Episode 23. Martha's Chicken
The news of Viscount Muller's visit arrived on the very day Lily had come. It had been three days prior. The Duke of Ashford had acted as an intermediary. It was said that Leon had personally contacted the Muller family, and the Viscount had readily agreed. With both the Valois and the Ashford ducal families extending a hand at the same time, it must have been difficult to refuse. They said Lily would be coming along as well.
When Martha heard the news, she thought to herself.
'So Lily is coming.'
The corners of her mouth curved slightly upward before falling back down. Lucy noticed this.
"You just smiled, Princess."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"Never mind."
Lucy took out a notebook and began writing something down. Martha pretended not to see. It was the afternoon. Two carriages pulled up in front of the Valois mansion. The first to arrive was the Ashford ducal family's carriage. Leon and the Duke of Ashford disembarked. The second carriage stopped. It bore the coat of arms of the Viscount Muller family. The coachman opened the door. The first to step out was Lily. She was wearing a light sky-blue dress. The moment she spotted Martha, Lily's face lit up.
"My Princess!"
She exclaimed, running toward her. Martha paused briefly as she watched Lily run towards her. Lily hugged Martha tightly. As she accepted her, Martha thought to herself. This young lady. A Viscount's daughter running to hug a Princess right at the front door. She certainly lacks manners. But something rose before that. It was warm.
Martha patted Lily's back. As Lily pulled away from Martha, she said.
"I missed you."
"Me too."
Lily smiled. Viscount Muller got out of the carriage behind them. He was a man in his early fifties. He had a good physique. His eyes resembled Lily's. Was he a father who resembled his daughter, or a daughter who resembled her father? Martha thought as she looked at him. He looked kind for a merchant. Viscount Muller looked at Martha.
"My Princess Valois, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Muller."
Martha returned the greeting and said.
"Welcome."
Martha, who had been holding Lily's wrist. Martha scanned Lily up and down. Feeling Martha's gaze, Lily spoke.
"What is it, Princess?"
"Have you eaten?"
"Yes, I have."
"When?"
"Just now. Really, before getting into the carriage."
"What did you eat?"
Lily thought for a moment, then said.
"Eggs, bread, and salad."
Martha frowned at Lily. Lily said.
"Why? I ate a lot."
"There is no meat."
"So what?"
"You should have meat."
"I like meat, but it just so happens there isn't any today."
Martha lightly grabbed Lily's arm once and let go.
"This thing that's all bones left."
Lily looked at her arm.
"It's not just bones left."
"You need to eat meat to be chubby and pretty."
"I am pretty."
"You could be even prettier."
Lily was speechless. Then Martha naturally added.
"Let's have a meal first."
Viscount Muller paused.
"...Yes?"
"You must be hungry on your way here. Let's go inside."
Viscount Muller looked at Martha, then at Leon, then at the Duke of Ashford. The Duke of Ashford spoke calmly.
"Let's go in."
The sound of Edward suppressing laughter could be heard from behind. Martha led Lily by the hand and entered the mansion.
"Come in. Let's eat something."
People gathered in the dining room. Claude and Isabella. Edward. Martha. Leon and the Duke of Ashford. Viscount Muller and Lily. There were eight of them. Although the table was spacious, it felt full with eight people seated. Since it was a gathering of people meeting for the first time, there was an awkward atmosphere at first.
Viscount Muller took his seat and looked around. Duke Ashford, the most powerful Duke in the Empire, was across from him. Duke Claude of Valois was at the seat of honor. Leon Ashford was to his side. Viscount Muller's expression conveyed that this seat carried considerable weight as a member of the Viscount family. Just then, Helena entered.
"My Lady, we received fresh chicken today. It arrived this morning, so I have prepared a chicken dish."
Martha nodded as she heard those words. Shortly after Helena left, the food arrived. Soup, bread, and vegetable dishes. And in the center stood a whole roasted chicken. It was a perfectly roasted chicken, golden brown and fragrant. It smelled of herbs. The skin was cooked to a crispy perfection.
Martha looked at the chicken. Then she looked at Lily. I should give that leg to Lily. Thinking this, Martha looked around. The servants were preparing to serve. However, Martha was concerned about whether they could properly debone the chicken. Properly butchering a chicken was not something just anyone could do. One had to understand the structure of the leg joints. One had to control their strength. If done incorrectly, the bone would break and retract inward.
During her time as Head Lady-in-waiting, Martha had watched the kitchen staff butcher chickens during banquet preparations. If done incorrectly, the meat would crumble, and the shape would be a mess. Watching that, Martha had demonstrated the technique herself a few times.
'I could do it faster.'
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Martha was already rising from her seat. Martha stood up. The eyes of the people at the table followed her movements. As she walked toward the chicken, Martha looked at Lucy. Lucy's eyes widened l. Without a word, Martha slightly rolled up her sleeves. And she grabbed the chicken. With both hands. Firmly. A dignified noble lady rolled up her sleeves and grasped a chicken with her bare hands.
A brief silence followed, and then she began to mercilessly dissect the chicken. She grabbed the leg first. She checked the direction of the joint and applied force. Snap. With a sound, the legs separated. Cleanly. The other leg.. Snap. The wing. Snap. Snap. She began tearing off the breast meat with her hands, without a knife.
It was a dining room, not a banquet hall; nobles were seated there, and it was Viscount Muller's first visit. Yet, Martha's body moved before she could even think of such things. The people at the table watched the scene. Viscount Muller froze. Claude froze. Isabella closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them. The Duke of Ashford watched the chicken dissection calmly. Leon looked at Martha. Lily's eyes sparkled. Edward was already shrugging his shoulders. As she finished dissecting, Martha said.
"Plate."
At that single word, everyone at the table unconsciously picked up the plates in front of them. Naturally. No one had told them to. Martha looked at the plates and began distributing them. One wing to Isabella. One wing to her own plate. The breast meat to Claude. The opposite side of the breast to the Duke of Ashford. The back meat to Viscount Muller. The thigh went to Edward. And the chicken neck to Leon.
Finally, she picked up a leg and placed it on Lily's plate. Watching the chicken leg land on Lily's plate, Martha felt a sense of pride inside. That's enough. But then. Leon looked at his own plate. It was a chicken neck. Leon looked at the neck, then at Martha. Martha had already returned to her seat. Leon looked at the neck again. A chicken neck. Who was he supposed to feed this to? Was she telling him not to eat it because it was a waste? Or Leon looked at the neck, then at Martha, then back at the neck. Had this woman given it to him without knowing what part it was, or had she given it knowing? If she knew, what was the meaning?
While Leon was seriously pondering this, the Duke of Ashford looked at his plate beside him. It was dry breast meat. The Duke said.
"My Duchess, I like wings."
Claude said.
"I like wings, too."
Viscount Muller said.
"Actually, I like legs, too."
Martha looked at the three elders and said.
"As you get older, you should eat dry food like this instead of fatty meat to maintain your muscle strength."
The three men looked at Martha. She continued.
"If you try eating greasy food, you'll just end up suffering from diarrhea when you get old."
The table fell silent. And then. Claude said,
"Old men?"
The Duke of Ashford said.
"Diarrhea...?"
Viscount Muller said.
"I am a bit younger than the two Dukes."
Martha said, taking a spoonful of soup.
"When did I ever call you old men? I said 'as you get older'."
Claude said.
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"No."
The Duke of Ashford looked at the breast meat, then at Martha.
"Still, this is a bit..."
"Try it. It's delicious."
The Duke of Ashford cut the breast meat. He put it in his mouth. He chewed. He looked at Martha.
"It's edible."
"Right?"
Isabella was trying to hold back her laughter while eating the wing. Edward could no longer hold back and began to burst into laughter. While Edward was rolling on the floor at one side of the table, Lily grabbed a chicken leg with both hands and began to eat. Martha watched this with inward satisfaction.
'She's eating well.'
Viscount Muller looked at Martha while eating the back meat.
"You have a bold side, Princess."
Martha said while eating her soup.
"You have to butcher the chicken quickly to keep its shape intact. If you do it slowly, the meat falls apart."
Viscount Muller thought for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded.
"I see."
Leon looked at the chicken neck. It was still the neck. Leon picked up the neck. He ate it. As he tore into it, he glanced at Martha. Martha was eating her soup, watching proudly as Lily enjoyed the chicken leg. Leon looked at the neck again. He still didn't understand what this meant. As the meal progressed, the atmosphere changed. The initial awkwardness vanished. Strangely, the chicken butchering incident served to relieve tension. It had become a shared experience of people meeting for the first time, witnessing a bizarre scene together.
Edward suppressed his laughter and began talking with Viscount Muller. Topics of Imperial Palace affairs, trade, and the current state of the Imperial market were exchanged. Viscount Muller looked at Edward and said.
"The Heir to Valois is knowledgeable in these matters as well."
Edward replied.
"I am still learning."
Claude spoke in a low voice with the Duke of Ashford. Martha watched the flow of the conversation at the table and thought to herself.
This is the right setting: Lily and the Viscount. Leon and the Duke. Edward and the Valois family. These people sitting at the same table to share a meal. More was created in gatherings like this than in official meetings. This was one of the things Martha had learned while working as the Head Lady-in-Waiting at the Imperial Palace. Important matters are not decided in the council room. They are decided at the dining table.
Lily finished her chicken leg and leaned against Martha, saying.
"My Lady."
"What is it?"
"It was delicious. The chicken leg."
Martha looked at Lily.
"Did you finish it?"
"I finished it."
"You ate well."
Lily leaned slightly on Martha's arm and said.
"And you, My Lady?"
"I ate too."
"A lot?"
"Enough."
Lily said, looking up at Martha.
"It was fascinating to see you butcher a chicken, Princess."
"It's not like I learned it anywhere; my hands just went for it."
"How could you do that?"
"That's just how life is."
Lily nodded as she listened.
"As time goes by?"
"Yes."
Lily looked at Martha for a moment before speaking.
"Can I become like that too as time goes by?"
"What?"
"Just like you, Princess."
Martha looked at Lily. Lily said with a serious face.
"Confident in everything, acting like you know everything, and just doing everything."
Martha looked at Lily and said.
"Yes."
Lily's eyes sparkled.
"Really?"
"It just happens as time goes by."
Lily leaned closer against Martha. Martha accepted her and finished eating her soup. On one side of the table, the conversation between Edward and Viscount Muller continued. On the other, the conversation between Claude and the Duke of Ashford continued. Isabella smiled as she looked at Lily.
Leon looked at the plate where the chicken necks had been eaten, then looked at Martha. Martha was eating soup while leaning against Lily. Leon looked at her for a moment, then lowered his gaze. Chicken necks. Once you tore them off, there was actually more meat than he expected. It was decent. Leon thought that, but tried to forget it immediately.
[Lucy's Secret Shock Journal - Episode 23]
Viscount Muller and his daughter, along with the Duke of Ashford and his son, arrived today.
Shock No. 1. Miss Lily ran up to the Princess and hugged her. Right at the entrance. A noble lady. The Princess patted her back. Both of them were very natural.
Shock No. 2: The Princess's first greeting to Viscount Muller was, "Let's start with the meal." The Viscount was dumbfounded.
Shock No. 3: As soon as the chicken was placed in the center of the table, the Princess stood up. She rolled up her sleeves. And she butchered the chicken. With her bare hands. In front of the nobles. Making loud cracking sounds.
Shock No. 4: She said, "plates," but all eight people, including Prince Leon, picked up their own plates. No one had told them to.
Shock No. 5: The Princess offered a chicken neck to Prince Leon. He looked at the chicken neck for a long time. He ate it.
Shock No. 6: While serving chicken breast to Duke Claude, Duke Ashford, and Viscount Muller, the Princess said, "When you get old, you need to eat dry food." The three elders flared up in unison. Young Master Edward was furious. The Princess clearly said "old," not "when you get old." I heard it clearly.
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