CHAPTER 32
“Come on in. This is where the food you’ll be eating is prepared.”
“Ugh, this is it?”
The children who had followed Adel into the kitchen frowned at the stacked ingredients.
Jacqueline, standing nervously, shrank back as if it were her fault. Adel clapped her hands loudly.
“It? Don’t you see someone working hard in here?”
“L-Lady Adel, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
“Fine, my foot. Proper training starts with learning good character. You have to understand basic courtesy before swinging a sword.”
Adel gently pushed aside Jacqueline, who was trying to stop her.
She stared calmly at the kids, who were still pouting.
“Kids. When you use the word just, you should think carefully about it.”
“But it’s just… a place with a pile of potatoes…”
“What if, on the day you’re knighted, I place the laurel on you and say, ‘I can’t believe this one became a knight—this empire’s going downhill,’ how would that feel?”
The kids fell silent and averted their eyes. She would totally say that. No doubt about it.
Thanks to the past few days of firsthand lessons, no one dared to complain further.
Good. That’s how it should be.
Adel, pleased with their reaction, finally turned back to Jacqueline.
“How’s everything going here? Managing okay?”
“Oh, it’s what I usually do… but you’re the problem, my lady. You shouldn’t be wasting time with us kids. Weren’t you going to win over the commander?”
“Well… about that…”
Adel pressed a finger to her lips, smiling faintly.
It wasn’t time to say it aloud yet, but that didn’t mean nothing was happening.
“It’s not that I dislike you.”
Those words, spoken with the wind at his back, still made her feel like her hair was fluttering.
Honestly, that much meant there was at least some interest.
This is why being a side character is great.
If she were the heroine, she’d have to go through the whole “Why is he treating me this way?” phase, dragging out the angst for several chapters until the big reveal that everyone else saw coming.
But Adel wasn’t even a side character—just the villainess’s older sister.
She didn’t have time for that kind of drawn-out nonsense. She had noticed Kilian’s heart shifting the moment he sat beside her in the prayer room.
Whether it was romantic or not, at least he no longer saw her as a “greedy, shameless woman.”
Well, not marriage-level interest… but still.
Her urgency had grown, but Adel wasn’t one to give up.
For a man like Kilian—cold and distant—to soften even a little was significant.
At least he’s still human!
The problem was, he’d lived like an ice sculpture for far too long.
To truly crack that permafrost heart, she needed a dramatic move.
“…It’s time to pour some oil on the fire.”
“Huh? Oil? Wait—why is your face so red, my lady?”
“…Mine?”
That couldn’t be.
Adel touched her cheek with the back of her hand—it was burning.
She hadn’t lit any fires in the kitchen. All she’d done was think about Kilian, and yet…
“How odd…”
“It’s nothing, just… warm in here.”
Adel fanned herself, awkwardly.
Let’s not forget—I’m a side character.
In this world, the only thing she’s allowed to have is massive wealth—not fluttering emotions.
Looking to change the subject, she turned her gaze toward Nero, who was hanging off to the side alone.
“Nero, what are you doing by yourself? You need to be observing all of this.”
“What for? It’s just potatoes again today anyway!”
Fair point.
Even with all her lecturing about character building, everyone knew tonight’s dinner would be potatoes. Again.
There’d be a bit of bread and meat too, but barely enough to taste.
Nero gave the potato pile a light kick, disgusted.
“This sucks. They make us train all day, and we don’t even get a decent meal!”
“…I mean, yeah, I agree with that…”
“But you said our families paid a lot of money! So why is it always just potatoes and bread? Even the meat smells bad!”
That was strange.
Adel let go of the urge to grab and twist Nero’s ear.
More than the cheeky child, it was the quantity and quality of the ingredients that were alarmingly low.
Even if the temple lived frugally, this was still the Grand Temple. And the Sergio family’s donations were not small.
“My lady, it really is strange. I shouldn’t complain, but this stuff wouldn’t even be served to servants in a count’s household.”
“…Jacqueline, isn’t Priestess Rebecca in charge of ingredients?”
“Yes, she is. She’s probably at the back gate now to receive the new week’s supply.”
“I see…”
“W-Why are you asking?”
Jacqueline’s voice trembled.
If the normally-smiling lady had that expression, it meant a storm was coming.
“Let’s go. I think I need to talk to Priestess Rebecca.”
“Huh? But I still need to sort all this wheat!”
Jacqueline gestured helplessly at a giant sack of grain.
It was full of husks—no matter how fast she worked, it’d take hours.
Adel scooped up a handful and clicked her tongue.
What is this, a Cinderella story?
It was obvious this was work Jacqueline normally wouldn’t be given—someone had dumped it on her.
At least in fairy tales, there were helpful sparrows. But this was the strict Grand Temple.
“My lady, I’m staying here. I’m scared of what Priestess Rebecca might say.”
“…More than me?”
“W-Well, no, but…”
Adel raised an eyebrow, and Jacqueline quickly backed down. But Adel had no intention of blaming her for this mess.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get the wheat sorted.”
“By who?”
“Who else?”
The sparrows, of course.
Adel shoved over the sack of wheat. It spilled out with a whoosh, making Jacqueline gasp, but Adel stopped her from rushing over.
She turned her gaze toward the children huddled nearby.
“Kids, come here.”
“Huh? Did you spill the wheat? How are we gonna clean this up?”
“Spilled? You think this looks spilled?”
Okay… yes, it did. But they didn’t dare say that aloud. She was their terrifyingly beautiful older sister—a match for any ancient demon.
Adel, seeing their fear, kindly pointed at the scattered wheat.
“There’s no such thing as a meaningless task in San Fidelio. This is training. To wield a sword, you need to sharpen your dynamic vision.”
“…Dynamic vision? What’s that got to do with wheat?”
Sigh.
“I must have overestimated you.”
Her dramatic sigh made the kids uneasy.
That expression of hers made anyone feel small.
“Look carefully. If you can’t even spot impurities among tiny grains of wheat, how will you deflect blades flying at you from all directions?”
“….”
“I won’t say more. You have ten minutes. If the Commander hears how skilled you are, he’ll be pleased.”
“Th-The Commander?!”
The kids’ expressions changed instantly.
Even though they’d only glimpsed him from afar, Kilian’s presence had left a strong impression.
His overwhelming aura gave them delusions that maybe they could be like him.
“Waaah! I’ll do it! I’m first!”
“No, I’ll do more than you!”
“There’s plenty of wheat, don’t fight. Oh, and put the husks… right, in this sack here.”
Adel didn’t forget to prepare a bag for husks.
Even before she gave a proper signal, the little “sparrows” were already picking at the floor.
Pleased, Adel used the chance to pull Jacqueline outside.
“Let’s go. Won’t even take an hour.”
“Ah…”
Jacqueline still looked dazed.
Watching the flurry of little hands eagerly sorting, she realized she couldn’t possibly keep up.
Those tiny fingers, plucking husks with precision, were filled with one desire: to earn Kilian’s approval.
“My lady… do you really think the Commander would be happy to see kids doing that?”
“Of course. He’ll finally get to eat bread without shells in it.”
You demon.
Watching Adel walk off so casually, Jacqueline went blank for a moment.
Then, snapping back to her senses, she blocked Adel’s path.
Forget everything else—this wasn’t the time for distractions.
“My lady, the Archbishop returns tomorrow. You have to resolve things with the Commander. Why are you going after Priestess Rebecca now?”
“That’s why. Oh, and this is where we part.”
“What? Then where are you going?”
“To pour some oil.”
At the crossroads, Adel gave Jacqueline a gentle push toward the knights’ quarters and whispered something in her ear.
Though worried, Jacqueline nodded reluctantly.
Let’s hurry.
Touching the inside of her dress, Adel adjusted her veil tightly, as if reaffirming her resolve.
“I don’t have time to deal with them one by one.”
