NIGHTMARE DRESSED LIKE A DAYDREAM

ZOE didn't expect that she'd pull it off.

She prepared a lot for this banquet, starting from her clothes to handling the "goods" that Milli-bitch prepared in advance. Aside from that, she had to make sure that her people (Dal and Fritz) would be the ones to prepare Isaak Viotto's "meal."

But the most crucial thing that she had to prepare for was the meat.

Before going to the banquet, she asked Dal to buy the freshest lean beef steak. To be precise, she chose Sirloin because it was her favorite.

Then she asked Dal to do the following:

Rinse the steak under cold water, then dry it off well.

Then salt the steak on all sides.

After that, let it sit in the fridge (it was actually a cold room, just like a huge freezer in her world) for an hour.

Finally, rinse the steak a second time and dry it off well again.

When Dal finished all of those steps, her attendant called her. Luckily, it happened when Emperor Rino and Empress Veronica were done with their opening remarks. She knew that Count Nigel Ratliff would make a move after that.

And so, she made an excuse to her father and told her she was going to fix her clothes in the parlor reserved for the guests.

She really went to a parlor where Dal was waiting for her with her pumpkin head costume. Then, after a few moments of waiting, Fritz (pretending to be a servant hired by "Lady Rochester"), brought the flambé trolley with him.

And here she was now, standing in front of Isaak Viotto.

[Who knows that the feared ghoul duke is shy?]

"It's okay. You can look now, Your Grace," Zoe said in a playful tone. "I'm wearing my real outfit under the cloak."

Her outfit was a black calf-length mesh dress with a V-neck and narrow shoulder straps. The mesh dress had a round neckline with an opening and a button at the back of the neck. It was seamed with a decorative flounce at the top. The puff sleeves had a flounced trim, seamed at the waist. And finally, it had a flared skirt with a wide flounce at the hem.

For her footwear, she opted for a pair of black leather ankle boots with high heels.

Actually, she got the mesh dress from a lingerie shop. It was paired with a sexy underwear. Dal begged her not to wear those under the lingerie. Well, in the first place, she wasn't that crazy to show that much skin in a formal banquet like that.

Thus, she opted for a little black dress.

[A little black dress never goes out of style after all.]

The mesmerized look on Isaak Viotto's face was proof that she was right.

Then, his pretty violet eyes glowed beautifully. The last time she saw his eyes glow like that, she knew that it was because she pissed him off. But this time, she was confident that they were literally glowing because of some positive emotion that she awakened in him.

"As promised, I will make a steak tartare for you," Zoe said, snapping Isaak Viotto out of his trance. Then she carefully walked towards him. "But before I cook…" She stopped in front of him, pointed at his necktie, then raised her head to look at him. "May I borrow that?"

He just raised a brow at her.

But it didn't seem like he hated the idea, so she quickly walked closer to him. Then she undid his tie easily. Well, the men around her during her teenage years would often wear suits to "work."

She was close to a particular guy around her age back then, and she would usually help him with his necktie.

Anyway…

After pulling Isaak Viotto's tie, she turned her back on him while tying her hair in a high ponytail using the ghoul duke's necktie.

Then she lifted the side of her dress.

This time, she heard a collective gasp. But she wasn't that arrogant to think that it was because she exposed a little bit of her thighs.

She was fully aware that it was because of the knife sheathe around her leg. Of course, she needed to bring her lovely pastel pink kitchen knife with her. This was her "debut" as a cook in this world, so she had to bring her lucky charm even though it was illegal to do so.

"How dare that lady to bring a weapon in His Majesty's presence!"

Yep, people without permission weren't allowed to bring weapons in the presence of the emperor and the empress.

"This isn't a weapon," she said firmly as she pulled the knife out of the sheathing. "This is just my kitchen knife."

"Arrest her!"

From the corner of her eye, she saw her father stand up immediately as soon as the royal knights walked towards her.

[Damn, maybe I'm not smart enough to pull this off after all.]

"Nobody touches the lady," Isaak Viotto said in a commanding, chilly voice that effectively stopped the knights from moving. "If you do, I'll kill you."

She gulped when she heard that.

The ghoul duke's warning made everyone in the hall freeze.

"Brother, what do you think you're doing?" Count Nigel Ratliff asked in an annoyed voice, addressing the Grand Duke casually. "You're in the presence of His Majesty–"

"Shut up, Nigel," Isaak Viotto said, then he turned around not to face the count but the emperor himself. "Your Majesty, Lady Rochester owes me a debt she needs to pay now. Please allow us to do this. I will take responsibility."

Okay, that made her heart flutter a bit.

[A man that takes responsibility… chef's kiss!]

"I don't mind," Emperor Rino said in a calm and gentle voice. "I'm actually curious as to what Lady Rochester is going to make for you, Isaak." He turned to the empress beside him. "What do you think, my empress?"

"If His Majesty doesn't mind, then it's alright with me," Empress Veronica, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, said. Then she turned to them. "Like His Majesty, I'm also enjoying the show."

Isaak Viotto's blank face didn't change, but he bowed politely to the emperor and the empress.

Zoe also bowed politely. "I'm sorry for the trouble, and thank you for your generosity, Your Majesties."

***

[LET'S DO this.]

Zoe, as soon as she held her lovely pastel pink kitchen knife in her hand, began to work. And every time she was in the "zone," everything would simply fade into the background. All her attention was now focused on the dish she was making.

First, she trimmed off the large tendons. But since Dal was able to get a good lean cut of meat, there wasn't much to trim.

After that, she diced it by hand with her sharp knife. She cubed the beef as finely as she could before she ran her knife through it a bunch of times to mince it up. Since it was an important part of the process, she took her time with it.

Next step was seasoning the tartare.

She made some basic vinaigrette using olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. After tasting it and adjusting the seasoning to her liking, she used the vinaigrette to dress the tartare.

[The key to a delicious meal is seasoning well!]

A steak tartare wasn't complete without an egg (for her, at least). And she didn't want an ordinary egg– she wanted a poach one.

That was exactly why she chose a flambé trolley. It had a built-in stove that she used to boil water. While waiting for the water to boil, she cracked an egg into a bowl. Then, tipped it into the pan. The yolk followed the white naturally.

She cooked the egg for two minutes. After a while, she lifted the egg out with a slotted spoon. Then, drained it on kitchen paper.

Finally, it was time to plate the steak tartare.

She used a big plate, pile the tartare up, then put minced shallot, capers, pickled vegetables, and some toast. As the final touch, she added the egg on top of the tartare. Then, an extra drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

"It's done," Zoe said proudly while looking at her beautiful plate of steak tartare. Then, she raised her head to look at Isaak Viotto. "Your Grace, you may now…"

She trailed off when she saw that the ghoul duke wasn't happy or impressed.

He even looked offended by the dish she made.

"I'm not trying to mock you, Your Grace," Zoe said in a gentle and low voice that only Isaak Viotto would hear. When he locked her gaze with him, she smiled and winked at him. "Shall we eat this together?"

Isaak Viotto looked at her for a few moments before he sighed. "Lady Rochester, don't make me regret going along with this silly show of yours."

***

"YOUR GRACE, I will give you the honor of cracking the poached egg," Zoe said, her heart heavy, while handing the fork to Isaak Viotto. "Poking the poached egg open is always the fun part of eating a steak tartare."

Isaak Viotto gave her a blank look. "I don't mind if you do it," he said bluntly. "It looks like you're very excited to crack the poached egg open, anyway."

Well, that was true.

Anyway…

Right now, she was sharing the table with Isaak Viotto while ignoring the glare from her father that she could feel on her back.

Count Nigel Ratliff walked out a while ago.

[Well, good riddance.]

On the other hand, the emperor and the empress were having a conversation. But she could tell that the royal couple were discreetly watching her and Isaak Viotto.

Actually, everyone in the hall had their eyes on her and the ghoul duke.

"Okay, I'll do it," she said excitedly, then she unceremoniously cracked the poached egg with her fork. She almost drooled when the beautiful yolk spread and covered half of the tartare. Then, much to her embarrassment, her stomach growled. "Ah, I'm hungry."

"I can tell," he said, then he leaned against the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "You may eat that dish."

"But I made this for you."

"I know and you've already paid back your debt," he said. "I never said that I will eat the "steak tartare" that you made, did I?"

She frowned while remembering their first meeting, then she nodded. "Ah, right. I did say that I'll make steak tartare for you. But you didn't say you'd eat it," she said, then she looked at her beautiful dish while quickly licking her lips. "Then, bon appétit to me."

Since she was hungry, she ate the steak tartare that she made with so much gusto.

Well, she tried to slow down, but she was really famished after all the fighting and cooking that she had done since the banquet began.

"You really ate it. And you're eating it with so much gusto," the ghoul duke said. "It doesn't look like you're faking it."

"Huh?"

"I thought you prepared that raw dish to humiliate me," Isaak Viotto said seriously. "But that doesn't seem to be the case."

Ah, it made sense that he would think that way.

"Lady Rochester, are you aware that the people around us right now are looking at you with disgust for eating raw steak?" he asked sternly. "Even your father looks like he's about to throw up."

"Well, I'm doing this to educate the nobles of the empire," she said, then she grabbed the red wine that she asked the server a while ago. "The world is big. Their taste in food isn't the standard everywhere in the world. There are people who eat clean and raw food out there."

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, then he gently grabbed the bottle from her. After that, he opened the lid and poured some wine into her glass. "I'm sure you're not just here to "educate" us about food, are you?"

"I thought I'm being quite obvious," she said after she thanked him, then she sipped her wine before she spoke. "I'm here to impress you."

"Why?"

"I need something from you."

"I like your honesty," the ghoul duke said while nodding his head. "You already got my handkerchief and tie. What do you want from me this time?"

To be honest, a lot.

But if she would make a generalization of what she really needed from the ghoul duke, then it would be…

"Your body," she said, then she put her glass on the table. "I need your body, Your Grace."

He half-smirked at what she said, then he put his arms on the table and leaned forward before he whispered. "Literally or sexually?"

To say that she was shocked to hear that would be an understatement. "Huh?"

[Did he just return my words back to me?]

"Huh?" Isaak Viotto said, playfully mimicking her reaction with a straight face. Then, he snatched away her glass of wine from her and sipped it on the part with her lipstick stain. "I thought we were flirting, Lady Rochester."

Zoe suddenly felt hot at the moment. [How dare you flirt back to me, you sexy ghoul!]

***

NOTE: Hi! Please consider ADDING 'I Won't Let The Ghoul Duke Go Hungry!' to your LIBRARY. Thank you! <3