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“The Giant’s Rose has withered entirely, so it’s now ready to eat.”

“Hm? The Giant’s Rose?”

With a cautious stomach, Godwin swallowed some oat rice while carefully chewing on a piece of the teriyaki pork barbecue, then turned his head.

Every plant blooms and fades with the seasons.

The once vividly red giant rose seemed to have already lost its brilliance, as autumn was just around the corner.

However, it seduced Godwin with a gently warm aroma of broth that rivaled the strong smell of teriyaki sauce, as if it were telling him not to forget its presence.

“Ah, I shouldn’t be having the broth right now.”

“You’re actually going to hold back? Your tired tongue is calling for that warm broth.”

“That’s why you delayed the order. So that’s it.”

The look on Godwin’s face revealed he felt a little trapped.

Bread tends to puff up to its limit when it meets broth.

The main ingredient of bread was grain, and the oat rice he was eating was the same.

In this situation, where his stomach was filling faster than usual, he knew it wasn’t a good idea to indulge in the broth now.

However, Godwin’s tongue was silently screaming, clinging to reason and urging him to bring that savory-smelling clear broth over.

From teriyaki barbecue to ratatouille and pelmeni, every dish Godwin had eaten was heavily seasoned due to Karem’s schemes.

In other words, his tongue was thoroughly fatigued.

Normally, a plain staple would soothe this.

But the not-so-soft texture of the oat rice was transmitting fatigue to his tongue through his teeth as he chewed it carefully.

Godwin caught on to Karem’s scheme.

His stomach was now demanding food faster than usual.

His tongue couldn’t relieve the fatigue.

His teeth were indirectly conveying that fatigue.

He was about to let instinct take over greed.

Of course, that meant reason would soon follow.

“Ah, crap. I don’t know anymore. Just give me a bowl.”

“Yes. One bowl of the Giant’s Rose coming right up.”

“By the way, who named this dish? Zigmeser?”

“Lord Zigmeser named it at a glance.”

“Ah, I figured that.”

“Huh?”

Figured that? What does that mean?

Taken aback by the sudden conclusion, Karem turned his head away while ladling out the millefeuille hotpot to keep it from falling apart.

“You figured that?”

“Well, Karem, you’re not very good at naming things.”

“From my perspective, other names would be even more cringeworthy.”

“Oh really? Then tell me what you originally wanted to name this hotpot dish.”

“Millefeuille hotpot.”

“I thought so.”

Just hearing that naturally cringe-worthy pronunciation sent shivers down Godwin’s spine.

“It’s quite intuitive. Like leaves on a ceiling. But that’s neither here nor there. Did you name it with the word frog from Bersengzeto? The Giant’s Rose sounds much cooler and more convincing.”

“Yup, yup. They always say I’m the odd one for being wrong. So true.”

“Wouldn’t that make your exceptional cooking skills inversely proportional to your naming sense?”

“You can eat now, Your Highness.”

Oh my, you guys are the ones being cringeworthy, aren’t you?

Holding back his true thoughts, Karem quietly set the bowl in front of Godwin.

Godwin chuckled at that reaction and picked up his spoon.

He was taken aback.

Part of the giant rose, which had embraced autumn, lay submerged in a transparent broth adorned with glistening fat—still maintaining its shape.

Steam wafted up from the bowl, still warm.

The comforting and nutty aroma made Godwin’s stomach rumble.

If he drank the broth, his stomach would surely fill up quickly.

Godwin briefly pondered.

But as this was happening, Godwin’s spoon slowly extended toward the bowl.

The thin slices of beef, upon contact with the spoon along with the cabbage, gently broke apart and collected with the broth.

The beef was already marbled, and after being simmered, it was even softer.

“Ah, I need to eat more.”

Inevitably, instinct overtook reason.

Godwin carefully put the spoon into his mouth.

The cabbage broke apart like fallen leaves as it touched his tongue, and the broth quickly spread through his mouth.

A mild umami of the land and sea harmoniously filled his mouth, soothing it.

The heaviness and saltiness dissipated.

Only then did Godwin start to move his teeth.

Really, he hardly needed to move them at all.

The tender beef, while not as soft as the broth that had disappeared or the cabbage that had long scattered, still fell apart with just the motion of his tongue.

As the meat shredded, its rich flavor and fat seeped out like the earth drinking in the rain.

A gentle ocean scent.

Broth of vegetables and mushrooms.

The flavor and aroma—none dominated.

Yet, the harmonious and soft flavor brought peace to Godwin’s stimulated mouth and nose.

Once. Now, twice with mushrooms.

Repeating this scoop, the contents quickly disappeared.

Having polished off one bowl and moving on to the second and third, Godwin’s patience eventually reached its limit.

With that, he left his spoon behind and drank down the broth along with the leftovers.

Noble etiquette? Not this time.

He delicately sipped with his spoon.

Godwin could no longer hold back.

“Whoo—”

“Seems like you’re no longer complaining and are quite satisfied?”

“I’m practically dying to gulp down this salty broth with the oat rice on the side, wishing I could just dive into the pot and eat it all.”

“Of course, you can’t. Eating greens like that will make you gain weight.”

“I just had a little taste. Only a taste.”

“Would you like another bowl?”

“Uh, uh—ahh!”

Godwin, who had been silently watching Karem take the bowl away, was struck dumb.

The cabbage and beef on the common seats, which had been piled high, had undergone a complete transformation.

Specifically, the broth.

The clear, transparent broth was now dyed bright red.

And the bubbling pot was filled with assorted vegetables, mushrooms, and thin slices of beef that repeatedly went up and down.

A broth thickened with the essence of vegetables, mushrooms, and meat, spiced up with a kick that invigorated the senses.

And Godwin could see something more in the mix.

As he cooled down his mouth, letting out gentle breaths while the spicy air filled his senses, the servants brought flat white noodles and dumped them straight into the pot.

Godwin instinctively sensed it.

I have to eat that!

“Karem, I want to eat that too. But I guess I can’t, right?”

“You can’t. Those noodles are made from flour.”

“Ugh. I knew it was too white.”

Godwin was displeased by the fact.

“Then at least I need to boil the Giant’s Rose down there spicy like that to eat.”

“Um, but there’s still a long way to go. If you have more broth here—”

“I know. Of course, I do. But how am I supposed to hold back from that?”

“Well, if that’s how you feel, I understand.”

Of course, Karem understood Godwin’s feelings.

Millefeuille hotpot. The flower of shabu-shabu is enjoyed as dessert with the noodles or porridge at the end. How can you resist that? What? Noodles and porridge aren’t dessert? If you try it, you’ll think differently.

But sadly, Godwin could not indulge.

The only carbohydrates permitted to Godwin right now were the oat rice.

Let’s aim for a chance after losing some weight. Karem decisively cut off Godwin’s request and grabbed a servant replenishing the royal seats’ food to bring the seasoning sauce.

He dumped it straight into the broth, scraping up the remaining bits and tossing them all in neatly.

As Karem stirred the pot, the once clear broth rapidly turned red.

The pot, now filled with the red broth, simmered gently.

Bubbles occasionally stirred the beef and cabbage, releasing puffs of white steam.

As the wholesome broth was combined with a sharp spicy scent, Godwin couldn’t help but salivate.

“Seems like your appetite just kicked in suddenly?”

“Of course, with such a stimulating and spicy scent wafting around.”

“But are you really going to eat it?”

“My stomach will definitely fill up fast, but that’s a problem for me after I eat this. Quick, bring me a bowl…”

And Godwin suddenly found himself speechless mid-sentence.

Typically, when you lose your words, it means you’ve seen something shocking.

Godwin’s eyes didn’t catch anything particularly special.

He simply spotted a gigantic—you could only describe it as gigantic—egg tart.

The servants placed the huge egg tart on a plate right in front of Catherine and, at Alicia’s request, served it up on her plate as well.

As Mary cut the giant egg tart sitting on Catherine’s plate in half, the custard inside overflowed like a dam—no, like bubbling lava—spilling everywhere.

The enticing aroma of the spicy dish became an afterthought.

Godwin could only shut his eyes tightly, unable to form any words.

“Lord Godwin. I know what you’re thinking, but that thing is something you shouldn’t eat right now. Just the butter in it alone…”

“Yeah, I know. Damn it!”

“If you lose a bit of weight, you can eat as much as you want.”

“But what’s the point of not being able to eat it right now?!”

“Would eating that instead of the things you’ve just had be a moment of happiness? You won’t even feel a tickle.”

“Well, of course—”

At that moment, Godwin locked eyes with William.

William’s cheeks were so puffed out that they were about to burst from the massive egg tart.

William, with half a bite taken out, extended the custard-laden egg tart towards Godwin, teasingly pulling it back and lifting the corners of his mouth.

At that provocation, Godwin shook with rage.

How dare he not only comfort his brother but also provoke him!

But William didn’t seem to care and flaunted their brotherly love to the family and guests.

“What do you think of this?”

“—To hell with that brat’s head. Huh?”

“You’ll have to eat dishes similar to today’s meals for every meal tomorrow, but you can replace breakfast with that giant egg tart. Will you accept it?”

“Is that even a proposal?”

Godwin had already downed the spicy broth that Karem refilled.

“Of course, I’ll accept it!”

With that, Godwin immediately focused on his meal.

Thanks to the clear answer lightening his heart, his movements felt much lighter.

“Ah, Karem.”

“Yes?”

“Just asking, but if I can replace a meal with a dessert, can I do that going forward—”

“I’m quite lenient as it is. If you bring this up to the Duchess, goodness knows what’ll happen.”

“Is that so?”

Godwin sighed in disappointment.

Ugh, it was a good idea while it lasted.

 

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