Chapter 43: Delicious Drawings
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 43: Delicious Drawings
Milo and his wife were walking through Gold Lane.
They were on their way back to their village after handing over the wool they had harvested throughout the winter to a wholesaler.
“How about we grab a bite before we head back?”
Milo looked at his wife as he asked. They had set out at the crack of dawn, but haggling over prices had taken much longer than expected. If they headed straight back to the village now, they would miss the mealtime window entirely.
“I am feeling a bit peckish,” she admitted.
His wife looked around, her expression a mix of hunger and hesitation.
The surrounding restaurants had already begun their lunch service, and the savory aroma of food wafted through the air from every direction.
I’m starving, but to eat here…
The couple, who had lived a nomadic life herding sheep, had settled in the Grand Duchy only last spring.
Blenheim was every bit as good a place to live as the rumors suggested.
Outside the mountain range, they had lived in constant fear of encountering monsters, but since moving to Blenheim, they had found much more stability in their livelihood.
Now, they couldn't even imagine leaving the territory.
Nevertheless, the world outside their village remained unfamiliar.
Since neither of them could read, every trip to the shopping district involved a game of guesswork or having to ask around to figure out what kind of business a shop conducted.
Gold Lane, in particular, was known for its territorial and unfriendly merchants.
Early on, they had once mistaken a cafe for a restaurant, only to be mocked and ushered out. Since then, the couple had avoided eating in Gold Lane.
But today, perhaps because they had spent the morning hauling heavy wool, they were exceptionally hungry.
“Let’s just walk and see if any place catches our eye.”
With the mindset that they could always settle for a quick bite at a street stall if all else failed, the couple walked on without much expectation. They had nearly reached the end of the alley when it happened.
“What’s that?”
Milo narrowed his eyes at something posted in front of an inn.
It was the source of the mouthwatering scent that had been drifting toward them even before they turned the corner. Without a word, the couple drew closer to the establishment.
“Is this a restaurant too?”
On a long menu board placed by the door, several appetizing illustrations of dishes were displayed.
“Oh my, it looks like they serve home-cooked meals.”
Driven by curiosity, the couple examined the illustrated menu one by one. Among them, a drawing of a roasted chicken leg had a star next to it.
“So it was the smell of chicken.”
Milo, having discovered the source of the spicy, savory aroma wafting from inside, swallowed hard.
Looking at the golden-brown chicken leg in the drawing while smelling the scent made it feel as if the dish were right before his eyes.
“Shall we try going in?”
As if possessed, the couple stepped into the inn’s dining hall. The restaurant was bustling with customers.
“Welcome!”
The proprietor, wearing a warm smile quite unlike the typical brusque Northerner, guided the couple to a seat.
“Today’s Menu is the roasted chicken leg.”
“Today’s Menu?”
“Ah, my apologies. Is this your first time at our inn?”
The innkeeper gave a jovial laugh, explaining that he had forgotten to give the usual introduction because most recent customers had come after hearing the rumors.
“If you order Today’s Menu, we provide a special complimentary dessert. Do you see the menu with the star over there?”
Below the drawing of the roasted chicken leg were smaller illustrations of a pudding and a pie.
“Today, you can choose between milk pudding and apple pie.”
They had only come for a meal, but it felt as if they were receiving unexpected hospitality. Milo turned to his wife, feeling quite pleased. Her cheeks were also slightly flushed with excitement.
“I’ll have Today’s Menu. And you?”
“Me too.”
“And for your desserts?”
“Um… I’ll have the milk pudding.”
“Give us one milk pudding and one apple pie.”
When his wife chose the pudding after a moment of hesitation, Milo picked the pie. He intended to share it with her later.
“The atmosphere here is lovely.”
Though there were many customers, it didn't feel rowdy or overwhelming.
His wife, who always looked somewhat uncomfortable whenever they came to Gold Lane, wore a relaxed smile for the first time. Milo, too, felt a sense of warmth in this busy street for the very first time.
Perhaps because most customers were ordering the same thing, the roasted chicken legs arrived quickly.
The meat glistened with juices, looking remarkably similar to the drawing. As Milo cut a piece and took a bite, a satisfied groan escaped his lips.
His wife was already nodding in approval, having popped a piece of the side-dish roasted potato into her mouth.
“There’s a reason this place is so crowded.”
“It’s delicious.”
The couple finished their meal with more satisfaction than ever before. The innkeeper’s husband—or so he seemed—had been watching from a distance and brought out the milk pudding and apple pie at the perfect moment.
His wife, who had a sweet tooth, finished her pudding and then happily ate half of the apple pie Milo offered her.
“It feels like it’s been a long time since we’ve enjoyed a meal with such leisure.”
“Eating dessert like this makes me feel like a noble lady.”
His wife looked even happier than he was.
“Let’s have lunch here again next month.”
Seeing his wife’s cheeks flush like a young girl’s, Milo felt a wave of satisfaction mixed with a strange sense of pity. They had spent so much time living on edge while trying to settle into a new place.
I should make time for things like this with her more often.
Just as Milo was nodding to himself contentedly, a young woman and a man sat down at the empty table next to them.
At a glance, the woman’s clothes were plain, but her face possessed an air of nobility. The man sitting across from her had the unmistakable face of a knight.
A lady from a noble house must have come out for a secret outing.
As he watched his wife eat the apple pie with that thought in mind, their conversation drifted over.
“I’ll have the Spicy Tomato Stew!”
“Did you not come all this way today specifically to eat the…?”
“Well… but I can’t just give up on the tomato stew…”
Hearing this, Milo’s wife suddenly spoke up to the young lady at the next table.
“Young lady, you should try Today’s Menu.”
“I think the owner forgot to explain it to her too. Look over there.”
Milo was about to hurriedly stop his wife, fearing that speaking out of turn to someone of high status might lead to trouble, but he pulled his hand back.
The lady didn't look offended at all. On the contrary, she leaned in with curiosity.
Milo’s wife pointed at the menu board and excitedly launched into an explanation of Today’s Menu.
“You get to choose between milk pudding and apple pie.”
“Which one did you find more delicious, ma’am?”
The lady asked affably, looking at the two dessert plates in front of the wife.
“Both are wonderful, so you and the young man should each order one and share. It’s a shame to pick just one.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll do exactly as you suggested.”
Just then, the innkeeper discovered the lady and came rushing over in a panic.
“Oh my goodness! The Con—!”
“May I order?”
The innkeeper, who seemed to recognize her high status, was flustered, but quickly shifted gears at the lady’s nonchalant reaction.
“O-Of course. What can I get for you?”
“Two of Today’s Menu, please.”
“T-Two of Today’s Menu. Right away.”
“And for dessert, we’ll have one milk pudding and one apple pie.”
The lady said this and gave Milo’s wife a playful wink.
The wife returned the gesture with a delighted smile.
“You won’t regret it. It was very tasty.”
After a warm farewell, Milo and his wife stood up to leave.
As Milo was paying, he glanced back at the table. The lady, her face bright with anticipation, was talking to the young man across from her. The man, sitting stiffly and upright, maintained an attitude of utmost respect.
“That lady sitting there… is she someone of high rank?”
It was a question born of simple curiosity.
Startled by Milo’s question, the innkeeper whispered softly.
“In Blenheim, she is the highest-ranking person after the Grand Duke himself.”
“After the Grand Duke…?”
The Consort?
He knew she was of noble birth, but…
Seeing Milo’s eyes go wide, the innkeeper added with a look of pride.
“She is the one who saved our inn.”
“Saved the inn?”
The innkeeper leaned slightly over the counter.
“Today’s Menu was actually created by Her Highness the Consort.”
Milo looked bewildered, not quite understanding, while the innkeeper gazed at the table where the Consort sat with eyes full of affection.
“To think someone raised so delicately would care for and look after the people of the territory like this…”
Handing Milo his change, the innkeeper said with a twinkle in his eye.
“It might be irreverent to say this about His Highness the Grand Duke…”
But he truly married well.
The rumors in the village were so fierce, saying a wicked woman known as the Fake Saint had snatched the position of Grand Duchess…
Watching his wife chatter away beside him about how satisfying the meal was, Milo realized there was still much he had to learn about Blenheim.