Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 005
Chapter Title: First Meal (2)
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Fabry, who had been clasping his hands tightly in tension, the servant standing in front of the cart, and the servants waiting at the kitchen entrance—all of them stared only at Rose.
Rose didn't notice those gazes at all. She was solely focused on the heaping spoonful of soup atop her spoon.
'What's this? Is she looking for flaws?'
'Maybe there's a hair in it or something?'
'It's not the Head Chef, at least. He doesn't have any...'
'Shut it.'
'Or is she hesitating to eat it because she's afraid it might be poisoned?'
While Fabry and the servants frantically exchanged glances, I observed Rose's expression with a calm face.
'That's...'
Only I could accurately read her expression right now.
Nom.
Rose finally brought the spoon to her mouth. She chewed it slowly, like a squirrel nibbling on an acorn.
"Ah..."
A small exclamation escaped Rose's lips. Misinterpreting it as a sigh, Fabry hurried over to her.
"Madam, how is it?"
"This is too..."
"Yes, it's a bit cold—"
"Too delicious."
"...Pardon?"
Fabry blinked back at her in bewilderment.
"It's still—no, your skills are truly excellent, Head Chef."
"Pardon? No, are you saying that soup is delicious right now?"
"Yes. The coolness makes it even tastier. It really whets the appetite."
Rose lowered her gaze back to the soup.
"I've been craving this so much..."
Her murmur was filled with longing.
In the novel—that is, in her previous life—her husband, Dane Schmichael, hardly ever entered the castle, and the servants were kind but indifferent to Rose.
The only person who had shown her warmth amid her withering days was Fabry.
He always prepared food for her whenever she came to the dining hall. No one in Schmichael Castle should go hungry, he would say.
During her cold and bleak married life, Fabry's food had been Rose's sole comfort.
And moreover...
'It was the last meal she ate before dying.'
This soup was the dish that Fabry had painstakingly prepared and smuggled into the prison just before Rose, framed as my poisoner, breathed her last in jail.
It had become something of special significance to her.
Clink.
Without hesitation, Rose scooped up the next spoonful and put it in her mouth.
"I mean it. It's really delicious, Head Chef."
Then she gave Fabry a bright smile—the first one she'd shown since arriving at the castle.
"-!"
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
Apathy, sorrow, emptiness.
The dark clouds that always lingered on Rose's face vanished, revealing a smile.
'She knew how to smile like that?'
It was like clear sunlight piercing through the overcast northern sky. Not a light that stabbed the eyes, but one that brightened the heart.
"Hah..."
Fabry let out a low groan.
His cheeks twitched wildly beneath his stunned expression. His pride and dignity as Head Chef were barely holding back a full grin.
He finally composed himself and managed a few words.
"...Thank you, Madam."
"No need to thank me. Um, if it wouldn't be rude..."
Rose blushed shyly.
"Could you introduce me to the other dishes? I'm curious."
Praise he'd never heard from the other ladies who'd visited here before. A few simple words brimming with sincerity.
"Of course!"
In the end, he'd been completely won over.
Clap clap.
He grinned broadly and clapped his hands.
"Bring out the prepared dishes, right now! All of them!"
The restless servants snapped to attention. Dishes waiting in the kitchen were swiftly brought out in heaps.
'Just as I expected.'
Only then could I relax and start eating.
I'd thought she'd like this soup, and sure enough.
'Step one: successfully fed her something delicious.'
No matter how wary a wild animal is, it crumbles defenselessly before food. Especially when starved and exhausted.
And since I'd selected dishes precisely targeting Rose's tastes, the effect was even better.
"Wow, how does it taste like this? What's in this sauce?"
"It's called remoulade. Mayonnaise and..."
Rose and Fabry were chatting animatedly back and forth. It had been ages since I'd seen Fabry's face light up like that.
'He won't bother me for a while.'
I was a master who barely commented on meals—practically never. I'd grown tired of hearing him whine about how there was no joy in cooking. This worked out perfectly.
'From now on, if Fabry complains, I'll sic Rose on him.'
With that satisfying thought, I was picking at my food when,
"Since Madam is enjoying it so much, shall I go all out and bring the next course? Something very special that you can only taste in Schmichael territory."
Fabry's suspiciously excited voice brushed my ear.
...Wait, no way?
"Do you know there's a large lake to the north of Schmichael territory?"
"Of course... I mean, I've never heard of it."
"Yes, and there's a fish that only lives in that lake."
"A dish made from extremely rare ingredients, then."
"Exactly."
I eyed Fabry coldly, his face flushed like a schoolgirl's.
"..."
Serving me his rarest dish exclusively had been a bit irksome, but it wasn't a real problem.
The biggest issue right now was,
'That's not fish—it's a monster.'
The ingredient in that dish.
While cooking on the front lines, Fabry had faced ingredient shortages. So he'd wondered if monster meat could be used.
He started using orc meat instead of pork and lake monster fish fillets instead of regular fish.
The taste was surprisingly excellent. If you didn't know the ingredients, you'd think it was a delicacy.
Above all, the people of Schmichael territory had no aversion to such things.
'Whoa! We can cook and eat those monster bastards? That's killing two birds with one stone!'
'An excellent solution to food shortages! We'll develop a cookbook manual and distribute it!'
—That kind of reaction.
But that was limited to this territory.
'Kyaaak!'
The first wife to see this dish fainted right there in her seat.
'Urk...'
The next wife, forcing it down to win my favor, vomited on the spot.
'No matter how well Rose eats, this is too much.'
Fabry had lost his reason in his excitement.
Moreover, Rose had only just regressed. In the novel, it was much later before she could eat these dishes without issue.
Just when my delicious bait strategy had succeeded, crisis loomed.
"Well then..."
The moment Fabry grabbed the food cover,
"Wait!"
I shot up from my seat.
"Your Excellency?"
Fabry's hand froze. Beneath the half-lifted cover, the lake monster fish's form was visible.
First came its massive triangular body. Next to it, neatly sliced fillets of uniform size. Finally, the finishing touch: its elongated tail, its main weapon of attack.
If Rose saw it, it'd be a terrorist attack on her eyes.
I had to stop it. Absolutely!
"Fabry. You haven't forgotten who your master is, have you?"
"Of course. Naturally, Your Excellency—"
"Then you know whose service comes first."
At my irritated tone, Fabry panicked.
"Yes? But earlier you said you'd eat alone..."
"Bring that here. Now."
"Uh..."
As Fabry hesitated, Rose stepped in.
"I'm fine, Head Chef. I've already eaten plenty."
"Madam, still..."
"It's okay, go to His Excellency."
"Yes..."
Fabry's shoulders slumped,
Clink.
and he covered the dish again. The grotesque sashimi vanished safely.
"Your Excellency, then—"
The moment Fabry approached and set down the plate,
"Bring dessert."
I quickly cut him off, not giving him a chance to lift the cover.
Fabry looked crestfallen.
"Now? You're not having more?"
"I'm full now. And the Madam?"
Rose, caught off guard by being addressed directly, answered after a pause.
"Me too."
"There you have it."
I nodded and called over a nearby servant.
"Clear this away."
"Yes."
The time-bomb-like lake monster sashimi was whisked away.
Everything happened so swiftly that Fabry looked bewildered. I whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
"Exclude the slime pudding."
"How did you know about th—gasp."
Fabry finally snapped out of it and paled in shock.
"We'll talk later."
With that, his face turned ashen.
"My God, what have I done...?"
Reeling in shock, he staggered aside.
Ignoring him, I turned my gaze to the dessert plates the servants brought. Perfectly normal(?) varieties.
'That was close.'
The pleasant meal nearly turned into a horrific ordeal. Good thing I stayed vigilant.
And now, this thought crossed my mind.
'No one I can trust.'
Even my loyal butler and the Head Chef who'd never gone against my tastes. When I entrusted them with things, they pulled off absurd stunts without hesitation.
I'd put too much blind faith in them. Time to reassess.
"Wow."
Watching Rose marvel at the sorbet, I steeled my resolve once more.
'Stay on guard until the end.'
The day wasn't over yet. The most crucial event awaited me.
'Tonight.'
The first night with Rose would be the biggest turning point.