Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Midnight Kitchen Raid
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At the pitch-black hour of night, I woke to the sound of thunder.
The lightning had struck not from outside, but from within.
It seemed the issue was that I hadn't eaten properly at the banquet. My empty stomach was rumbling like thunder.
'Hungry.'
My body was in the middle of a growth spurt, and my stomach was throwing a tantrum, demanding I stuff something in my mouth right now.
I considered calling the maids, but Betty, Laura, and the nurse were all probably asleep by now.
'Guess I'll just head to the kitchen and grab something.'
Since we'd held a banquet today, there had to be some prepared food left in the kitchen.
It was perfect—no bothering anyone else, just me solving my own hunger problem.
The kitchen was on the first floor, so...
'What's that noise?'
The closer I got to the kitchen entrance, the more I could hear faint rustling sounds from inside.
It was a very soft, light noise, like someone rummaging around.
I immediately thought of rats. Imagining them scurrying across the kitchen floor sent shivers down my spine.
'That's my food!'
Before any rats could turn it into their personal buffet, I had to save the food I was going to eat!
I cracked the kitchen door open just a sliver—barely enough to peek inside.
Just in case a rat came darting out, I'd check the situation first...
And that's when our eyes met.
Not the grayish rat I'd imagined, but a cute little girl with chubby cheeks.
"Eek!"
"Y-You scared me...!"
Since I'd been caught anyway, running off would just look lame.
I clutched my pounding chest like an innocent little kid and swung the door all the way open.
Thankfully, she wasn't a stranger, so my heart rate settled quickly.
It was the girl I'd seen at the banquet hall today. She blushed in embarrassment and greeted me.
"H-Hi, Mariella."
Monica Kalenberg. Uncle's daughter, who took after him with her brown hair and golden eyes.
Unlike her younger brother Mark, who was a year younger than her and full of energy, Monica was quiet and introverted.
Even when we bumped into each other and exchanged greetings, she never said more than a couple of words.
So why was Monica here in the annex, where Uncle's family stayed, instead of the main house?
In the kitchen, no less?
"Whatcha doin' here?"
"W-Well..."
Monica seemed frustrated by her own stammering.
That's when a loud gurgle echoed from her belly, which apparently had stronger opinions than its owner.
It was so loud at first that I thought it was mine.
Only after clutching my own stomach did I realize it wasn't, and I looked up at her intently.
By now, Monica's face was red all the way to her neck. She looked like she might burst into tears.
"Monica hungry?"
"...Yeah."
"It's okay! Me too hungry, came down. Gonna eat yummy stuff!"
Even after learning we'd come down for the same reason, Monica's blush didn't fade.
She must have been mortified at being caught.
Maybe I should change the subject?
"But why come to annex? No food in main house?"
"If I sneak a bite and get caught by Madam—no, Mother—she'll starve me for three days. I'm scared..."
Madam?
She'd glanced at me and switched to "Mother" midway, but I'm pretty sure she said "Madam" first.
Even in a noble house, did daughters normally call their mothers "Madam"?
Unless she wasn't her real daughter...
"So please keep it secret that I was sneaking food here. Don't tell our mother, okay?"
Tears were already welling up in Monica's eyes as she said it.
Auntie must be terrifying.
Come to think of it, at the banquet, she'd smacked Monica's hand pretty hard.
Monica fidgeted with her fingers, sneaking peeks at me.
Seeing her like that tugged at my heartstrings, so I casually grabbed her arm like it was no big deal.
"Okay. Then you keep secret I came here too?"
"Yeah! Promise I'll keep the secret!"
"First, food! Banquet had lots, leftovers yummy too."
We joined hands like good friends and started rummaging through the kitchen.
They would've covered or hidden things to keep out bugs and rats.
The kitchen was so huge that just searching around took forever.
"Hey, Mariella."
"Yeah?"
"Uncle didn't stop you from eating, so why're you hungry?"
"Earlier, Marquis Schleeman was slobberin' all over, spittin' everywhere. Made food look gross, no appetite."
I puffed out my lips like a toad to mimic Marquis Schleeman, and Monica couldn't hold back her laughter.
Her face was just like Uncle's overall, but her untwisted smile was nothing like his.
"Looks like something's over there."
After laughing for a while, Monica whispered in my ear, lowering her voice.
She pointed to a handcart covered with a thick cloth in the corner.
It was so tucked away we'd missed it until now. Anyone would think it was hidden on purpose.
We crept over and pulled off the cloth.
Something yummy must be inside...
"Eww!"
"It stinks!"
A sour, pungent stench wafted out.
I yanked Monica back, flashing back to my mana poisoning, but neither of us felt sick or anything.
So what was it?
Once the smell settled a bit, I peered into the boxes on the handcart. Onions, discolored and mushy.
"Gone bad? Throwin' away?"
"No. This is the Schleeman Marquis family's crest."
"Marquis Schleeman?"
"Yeah. Look here. See the water jug emblem on the side?"
Where Monica pointed, there was an engraving of a jug with two handles.
"It's their family crest. I saw it on the flag hanging from their carriage when I went out to greet Father with him."
There were three wooden boxes stacked on the handcart.
And every one had the jug emblem on the side.
If these provisions were from Marquis Schleeman's territory this time, they should've been freshly harvested this year.
'But already this rotten?'
With Monica's help, I shoved the top onion box aside and opened the one below.
"Ugh!"
"The smell's even worse!"
Under the onions was a box of cabbages.
These were in even worse shape—water was leaking from the bottom of the box.
This was way too serious.
If this was what they brought into the kitchen, what about the other ingredients?
I remembered the back door Ralph, our former house servant, used to cart ingredients from the storeroom to the kitchen.
The main house was even bigger than ours, so there had to be one... Found it.
I spotted the hidden door behind the cabinet, opened it, and stepped outside.
'The food storeroom should be close.'
Luckily, I didn't have to wander far.
A cargo wagon was parked right by the back door, proudly flying the Schleeman Marquis family's crest flag.
The wagon's rear door wasn't locked.
I cracked it open, and inside were stacks of the same boxes I'd seen in the kitchen.
I picked one and lifted the lid.
"Mariella, what's wrong?"
"This box bad too."
This one held potatoes—bruised in spots, with greenish sprouts here and there.
I pushed it aside and opened another.
Rotten carrots, spoiled asparagus, spinach melted into unrecognizable sludge.
'...All of it ruined.'
They brought this for trade?
This food was meant for the borderlands' soldiers and poor commoners without seeders.
Was it just this wagon? Or all the food wagons?
If everything was like this...
It was no different from fraud.
The ingredients I'd seen were basically garbage.
"You okay?"
I met eyes with Monica, who was looking at me with worry.
Did Uncle and Auntie know about this?
If they did and handled it this way, what then?
For now... I had to act normal so word didn't leak to them through Monica.
'Can't trust her yet.'
She seemed sweet, but she was Uncle's daughter.
I closed all the lids and hopped down from the wagon.
"No fun. We hungry, let's go eat yummy stuff quick!"
"Yeah, okay!"
We rummaged through the kitchen some more and found egg tarts.
With tasty snacks in front of us, Monica's eyes sparkled, and she quickly forgot all about the spoiled veggies.