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Mary cleaned up every last bit of the huge sweet and sour pork and the plentiful fried rice she had made.

“Ah.”

When your belly is full, a million thoughts come to mind.

Only then did Karem realize he had made a serious mistake.

“I should have made jajangmyeon and egg soup.”

“Then why not just make them and eat more?”

“No. Ugh. I can’t eat anymore.”

Ugh, I almost burped. Karem, patting his belly, nodded at Mary’s questioning gaze, asking if he was really done.

In that moment, he lost control and stuffed his face like Alicia.

Thanks to that, the emptiness inside him was filled to over 95%, leaving his body, mind, and head clearer than before.

So it was time to deal with the tasks that had been pushed aside for a moment. It was time to organize the methods and recipes for tofu and tofu-derived products, along with examples of their applications.

Tofu appears rather bland and is a staple food often thrown into soup or stew when lacking in flavor. That’s why many ideas sprang to mind.

Besides dumplings, rice cakes, and braised dishes, it could also be used when mixing vegetables, and original tofu soup is primarily made with tofu.

As the scope expanded to Chinese, Japanese, and Western cuisines, the ideas just kept growing. Particularly in Chinese cuisine.

China has revered pork and tofu for ages, and the emperors would frequently contact neighboring countries asking them to send artisans because they found their tofu exceptional.

However, the recipes were limited to dishes where tofu is primarily used. If I expanded to include other ingredients, I could never organize it all by tomorrow.

Above all, the first thing to consider was Elizabeth’s morning sickness.

With that restriction in place, it seemed manageable before sleep.

Yet still, troublesome matters remained.

“The texture… needs to be as close as possible.”

If tofu dishes were to be served, it wouldn’t matter, but anyway, I had to ensure a minimal justification for filling it with meat.

The unique soybean flavor and aroma of tofu would be dealt with in the cooking process, and the texture would be adjusted by either frying or removing moisture.

However, unlike frying, removing moisture is quite the time-consuming task.

It would finish quickly with the power of a magic tool, but Karem chose a simpler method.

“…I see what you think of me, Karem junior.”

“So there’s no such magic?”

“Of course not! Should I just remove as much as possible?”

“No. If it’s completely removed, it becomes a rock. Just this part until I say stop.”

Tofu turning into a rock?

It sounds like a joke, but it’s true.

In the Joseon Dynasty, tofu was a preserved food.

And there’s one characteristic of preserved foods before modern times.

If you hit them with a rock, they’d be hard enough to break the rock.

Tofu was no exception, and records often reveal that dried tofu was used to crack open heads during the Joseon era.

Of course, preserved foods exist worldwide, so such records aren’t confined to just Joseon.

There are records from various parts of the world where hardtack was used to crack open an enemy’s or comrade’s head or even a rock itself.

Anyway, there’s nothing special about the cooking method to remove the unique soybean flavor and aroma of tofu. You just need to stew it in a rich sauce, mix it in, or boil it thoroughly in broth.

You can even apply the previously mentioned frying method to remove it too.

This way, it becomes what we commonly know as deep-fried tofu.

Of course, even with this effort, it won’t taste like meat. It’s impossible even with vegan soy meat.

Tofu is, after all, tofu.

No matter how you handle it, it’s ultimately far removed from meat.

Fortunately, the only people who know tofu is tofu, including Karem, are Zigmeser, Mary, and perhaps Michael from Bendleig. Probably.

Of course, the unusual remarks would naturally arise.

Karem had prepared justifications in advance for that.

“As long as a significant portion of the juices and flavors were inevitably lost during processing and cooking, that would suffice.”

If found out, he would receive the fiery glares of the people in the castle, as he anticipated, but Karem decided to think about that when the time came.

Meanwhile, while Karem was organizing the recipes, Alicia was deep in thought.

Of course, it wasn’t related to any class-related worries.

“What was Karem working on?”

Although class had yet to be dismissed, it should have finished well before now if he hadn’t run away, making it natural for her to drift into other thoughts.

Especially since the image of Karem stealthily hiding something with Mary just moments ago played vividly in her mind.

“…It must be that for Mama, right?”

Thinking of Elizabeth, concern surged within Alicia.

Despite Zigmeser and the cooks’ efforts, Elizabeth’s food intake had certainly declined. Each time Alicia embraced her, she felt Elizabeth’s arms growing weaker.

The cause, surely, lay in Elizabeth’s morning sickness. She must be unable to eat meat!

Immediately, Alicia recalled a complaint Elizabeth had absentmindedly made today.

The horrifying content that sprang to mind unintentionally made her frown.

She wanted a little sibling, but not like this.

“…Your Grace? Are you focused?”

“Huh?!”

“It’s almost done, so just endure a bit more.”

“Um, um, sorry.”

Even as Alicia tried to focus back on Poppins’ lesson, her thoughts continued to wander.

Contrary to Zigmeser, who was anxious in the Mage Tower’s kitchen, Karem appeared confident.

No matter how she thought about it, it was clearly food for Elizabeth. But how? She couldn’t bear the smell of meat or seafood, so how was she eating separately?

Questions piled up one after another. Eventually, Poppins announced the end of the class, and Alicia drew her conclusion.

“Normally, there should be additional homework for running away during class.”

“Ugh. But Mama—”

“Yes. Considering the Duchess’s words, I will let it slide.”

“Yay!”

With no homework, there was nothing to pack.

Alicia dashed out of the classroom immediately.

Her plan was simple.

It wasn’t even a proper plan.

“I’m too curious, I have to go see for myself!”

Sneaking into the Wizard’s Tower was a natural occurrence for Alicia. It was even to the point where Catherine had tacitly given her permission.

However, Alicia didn’t intend to go right away.

Being curious and barging in would only heighten their vigilance.

It would be the same for unexpected circumstances.

Alicia just wanted to quickly see what Karem was trying to hide and slip out without anyone noticing.

But for that, a huge sacrifice was necessary.

“Hey? You’re not feeling unwell, are you?”

“No, I don’t feel sick.”

“I feel like you’ve only eaten half of what you usually do.”

“Umm, thinking about Mama, who hasn’t eaten meat for two months…”

Alicia brushed aside the worries of Godwin and William.

If you eat too much, you’ll feel drowsy later, so she filled her stomach just enough.

On a normal day, everyone would have taken it seriously, but thankfully, considering Elizabeth’s circumstances, everyone understood and passed it off. Instead, they looked at her with appreciative and proud glances.

Yet there were times even she struggled to bear.

“This is a cake made using the fresh Amadeus gifted by Baron Bolton.”

“…Grrr. Just one piece, please.”

“One piece is enough?”

“Ah, no! Four pieces, I’ll stop at that!”

Despite the ugly sight of the decadent Amadeus cake, Alicia held herself back, waiting her turn with four pieces in mind.

In her heart, she wanted to devour the whole thing!

Afterward, she only had a little bit for a midnight snack before lying down on her bed.

As night fell, the darkness in Winterhome was illuminated by torches. The sounds throughout the castle gradually quieted down.

Right after a maid confirmed Alicia was asleep and left,

‘This is the opportunity!’

She quickly got out of bed.

Alicia, dressed in casual clothes, threw her pajamas over the pillows and cushions to imitate herself asleep and tidied up the messy bed.

All her actions were so silent, as if a cat could leap and land without making a noise.

Sneaking out of Winterhome was a far too simple task for Alicia.

Unless someone unexpectedly entered her room, since the maid had already come and gone, no one would come in until dawn.

Thus, Alicia evaded the patrolling guards and knights, as well as the servants and attendants concentrating on their work late into the night, and slipped out of Winterhome, darting into the shadows of the castle illuminated by moonlight on her way to the Mage Tower.

No one noticed Alicia’s stealthy night stroll, much like an archaeologist, or as they’re technically known, a grave robber.

“Hey? Hmm… it’s just the sound of the wind, right?”

When entering the Wizard’s Tower too.

Alicia seized the moment when a wizard on duty dozed off while watching the window.

The door was managed so well that not even a whisper could be heard when a girl barely passed through.

‘Here… like this?’

The various traps and defense magic set up in the Mage Tower posed no problem for Alicia.

Where to place her foot, where to jump. She instinctively knew when to pass by or when to stop.

Alicia had no clue why she was capable of this.

She didn’t even think of asking anyone about it.

Just.

Just because she could.

For Alicia, it was a perfectly natural occurrence.

That simple perception meant the defense magic set by the mages in the tower was easily bypassed without any trouble.

If this happened so often, it was fortunate there were no disciplinary measures to be taken.

And so today, Alicia was once again bypassing the defensive and trap magic.

Thud-thud—

The sound of the biggest obstacle approached.

It was the footsteps of Mary, the house fairy, and the cruel master of capturing freedom.

For some reason, Alicia’s body reacted before her mind did.

She quickly pressed herself behind the corner of the corridor and the sofa, holding her breath to completely conceal her presence.

“The snacks for the wizard on duty will come later…”

Thud-thud-thud—

Once she began suppressing her presence, the chances of being caught were fifty-fifty.

Fortunately, this time, she was not discovered.

After Mary’s footsteps faded into the distance, Alicia lingered behind the sofa for a moment before emerging.

“Phew, I thought I was caught.”

While relief washed over her, she couldn’t let her guard down.

As a house fairy, Mary could teleport anywhere within the tower at any moment.

Alicia remained tense and moved her footsteps.

“I should be able to find the ingredients… in the refrigerator?”

If they weren’t there, she decided to think about that when the time came, opening the refrigerator door quietly and closing it quickly.

Crisp! Crisp! Crisp! Crisp!

“Huh?”

“Ah!?”

She stumbled upon Robin, who was stealing cookies.

Robin hadn’t expected to meet Alicia in the tower at this hour and looked quite shocked.

The fact he didn’t immediately yell out that a pig was present was proof he was stunned.

Of course, Alicia was equally shocked by Robin’s unexpected presence.

But her reasons were slightly different.

‘Cookies!’

And not just regular cookies.

These were Bersengzeto cookies with copious amounts of butter and finely chopped almonds, with caramel made according to Mary’s preferences.

Alicia knew exactly how they tasted and felt, and her stomach demanded she eat them right away!

Her head and instincts shared the same desires!

Grrr—

Alicia’s stomach growled thunderously.

Had she eaten heartily for dinner as usual, there would be no growl at this moment.

Or if she had snuck snacks into her bedroom just before sneaking out, her stomach would have been content and quiet.

Grrr—

The growl echoed again, and she realized it a beat too late.

But it was already too late.

Bam!

“Ugh, Mary!”

“Gasp!”

Mary suddenly appeared behind Alicia, staring blankly at the two of them in turn.

 

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