Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: A Midnight Sandwich
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Then, two boys wearing aprons came into view.
Lucillea’s eyes widened as she spoke.
“You two… What are you doing here?”
“…”
“…”
Standing awkwardly in the kitchen were Serdian and Reiden.
At Lucillea’s sudden appearance, both of them froze simultaneously, like children caught doing something wrong.
On the counter, a white powder that could have been sugar or salt was scattered about, and a sandwich made with square slices of bread sat on a cutting board.
And in front of that sandwich, holding a kitchen knife, Reiden laughed awkwardly.
“We’ve been caught.”
Lucillea looked from one to the other, then at the counter in front of them.
Between the soft slices of bread were layers of fresh green lettuce, thinly sliced ham, and yellow cheese. The cut was uneven due to clumsy knife work, but anyone could see it was an incredibly delicious-looking late-night snack.
‘Don’t tell me…’
As Lucillea wondered, Cookie spoke up.
[Lucy! I think they were gonna eat something yummy all by themselves!]
‘…’
No, that’s not it, Cookie.
Lucillea calmed Cookie down.
‘At this hour, they came all the way to the West Wing, and they’re not asking the staff for help—they’re making it themselves. Why do you think that is?’
[Because they were embarrassed to eat another snack after dinner?]
‘…Never mind.’
Lucillea walked slowly into the kitchen and asked the two boys.
“That… you didn’t make it for me, did you?”
At her words, Serdian’s shoulders flinched. Reiden, as if finally giving up, smiled sheepishly and nodded.
“We heard you skipped dinner. From Mei.”
“…”
Lucillea was at a loss for words for a moment.
Hearing that she had skipped dinner, these two heirs had come to the kitchen in the middle of the night to make a sandwich themselves.
Oh my!
[Oh my gosh! Lucy! Are you saying that jerk cooked for you?!]
Cookie exclaimed dramatically.
Lucillea slowly approached the counter.
“So… you left out the carrots for me, too?”
Lucillea asked, looking at Serdian. He whipped his head away and answered.
“…Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just that the carrots weren’t fresh today, so I left them out.”
It was a blunt reply, but the tips of Serdian’s bright red ears betrayed the boy’s true feelings.
Reiden placed a clumsily cut piece of the sandwich on a plate and offered it to Lucillea.
“I can’t guarantee it’ll taste good.”
Taking the plate, Lucillea giggled softly and replied.
“Don’t worry. They say kids my age can even chew on stones. I’d eat this happily even if you put a rock between the slices of bread!”
How could it not be good? After all, you two made it!
Lucillea immediately took a large bite of the sandwich.
A crisp crunch of fresh vegetables was followed by the savory taste of the bread, the saltiness of the ham, and the rich flavors of the sauce and cheese that filled her mouth.
Whoa!
Her eyes wide, Lucillea looked between the two boys and exclaimed in admiration without realizing it.
“…It’s delicious!”
At her single word, smiles of relief bloomed on both Serdian’s and Reiden’s faces.
Munching on the sandwich, Lucillea spoke as if she had made a momentous decision.
“Alright. From now on, I’ll give it to you guys for free!”
“Huh? Give us what?”
Reiden tilted his head as he picked up a sandwich. Lucillea said with a smug look.
“It’s a secret. I can’t tell you right now.”
She took another huge bite of her sandwich.
‘That’s right. For kids like these, I wouldn’t mind giving them free potions for life.’
And for heirs of such powerful families, why did those frilly aprons have to suit them so well?
Lucillea knew.
Although the three of them had agreed to be friends, they actually treated her more like a little sister than a friend.
‘That’s probably why they stayed up to make me a snack in the middle of the night.’
She was grateful for that.
What kind of friends would go through the trouble of making a sandwich just because you skipped one meal?
‘Just you wait until I learn alchemy. I’ll blow your minds with my potions!’
Just then, Reiden, who had taken a bite of the sandwich he’d made, cried out with a surprised look.
“This is actually really good!”
“It’s edible.”
Even Serdian didn’t deny it.
In the late-night kitchen, the three children stood side by side and began to share the warmest, most delicious sandwich in the world.
It was not just a simple late-night snack.
It was clumsy but filled with sincerity. If friendship had a taste, it would probably taste just like this.
***
That evening, Jed returned from attending Marquis Belgar’s funeral.
On his way to the third floor of the main building to report to Elbadin, Jed ran into Riat in the hallway.
“So, you managed to make it back alive.”
At Riat’s words, Jed laughed and said slyly.
“Why, you almost look disappointed that I’m back in one piece.”
At that, Riat’s eyes crinkled into a gentle smile.
“Of course not. It would be a problem if a talent like Sir Jed died so easily.”
Not to be outdone, Jed responded with a smile of his own.
“Is it just my imagination, or did that sound like a compliment that wasn’t a compliment?”
“You must have a twisted mind to hear it that way.”
Then, Jed took a step closer and blinked rapidly.
“Oh? Have you gained another wrinkle under your eye? Is there trouble at home?”
At that, Riat let out a short sigh and answered.
“There was. I sent my not-yet-ripe son into the lion’s den. As a father, I couldn’t exactly rest easy.”
At Riat’s words, Jed’s eyes widened slightly before he finally burst into the laughter he’d been holding back.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Because that not-yet-ripe son has returned after completing his task perfectly.”
As Jed shrugged smugly, Riat raised an eyebrow.
“Well now, I look forward to hearing about it.”
Riat placed a hand on Jed’s shoulder and patted it a few times.
“I’m glad you’ve returned safely.”
Only then did Jed look at Riat and smile faintly.
“Yes, I’m back. Father.”
Indeed, Riat nodded and smiled.
“Let’s go in. His Highness the Grand Duke is waiting.”
Riat and Jed resumed their walk toward Elbadin’s office.
Entering the office and facing Elbadin, Jed wore a grave expression and got straight to the point.
“The Marquise Belgar has announced that she will be attending Her Majesty the Empress’s upcoming birthday banquet.”
At that, Riat’s expression darkened as well.
“Attending a banquet so soon after her husband’s funeral.”
“She said she could not neglect celebrating Her Majesty the Empress’s birthday over a trivial family matter.”
Riat looked at Elbadin and said.
“It seems she’s determined to take the Empress’s hand.”
Attending a banquet immediately after her husband’s funeral was tantamount to a declaration of all-out war from Anasis, a sign that she would no longer be wary of Elbadin.
“Yes, a very Anasis-like approach.”
Elbadin muttered in a detached voice, his chin resting on his hand.
The power structure of the Seraphium Empire was largely divided into three factions.
The ‘Temple Faction’, which had seized public sentiment with its immense divine power in an era when spirits had vanished.
The ‘Noble Faction’, which upheld tradition and honor, supporting the foundation of the empire.
And the ‘Imperial Faction’, which governed the center of the empire from between the other two forces.
They had maintained a precarious balance by keeping one another in check.
But there was a single exception to that balance.
Belonging to no faction, and at times wielding power greater than all three combined, was the absolute ruler of the North, the ‘Grand Ducal House of Descartes.’
Riat said with a serious expression.
“It’s a bad combination, Your Highness.”
“Indeed.”
Elbadin nodded.
Anasis now had the immense wealth of the Belgar Marquisate and the Therma mines in her grasp.
She would have become an irresistibly attractive piece for the Empress.
Just then, Jed placed a list he had prepared on the desk and said.
“This is a list of the noble families who attended the funeral.”
Elbadin took the document and slowly looked it over.
Among the noble families who attended the funeral, there was a separate list of those who had made contact with Anasis, and another of the families Jed had secretly approached.
Jed continued.
“As we predicted, the Marquise attempted to negotiate using the magic stones from the Therma mines. So.”
Jed smiled faintly.
“I informed her that we had already finalized contracts with the magic stone mines owned by the Blackwood County and Solaris Viscounty.”
It was a polite way of telling her that her magic stone mines could no longer be the sharpest blade threatening the Grand Duchy.
The look on Anasis’s trembling face as she heard the news had been so satisfying.
‘Ah, I’d better not mention that part.’
Jed kept that part to himself.
“And.”
This time, Jed took out a letter.
“While I was at the Belgar estate, I took the opportunity to meet separately with the marquisate’s vassals who are in charge of the magic stone trade.”
With the head of the house changing overnight, Jed had figured that a minuscule crack must have formed among those bound by loyalty.
At that, Elbadin chuckled softly.
“You must have been busy in many ways.”
Jed bowed his head slightly and continued.
“As expected, internal strife was already brewing among the vassals.”
“Internal strife, you say.”
When Elbadin showed a look of interest, Jed pointed to the letter and said.
“That letter is from one of those vassal families, Count Andes.”
Elbadin broke the seal on the letter and read its contents.
The letter stated that Anasis had joined hands with the Empress and was plotting something for the upcoming banquet. It also said that the sender wished to discuss the details in person.
Hearing the contents, Riat’s expression grew serious.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? They’ll try to find fault with the Young Lord’s qualifications to tarnish his name. And the Young Lord will only be the beginning.”
Then, Elbadin said calmly.
“I suppose so. A banquet hall is where all incidents begin. And…”
Elbadin rose from his seat and scoffed.
“It’s also a good place to end everything.”