Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Servant Cedric (2) - Clear Eyes
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When he declared he would create a servant clone, Lucidra had raised a question.
"But the clones you've made recently feel vaguely dreamlike with the Crown Prince's memories, and their personalities differ from the main body to suit their roles, right?"
"That's true, but what's the problem with that?"
"Your goal is to reform that wicked young lady and nurture her into the bud of a capable ruler. Can you do that with the identity of a 'servant' who obeys their master? Even if the master gives unreasonable orders, they'd have to follow them?"
If true reform was the aim, wouldn't a family tutor be better? At Lucidra's words, the Crown Prince tilted his head.
"Why do you think servants unconditionally obey their masters?"
"Because they're servants?"
"The servants here in Golden Cloud Palace don't do that."
"What?"
Lucidra's eyes widened in surprise.
No, these weren't the ragged servants under some disgraced noble with no authority—they served the Crown Prince of the Empire, yet they disobeyed orders?
"I noticed their daily work hours were too long and ordered them reduced. I even said it was fine to hire more people if they were short-staffed. But they all came begging me not to take their jobs away. After fierce negotiations, I failed to implement the original goal of 6-hour, 3-shift rotations and had to compromise on 9-hour, 2-shift ones."
"……."
"When I said full-course meals during work hours were a waste of time and asked for something simple like a hamburger or sandwich, the head chef roared like a lion. He insisted he couldn't serve me that with his chef's pride, so we ended up in a cooking contest. In the end, we settled on me getting my way only for lunch."
"……."
"Servants originally voice all their opinions to their masters. So there's no rule saying 'Cedric' can't do the same."
"Uh…."
"I'll base it on the servants here but add some flexibility. Luckily, there's a good model in Renya, so I'll make use of that."
Lucidra's mouth opened and closed.
She looked like she had a ton to say, but Alondre ignored her.
After all, this former succubus-turned-archdemon had shown such reactions plenty of times before.
The Crown Prince calmly began gathering his mana.
Colorful mana transformed into incredibly thin bundles of threads, weaving together at his will to form countless organs.
Watching bones, muscles, nerves, and other components stack up layer by layer, Lucidra felt incredulous.
The clone magic she'd given him was meant to pop out instantly like a tic.
It simply copied the main body's features as a template, so the user didn't need to understand every minute detail in their head.
But now, the Crown Prince was manually running the entire creation process step by step.
Even more astonishing, he was simultaneously weaving in invisible aspects like mind and soul.
As an archdemon who dealt with souls, Lucidra could easily imagine the result.
A face innocently puppy-like, using Renya's fawning tone, but firmly saying "No" when it wasn't themselves, and with abilities tuned to Golden Cloud Palace's top-tier servants—super competent to boot…
'…Wait. Isn't this just a clear-eyed madman?'
Realizing this, Lucidra shuddered.
But she didn't try to stop the Crown Prince.
After all, she wasn't the one suffering.
Claudia blinked.
But no matter how many times she closed and opened her eyes, the scene before her refused to change.
Her servant sprawled on the floor, whimpering pathetically.
And a massive two-headed wolf suddenly lunging from the room—yet the servant didn't even flinch, just casually scolded it.
Ignoring the frozen Claudia, Cedric calmly set up a table in the room and arranged food, utensils, and napkins on it.
"My skills aren't up to serving a formal full course like the head chef, so I've prepared some relatively simple dishes. Please evaluate them without holding back."
He lightly pulled out a chair, as if inviting her to sit.
Only then did Claudia snap out of it with a gasp, glaring sharply at Cedric—but he just met her gaze with big, clear puppy eyes.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"You…."
Gritting her teeth, Claudia nonetheless sat in the chair as he suggested.
It was too late to ask how he'd subdued the twin-head wolf, and saying "Why aren't you panicking like I expected?" felt like admitting defeat, bruising her pride.
She eyed the prepared food.
As Cedric himself called it "simple," there weren't many dishes on the table.
One omelet with striking yellow hue, two meat lumps that looked like steak but had a different texture, and a plate each of soup and salad.
With a bored expression, Claudia scooped up some omelet.
'Rice?'
It seemed puffier than a plain omelet—apparently stuffed with veggies or meat-fried rice inside.
'Whatever.'
She had no intention of eating properly anyway.
Just pretend to taste it, then smash the plate in his face yelling "You tried to feed me this trash?"—that was the plan.
Crunch.
"…?"
Claudia's mind went blank for a moment.
Half-unconsciously, she scooped up more of the omelet—no, it was an omurice. A bigger bite this time, including the red sauce on top.
And crunched again.
The rice grains were fluffy, releasing a savory aroma with each chew. Finely chopped veggies brought subtle sweetness, the salted chicken had a nice bite, and the whole thing wrapped in soft, moist egg.
Claudia's eyes twitched.
'Why… why is it so tasty?'
Her head screamed to stop eating and hurl the plate, but her hand and mouth ignored her, moving on their own. It felt like devilish sorcery.
Her gaze shifted to the two meat lumps on another plate.
They'd been emanating an enticing aroma earlier. When she brought the knife to one, it sliced effortlessly without much pressure.
She cut it to bite-size, speared it with a fork, and took a mouthful.
"…!!"
It felt like a flood bursting in her mouth.
Juices gushed freely, interspersed with finely minced meat and other ingredients. Topped by the sauce's thick, intense coating on her tongue.
The salad and soup were familiar, nothing special—but paired with the others, their flavors multiplied several times over.
Silently, Claudia kept moving her utensils until the plates were spotless.
If the other servants saw this, they'd be shocked.
The portions Cedric prepared weren't objectively large, but Claudia was picky and temperamental, often leaving food and flipping tables.
Even she couldn't make sense of her actions, so she shot Cedric a growling glare.
"What… is this?"
"Omurice, hambagu steak, salad, and soup!"
"I'm not asking about the menu!! What kind of trick did you pull to make it like this?!"
"Trick? Hahaha. I'm overjoyed that you praise it so highly, miss."
What crazy talk is this?
Unaware or uncaring of Claudia's bewilderment, Cedric continued with a beaming smile.
"It must mean you liked the taste so much you suspected some ploy. As a temporary kitchen stand-in, there's no greater honor!"
Something boiled up inside Claudia.
"How dare a mere servant mock me!?"
Almost convulsing, she hurled the knife in her hand at Cedric's face.
But Cedric didn't blink, catching it effortlessly and replying with a smile.
"No need to be so embarrassed! I'm known for my tight lips, so I'll keep your rapt focus on the meal buried in my heart forever!"
"This… this guy's for real!!"
After that, it was total chaos.
Forks, spoons, plates flew wildly through the air, but Cedric didn't dodge—instead, he deftly caught and stacked them like some circus act.
The way he controlled them so no sauce or scraps hit the floor felt faintly mad.
With her face twisted, Claudia stormed toward him to slap his cheek, but he easily evaded.
Even as she flailed wildly to grab him, same result.
"Stand still, you!"
"Hm? Why should I?"
"Because you're the servant!!"
Claudia shrieked in frustration.
When she used violence, servants were supposed to take it meekly. This man ignoring that obvious "rule" disgusted her to no end.
"Oh dear. It seems you're under a misunderstanding, miss."
A look of dismay crossed Cedric's face.
Expecting some excuse, Claudia was caught off guard by his actual words.
"My contract doesn't include 'quietly take beatings for unfair reasons from the master.' Besides, swinging violence recklessly like this lowers your dignity, so I advise you to restrain yourself."
Claudia's mouth gaped open dumbly.
Ignoring her, Cedric calmly cleared the utensils and table, then deeply bowed before leaving.
"I'll take my leave then! Call me again if you need anything!"
Click.
The door shut, silence falling over the room.
Claudia stood frozen, like a statue, for a long while.
-Whine….
The blood demon beast whimpered plaintively, glancing warily at its master even in pain, its cries echoing sadly in the young lady's room.
"C-Cedric. You alright? No injuries?"
"Yes, no issues at all! The miss seemed satisfied too!"
"Phew, glad to hear it. Empty plates mean she liked your cooking."
"Thanks to the marquisate's abundant pantry! The quality and variety exceeded expectations."
"Even if it's just a villa, not the main house, Redbell is Redbell. The kingdom's richest house wouldn't skimp on ingredients."
"Just as you say, head chef!"
"Heh, good, good. Keep it up. If she eats this tamely from now on, making your dishes the mainstay wouldn't be bad."
"I pride myself on decent skills, but my repertoire isn't vast. Compared to your vast expertise, I'd appreciate your guidance if you entrust me with tasks."
"Naturally! You've got a silver tongue—now I see why she took to you."
"Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"