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Just like the elves of Bersengzeto prefer a vegetarian diet, the people of the Kingdom of Seophone fundamentally lean towards meat consumption.

They love anything made of meat, such as steak, roast beef, whole roasts, pies, stews, soups, and sausages, but they particularly adore these two meat dishes.

Steak and roast beef.

No less than that, both dishes boasted a reputation that reached the mainland, famous enough to attract chefs who came to this village-like island for studying culinary arts.

Of course, half of them sought refuge here rather than genuine education, but that wasn’t too important.

In any case, the people of Seophone were sincerely devoted to their meat.

Naturally, Alicia, who had no concept of the word “picky eater” in her mind, was unconsciously prioritizing meat.

Dessert? That’s a different matter.

Sweet treats occupy a separate stomach.

In such a manner, Alicia was experiencing a culture shock for the first time in ages.

The scale of that shock was as great as the first time she was treated to pudding while sneaking into the Mage Tower.

“What… what is this sensation…?”

Alicia could hardly believe what had just happened to her mouth.

Alicia woke up with her eyes wide like a dark clan that had just broken free from its seal, just before the rooster in the village, where she’d stopped to fix her wagon, crowed.

And just as if she had predicted this situation, she dashed towards Catherine’s abode with Popins, who had already been awake.

Half a day, short yet long.

Alicia finally beheld the embodiment of patience, radiating a mouthwatering aroma.

The instant she sliced it with a long bread knife, the juices flowed like a waterfall.

The expression “juices flowing like a waterfall” might also apply when cutting into a typical steak or roast beef.

However, barbecue was different.

Juices and fat gushed out like a torrential downpour. Comparing the thickness, the amount of juices was astonishingly plentiful.

As Alicia stared blankly at the scene, a mound of perfectly trimmed brisket had gradually piled up on her plate.

The outer crust looked as black as if it were charred, while the meat beneath it transitioned from pinkish-red to gray as one went deeper, with juices pooling like a clear puddle.

Alicia stared at the shocking sight, and instinctively grabbed a piece of barbecue brisket to eat.

Then came a memory lapse.

To understand what had just happened, Alicia solemnly picked up another piece of brisket.

“Fwooorrrrr-”

Alicia exhaled a sigh of shock.

There was no time to deliver a post-evaluation.

With a tenderness that barely allowed cutting with a spoon, the barbecue brisket was exceedingly soft.

Just holding it made the meat seem as though it would pull apart like silk, collapsing like a pile of broken wooden bricks.

Once it entered her mouth, there was no need to move her teeth.

Merely the pressure of her tongue caused the brisket to disintegrate, making the comparison to a cake soaked in syrup an understatement; it crumbled, mashed, and melted away.

Yet paradoxically, the texture of the brisket’s muscle remained intact. Alicia could feel a steak-like texture slipping between her teeth.

And throughout the disintegration in her mouth, the brisket continuously released juices and fat.

No greasiness was detected whatsoever.

At first, it might have been attributed to a strangely refreshing tang.

But Felwinter’s baby bear tongue discerned another factor.

For confirmation, Alicia scooped up a chunk of brisket and stuffed it into her mouth.

Alicia quickly noticed the cause.

“This… this isn’t burnt…?”

“Um… more like the juices and fat have reduced down with apple cider, I’d say?”

“Whoa…!”

Alicia had taken a sip of apple cider before.

It was sweet and slightly sour, leaving her wanting to drink more.

If that’s the case, the outer black color signifies the concentrated flavor resulting from the juices, fat, and apple cider being simmered down through heat…!

Karem introduced it as bark.

“If you’ve eaten beef, you should try pork too.”

“Huh? What—wait, Mary! Karem!?”

Alicia’s eyes widened as shocking scenes unfolded in front of her.

“Cram it.”

With a squish, the pig’s foreleg, coated in bark and resembling pudding, was ruthlessly smashed in Mary’s hands.

“Kitty… Kitty…!”

“Not Kitty, it’s Catherine. More importantly, just watch.”

How could someone commit such a brutal act against meat that looked so beautiful and delicious like pudding!

Contrary to Alicia’s inner thoughts, she couldn’t utter a word.

Overwhelmed by excessive shock, Alicia was left speechless.

How could there be such tampering with food! She believed neither Mary nor Karem would do that…!

With a shuddering impact, Mary carelessly tossed a messy heap of meat onto Alicia’s plate, resembling a tangled ball of threads.

“Karem’s junior called it pulled pork.”

“Just try it first. Speak after that, hm?”

Karem’s logic held true. If the taste didn’t meet expectations after trying it, then it could be addressed later.

Alicia observed the dark brown sauce seeping into the pulled pork, like water soaking into a puddle, woven through the strands of messily piled pulled pork.

“Uh, it’s drenched in sauce.”

Thinking that it couldn’t be eaten with hands, Alicia finally scooped some with a fork, flinching.

A familiar yet unfamiliar sweetness burst forth, suffused with a tart tang that tingled on her tongue.

“K-Karem. What… what is this sauce…?!”

“That’s barbecue sauce.”

Barbecue sauce. Right.

Karem had indeed said these meats were barbecue.

It certainly lived up to that name.

True to its characteristic name—a sauce named after its dish—the barbecue sauce meshed harmoniously with this meat dish more than any other sauce ever could.

And upon taking another bite, the distinct flavor of the barbecue sauce hit her tongue with such force that Alicia instinctively devised a way to make the pulled pork even tastier.

“Don’t just eat it straight—”

“Bread… Alicia needs bread…!”

“Here you go.”

As soon as Mary handed her the soft and fluffy bread, Alicia hastily cut it with a knife.

She layered pulled pork, brisket, and coleslaw within the halved bread and took a ¡huge bite.

“Yum! Mmm! Uh-uh-uh!”

Yes! This is it! This flavor is everything!

The moment she squished the barbecue sandwich in her mouth.

The barbecue sauce oozing from the pulled pork nestled between the butter-scented bread.

Following suit was the brisket, defiantly disassembling itself with fat and juices, each flavor and scent exploding forth.

Ending the rampage were the refreshing, crunchy coleslaw, teasing her tired mouth and tongue with a satisfying crunch.

The position of being the noble Young Lady of the Duke’s Family stood in stark contrast to her conduct and actions tossed out the window, more fitting for a farmer’s youngest daughter.

However, at this moment, no one could stop her from indulging.

“This… this sauce. The meat. How on earth…”

Even Popins, who should’ve been the first to stop Alicia, was stammering as she continuously devoured the barbecue platter.

And this was using her hands to eat brisket, pulled pork, and barbecue sandwiches.

The tableware beside her was only used when consuming the coleslaw.

With Popins absorbed in the platter, Alicia felt relieved and continued her feast until—

Knock, knock, knock—

She jumped at the sound of someone knocking at the door of the house they borrowed from the rich farmer.

“Guests? At this hour?”

“Mary. Go check.”

“Then, excuse me for a moment.”

Alicia’s hand cautiously shoved brisket into her mouth while her eyes followed Mary.

She couldn’t shake an ominous feeling.

Wiping her fingers, smeared with sauce, juices, and fat, on her skirt, she secretly followed behind Mary and discovered the source of her unease.

“Your Highness Godwin? Your Highness William? And who might those behind you be…?”

“Ahem. Good morning.”

“The delicious aroma is wafting through the air.”

“Ahem. Excuse me, esteemed guests—”

Through the door were Alfred, Godwin, William, and Viktor.

Behind them, it appeared several villagers had come along as well.

Alicia’s instincts warned her that her beloved brothers and the village folk were nothing but competitors…!

“No way!”

Alicia let out a shrill scream and swiftly slammed the door that Mary had just opened. As Mary and the villagers stared at her, bewildered, Alicia declared.

“I will eat it all!”

Mary and the villagers were rendered speechless.

Indeed, Alicia held a very high social position.

“Alicia? What rudeness is this all of a sudden?”

“Plump one. Open the door nicely now! Before I rip it apart!”

Of course, her words didn’t reach Alfred and the Felwinter brothers.

Thus, Alicia’s little rebellion was swiftly quelled.

*

“God of Fire! God of Fire! God of Fire! God of Fire!”

“My goodness! How can the meat be this tender…?!”

“They say it’s been roasting since last night; why is it so delicious!?”

“What kind of ingredient did Karem use for this secret sauce to achieve such a taste!?”

Money-spending guests and all the villagers gathered in the bustling yard of the house.

They were all praising a piece of thinly sliced brisket lightly coated in barbecue sauce and a sprinkle of pulled pork.

Naturally, they began to offer gifts as if they had all had a wonderful experience.

“But it’s so tantalizing; can’t I get a bit more to savor?”

“Right here, just for the people present. There’s no more.”

“Oh, ohhh. I wished to try even a single piece more.”

“If the village chief wants, I can write down the method in detail—”

“Oh, ohh! Then what about that sauce!?”

“Um. That’s a bit troublesome. It contains my secret recipe.”

Karem said that as he darted away, promising to fetch more gifts as a small festival commenced in the yard.

The secret of the barbecue sauce?

That would be soy sauce.

Originally, the indispensable ingredient in barbecue sauce was Worcestershire sauce, which required the irreplaceable tamarind bean.

Unfortunately, there was no way to obtain this, so they replaced it with reduced vinegar soy sauce, creating an inferior product compared to the original.

Karem returned back inside the house, to the kitchen. Godwin and William had long since eaten, and with Alicia missing, it was quiet now.

As Karem was being served by Mary while sitting next to Catherine, who was having barbecue for breakfast, he asked.

“So, when did Alicia leave?”

“When you were outside sharing with Mary. She left already in a huff.”

Catherine, having gnawed on a piece of brisket that Mary had served, shook her head, as if saying she couldn’t stop her.

“It looked like she was so mad that I thought she’d explode if poked.”

“Ah, well. That’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

Karem was confident that nothing could quell Alicia’s anger better than food.

If he prepared a suitable dessert, she would surely cheer up.

It worked like a charm the last time she had a tantrum.

“So…”

Karem decided to ask the more crucial question.

“Was the barbecue tasty enough to forgive the forgotten curse?”

“…”

“…Excuse me?”

“Ugh.”

Catherine laughed, still focused on the barbecue.

Only then could Karem feel at ease and celebrate.

 

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