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Peering into the oven, I saw Corvus and Flora arrive, perfectly timed as the dish was completed. As soon as Karem served the dessert, he stepped out of the greenhouse.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Are you leaving already?”

“I need to go make lunch.”

“For Sir Atanitas?”

“That’s right. Well.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if Karem was still angry. Of course, the target of that anger wasn’t Karem but Mary, yet it felt somewhat awkward to creep into the area of someone who had been upset.

Perhaps because of that, my steps towards the Wizard’s Tower felt a bit heavier, even considering Corvus’s efforts, who had heaped a basket full of various fruits.

‘Wait, why should I feel awkward?’

Regardless, the object of the fury was clearly Mary.

Karem was closer to a victim. No, he was a victim.

‘Mary was the one who ruined the atmosphere.’

Honestly, it was a shame.

Admittedly, Alicia had been there beforehand.

But Alicia couldn’t be the target.

To her credit, she recognized that she almost ruined the atmosphere because of her and tried to smooth things over.

That, before we get into possibilities, is indeed commendable.

If anything, it was Karem and Catherine’s fault for momentarily forgetting about Alicia.

‘Besides, being a princess, she can’t be angry, right?’

So after all these twists and turns, it ultimately pointed back to Mary.

She was the one who stomped all over the atmosphere, which was on the brink of collapse.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was mad at her.

Did I miss the timing to be angry, or did it just lose its steam?

Above all, Catherine would have already delivered some punishment. No, this was the second time Mary was being punished. Therefore, the punishment would have likely been harsher this time around.

Honestly, I felt like no matter what kind of discipline she received, she would just brush it off with a grin, so considering that, Karem could only think of one kind of punishment that could be said to be a punishment for Mary.

Mandatory vacation. In other words, rest.

Even I found it absurd when I thought about it.

‘Is that really a punishment?’

How ridiculous. Rest = punishment, words that have no absolute correlation made Karem absentmindedly scratch his temple.

Be it brownies or whatever, Mary was a severe workaholic.

At least Karem could say without a doubt that he had never seen Mary even take a break, let alone sleep.

An endless cycle of overtime and late-night work. If that’s how entrenched you are in being a workaholic, then yes, rest could definitely feel like punishment.

“How absurd.”

Some would quit their job just to have a bit of rest and vacation, yet over there, they receive it as a punishment, and that too, forcibly.

Workers suffering from overwork throughout all their lives would surely find it unfathomable.

‘Yeah. Well, maybe not.’

Even if one is a workaholic, giving them a vacation as punishment is absurd.

But apart from that, there wasn’t really anything else that could be considered a punishment.

*

*

*

“I actually… received a vacation…”

Mary closed her eyes as if she were grieving.

Her discipline was a vacation. Expected, yet utterly incomprehensible. Acceptable.

“For about three days, I will be responsible for Sir Atanitas’s meals and snacks.”

“How did you come to that arrangement?”

“It’s only three days.”

“How unfortunate.”

“During the same period, Narque will handle cleaning, laundry, and miscellaneous tasks, but the meals and snacks for the mages will remain unchanged?”

She was genuinely sad as she covered her mouth while nodding. It was the first time I had seen someone look so openly distressed.

Karem, turning away from Mary as she exited the office, placed the tray down and asked for confirmation.

“How on earth is that a vacation?”

“Originally, I was going to give her three days off without doing anything.”

Catherine was still seated in the same place she had been earlier. The golden strands of her hair swayed like curtains in the gentle breeze conjured by magic, her eyes closed.

“What kind of vacation involves working?”

“Little one. Do you think I intended to stop everything for three days like you suggested?”

“And yet?”

Catherine sighed, shaking her head in dismay.

“How do you think it feels for me to watch her grovel on the floor pleading not to have to do that?”

“Well.”

“I’d rather have her collapse from overwork instead.”

“Setting aside whether that would even be possible, how did you compromise?”

“When I told her I would freeze and seal her for three days, only then did she begrudgingly accept. What a pain.”

Karem was about to pull the cover off the tray but then turned his head, seeing Mary giving him a thumbs-up. Catherine seemed exasperated, chuckling in response.

“Do you want to cancel everything and get sealed instead?”

“I must take my leave for the hungry mages now!”

What could employment even mean for a house fairy?

No matter how much I pondered it, I couldn’t come up with anything.

“Wait. Then, do I have to serve too?”

“Should I make the one being punished do it then?”

That certainly could be one way to handle it. Hmm. Serving, huh?

Karem suddenly felt a chill run through him.

“…Little one. Are you catching a cold or something?”

“No. I’m currently very calm and composed.”

“But your face is turning red.”

“Let’s focus on lunch first.”

snicker

Karem mumbled a small laugh as he lifted the cover. The sound of juices and oil sizzling began to spread through the office like raindrops.

“Ah, after dragging my feet, it’s finally time?”

“It took a while to master this dish. Sorry.”

“Well, naturally.”

In that brief moment, a refreshing scent permeated the office, spreading throughout with the feel of walking through a forest.

Not wanting to be outdone, a rich, savory aroma filled the air, exuding the essence of the meat, becoming a plump, droplet-shaped delicacy.

A mammoth meat steak topped with butter, accompanied by sautéed mushrooms, apple chutney, and gravy sat on the plate, preserved in the most delicious state.

As I admired the dish’s appearance, Catherine suddenly knitted her brows.

‘I remember someone else enjoying this before me, right?’

Of course, Karem had asked for permission.

Elder Iona, Zigmeser, and Alfred, who had intervened midway.

On top of that, it seemed he intended to learn cooking methods from the best steak chef in the castle while he was at it.

The reasons were valid.

That didn’t make the grudge disappear, though.

It was way too late for that.

“Of all things, the audacity of tasting it before the master.”

“Well, I did ask for permission in advance, you know.”

“And you threw a feast with this delicacy?”

“Can I please provide a small excuse?”

“No.”

Is he joking just because he found a weakness? As I pondered that, Catherine’s expression relaxed, and she smiled.

“Then let’s see just how well you learned.”

Catherine gestured to the seat next to her. Karem pulled out a chair and sat down next to her.

‘He certainly learned how to do it.’

Rich brown and golden hues.

The mammoth meat steak adorned with two types of crust glimmered, soaked in juices and butter not yet absorbed.

As the knife moved, the steak crackled and split apart.

The tender pink center revealed glistening juices that pooled distinctly on the plate, separate from the butter and oil.

“The mammoth’s nose. It’s been a while since I had it.”

“Have you tried it before?”

“Only a handful of times.”

Come to think of it, I heard he was about 300 years old. That info came from Olivier.

Having lived that long, surely he must have savored exquisite delicacies several times.

“I think I’m having quite an impolite thought.”

“I haven’t said anything.”

“You’re acting like it. It’s all written on your face.”

“Even so, just the steak, right?”

This little rascal. Without saying a word, Catherine playfully slapped the top of Karem’s head.

Still feeling awkward and strange, yet it all felt less than before.

Strangely enough, it was all thanks to Mary.

The best way to switch up the mood is with a third party stepping in and turning the tables.

In that sense, Mary had made her mark.

Yet the sentiment of grievance overshadowed everything else.

Ahum—Catherine naturally took a piece of steak that had come close to her mouth.

“Ah, this was the flavor.”

The juices that began to coat her mouth before chewing curdled and flicked around with a burst of vibrant flavors.

Each time her teeth tore through the meat’s grain, she felt a chewy texture complementing the crispy crust until it eventually splintered and erupted with a powerful meaty aroma.

All the while, a thick, rich flavor that was almost perplexing flowed smoothly without interruption.

And yet…

“I still don’t quite like it.”

“It’s delicious, right? What? You think it’s bad?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.”

With a calm expression, Catherine continued.

“It’s too rich. The texture is fine, but the aromas are too diverse, and it feels off balance and bothersome.”

Catherine abruptly paused her cutting as she flicked her fingers in front of Karem’s face.

“So don’t get me wrong; I prefer other parts of the mammoth over the nose. It’s just personal preference.”

“Then why did you get so worked up about not cooking the nose?”

“Ah, that’s a separate matter from preference.”

“Separate matter, you say…”

“You expect me to enjoy delicacies without the master present? That’s just rude.”

It was just simple grumbling. I mean, her reaction was far too clean to consider it childish mischief.

“Well, it has been a while, but true… the flavor is still overpowering. Even after such a long time, it remains unchanged.”

“Should I clear this up and bring something else?”

“No, I will finish all that has been grilled.”

Karem added apple chutney on top of the steak.

If it’s just a matter of preference and not a matter of taste, then there’s nothing that can be done.

It was a failure, but thankfully not a disastrous one.

“Yum. By the way, what’s Zigmeser planning to make?”

“Zigmeser? What about him?”

“King Frost. I even handed it over personally.”

“Ah, that. He hasn’t decided yet.”

“Hmm?”

Catherine frowned a little and shook her head right away.

“No, that makes sense. Even if Jack Frost were completely frozen to death, deciding what to make out of a solid block of ice may be a bit ambiguous.”

“So he asked for a bit of help with the ideas.”

Karem shrugged while holding his utensils.

“There are dishes you can make with ice, but I’m not entirely sure, so I was pondering it.”

“Hmm. Little one, you and Zigmeser seem to be thinking too hard about it.”

“Huh? It’s difficult?”

“First off, the steak. With mushrooms.”

Karem neatly presented a piece of steak topped with sautéed mushrooms.

“Well, what do you think decorative dishes are about?”

“I guess it’s more about aesthetics in cooking?”

“Exactly. It’s not about the taste at all. To put it straightforwardly, you only need to focus on the appearance and shape. That’s the kind of cooking it is. To put it bluntly, you don’t even need to make a dish; making King Frost into a vessel would suffice.”

“Woah.”

If the taste doesn’t matter, then the task became simple.

Besides, Catherine had just tossed out an idea moments ago.

“Can I use what you just suggested, Sir Atanitas?”

“What? So using King Frost as a vessel, is it?”

Catherine waved her hand dismissively as if to say go ahead.

“Then I should probably sell my portion of the nose to my lord.”

“Or should we cook it another way next time?”

“Huh? Let’s hear it.”

“How about a stew? It’s a dish from my past life. I was thinking of using the mammoth’s nose—”

Catherine suddenly displayed interest as if she had heard something intriguing.

 

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