Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 81
It was difficult.
Eleanor keenly felt that a delicious cake was easy to eat but difficult to bake.
Demian said, looking at the completed cake sheet.
“It’s black…”
“Right. It’s a little burnt.”
“It’s burnt a lot, Teacher.”
Demian corrected in a calm voice.
“Very much, at that.”
I know…
Eleanor’s face became glum after being hit hard by Demian. It felt like she did everything she was told to do, yet the result was as black as charcoal on the outside.
“Wouldn’t it be okay to just cut off the burnt part? But it’s fine inside.”
Demian nodded at Eleanor’s suggestion. She gently cut off the top with a knife.
“Look! It’s like a charm!”
Luckily it wasn’t burnt all the way inside. Its outer skin was a little bumpy, but it was covered with cream.
“No matter what, the most important things are taste and sincerity.”
Demian picked up the cake crumbs that had fallen on the table and tasted them. Demian’s expression became subtle as he chewed a few times.
How should he express this, he wonders…
“Teacher, but it doesn’t taste good.”
Demian threw a fastball again.
Eleanor cut a bit off the top of the cake and tasted it.
It really had no taste.
With so many ingredients added, how can there be no taste? Eleanor realized that she had no talent for baking at all.
Eleanor said as she thought deeply.
“If we just cover it with cream and add strawberries, wouldn’t it create a flavor that wasn’t there before?”
Demian nodded slowly.
He doesn’t agree, but it felt like he was just adding melody to Eleanor’s words. It seemed like he had given up halfway.
“…Or should we ask someone else to make the cake sheets and just do the decorating?”
Demian’s face brightened in an instant. Eleanor said, pushing her failed work aside.
“No matter what, the most important thing is sincerity.”
In the end, the kitchen maid baked a new sheet of cake. When she saw the golden brown cake sheet, she thought, ‘This is it.’
As the cake cooled, the two reviewed their birthday party plans.
“Jonathan said he would decorate the hall… What time did you say Kaidel would be back?”
“Four o’clock.”
“We’ll be there at three o’clock… Time is a bit tight.”
Eleanor suggested, holding out a bowl of whipped cream to Demian.
“Shall we decorate each half?”
“I’d love to.”
“Here is Teacher’s, and here is Demi’s.”
After coating the cake with whipped cream, the two people, divided into half sections, began decorating the cake with all kinds of fruits.
‘I want to make him something special.’
Eleanor was deep in thought.
***
“Here it is.”
“Whoa! It’s really nicely decorated.”
Eleanor looked around the duchy’s banquet hall and was impressed. The whole place was brightly decorated with all kinds of summer flowers.
“The band will be standing over there soon when they arrive. We’ll place the table in the front…”
Jonathan, who had been explaining the plan to Eleanor in an eager manner, asked.
“Anyway, how many guests are coming? Will a table that fits five people do?”
“That…”
It was definitely like that at first.
Kaidel, Demian, Eleanor, Lucas, Sienna. Just five people were planning to celebrate. But why?
[I want to go too, Ellen.]
[I will attend too.]
Adrian and Izmel suddenly joined in. Izmel and Kaidel were originally quite close, but Adrian and Kaidel weren’t close at all.
His expression was a bit scary for someone who wanted to celebrate together, but Eleanor readily agreed. The more people who congratulate him, the better, right?
The most surprising one was Dwight. He took the initiative to announce his intention to attend without Eleanor even asking.
‘The two probably don’t even know each other very well.’
Eleanor was puzzled, but nodded her head.
“First of all, there are eight people so far. His Highness said he was coming, and so would Young Marquis Blake and my brother.”
“Are you saying His Highness is coming?”
Jonathan’s eyes widened.
“Yes. And I was just thinking, why not celebrate with the knights too? Will they come if I invite them?”
“Yes, they’re people who respect and follow him…”
“Then I will quickly ask them. Please take care of Demian.”
Eleanor headed to the training hall with light steps. She was happy that the party was going to be better than she expected.
In the distance, a group of knights could be seen walking after completing training.
“Excuse me, knights!”
The knights turned around at the sound of Eleanor’s voice. As soon as they saw Eleanor, they shouted at her as if they had seen a ghost.
‘Why are they so surprised?’
Eleanor tilted her head inwardly but greeted them kindly.
“Hello. I…”
“I apologize!”
Suddenly the knights started running away. Eleanor suddenly grabbed the hem of her skirt and ran after them. A chase for unknown reasons began.
Eleanor asked loudly.
“Why are you escaping?”
“We’re not escaping! We’re running!”
“Then why are you running?”
“Even if we die, we can’t speak!”
Eleanor ran as fast as she could, but of course she couldn’t catch up with the knights. At that moment, Eleanor’s toe got caught on a stone.
“Uwaah!”
Eleanor fell to the ground with a crash. She put her hand on her bottom and although it didn’t hurt her too much, she was very embarrassed.
And at that moment, the knights who were running stopped screeching. The faces of those who saw Eleanor lying on the dirt ground turned pale.
“Lady!”
They suddenly changed direction and started stampeding towards Eleanor.
Eleanor immediately understood why Kaidel called the knights ‘buffalo-like bastards.’ It felt like the ground was shaking.
“Are you okay?”
Eleanor stood up holding a knight’s hand and patted her hands and knees. Eleanor showed her slightly chapped palm and responded playfully.
“I’m not okay. “My palm is also scratched and it hurts a lot.”
There was a tiny drop of blood on her palm. The faces of the knights who saw this became thoughtful.
“Bring the medicine, medicine!”
“Crazy guy. So, why are you running…?”
“Then why did you run together?”
“I ran because you ran, idiot. I apologize, Lady.”
The knights bickered among themselves and made amends. Eleanor took care of the situation by washing her palms with the water that one of the knights hastily scooped up.
“It’s a joke. I fell while running and it was my fault. It doesn’t hurt that much. If I just leave it alone, it will get better on its own.”
The knight muttered as he spread a thick layer of expensive ointment on the small scratch.
“If His Grace knows, we’ll die that day. We will have to run more than a hundred laps around the training ground.”
“I won’t tell Kaidel. Let’s keep it a secret between us.”
The knights suddenly raised their heads at Eleanor’s words.
“Is that true?”
She nodded.
“Yes, I promise. But I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it? We’ll listen to anything.”
Eleanor said with a grin.
“Great. Actually, today is Kaidel’s birthday. So, I’m currently preparing for a birthday party. It’s in an hour, and I’d really appreciate it if everyone came…”
“So today is His Grace’s birthday?”
Before Eleanor could finish speaking, someone asked with wide eyes. Eleanor nodded.
“I-If you’re busy, you don’t have to come…”
“I’m definitely going! There is no need to ask.”
“Can we go?”
“It’s okay since the Lady invited us, right?”
The knights became busy. Everyone had excited and excited faces.
Eleanor felt that they really liked Kaidel. She could tell just by looking at their eyes. If it was just a work relationship, they wouldn’t have been this happy.
“I don’t have time to prepare a gift, thouogh.”
“Wouldn’t it be better for a few people to go out and clean it all up?”
“If you’re going to rob it, where do you rob it?”
Eleanor, who felt the knights slowly falling into a state of mental breakdown, clapped her hands to call their attention.
“If you come and congratulate him, wouldn’t that be a gift? So everyone is coming? However… how many of you are there?”
Eleanor’s eyes widened when she heard the answer. It was the moment when the scale of the birthday party grew significantly.
***
Kaidel, who returned after a long outing, noticed that the atmosphere of the mansion was a little different from usual the moment he passed the front door.
He couldn’t tell what was different. But there was something different.
Kaidel narrowed his eyes as he looked around.
‘It’s definitely all the same, but… There’s something suspicious about the air.’
He let out an exhausting sigh. It was a day when things strangely didn’t go as planned. He hoped nothing more bad would happen.
He walked to the front door after he hopped off the horse. The expression on Jonathan’s face as he waited for him was unusual.
He has been working with him for over five years, and this is the first time he has seen a face like that. He seemed excited, yet also anxious.
Jonathan said in an urgent voice.
“Your Grace, there is something I need you to check immediately.”
Of course. Kaidel stroked his hair with a tired expression.
“What?”
“There was a problem in the banquet hall.”
Jonathan walked toward the hall with long strides. Kaidel walked after him without hesitation.
If Jonathan, who handles most things in his own way, would say something like that, it clearly wasn’t an ordinary problem.
“Please go in first.”
Kaidel frowned and swung open the large door to the banquet hall.
“If it’s a facility problem, call someone to solve it…”
Whoaaaa!
“Happy birthday!”
Pure white light enveloped him, and soon red petals filled Kaidel’s vision. The chandeliers swayed with cheers that made his ears tingle.
What kind of situation is this?
Kaidel, who was surprised, stood there frozen like a stone statue. Flower petals were sprinkled on his face once more.
Kaidel slowly lowered his gaze. Sienna and Lucas with mischievous faces were holding a basket filled with flower petals.
“Why are you…”
Lucas said with a wide smile.
“Happy birthday!”
Birthday?
Kaidel raised his head. He saw Eleanor walking carefully carrying a cake.
“Ah…”
He then realized that today was his birthday. Relief filled him, and all strength drained from his body.
“Demi prepared this.”
Sienna, who was standing next to him, pushed Demian’s back and made him stand in front of Kaidel. Demian, who hesitated for a moment, stretched out his arms towards Kaidel.
Even though Kaidel hadn’t come to his senses, he hugged him. Demian, with a flushed face, gently grabbed Kaidel’s shoulder.
“Thank you, Demian.”
Kaidel whispered in a friendly voice. Demian blushed and nodded his head.
Demian glanced in the direction where Eleanor was and took a deep breath. Somehow, he felt like he could muster courage today.
Smack.
Closing his eyes tightly, Demian kissed Kaidel’s cheek.
Kaidel looked at Demian with surprised eyes. Demian let out a small laugh when he saw Kaidel’s surprised face.
He really wasn’t scared of him anymore. even a little. Even as much as an ant’s teardrop.
“Happy birthday, Brother.”