banquet’s quality is poor, we’ll look ridiculous.”
“Well, that’s partly because our Grand Duchess grew up a bit picky and weak with food.”
Immediately, Lady Silenster’s eyes flashed dangerously.
“You’re speaking similarly to those who were executed for forcing Her Highness to eat ferenco filled with tour berry?”
The head maid, who was extraordinarily angry, made the butler shut his mouth.
“With the inspector here, you should be careful. I’m worried it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”
The butler had no choice but to provide more budget.
Of course, the head maid didn’t forget to spread what the butler had said after speaking like that. Thanks to this, by the time the banquet started, the inspectors were glancing at the butler as if to check on him.
At the banquet where the wary, those with something to hide, the unnecessarily anxious, and those who probe and investigate gathered, the only one who seemed truly happy was Beatrice Ravalley, who had dragged her ailing body to attend.
She appeared more vibrant than when lying in her bedroom. Although not all Lusenford nobles were present, making it a relatively small affair, it was nonetheless the first official banquet since Kaela’s collapse.
At this banquet, the Grand Duke was solely focused on whether the Grand Duchess was eating well or not. This remained true even as Beatrice, skilled in leading social circles, tried to dominate the table’s atmosphere.
“…Is it to your liking?”
From the appetizers to the southern-style steamed fish she had particularly wanted, he carefully observed Kaela eating.
Kaela, barely managing to maintain her composure and not pounce on her plate due to his gaze, managed to nod slightly.
“Yes.”
It seemed that answer wasn’t sufficient. Peon continued to stare at her intently.
Although he looked as if chiseled from stone, his overall impression was cold and unapproachable, making his gaze feel quite heavy.
“It’s delicious,” came a near whisper of a reply. Peon nodded, hearing the answer over the clinking of utensils and the low murmur of conversation.
‘Is he smiling?’
The man whose expressions rarely changed seemed to be smiling. His face, bathed in warm light, appeared kind. But one shouldn’t be fooled by such illusions. Kaela quickly lowered her gaze.
“It’s so nice to gather just among ourselves after so long. Don’t you agree, Isidore?” Beatrice, who had been closely observing what the two were doing, narrowed her eyes and chimed in.
“How did you manage to come here, nuna?”
“His Imperial Majesty was worried and told me to come check. You know Peon and I are close.”
“It was Her Highness who collapsed, not His Highness the Grand Duke,” Isidore retorted curtly. He was already irritated from losing track of Peon earlier, and now Beatrice was interfering with the investigation.
What could be more concerning to an inspector than someone else sent separately by the Emperor? Was she sent to monitor whether they were doing their job properly? Isidore had been relieved when he heard she was bedridden, but seeing her out and about in perfectly good health thoroughly annoyed him.
“I’m also close with Kael… no.”
Beatrice hesitated, glanced at Peon, and continued,
“I’m also close with Her Highness. Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”
Kaela looked up from her meal. Her and Beatrice, close? When Beatrice looked down on her daily and treated her like a maid, barely held back by Kaela’s status? The food caught in her throat.
“Ah, I see who’s closer to nuna, given that you address Her Highness as ‘Your Highness’ and His Highness by his name,” Isidore remarked sarcastically.
What’s wrong with him? Beatrice was already annoyed with Isidore for complaining about postponing the banquet, and now he was picking fights during the meal. Her eyes began to turn fierce.
“Speaking of which, leave me out of it too,” Peon interjected in a calm voice that was all the more terrifying for its quietness.
“As a married man, I find it unpleasant to be unnecessarily misunderstood.”
The table instantly froze over. It was the Grand Duke, who had been sitting quietly, who now commanded this end of the table where only those of particularly high status were seated. This was why Isidore couldn’t stand up to his cousin.
Kaela, who had been eating silently, looked at Peon with wide eyes. Even as Beatrice flinched at his rebuke, he gave a faint smile when his eyes met his wife’s.
“Please, eat more.”
Kaela, her eyes darting about, barely managed to swallow the food she had been chewing. Peon nodded slightly, as if to say it was alright.
The silence masquerading as peace, created by the Grand Duke, stretched on for quite some time. Kaela continued to eat quietly.
She didn’t know what to say. The atmosphere was so awkward that all she could focus on was the plate in front of her, which kept being filled and emptied.
It was around the time she had sent back her third plate when Beatrice, her face full of venom, opened her mouth.
“My, Your Highness, you eat so quickly.”
What on earth was she trying to say? As Kaela looked up, words full of mockery flew at her.
“I’m worried because you’re going through plates so fast. I know married women become more relaxed in both mind and waistline, but I fear you might upset your stomach eating so hastily.”
[You’re eating like a pig. You’ll get fat.]
It would have been better if she had said it directly. Kaela had heard such sharp words too many times. She had heard them so often that she immediately understood their meaning. She unconsciously put down her fork.
She wanted to eat. She wanted to eat so badly. At the same time, she couldn’t eat. A mocking gaze swept over her from head to toe. Her insides felt knotted. Her head hurt. She had to say something in response.
No, did she really have to? Couldn’t it all just end without her doing anything?
“Is that so? I’ve been paying a lot of attention to my wife’s eating, so I unconsciously encouraged her to eat more. It’s my fault. I apologize, Your Highness.”
Peon replied before the silence could even settle.
“I told her to eat more because I found her eating appearance pleasing, so please don’t worry about it.”
He addressed Kaela with noticeably more gentleness.
“As for my wife’s waistline, I know it better than anyone else, so don’t concern yourself with that either.”
