“I’d like to bring a bacon sandwich, pear salad, and since it’s cold out, some corn soup. Oh, is there any way to keep it warm?”
"Of course. All you have to do is put it in a special container and prepare it for transport. However....”
The chef sheepishly opened his eyes and looked at Rebecca.
"Really... Are you saying that Your Highness will cook the food yourself?”
Rebecca nodded her head confidently.
“Yes, of course.”
The answer came as a challenge to the chef who lived with pride that he was the best in this kitchen.
The chef turned his head slightly and looked down at his knife and cutting board.
His side profile subtly revealed his displeasure with Rebecca's challenge.
'Anyway, there are too many people in this castle who don't recognize the value of a chef, especially this Ecole.'
That disappointment was the source of the countless irritations and complaints he always expressed.
He cooked all kinds of dishes for the health and enjoyment of the Twins family and did not hesitate to play a villain if necessary.
But all that comes back is a reprimand for being too picky and a feeling of alienation.
'I will not be able to hide my displeasure if the Grand Duchess goes against my opinion now. No. Rebecca Twins, she's better than most..."
He knew that, but he had no choice but to say no.
That role was his own, having always lived against the trend.
In the end, the chef's heavily closed lips opened.
“But,”
Hearing that firm voice, the lively conversations around him gradually quieted down.
And the smiles on the workers' faces slowly disappeared.
“The Princess doesn’t really like bacon sandwiches. Besides, corn soup is one of the foods that His Highness the Grand Duke finds unpleasant.”
The air around him became submerged without knowing the end.
As the eyes of all the employees began to say, 'Whether it is the Grand Duke or the Princess, you would definitely chew on a stone if it were to be given to you, so please shut up,' the atmosphere became a little harsh.
Fulp.
The dry sting went away on its own.
“Ecole Sherbent.”
Rebecca's sonorous voice calling his name sounded like that of the reaper.
In that brief moment, even a faint feeling of regret crossed his mind, wondering if he had unintentionally brought death upon himself, but he quickly shook his head.
If he died here anyway, everyone would know his real face.
Even so, if he could prove that his claim was correct, it wasn't a bad choice.
'It's a shame I won the bet and died without even being able to spend that much money.'
It was a time when he was tensing his fists without realizing it.
“As expected, it was worth coming all the way to the Mansion of Light to see you.”
He heard something unexpected from Rebecca.
The chef slowly raised his head from his bowed position.
The other employees who had been glaring at the chef up to that point also had puzzled expressions on their faces.
“Ecole, even the dark mansion has a kitchen. Did I really come all the way to the Mansion of Light just to use the kitchen?”
“Well, then why did you come here to see me..."
Rebecca smiled slightly at the chef who was looking at her.
“I thought you would know the tastes of His Highness the Grand Duke and Princess Bianca more accurately than anyone else. Of course, not only are you attending them in person at the Mansion of Light..."
“..."
“Because you are such a shrewd person when it comes to work that you even know my tastes, even though I was the worst boss.”
At that moment, the chef felt as if he had been hit in the back of the head.
“That... How could Your Highness..."
“How could I not know that? It seemed like every time I had a meal, you carefully checked what I had left over, whether I had eaten everything, and how I was feeling that day. From then on, the ingredients and their amounts are adjusted.”
“Your Highness...”
“By the way, before I left for the dark mansion, I would have asked His Highness if he would give me the same meal as I did.”
Although Rebecca spoke jokingly, it was difficult for the chef to control his overwhelming emotions.
Her small interest was instantly melting his heart, which had been frozen cold by years of sadness.
The chef lowered his head without realizing it.
Rebecca held his hand firmly and continued speaking cheerfully.
“But I’ll leave my praise to you, Ecole. As I said before, right now I’m more anxious about making food to take to our family’s first picnic.”
She wrinkled her nose and motioned for the chef to come closer.
This time, the chef obediently followed his master’s call.
“Ecole, can you recommend what kind of food to make for the two of you?”
The Grand Duchess asked kindly, and the chef answered politely.
“...Of course, non-charge. I have to tell you dozens or hundreds of times.”
And he thought.
From this moment on, there is not a single person left in Twins Castle who does not love Grand Duchess Rebecca.
***
Perhaps thanks to working with Chef Ecole, the food preparation was completed quickly.
I immediately returned to the dark mansion, took out the thickest coat I had, and put it on.
In addition, fur gloves, fur hats, mufflers, and fur boots.
This completes preparations for a northern-style picnic.
As I left the dressing room, I saw a picnic basket placed on the living room table.
“The owner of the Mansion of Light just left it behind. I think the chef at Ecole paid special attention to the decoration.”
Mina cutely fussed as she pointed to the picnic basket.
“It’s the Twins’ Grand Duke’s first picnic! Spring will come soon!”
After the cooking was over, the chef was shocked to see me roughly putting the food into the basket.
He then said that he would personally put the food in a pretty picnic basket and send it to the dark mansion, and it looks like it has arrived now.
“Are you that curious?”
When I asked Mina who kept snooping around the basket, she smiled embarrassedly and nodded her head.
“Open it. I’m also curious about how they decorated it.”
Mina immediately opened the basket to check inside and immediately let out an exclamation.
“Wow! Your Highness, come and see, come and see!”
The only food I made was egg sandwiches, apple salad, and cream potato soup.
But such an exaggerated reaction.
I snorted and approached Mina.
“Why so much... Uh?"
It wasn't until I saw what was inside the basket that I realized Mina's reaction wasn't exaggerated.
‘What, I made this right...?'
Looking sideways and backward, it was the same simple food I had made.
But Chef Ecole must have pulled off some kind of trick to decorate them as splendidly as the dinner menu.
Seeing Mina and me in surprise, the other maids gathered around the basket one by one.
“Oh my, my, look at that apple carving over there!”
“You made it like a real rabbit? Princess Bianca will really like it!”
“How about that boat carving next to it?”
I've seen countless dinner and banquet dishes created and decorated by Chef Ecole, but I can say that this picnic basket was by far the most spectacular.
That seemed to be the same thought of the maids around me.
“Are you really saying that the Mansion of Light’s chef, Ecole, did this himself?”
“Is that grumpy Ecole real?”
Everyone seemed surprised that Chef Ecole had put so much effort into it.
I, who was equally lost, suddenly turned my gaze to the clock.
"Mina, I think we should leave now.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Mina shook off the maids who had gathered around her and grabbed the picnic basket.
We headed straight to the lobby and couldn't help but be shocked as soon as we opened the front door.
It was because of the fierce wind that blew so hard.
This was a time called 'winter' even in the always cool North, and it was a time of severe cold waves one after another.
'A picnic in these circumstances... Is this really possible?'
I looked at Mina with a tearful face, but for some reason, she still had a calm expression.
“Mina, you... Are you okay?"
"Yes? What?"
“Isn’t it cold? It's a huge cold spell right now. Even though I'm dressed like this, it's cold..."
"That's right."
Mina burst out laughing.
“Mixed-blood demons don’t get as cold as humans. The Demon World is often colder than this.”
“More than this...?”
“Yes, for us the weather right now is just... How cool is it?”
I was shocked, but Mina looked at what was the problem.
'Cedric, is this why you didn't refuse Bianca's offer?'
Only then did I understand why the faces of Bianca and Cedric were so calm when they suggested and agreed to a picnic in this cold weather.
And as soon as I stepped out the front door, I started to feel sad for those two people.
'Bad people! I'm not a half-blood demon, I'm a human, human!'
Have you ever felt this sad about being a human being stuck in the middle of mixed-race demons?
The appointed location is in front of the twin statues. It was a time when I was crying over the distance that felt like 90,000 miles.
"Hmm? Why are you doing this, Your Highness?”
I shouted as if I was complaining in response to Mina’s question.
“What a picnic in this cold weather! Doesn't anyone care that I'm a human and not a half-blood demon? For Cedric and Bianca, this is too much!”
The bitter cold doubled the sadness.
But Mina just made an absurd expression as she looked at me crying.
“No matter how much of a mixed-race demon you are, of course you don’t do picnics in this weather, Your Highness. How can it be like this when the wind blows like this...?”
On the contrary, she seemed surprised that I was thinking such a thing.
As I was looking at Mina in bewilderment, a warm wind began to blow from somewhere.
At the same time, light pink petals scattered before her eyes.
It was about then that it was seen landing gently on Mina's head.
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