Dubai Crunchy Sablé (1)
Lady's mood status: 🫣
- Fact-checking is key, after all.
- See? She snapped out of it right away.
- Looks like the lady's been honing a new skill lately.
- Her hair-pulling technique is art.
- Traded my revival for a new chocolate dessert reveal.
- Dubai Crunchy Sablé, let's go~
"Feeling better now?"
After listening to the two drunken women's excuses for about thirty minutes, Rio finally hit them with the facts. Marie smiled brightly as she tidied up around them, then sat the pair down. Standing before them with her hands clasped, Marie exuded the full intensity of her thirties.
'As expected of an auntie...'
Rio rolled the words he couldn't dare say aloud in his mouth while eyeing the trio. Meanwhile, the guard named Romance sidled up smoothly beside him.
"Rio."
"Yeah?"
"You've had a tough time."
"...!"
'Someone actually gets it!'
Rio's body trembled as if struck by a tsunami of emotion.
"Khk..."
"I know, Rio."
"Guh..."
Pat pat—clamping his mouth shut in a way that didn't suit his massive frame, he swallowed his tears.
Meanwhile, Marie faced the two women watching her nervously.
"......."
She eyed the two men melodramatically blubbering a short distance away with pitying eyes.
'They're all hopeless...'
"Haa..."
At Marie's sigh, the two women seated right in front of her flinched. It felt like she was calling them hopeless cases.
But Rosie wasn't one to stay quiet.
"That's too much!"
"......."
Marie gazed down impassively with her dead-fish eyes. Rosie felt like she'd get sucked into those deep, black depths.
"I-I know I messed up! Sorry!"
She definitely wasn't staying quiet. She was apologizing hard, after all.
"If you keep acting like this."
"......."
Gulp—the rough swallow echoed through the room.
"I'll have to report it to the duke and duchess."
"N-No!"
Rosie had already gotten an earful from the crown prince incident. And now, just days later, getting caught drunk like a bum?
'At least a hundred lines of reflection essay!'
It didn't matter if she was actually drunk or not. The issue was acting like a drunkard.
"H-Have mercy just this once. Yeah? This is like business expenses, right?"
"...Business expenses."
Marie's eyes narrowed slightly. As those deep eyes softened, Rosie's momentum returned.
"Yeah! To smooth out the deal, I networked with the guild leader who signed an exclusive contract with me!"
"...Don't get clever only at times like this, miss."
"Hehe."
At Rosie's innocent grin, Marie shook her head with a small smile. Then she turned to Christa Han.
"Sorry for dragging you into this, guild leader."
"N-No, it's my fault. I should've controlled myself as the adult. I'm sorry."
"You really should have."
"Eh, huh?"
Marie's eyes curved into half-moons.
"Kidding."
"Ah, yes!"
Looking at that face, Christa Han thought:
'Her mouth isn't smiling.'
She really is terrifying. With that, she bowed deeply.
And watching from afar, Rio spoke up.
"How about you head out now?"
"Already?"
"It's starting to rain outside."
Everyone glanced out the window.
"It really is."
Tiny streams were already tracing lines down the windowpane toward the ground.
Rosie nodded and stood, the fawning girl from moments ago gone. Now, only the duke's daughter's poise remained.
"Let's go. And guild leader, uh... Christa, right?"
"Yes, my lady."
"We'll review the detailed documents next time we meet soon, Christa."
"Yes, take care, my lady."
Gazing at her favorite villainess back in her ducal poise, Christa Han curled her lips slightly and bowed.
Screech—click.
"......."
Silence.
The rain intensifying beyond the window.
Christa Han's brain snapped from dopamine high to calm stability in an instant.
And Romance felt the same.
"Looks like the storm's passed."
"Yeah."
Drip drip drip—the rain now filling the room felt rather pleasant.
"My lady, my lady."
"What."
"This is the first time I've seen you—"
Thwack!
A heavy thud echoed in the rattling carriage.
Her shins could probably snap an ordinary person's now.
"What do you take me for?!"
"What else, a beast—"
"Die!"
"—Aaaah! My lady, like a cute bunny! Ah! My hair! You're gonna pull it all out?! I'll go bald?! Aaaah!"
Protect my hair! No balding, no!
'One EM in my past life was enough!'
With desperate resolve, I awkwardly stood and shoved my head toward where she was pulling.
Then her playful low voice stabbed into my ear.
"Gonna make beast noises again?"
"N-No, ma'am!"
"If I hear it again!"
Emphasizing the words, her grip on my hair tightened.
As expected of my lady. She's got some real strength.
Squeeze—ow.
'Gonna lose it all at this rate.'
I hurriedly opened my mouth.
"Aigoo! No way I'd do that, my lady!"
"Hmph. How can I trust you?"
"Tomorrow! I'll bring out that new chocolate dessert I mentioned!"
"Hmm."
With a low hum, the nearly yanked hairs settled back.
"Phew."
"So what're you making this time?"
"Uhmm."
How to explain this.
"It's a cookie, but with noodles in it."
Question marks—about thirty or fifty—floated above the lady and captain's heads.
"Noodles in a cookie?"
"Yes."
"That right?"
"It is."
The lady looked baffled. Clearly not lying, but still puzzled.
Of course.
'It's seriously delicious.'
Back in Korea, they sold out instantly at times.
Oh, Korea reminded me of something.
"My lady."
"Hm?"
"How about selling this cookie through a contract with the guild?"
"...That good?"
She hasn't tasted it yet.
"Yes. It'll sell out soon enough."
"Hmm."
You're not even pretending to think about it, my lady?
Just say yes already.
"Okay! Make it happen!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
With that promise in the carriage, I bolted straight to the kitchen upon arriving home.
Of course, one person was staring at me with utter bewilderment.
"...Back again?"
"Yeah."
"What now."
"Hmm. Should I tell ya?"
As if I'd spill easily. As I toyed with my lips, the bear-man furrowed his thick pickled-radish brows and barked.
"This is my kitchen."
Playing dirty with territory threats.
"Making cookies."
"Cookies?"
The bear-man's gaze flicked to the cupboard.
Then his thick brows twitched as he turned back.
"Ain't that enough?"
"Something this world ain't got."
"Hmph..."
I'll show you a new world.
"Need ingredients."
"Go ahead."
First, make kataifi noodles that don't exist here.
'Flour, starch, sugar, salt.'
And finally vegetable oil with water to knead and stir the dough, but hmm.
This'll take forever.
Got a strong, energetic bear cub right here—why not use him?
"Hey, old man."
"What."
"Stir this dough."
"Crazy bastard. I opened up during my break, and now why should I?"
I dangled a deal.
"Don't wanna try it?"
"Thought it was free."
"Nothing's free without labor!"
With that, I shoved the dough bowl in front of him.
Guess he wanted to taste it too—he started stirring silently.
'Now, prep the pistachios.'
Most annoying part.
No big taste difference without shelling, but for the lady? Gotta do it proper.
Shelling so fast my hands blurred, then into the oven.
"Nice and roasting."
"Dough's done."
Meanwhile, the bear-man finished stirring—perfect, no lumps.
"No wonder you're head chef."
"Hm."
"Now pipe it into that piping bag and squeeze onto the hot pan."
"Hm."
As the bear gripped the bag with his huge hands and piped, I pulled the pistachios, ground them all, and mixed with olive oil.
"Just keep piping like this?"
"Yep. Then scrape with a spatula."
"Hm. Curious."
Probably first time seeing noodles made like this, dude!
Then I mixed pistachio paste into sablé dough, stuffed in the kataifi strands, and back into the oven.
"Hm! That smell!"
"Killer, right?"
The bear nodded like his head might fall off.
Soon, I pulled the finished Dubai Crunchy Sablé and packed it into a magic-sealed container.
"...?"
The head chef looked baffled. His dumb expression had some gap moe.
"Not eating now?"
"For the lady tomorrow."
The bear-man's face twisted more.
"Mine?"
"Hey! Lady hasn't even had any—how dare you!"
Crunch—sound from his fist.
Veins bulging on his forearms.
'...One hit from that'd hurt.'
"...Fine, one for you."
"Hm."
Not backing down, nope.