EP 7

However, that laughter didn't last long. In an instant, Camilla seized Gerard by the collar, causing him to flinch again.

"I have a bit of a bad temper, you see."

I dislike those who dislike me. I'm not kind enough to endure baseless accusations and mockery.

Previously, if Camilla had made even a small mistake before entering this place, I might have been willing to tolerate some criticism.

But as far as I know, Camilla has never acted inappropriately towards Chef Gerard.

In short, the author's rudeness towards me now is simply a reckless outburst.

"Gah!"

"I'm a woman who has practiced collar-grabbing hundreds of times in acting."

Her grip instinctively tightened. Though this body isn't hers, her skills haven't diminished. She knew exactly how to grab a collar effectively.

Gerard's body naturally leaned forward.

"What are you doing?!"

Regaining his senses, Gerard shouted with all his might.

In the kitchen, he was king! To be grabbed by the collar in front of so many people!

"Listen well."

But Camilla pulled Gerard's collar tighter.

"This is the height."

"…What?"

"When I win a bet, it's exactly this height."

Camilla leaned her face closer to him.

"If you look down at me with those eyes again…"

Gerard swallowed hard at her softly whispered threat.

"I'll crush your knees and make you crawl for life."

"Th-the Duke won't let this go…!"

"Yeah, I know. He'll be angry. You might not leave your room for days."

"So please…!"

"What is it?"

"Huh?"

"It's not like this is the first time you've experienced this. What is it?"

"Oh, no. It's not that! The Duke…!"

"You'll get punished anyway."

The corners of Camilla's mouth lifted slightly. Although she was wary of Duke Sorfel, she had no intention of being threatened by others because of it.

"Would he really kill someone just for you?"

"...!"

"Do you think I can't do this?"

Gerard looked stunned as he realized he was at her mercy.

With a smile, Camilla released his collar but Gerard remained hunched over, unable to straighten up. Straightening up now would surely break his knees.

"Well then, I'll take good care of the kitchen."

Leaving Gerard behind, Camilla resumed her place and quietly called someone.

"Feral."

[Yes.]

At her call, the ghostly figure of Chef Feral approached Camilla.

"Are you ready?"

[Of course!]

"Let's begin."

Before her words finished, Feral's hands smoothly overlapped with hers. "Lord Rudville has made significant contributions to this operation. His performance was remarkable. Here are the related documents."

Listening to his aide's explanation, Duke Sorfel read through the papers carefully.

"You're doing well."

"Yes, just as expected from Lord Rudville."

Duke Sorfel set down the report with a satisfied expression.

"..."

His gaze habitually drifted toward a vase filled with baby's breath flowers—something Camilla had brought in.

It reminded him of scenes from when his mother was alive. She had loved baby's breath and often arranged them in his office or room.

"I don't particularly like flowers…"

Seeing the baby's breath in his office stirred strange feelings within him.

He recalled a recent morning walk when he saw Camilla smiling brightly while holding a bunch of baby's breath flowers.

Had she ever smiled like that in front of him before?

"And it's already been over a week."

He thought it would end in a day or two. Yet for over a week now, Camilla had decorated his office and bedroom with baby's breath every single day.

"It's not bad."

"Huh?"

"Is Camilla still not eating properly?"

"Ah…"

The unexpected question widened aide Jackter's eyes slightly.

While he had asked about mistakes or issues caused by Camilla before, this was the first time he had asked about her daily well-being.

Though he would give orders for tasks to be done, he had never once asked about the results…

"I'll find out right away."

Jackter quickly responded, slightly flustered.

Knock knock.

Just then, someone entered after knocking. It was Rube, the butler in his early thirties.

As he entered the office, Rube held a tray in his hands.

He politely bowed his head and quickly placed the food from the tray onto the table.

"What is all this?"

"I thought you might be hungry."

Looking at his watch after Rube's words, Duke Sorfel nodded.

When he stayed in the office for long periods, Rube often brought simple meals for him.

"Thank you for this meal."

Jackter looked more pleased than Duke Sorfel. After having eaten lightly for dinner earlier, his stomach had started signaling hunger some time ago.

"You should eat too."

"Huh?"

Duke Sorfel looked at Rube with confusion.

Normally, Rube would leave immediately after placing food down. But today he strangely stood by encouraging them to eat together.

After silently staring at Rube for a moment, Duke Sorfel finally stood up and approached the table where the food was placed.

"It's soup."

Freshly baked bread accompanied the soup.

"..."

However, as Duke Sorfel gazed at the soup, his eyes widened slightly.

'Could it be…?'

He hurriedly picked up a spoon and took a large mouthful of soup. His expression turned more astonished as he swallowed it down.

"This soup is…!"

It was that soup he used to eat! The one he loved dearly!

After the chef who had worked for their family for years died in an accident, he hadn't tasted it again since then.

Chef Gerard—his disciple—had tried to recreate that flavor but always failed miserably.

Yet now that very soup lay before him! Preserving that old flavor perfectly!

"Wow… This is really delicious! How does such depth come from this soup?"

The clear soup shimmered golden without any visible ingredients. But once tasted, its richness was indescribable.

"It seems he finally recreated that flavor."

Duke Sorfel thought that Chef Gerard had finally succeeded in replicating his mentor's taste. But upon hearing that Rube shook his head slightly in response:

"It wasn't made by Chef Gerard."

"It wasn't made by him?"

"No."

"So who made it?"

Rube smiled broadly as he continued speaking:

"It was made by Miss Camilla."

"…Who?"

"Cough… cough!"

Duke Sorfel's eyes widened further while Jackter coughed repeatedly at hearing Camilla's name mentioned while drinking soup.

He scrutinized the soup again in disbelief as if trying to convince himself it couldn't be true.

"You're saying Miss Camilla made this?!"

Seeing their stunned expressions mirrored back at him as if it were expected made Rube smile even wider. "This… This is…!"

Chef Gerard struggled to find words upon seeing the soup Camilla created. He doubted his own eyes. That golden soup! How could he not recognize it?

'Wow… The aroma too!'

It's identical! Just like that soup from his memories!

With trembling hands, Gerard scooped up some soup with a ladle and brought it to his mouth.

"...!"

Clang!

The ladle fell from his hand onto the floor. The man who always preached cleanliness about kitchen tools didn't even think to pick it up after dropping it on the ground.

That taste! It was definitely that soup!

'Master…'

The soup once made by Master Feral before his untimely death; its recipe never passed down due to sudden circumstances.

Yet here it was before him! Made by none other than Camilla!

He couldn't believe what he saw even after witnessing it firsthand!

"How does it taste?"

Camilla approached quietly while observing him closely.

"H-how…!"

Finally snapping back to reality from his daze,

"How did you make this?! What on earth?!"

Flames ignited within Gerard's eyes as he looked at Camilla.

He had spent countless hours trying to recreate this soup but always failed miserably; no matter how hard he tried to mimic it, he couldn't capture its essence!

"It's high up there."

"…What?"

"It's high."

"What do you mean…?"

As she pointed two fingers toward his eyes and then lowered them,

"You should look down."

"...!"

The words she spoke earlier suddenly resurfaced in Gerard's mind; understanding what she meant caused him to falter slightly.

"My neck is starting to hurt."

Camilla pretended her neck hurt and rubbed her nape with one hand.

"..."

Slowly lowering his gaze from her piercing stare toward the floor while bending slightly at the knees—just enough so they wouldn't have to meet her gaze directly—it felt natural for both hands to come together humbly before him now too.

"A-are you finally going to teach me?"

Though feeling embarrassed being seen like this by many kitchen staff members around them wasn't important right now,

"What about?"

"This recipe for the soup."

"Why would I?"

"…Huh?"

"I never said I'd teach you how to cook."

"...!"

Seeing Gerard turn pale with shock made Camilla toss aside her apron nonchalantly like throwing something away.

"M-Miss Camilla!"

Gerard called out urgently as she headed toward the door; he couldn't let her leave without getting that recipe somehow!

"Well... I could teach you."

"R-really?"

"If you look pretty."

"Huh?"

"If I think you look pretty enough later on maybe I'll consider teaching you."

With those final words spoken casually while brushing off dirt from her clothes as she exited through the kitchen door behind her left them both staring blankly after her departure for quite some time longer still...