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Zigmeser’s complaints left a lingering sense of ambiguity.

After all, unlike Zigmeser and the other chefs, who belonged to their own establishments, he was strictly under Catherine’s command, though that was hard for me to grasp.

Yet, that ambiguity transformed the moment I was led out of the Mage Tower alongside Zigmeser by Alicia.

Ziiiiing—

“This feels like more eyes are on us than I expected.”

“I told you so! You didn’t believe me, did you?”

“No, I do believe you. I just… wow.”

Shall I call it a sense of reality?

No matter how imaginative a person might be, there’s an undeniable difference in vividness between indirect experience and firsthand encounters.

And Karem finally understood the weight of the pressure that Zigmeser was under.

“Oh, Your Highness! Karem and… the head chef are also with you. Where are you hurrying off to?”

“I’m on my way to deliver some good news to Mother.”

“Oh, I think I can guess what it is.”

Every servant moving goods, every gardener pruning, every knight and soldier walking by, all gave us blatant stares.

Ziiiiiiing—

The emotions behind those gazes weren’t malicious, but neither were they welcoming.

If that were all, I could easily brush it off, given that we had quite the crime of not providing meat for the pregnant Duchess.

‘Why am I being looked at?’

For some reason, those stares were also directed at Karem.

However, the emotions aimed at him were the exact opposite of those directed at Zigmeser.

There were goodwill and expectation.

“That’s just because you’re famous.”

Zigmeser whispered softly, just enough for the slightly bewildered Karem to hear.

“Famous?”

“In the cooking realm, that is.”

“Really?”

I had heard a lot of chatter about his cooking, but how did that relate to the situation we were currently in… oh.

“Nausea?”

“Yeah. Since the lady is still suffering from it, she’s relying on you. Unlike me and my subordinates, who are just chipping away at the bare rocks.”

“That’s a bit of a headache—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Alicia quickly turned her head away, her cute face with enhanced features blinking rapidly.

“Headache?”

“No, more importantly, isn’t it around class time? It’s well past lunch…”

“…Shhh! More important than that, I thought it was urgent to let Mother know you’ve arrived.”

Of course, with Alicia being someone who enjoyed all the delicious food in the world, it’d be astonishing to find out that someone next to her couldn’t eat meat.

With a determined, almost serious expression, Alicia confidently led us forward, her face radiating a sense of purpose.

Thus, we were dragged all the way to Winterhome’s estate.

The gazes inside the estate, much like those I had felt outside, were sharp.

“Oh wow.”

The confined environment intensified that feeling.

It was enough to raise the little hairs on my skin.

As we passed through the corridor and ascended the stairs, the warm honeyed gazes that had fallen on the lead Alicia turned razor-sharp whenever they landed on Zigmeser, piercing like the cold beyond the mountain ranges.

These weren’t just people Zigmeser could treat lightly, but even the maids who usually bent over backward for him were included.

“Alicia! Where are you rushing off to so busily?”

At the sight of Alicia, a giant who had been walking some distance away alongside the young Rimus approached.

“But isn’t it class time right now?”

“Shhhhh! Your voice is too loud. I’m engaged in something far more important than class, so keep it down!”

“Is it a mission?”

“It’s Karem. I believe he’ll solve the issues Mother is facing.”

The looks from the giant and Rimus, who were not about to argue with Alicia, were even more intense than those of the people we had just passed.

And gazes towards Zigmeser weren’t any different.

“Perfect timing! We were heading to escort the Duchess as well!”

“Then we can go together.”

Karem observed.

The giant speaking to Alicia had never once glanced towards Zigmeser, not even mentioning him.

Yet, even with a smile on his face, Zigmeser was clearly feeling the pressure, as beads of cold sweat gathered on the smooth scalp of the balding dwarf, sliding down wrinkled skin.

As Zigmeser’s expression brightened, the giant’s eyebrows twitched.

“Then, Lady Alicia. Is that chef, Karem, the one you’re talking about? Since Zigmeser and the others had failed.”

“That’s right. Karem’s exceptional cooking is bound to work.”

“Hmm. I think so too. Absolutely.”

And this time, those honey-dripping stares turned towards me with the same intensity they had when they looked at Alicia.

“Being stared at like that is a bit overwhelming.”

“Whoops, think of it as us having high expectations! It’s quite concerning that you can’t eat meat!”

“Well… I guess worrying is natural.”

It seemed the worrying was putting Zigmeser and the other chefs in quite the bind.

“But, as awkward as this sounds, will it really be possible? The Duchess can’t even eat chicken right now.”

“We were just doing some special processing for that until a moment ago.”

“Special processing?”

“Yeah, so it may take a while.”

Karem stated confidently.

It wasn’t a lie.

After all, the method for making tofu from beans was hard to find in Europa, and he wasn’t pretending that beans were meat.

He just hadn’t disclosed its true nature.

“I’m curious about what it is.”

“I have already thought through the recipe, so it won’t take long.”

With such an overly confident attitude, even the giant was taken aback.

‘I hoped for a plan, but this quick?’

Of course, the giant was also someone who hoped that the Duchess would quickly and eagerly eat some juicy meat without suffering any longer.

But considering it hadn’t been a full day since he returned from vacation, did he really come up with the recipe along the way?

“In that short time?”

“I’m a genius, so just let it slide.”

“Hmm… There’s a reason for calling yourself a genius, it seems!”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

It seemed we arrived at what looked like a relaxation room. However, given the circumstances, the security was surprisingly tight. Knights and soldiers stood at intervals along the corridor, guarding the entrance.

And the overwhelming stares poured down on us at least dozens of times over.

‘Wow, this is intense.’

Every time the giant glanced this way, I felt the eyes bearing down on me from every direction. The fine hairs on my body were standing on end to the point where my skin felt prickly.

‘Zigmeser, if I may ask…’

I tapped Zigmeser while signaling with my eyes and gestures.

‘What would happen if the identity of the substitute for the Duchess’s meal was revealed?’

‘That’s obvious. The emotions behind the gazes you’re receiving will flip 180 degrees. Just like mine.’

‘That sounds a bit terrifying.’

‘Yeah. That’s the kind of stares my subordinates and I have endured for over a month.’

Suddenly, I recalled the incident when Alicia barged into the kitchen, but by then, the chickpea had vanished without a trace. Considering her height, it didn’t even seem likely she’d notice.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t let my guard down.

In any case, as we approached the door, the guards halted us.

“Halt. We need to search your bodies.”

“Excuse me? A body search?”

“Yes. I’m afraid, Lady Alicia, you’ll have to follow this maid for a moment.”

“Even for you, Lady Alicia?”

“There are no exceptions due to my lord’s orders.”

This was far more thorough than I had expected. It made me wonder if Alfred himself had suddenly gained a curiosity about such searches.

“Lord Churchill as well?”

“No, I’ve come to relieve him.”

In any case, Alicia could only enter the relaxation room after her body search was completed. The open space, filled with the aroma of coffee, had tables brimming with vividly-colored doughnuts and a kettle.

“Alicia?”

Elizabeth’s face lit up as she enjoyed snacks, attended by her maids.

“Mother! Good news! Good news!”

“Good news, you say?”

Alicia rushed toward Elizabeth, hugging her tightly.

“But isn’t it class time right now?”

“…Um!? Ahem. Mother, I think solving your problems is much more important than the classes Alicia can attend at any time…”

“Still, you should’ve at least been there.”

“Hmph.”

Alicia pouted. Karem seized that opportunity to quickly check on Elizabeth’s condition.

‘She seems healthier than I expected.’

However, due to the wretched nausea, she was noticeably thinner while eating treats compared to the last time I saw her.

“Then, Zigmeser. Is our Alicia’s good news related to you and Karem?”

“More accurately, it’s just about Karem.”

Zigmeser bowed slightly, indicating Karem with respect.

“He has found a way to resolve the painful issue the Duchess is experiencing.”

“Everyone is really exaggerating too much.”

As she spoke, Elizabeth, while pulling Alicia into her embrace, could not hide her anticipation, her expression brightening.

Naturally, it was saddening not being able to eat meat because of this nausea.

Not just a little bit sad, but overwhelmingly so.

She understood how much effort Zigmeser and the chefs were putting in, but having to forcefully abstain from a familiar taste made every day tough.

Elizabeth seemed to be surrounded by it for quite some time.

If possible, she preferred meat.

Even if she claimed to dislike greasy food.

“A way to resolve it, huh?”

Elizabeth asked with a gleeful expression.

“Then should I get my hopes up a little? I know Zigmeser and the chefs are working hard, but—”

“Ugh—!”

“Zigmeser? Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine, Milady! It’s just that this incompetently mutated dwarf was lacking in skill…!”

“It’s not that it’s tasteless! It’s just the ingredients are too plain, and it’s a little bland—”

“Ugh—!!!”

Zigmeser seemed in shock at Elizabeth’s sharp remarks, starting to pull at the smooth hairless part of his head.

If only—if only he hadn’t been born a dwarf from Eisenwald!

If he had been born an elf of Bersengzeto!

His thoughts spiraled into uncharacteristic musings for a dwarf, but that was also because he was a loyal servant of the Felwinter family.

The guilt he felt was as enormous as the angry gazes sent his way.

“But more importantly.”

As Elizabeth gently patted Alicia’s back, she slightly lowered her head.

“Alicia, you still have to go back to class.”

“Ugh. Studying is boring.”

“In exchange, you should tell Poppins to let you off from writing anything, since you came to check on me sneakily.”

Quickly, Alicia dashed out of the relaxation room.

Once the instigator had vanished, Karem also bid farewell to Zigmeser and quickly left the relaxation room alongside him.

‘Speaking of, vegetables, fruits, flour…’

Karem pondered as he parted ways with Zigmeser.

There was a necessity to ask further details later on.

The combinations to make a main dish were quite ambiguous in many ways.

‘For now, should I try making jeon (Korean pancakes)?’

If it weren’t for the recipe not being disclosed, he could whip up numerous vegetable dishes, and the repertoire would only grow, not diminish.

‘And there’s the Earth Apple.’

What could be made with potatoes could also be made with Earth Apples. Because of that, numerous seals in the recipes circling in his mind had been released after a long time without any potatoes.

However, there was one crucial point.

He had to conceal the identity of the tofu.

Nausea wasn’t permanent. If it were after the nausea had settled, it’d be fine, but if the origin of the tofu were to be revealed before that, the looks directed at Zigmeser and the chefs would also fall on Karem.

The only good fortune was that until just before being dragged away by Alicia, the only three people who knew that beans equated to tofu were Karem, Zigmeser, and the chefs.

“Karem, how was the return?”

“Yes. Is everything going smoothly?”

“As you can see, I’m filtering the bean water.”

As Mary kept straining the bean water, she spilled when Karem came closer.

“And Karem, the rewards that arrived for you have been kept in the refrigerator.”

“Rewards?”

Karem tilted his head.

“Yes. It’s the rice the Contractor requested from the Royal Palace.”

“Keep on filtering it!”

He dashed out of the kitchen, making use of his Divine Power.

 

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