"Everyone seems to be arguing about who should go, but the Italian restaurant is in the lower city, so any minors who only have permission to go as far as the
"Oh!?"
I put a stop to my attendants' squabble. It was easy to forget since we freely went in and out of the Temple, but the permission I'd received from my adoptive father only extended to the Temple at the border between the Noble District and the lower city. Minors couldn't go to the lower city for work. When Brother
My words made the group of minors' eyes go wide. Among them,
"Then will you be taking Cornelius,
"No. The Italian restaurant is a fine-dining establishment for wealthy commoners, so it's not the kind of place where nobles should parade in en masse. Two guard knights rotating to eat will be sufficient, and I'll be bringing
"Please don't say such cold things, Lady
I felt bad for the stunned Hartmut and the others, but honestly, having this many nobles go to the Italian restaurant as my attendants would cause problems for the shop. If I brought everyone as attendants, they wouldn't be customers and would have to eat in shifts in the attendants' room. But the attendants' room wasn't designed for nobles, nor was it that spacious. Naturally, there were no waitstaff assigned to serve people eating in the attendants' room, and having attendants bring their own waitstaff wasn't part of the plan. Bringing a large group of nobles as my attendants would be a recipe for chaos.
"If you'd like to dine there, I can introduce you, so please go as paying customers on your own. None of you are used to eating without waitstaff. I think it would be quite difficult to eat in the attendants' room."
"I'll be fine without waitstaff."
"I'll manage as well, Lady Rozemyne."
Damuel and Angelica answered immediately with determined expressions, so I decided to bring the two of them as guards. They knew from the Prayer Ceremony and the Harvest Festival that when Fran and the others were short-handed serving food, they could eat without complaint, and somehow asking Damuel to go as a paying customer out of his own pocket felt too harsh.
"Brother Cornelius, who was late to join, should invite Leonore and the two of them can go together."
I teased with a little laugh, but Brother Cornelius smiled back and said, "That's actually a wonderful idea." Then he turned his gaze to Hartmut.
"Hartmut, what do you think about going not as an attendant but as a customer?"
"I think it's a truly splendid idea. I wish to dine with Lady Rozemyne rather than in the attendants' room."
Hartmut and Brother Cornelius were fully committed to going. I was wondering whether Frieda might need a letter about the change in numbers when Brother Cornelius spoke to Leonore.
"If we're going not on guard duty but merely as customers, even minors should be allowed to enter and leave the lower city, right? Leonore, would you like to go to the Italian restaurant together?"
"I'd be delighted, Cornelius."
I was the one who had teased, asking "What if you invited Leonore?" but having it work out so smoothly made it anticlimactic. If they started being lovey-dovey right in front of me, poor Damuel would have it rough, so I wished they'd stop.
"Even going as customers, wouldn't you need a guardian's accompaniment or permission?"
"If Cornelius, my fiancé, is with me, I think they'll grant permission."
After thinking for a moment, Leonore said with a blissful, lovestruck smile. Brünhilde, who heard the words about parental permission, made her amber eyes sparkle.
"To make Grashion a trading city, it's important to learn about the lower city as well, isn't it? I have almost no knowledge about the lower city."
"Learning about the scope of Lady Rozemyne's activities is important for an attendant, and if you report it as also serving to keep an eye on your sister, I think permission would be granted."
Brünhilde and Lieseloreta both seemed fully committed to going as well.
"My guardian is Lady Rozemyne. Please grant me permission to accompany you."
"My guardian is also Lady Rozemyne."
Philine and Roderich said with sparkling eyes. Come to think of it, that was right. The two of them, who had left their parents, had me as their guardian.
...At this point, wasn't the momentum just carrying everyone along?
Since so many people wanted to come along, it wouldn't be a bad idea to treat these hardworking attendants to a nice meal for once. The part about combining it with the High Priest's farewell gift was a bit concerning, though.
As I was thinking that, Judith was the only one looking at me with moistened eyes.
"Lady Rozemyne, could it be that I'm the only one who has to stay behind!?"
Judith couldn't seem to think of an excuse to get parental permission, but it would be far too unfair to leave just her behind.
"...Allow me to contact your parents and try to get permission for you."
"Thank you, Lady Rozemyne!"
The Italian restaurant was the kind of establishment where customers brought their own attendant staff to serve them. That meant not just for me, but for Philine and Roderich as well, waitstaff would be needed. Their guardian was me, and the two of them who lived in the castle didn't have attendants they could bring along at times like this. I looked around the attendants stationed in the High Priest's chambers and called out to them.
"Fran will serve me,
"Understood."
"So, today we'll all be dining together in a large group."
The attendants stationed in the High Priest's chambers, Fran and the others, needed to head to the Italian restaurant early to prepare. I locked the High Priest's chambers at the departure time that matched Fran and the others, and waited in the High Priest's office while helping with his work.
"I don't quite understand the idea of attendants going as customers. Is there even a point in having them accompany us?"
"When you say 'having them accompany us,' it's hard to answer. It's a reward for their hard work. Increasing the number of noble customers is good for the restaurant, so from now on they'll be contributing to sales. Today I'm treating everyone, though."
Since it was a farewell gift, I would be paying for the High Priest's portion as well. At my words, the High Priest made a very complicated expression.
"You're paying for everyone? ...I don't particularly intend to have a young woman like you pay for me, you know."
"Since this is a farewell gift and I'm the one extending the invitation, it's only natural that I pick up the tab. My attendants always work hard, so they're just along for the ride. After all, the real star today is the High Priest."
While we were having that conversation, the carriage arrived. I traveled with the High Priest and the guard knights by carriage. Damuel and Angelica went from the Temple in the same carriage, while the attendants from the Noble District each went by their own separate carriages. For Philine and Roderich, I had arranged for them to ride along with those coming from the castle.
"It is my honor to transport you."
Frieda and several waitstaff greeted us by kneeling. After exchanging greetings and heading inside, the rich aroma of consommé—simmered so thoroughly that it made your mouth water—filled the entire establishment. Music could be heard from the dining hall as well, making it clear that Rosina had already begun her performance.
"Everyone is already assembled. Since this is the first time we've hosted this many noble guests, the staff is very nervous."
"I'm sorry for making unreasonable requests. But it would be harder at any other time, right?"
It was right after the autumn harvest season had ended, the time of year when the most ingredients were gathered at the market. Livestock had been fattened up by eating plenty of food in preparation for winter, then slaughtered for meat while their winter feed was being conserved to the last possible moment. Compared to spring, when food was scarce right after winter ended, or summer, when merchants from other territories came flooding in, now was the easiest season to bring nobles to the restaurant.
"Besides... if they came individually to eat, it would inconvenience the other customers."
Normal commoners would surely feel uncomfortable dining alongside nobles. If sitting together could create useful connections, that would be one thing, but merely being in the same space without being able to speak to them and having to eat while nervously watching for any offense—food wouldn't taste good under those circumstances. It would be better to arrange a private reservation and get it all done at once.
"We are grateful for Lady Rozemyne's thoughtfulness. The other day, you mentioned wanting to eat Ilse's cooking, didn't you? Ilse, who was singled out by name, is very excited."
When we moved to the dining hall, it was clear from every face that they had been looking forward to this immensely. Delicious food had the power to make everyone happy. Before heading to
"This way, please, Lady Rozemyne."
Fran, wearing the outfit he had prepared especially for today, smiled warmly as he pulled out my chair. I sat down and listened as Frieda explained the day's menu. Standing behind the High Priest as his guard was Brother Eckhart, and behind me stood Damuel. Angelica and
"Please, enjoy your meal."
When Frieda finished her explanation and left the dining hall, the restaurant's waitstaff replaced her by rolling in a wagon carrying large platters. First, Fran served a portion onto my plate, then the High Priest's own attendant served the High Priest, the guest of honor. After that, since everyone was seated in order of rank, each person's attendant served them in turn.
The first dish to arrive was carpaccio of turnip and prosciutto.
Thinly and beautifully sliced turnips and prosciutto alternated in a circle on the plate, fanning out like a flower. In the center, finely chopped and blanched turnip leaves formed a small mound of vivid green. Sprinkled generously over everything, stir-fried until crispy, was the garlic-like reega.
The carpaccio sauce had been drizzled in a gentle curve, and it wasn't just the vegetable oil I had taught them mixed with salt and citrus juice—finely diced ranie and herbs had been added too, making it look as delicious as it tasted.
I took a bite to taste-test for everyone. The saltiness of the prosciutto and the light, refreshing flavor of the turnip paired perfectly with the acidity of the carpaccio sauce, making me want to eat more. Amid the soft texture of the prosciutto and turnip, the crispy stir-fried reega added a new dimension of flavor when you chewed on it.
"...This cook has gone to quite some effort. The sauce is different from what my cook makes."
The High Priest scooped up only the sauce with his fork and said, sounding impressed.
"Ilse's dedication to research is remarkable. She's just like the High Priest when he's trying to create a better magical tool."
Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and from the seats further away from mine, I could hear cheerful voices from the lower-ranking nobles.
Then came the High Priest's favorite: double consommé. It was extremely labor-intensive, so it wasn't something you could eat often.
"Is today's double consommé beautiful as well?"
"Ah, extraordinary. It reminds me of the shock I felt the first time I tasted it."
The High Priest closed his eyes slightly, savoring the beauty of the consommé, so I left him to it and asked the upper-ranking nobles sitting nearby for their impressions.
"How is the double consommé?"
"The soup that Lady Rozemyne had envisioned was already surprisingly delicious, but today's soup left me astonished. I had no idea a soup like this could exist."
When Brünhilde said that, Leonore nodded several times.
"It looks like there's nothing in it, yet the color is so deep and the flavor so much richer than any soup I've had before—it's truly remarkable. It's delicious."
"This soup, a condensation of magnificence, is just like Lady Rozemyne herself."
Hartmut's beaming smile made it clear he was pleased, but I didn't understand the meaning. And I didn't want to.
Next to arrive was a lasagna fresh from the oven, still sizzling in the large dish, with the browned cheese bubbling and jiggling. It appeared to have already been scored, and Fran served me a neatly cut square portion.
When placed on the plate, the white sauce and meat sauce that had been layered between the lasagna sheets like a mille-feuille oozed out from the cuts, melting like a slow cascade. The cheese stretched into thin strings on the serving utensils, and Fran struggled a bit to separate it.
"This is hot, so please be careful when eating it."
Despite the warning, Roderich seemed to have burned his tongue. I could see him hurriedly drinking water. Judith, who had been watching him with amusement, carefully cooled her first bite but then popped the second one right into her mouth and quickly reached for water, drawing laughter from Philine and Roderich.
"It's lively in here."
"Meals are better when they're lively, aren't they?"
"...For me, meals used to be an unavoidable nuisance required for survival."
When Father was absent for banquets or the like and she had to eat dinner with
"Just knowing that I didn't have to eat with them made breakfast and lunch enjoyable, but I don't think I ever found food particularly delicious."
"What a terrible childhood. If I had been there at the time, things would have turned out very badly for Lady Veronica."
"You fool. If you had laid a hand on the Veronica of that time, the one in trouble would have been you."
The High Priest said that—surely one couldn't get away with confronting the Lord's Wife—but I thought it could be done if you were prepared to die fighting. At my assertion, Brother Eckhart nodded and murmured, "So Rozemyne thinks so too."
"I never expected the two of you to be alike in this way."
Brother Cornelius offered words of consolation to the High Priest, who had let out a deep sigh: "Lord
"Don't act as though it's someone else's problem, Cornelius! After I depart for Ahrensbach, it will be your job to handle Rozemyne, Hartmut, and one more person arriving from
"That's far too difficult a task."
As Brother Cornelius clutched his head, a server came through carrying the main course. Today's main was a veal cutlet. The breading—a fine mixture of breadcrumbs and cheese—had been fried in butter until golden and crispy, gleaming with a golden hue.
I was already getting full, so I had Fran cut me a smaller portion. Ilse's special sauce was served alongside it as well. At first, I enjoyed the cutlet with a generous squeeze of tsine, the citrus fruit with its strong acidity, then I discovered it was also meant to be eaten by dipping it in the sauce.
"Thanks to this tsine, you can enjoy it without the richness becoming overwhelming."
The High Priest seemed to enjoy the cutlet with tsine squeezed on top, but the growing, food-loving attendants preferred the rich depth of the sauce.
"How is this sauce made? It's the first time I've tasted anything like it."
Lieseloreta was staring at the sauce with a serious expression, and Judith nodded, saying, "I'd love to serve this to my family, but I doubt our household cook could manage it."
For the record, I preferred the lighter taste with tsine. Honestly, I would have been even happier if they had grated ponzu.
Once the main course was finished, the guards rotated. Angelica and Justus returned, and Brother Eckhart and Damuel went to eat.
"You look satisfied, Angelica."
"The dessert was especially delicious."
At Angelica's words, the anticipation of everyone around her shot up at once. The dessert was a mont blanc made with the cream of taniē, a chestnut-like nut. Cornelius, who loved taniē, made his dark eyes gleam.
"It's been ages since I last had this. If I order it at home, Mother gives me a nasty look."
I had given Brother Cornelius the recipe for fruit cream as a reward for the team that improved Angelica's grades, but apparently he had ordered it so often during taniē season that his mother scolded him.
"When I ordered this pastry three days in a row, Mother warned me that making this cream was labor-intensive and hard on the cook, and that she didn't want to eat the same pastry every day."
Brother Cornelius was apparently the type who wanted to enjoy his favorite things every single day. We'd been together for quite some time, but this was the first I'd learned that.
"Taniē cream isn't overly sweet, so I think it's relatively easy for gentlemen to eat, but..."
"Ah, yes. But wouldn't it be a bit lacking for women?"
The High Priest said that and turned his gaze toward where Philine and Judith were seated. The two of them, who preferred the honeyed version at quatre-quarts, seemed to want something sweeter. Their expressions were a little disappointed.
"There's no need to worry. Ilse has prepared something else as well."
Another dessert was brought out. Rafel pie. Rafel was a fruit that ripened around the same season as apples and pears. There had long been a pastry where sliced rafel was placed on top of pie dough, but the recipe of stir-frying rafel in butter and sugar was one I had taught them.
"This one is quite sweet, so the High Priest should limit himself to just a taste."
If he liked it, he could always have seconds. The High Priest took one bite and said, "Delicious, but too sweet. One bite is certainly enough."
The one who seemed to enjoy the rafel pie the most was Lieseloreta. She was eating quietly, so it was hard to tell, but she went back for seconds twice.
"Did you enjoy today's meal?"
"Ah, I'm satisfied."
"Fran, would you bring the farewell gift I prepared for the High Priest? After that, you may withdraw and have your meal."
Fran quickly brought a wooden box and handed its contents to me. It was a cute cloth bag, just small enough to hold in one hand, decorated with a pleasant pattern and topped with a ribbon to make it look like a proper present.
"Rozemyne, wasn't this meal the farewell gift?"
"The meal is one thing, but this is another. They don't have to be the same thing, do they?"
"That's... true, but..."
After looking at me as if I were something truly strange, the High Priest took the cloth bag I held out. In this culture where it was normal to carry things in wooden boxes and there was no tradition of gift wrapping, the ribbon-tied cloth bag I handed over must have looked like nothing but an oddity. The High Priest held the bag and tilted his head, unsure of how to handle it.
"Please untie the ribbon. The gift is inside."
"Then what is this cloth bag for?"
"Well... isn't it cute?"
"I don't understand. Why would you go through all this trouble? Really..."
The High Priest furrowed his brow and grumbled as he untied the ribbon and peeked inside. He froze, as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Rozemyne, what is this?"
"It's a protective charm made from Lergis scales. Hartmut taught me how, and I made it myself."
In exchange for giving away one of the rainbow-colored Lergis magic stones, I had Hartmut teach me about the protective magic circle used in Schwarz and Weiss's clothing, and I had crafted a charm using a rainbow magic stone.
"If you keep it close to you at all times, it will surely protect you. What do you think? I've grown quite a bit, haven't I?"
As I puffed out my chest with a smug "fufun," the High Priest turned the bag upside down. A teardrop-shaped rounded magic stone, over five centimeters across, tumbled out into his hand. The High Priest passed a thin flow of magic power through it, examining it carefully.
"...There don't appear to be any particular errors."
"Hartmut taught me how, after all. Ideally, I would have liked to make it entirely on my own."
"I'd be anxious about whether something you made entirely by yourself would even function, so relying on Hartmut was the right choice."
With a soft chuckle, the High Priest looked up at Justus, who brought forward a slender wooden box.
"I too have a farewell gift for you."
It nearly ended with just the meal.
Rozemyne worked hard to make the charm.
The High Priest, who has had charms made for him before but never had one made by Rozemyne, is actually quite surprised.
Next is Part Two.