~Chapter 4~
The environment was harsh for cooking.
Besides, Delfina had grown up as a noble lady – there was no way she’d ever cooked before.
Then why…?
From Delfina’s stew, he tasted the same flavour as his grandmother’s cooking.
The warmth of tender potatoes, the savoury depth of meat, and the creaminess that embraced it all.
With every spoonful, the flavours grew clearer.
It was familiar, yet an intense taste he’d never experienced before.
Pleasure surged across his tongue.
Delfina watched the knights hurriedly eat the stew.
Seeing people enjoying her food was always heartwarming.
Especially knowing that it was her cooking made her feel proud.
She looked at the system window floating before her.
<Delfina’s Meat Stew>
Delfina’s heartfelt meat stew.
A dish beyond the quality of its ingredients, created by a skilled cook for knights heading to the cold North.
Grade: D
The guests are very satisfied.
The knights’ favourability towards you has increased!
Eating warm stew raises their cold resistance.
You achieved the best result under harsh conditions.
The god of cooking, Prad, is pleased watching you.
Tip. If your influence in the North increases, communication with Prad will become smoother.
D-grade.
That was two ranks higher than Sophia’s F-grade stew.
Even with the same ingredients and menu, the difference in cooking skill was evident.
‘So this is the difference between talent and skill.’
She realised how significant the difference in taste was between ranks.
Only two grades apart, yet the reactions were completely different.
‘Cold resistance too!’
She didn’t know food could have such effects.
This would help immensely on the journey North.
‘But what does communicating smoothly with Prad mean?’
She was curious, but now wasn’t the time to find out.
Delfina looked at the Grand Duke’s knights.
They were so absorbed in eating they had forgotten their dignity.
Anyone watching would think they had starved for a week.
Even the people from House Lycaeon looked confused as they watched.
Seeing this, Delfina smirked.
Watching others eat delicious food always stimulated appetite.
Why else did Mukbang become a popular content in modern-day Korea?
No matter the world, people felt tempted seeing others enjoy good food.
‘They’ll either feel satisfied watching or want to eat themselves… The Duke’s people must be…’
Gulp. Loud swallowing echoed around.
Their expressions clearly said, “Just one bite… please…”
In truth, Sophia’s stew was awful, but they pretended otherwise just to show off to the Grand Duke’s people.
Now, seeing the knights devour Delfina’s stew, they couldn’t help feeling tempted.
At that moment, one of the Grand Duke’s younger knights approached Delfina.
He bowed deeply to her.
“Thank you so much for the meal!”
Delfina looked at the knight speaking to her.
His mouth was covered in stew.
He didn’t even realise it. Delfina’s lips curled into a small smile as a system window appeared above his head.
<Hans>
He feels extremely happy.
He is grateful to Delfina for reminding him of his grandmother.
She had learned system windows appeared randomly, not always showing the same information.
“Thank you. It tasted just like the stew my grandmother used to make.”
Hans smiled brightly.
“She passed away five years ago… I never thought I’d taste it again, especially here… Thank you so much.”
“No, I’m the one grateful that you enjoyed it.”
Hans’ eyes sparkled at her reply.
The wariness he had towards the Lady of Lycaeon disappeared completely.
‘I’m glad. My first meal here ended successfully.’
Delfina smiled softly.
It had been a while since she cooked, and even she had been nervous.
‘I didn’t expect to be thanked like this.’
Her heart thumped with joy.
Back in House Lycaeon, even if she did something right, she was only ever criticised.
“Always meddling where you’re not needed, ruining everyone’s mood.”
“Can’t you just shut that mouth of yours?”
“Who’d eat this garbage anyway? Just stay locked up in your room.”
Delfina thought:
‘I wasn’t wrong.’
Even if not for the quest, she would prove to her uncle and family that she could live happily without them.
‘What must I do to be happy?’
She realised she needed to keep making food that made others happy.
‘I want to own my own restaurant.’
But to do that, she had to escape her uncle.
The Duke of Lycaeon would never let her go while she lived.
‘If I ever have a child, he’ll see it as a threat. Even if not, my existence alone is valuable to him.’
At least she was fortunate to be leaving them now.
‘Because he raised me since childhood, he’s confident I’ll never betray him.’
But this was only the beginning.
She would enrich the North, earn the wish, and gain her freedom.
‘To earn the wish, I must gain the trust of the people here.’
She needed their trust to complete the system’s quest of revitalising the North.
Her eyes turned towards the Lycaeon people preparing to leave, and then to those who would accompany her to the Grand Duke’s castle.
‘They’ll be reporting everything back to Uncle.’
Every action of hers would be relayed.
But that was exactly what she wanted.
The journey continued.
After the Lycaeon knights departed, the Grand Duke’s knights bought supplies from nearby villages.
With the abundance of ingredients, Delfina’s cooking became even tastier.
The knights were taking a short break at the campsite.
Alex watched Delfina busily preparing snacks for them.
Her hands moved quickly as she cooked something for the knights.
He realised something felt strange.
For the future Grand Duchess to personally prepare food for knights was unthinkable.
‘But… her food was irresistible.’
Moreover, eating Delfina’s food made their bodies feel different.
‘I don’t feel as cold.’
The North was so bitterly cold that even facial hair froze solid in moments.
Yet after eating her food, the cold felt less biting.
Though it was thanks to the stew’s cold resistance effect, the knights didn’t know that.
‘Still… why does her food make us feel so strong?’
They all found it odd, but no one dared mention it.
‘If we say it, Lady Delfina might stop cooking for us… so everyone keeps quiet.’
It was almost frightening how much influence she had over them with just her cooking.
Alex thought as he watched her.
Ever since eating her food, everything seemed to go smoothly.
“Seriously, can they let down their guard just over some food?”
“No one in House Lycaeon ever liked Lady Delfina’s cooking.”
“Maybe it’s the people of Rohaim with weird tastes?”
“Or are Northerners just this naive? It’s pathetic, really.”
