Chapter 245: Stew Instead of Holy Water
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 245: Stew Instead of Holy Water
“Reta, come have dinner!”
Reta, who had been huddled under her blankets in bed, was jolted awake by the voice of a maid who had come with her from the Grand Duke’s Castle.
“I’m not eating,” Reta replied, her voice rough and cracking.
Perhaps because of the cold, her mouth felt dry and scratchy. Besides, she was currently far more starved for sleep than for food.
“Get up, quickly! The Head Butler said everyone, without exception, must eat dinner.”
The Head Butler?
Though puzzled, Reta pulled back the covers. She wasn’t the only one coughing in the quarters. Although her coughing had subsided after taking some medicine earlier, her forehead still felt hot to the touch.
I don’t have much of an appetite, though.
However, being someone who always followed rules and instructions, Reta eventually forced her heavy body upright.
As she entered the dining hall, a strangely familiar, spicy aroma wafted through the air.
“It looks like spicy tomato stew!”
The maid who had come down with her brightened up, her voice rising in excitement.
“I was actually craving something spicy. This is perfect.”
Spicy tomato stew is Her Highness the Consort’s favorite dish.
Even while worrying about the mistress’s meals, Reta took a bowl of steaming tomato stew and some freshly baked bread and sat down. Once she actually smelled the food, her appetite returned.
Reta picked up her spoon and took a cautious sip.
Slurp.
An exclamation escaped her lips as the heat spread through her mouth. She had been getting tired of the meals at the townhouse, which were strangely blander than those in the capital. The stimulating flavor caused beads of sweat to form on her forehead.
Reta ate spoonful after spoonful in quick succession, not even pausing to dip her bread. Before long, the bottom of the bowl was visible. Only after scraping up the very last bits did Reta finally set her spoon down.
Looking around, she saw everyone else devouring the stew as if they were starving. The only sounds in the quiet dining hall were the slurping of stew and the scraping of spoons against wooden bowls.
Is it because I ate something warm?
The nagging cough that had plagued her was suddenly gone. When she touched her forehead, it felt comfortably cool.
Did my cold get better that quickly?
It wasn’t just the cold. Her entire body felt light, as if she had just woken up from several days of deep rest. Just as she was wondering if it was merely her imagination…
“Is it because I ate something spicy? My nose stopped running,” said a townhouse servant sitting diagonally from her. It was a maid who had been sniffing constantly until she went to bed the night before.
“I heard people in the North eat this when they have a cold. I guess stew really is effective for colds!”
The maids chimed in one after another, marveling at the discovery.
Of course, stew helps, but…
It shouldn’t be this effective. Regardless, Reta smiled at the thought that she could return to work tomorrow. Many people were eyeing the position of the Consort’s personal maid. She couldn’t afford to rest for days and risk losing her spot to someone else; she had to protect her position at all costs.
It was then, as she was leaving the dining hall, that she heard voices.
“What on earth is this?”
From the upper level of the lobby hall, she heard a Mage and an Aide talking as they climbed the stairs.
“I felt holy power in the dinner stew.”
The Mage’s voice was thick with disbelief.
“Well, the cold has been going around lately, hasn’t it?” Perel replied in a lowered voice. “Her Highness the Consort added holy power to the spicy tomato stew so she could heal the sick without drawing attention.”
“Good grief. I’ve seen holy water, but a healing stew?” The Mage clicked his tongue. “It’s not like people die from a cold. Isn’t this a bit much? It’s not like Her Highness is a charity worker.”
He added that he had just run into Demich in the hallway, who was shouting with excess energy after eating the stew.
“It’s hard for servants to get proper rest even when they’re sick. How grateful should we be that Her Highness cares enough to look out for them?” Perel defended the Consort, mentioning that he had also barely managed to recover his strength thanks to the stew.
“Her Highness needs to look out for herself more.” The sound of someone kicking a step echoed. “No matter how much holy power she has, using it so recklessly will take a toll on her body.”
“Please, do not say such things in front of His Highness the Grand Duke.” Perel pleaded with him to refrain from comments that would only make the Grand Duke even more overprotective.
Reta stood frozen in place long after their voices faded. Unless one was a high-ranking noble, it was natural to go a lifetime without ever experiencing divine healing.
And yet, she used holy power for mere servants?
Who but a Saintess could be so benevolent… Ah, that was right. Her Highness the Consort was the Saintess. Which meant she had just received healing from the Saintess herself.
To think I serve such a person.
A sense of pride and fulfillment swelled in her chest. Reta immediately headed toward the Grand Duchess’s room, vowing that she would not let her position as the Consort’s personal maid be taken away for even a single moment.
* * *
The Prince Consort of the Empire, Theodore Ashford, faced the Grand Duchess with an awkward smile.
To think my wife would dump even this on me.
Crown Princess Cadellina loathed uncomfortable situations with a passion. Whenever she had to endure nagging from ministers or clean up her own messes, she always pushed him, her husband, to the front.
I told her she shouldn’t take charge of the Expo.
Cadellina causes the trouble, and Theodore fixes it. It was a phrase that circulated among the Crown Princess’s aides like a mantra.
— “I’ve already finished the negotiations with the Grand Duchess. Theo, you just need to go and coordinate the minor details.”
Recalling Cadellina’s words, Theodore rubbed his tired eyes.
And she told me to coordinate with the Grand Duchess, not the Grand Duke. What am I supposed to discuss with a noble lady?
Not knowing where to even begin, he let out a dry cough.
“Duke Ashford, may I ask a question?” the Grand Duchess spoke first. “I was looking over the proposal I received from the Imperial Family and found myself curious. What is the theme of this Expo?”
There was no way Theodore could answer that. A theme was the last thing on anyone’s mind.
When the silence stretched on, the Grand Duchess nodded as if to save his face.
“I see you haven’t made a firm decision yet.” She cleared her throat softly and got to the point. “I am honored that Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess has entrusted all decision-making for the Expo to me.”
“Yes, I heard.”
“I am aware that you are also very busy with many affairs. So, if it’s alright with you, I would like to decide on the general direction here today and handle the specific details myself. How does that sound?”
The Grand Duchess appeared cautious, but Theodore breathed a secret sigh of relief.
If you would do that, I would have no further regrets.
Though if the Expo failed, the Grand Duchess would be the one to take the blame.
At his response, the Grand Duchess’s eyes suddenly sparkled, and she straightened her posture.
Why does the atmosphere feel different all of a sudden?
“First, we will postpone the schedule.”
“What? That’s not possible.” Theodore gripped the desk in his fluster.
There was a reason they hadn’t been able to postpone the schedule until now. If the date was pushed back, the Empress’s faction would surely seize the opportunity to criticize them for lack of preparation. However, unable to state the real reason, Theodore offered a different excuse.
“If we push the schedule back from here, it will be winter. Who would visit an expo in the middle of winter?”
“The recruitment rate for merchant guilds is barely forty percent,” the Grand Duchess pointed out coldly. “If we postpone the schedule, we might face some disapproval from the Imperial Family, but if we hold the Expo like this, everyone in the Empire will gossip about the Crown Princess’s lack of competence. Are you alright with that?”
“…Your words are a bit much.”
To question the Crown Princess’s competence in front of her husband—Theodore frowned at the rude remark.
“The Crown Princess told me herself. We are already in the same boat,” the Grand Duchess continued in a calm tone. “I will make this Expo a success by any means necessary. So, I would appreciate it if you would follow my lead as much as possible, Duke Ashford.”
Theodore bit his lip slightly. Regardless of anything else, the Grand Ducal Household was the one who had provided the massive investment.
“…If we postpone the schedule, what do you plan to do next?”
“We must finish recruiting the merchant guilds.”
The Grand Duchess held up a document listing the guilds so he could see it clearly. Originally, the Imperial Family’s goal had been around a thousand guilds. Currently, about four hundred had applied, most of them based in the capital.
The Grand Duchess shook her head, stating that the target had been too low to begin with.
“We will aim to recruit five thousand merchant guilds.”
Five thousand. Even if they gathered every decent guild in the Empire, they wouldn’t reach five thousand. It was a number that could barely be met even if they mobilized every small-scale merchant in existence.
Looking at the Grand Duchess, who was making even more absurd claims than the Crown Princess, Theodore felt a headache coming on.
I don’t even know where to start pointing out the flaws.
There were rumors that the Grand Duchess was a brilliant talent, but Theodore hadn’t believed them. After all, eighty percent of the rumors circulating in the Imperial Palace were nothing but hyperbole.
What are the Grand Duke’s administrators doing while their superior spouts such nonsense?
Swallowing his annoyance, he looked around, only to find that everyone from the Grand Duke’s side had expressions of absolute trust in the Grand Duchess’s words. It was quite different from the Imperial administrators, who always looked like they were at a funeral.
Knowing it made no sense, Theodore asked the Grand Duchess cautiously.
“Do you have something in mind?”