~Chapter 3~
If only the Lady of Lycaeon would say they could use the ingredients, then the people of the Grand Duke of Rohaim would have a justification…
But Alex didn’t hold out much hope.
Even if the Lady of Lycaeon was to marry the Grand Duke, there was no reason she would help them.
At that moment,
the carriage door opened.
Delfina, who had been quietly staying inside, appeared.
‘The master’s future fiancée.’
For the Grand Duke to formalise an engagement, the Emperor’s permission was required.
‘Because the Grand Duke’s house carries imperial blood. Besides, our Lord is high in the line of succession, so he can’t just marry anyone. But the daughter of House Lycaeon…’
As soon as talks of the engagement began, the Duke of Lycaeon expressed willingness to send Delfina to the North.
‘Probably because of the Emperor’s command. To plant her as a spy within us.’
The ploy was so obvious that it was almost laughable.
That was why they were now escorting Delfina to the North.
Alex looked displeased as he watched her step down from the carriage.
Then he realised something.
‘The Lycaeon people didn’t give her any food, did they?’
It was unthinkable by any normal standards.
He watched as Delfina began walking.
She was heading towards the people of House Lycaeon, who were eating stew.
Delfina looked at Sophia.
Sophia stared back at her, shocked.
‘Ah, I forgot to give her food.’
Sophia had prepared food for the others from House Lycaeon but left none for Delfina.
It wasn’t surprising. The servants of House Lycaeon often didn’t bother to prepare meals for her.
This never would have happened to any other noble,
but for Delfina, it was normal.
Since childhood, she often cooked for herself in the kitchen to avoid starving.
She remembered what the maids used to whisper when they saw her cooking.
“Ugh, at least she has some sense. Makes it easier on us when she feeds herself.”
“We’re busy with the family’s work, what does she even do all day?”
“Entertaining Lady Evelina, isn’t that it?”
“Well, thanks to her, Lady Evelina hasn’t been taking her frustration out on us lately.”
“Thinking about it, Lady Delfina is sometimes useful.”
Among those giggling maids was Sophia.
Delfina opened her mouth.
“Sophia.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“I’ll be using some ingredients.”
“…What do you mean?”
“This belongs to House Lycaeon, so I don’t need permission to use the food, do I?”
Sophia looked flustered.
Delfina glanced at the system window floating above Sophia’s head.
‘She’s not planning to make us cook, is she?’
Seeing this, Delfina let out a small laugh.
“Don’t worry. I’m only using the ingredients myself.”
Sophia flinched and stepped back, feeling chills down her spine.
It felt as if Delfina had read her thoughts.
But Delfina had no intention of borrowing Sophia’s hands.
She could see the quality of the stew Sophia and the knights were eating.
<Sophia’s Meat Stew>
Grade: F
A stew made by clumsy Sophia.
The seasoning is off.
A terrible dish failing to bring out the ingredients’ flavour.
Those who ate it are displeased by her awful cooking skills.
Sophia and the maids were terrible cooks.
Though the ingredients were high quality and smelled good, the taste was appalling.
House Lycaeon never provided a proper cook for them.
How good could food made by knights and maids be?
Delfina walked past Sophia.
‘I should make stew. It’s quick to make in large quantities.’
She planned to cook for the knights of the Grand Duke. She felt confident.
‘Since childhood I cooked for myself, and I remember my past life’s skills.’
In her previous life, she had enough skill to run a restaurant.
Even in this life, her skills had grown from cooking for herself.
‘I even had a teacher.’
Turning cheap ingredients into delicious meals was her specialty.
‘These people came for me. I can’t let them go hungry.’
She could see from the system window above the knights’ heads how tired they were.
‘A warm meal will help them recover.’
The weather would only get colder as they entered the North.
Sophia watched with displeasure but couldn’t stop her.
Delfina wasn’t handing the food to the knights – she was using it herself.
Sophia scoffed at her.
‘She’s cooked a few times at the manor and now thinks she’s a chef?’
But Delfina ignored her and stood before the cart loaded with supplies.
A strange feeling welled up inside her.
‘The reason I wanted to open a restaurant…’
In her past life too, she lost her parents young. The difference was that her grandmother raised her instead of her uncle.
Her grandmother ran a small restaurant.
The satisfied, happy faces of the tired customers eating her grandmother’s food left a deep impression on young Delfina.
‘The ingredients are better than I thought. Looks like Uncle wanted his people fed well.’
There was no time to admire them.
She had hungry guests waiting. She began preparing the ingredients and chopping them swiftly.
It felt unfamiliar to hold a kitchen knife again, but she quickly adapted.
She cooked so skillfully that those watching were left stunned.
Stew required devotion, as it needed to be simmered well.
‘Just like grandmothers put love and care into soups simmered all day for their grandchildren.’
In Korean terms, it was like gomguk (bone broth soup).
To simmer quickly, she needed to prepare everything efficiently.
Meanwhile, Alex stared blankly at Delfina.
She had requested the ingredients herself and began cooking.
It didn’t even take long. She moved with swift, practiced motions.
Strangely, even the water boiled quickly.
It felt like the world was cheering on her cooking.
How much time had passed?
Soon Delfina looked at the Grand Duke’s knights and spoke.
“Please, come here.”
Alex found himself stepping forward as if enchanted.
Her voice carried an inexplicable power.
In that moment, he forgot she was the Duke of Lycaeon’s niece – someone he needed to keep guarded against.
Delfina ladled the stew into bowls and began serving the knights.
Alex looked at the stew.
‘It smells and looks pretty good…’
She was a noble lady. Surely she’d never cooked before.
But then he heard loud sounds of eating.
Startled, he turned to see one of his fellow knights devouring the stew with incredible speed.
Alex, still stunned, took a spoonful himself.
His eyes widened.
‘It’s delicious!’
