Chapter 25
“…Why.”
He rubbed his forehead and muttered lowly.
“Why the hell, something like this…”
His reason couldn't accept it, but his instincts, a strange feeling of being persuaded that it was familiar and safe.
As a former slave, he had no hometown.
But why did he feel nostalgia?
In the end, he didn't push the bowl away.
He kept eating as if drawn by something.
Until the last spoonful.
When the sound of the spoon hitting the bottom of the bowl echoed, he could finally stop.
“……”
A quiet silence settled in the office.
Ludville stared at the empty bowl for a moment.
Even though he had emptied the bowl, the aftertaste still lingered in his mouth.
And that warm something was touching his heart beyond just filling his stomach.
Unpleasantly.
“……It’s not like they put some kind of drug in it.”
It was possible that he unexpectedly liked the taste.
But for it to control his mood, no matter how he thought about it, wasn't that strange?
“Princess Odelia ordered it, but I heard the chef made it himself?”
“…”
Bribing the chef……
Ludville himself knew it was far-fetched, so he didn't continue.
Edwin, who had been glancing at him, carefully opened his mouth.
“I will tell them to prepare another bowl of the same.”
Ludville didn't respond, but his quick-witted aide didn't wait and burst out of the door.
After the door closed and Ludville sat in silence for a long time, he frowned deeply.
'Am I crazy?'
He felt nauseous, as if his stomach was upset.
Not because of his stomach, but because of his mood.
It must be because the Princess gave him strange food.
He put down the spoon with a displeased face.
* * *
After that day, Odelia sent food every day.
She started with porridge to soothe his stomach, but gradually his table was filled with more nutritious and rich meals.
From meals to desserts to tea, she didn't discriminate against the type.
Soup with flounder broth and herbs, chicken baked with figs and dried apricots, rosemary lemon pound cake, scones with honey and cream cheese, tea blended with chamomile and ginger…
The chef made it himself, but it was obvious whose head these stimulating menus came from.
'It's just a normal scone.'
Why did it awaken an appetite that he had thought was meaningless for a while?
He certainly wasn't hungry, but he didn't want to eat.
Even if he forced himself to chew and swallow to live, it felt like coarse sand.
But why was everything Princess Odelia gave him so delicious?
Ludville looked down at the still warm scone with suspicious eyes.
“…What the hell is in here?”
Then the chef replied.
“We used butter from 'Morning Bell Dairy Farm', honey from 'Honeyrian Boutique', and finally cream cheese from 'Heimbier Cream House'.”
“You decide and tell me all that?”
“Yes, isn't it amazing? If she's memorizing the recipe, it means she's made it more than once or twice.”
A taste that was unfamiliar but easy to eat.
And foods that were strangely tailored to his taste.
Ludville hesitated for a moment in front of the table every time.
Then, in the end, after emptying the bowl, a strange peace came with the fullness.
The emptiness and anger that had been rushing in every day subsided for a while during that time.
That short meal seemed to cover something empty for a while.
'Damn it.'
He couldn't deny that he was getting used to the dishes she brought out.
'Is she trying to increase her influence in this way? Cunning…….'
Capturing his taste buds first, wasn't that cheating?
Ludville felt like he had been tricked by Odelia.
Then Edwin, who had been watching quietly from the side, asked curiously.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Your Highness enjoy a meal like this before.”
“I ate well before. I wasn’t particularly picky.”
Ludville answered that for now.
It wasn't a lie.
Until just three months ago, he, who was large and active, ate well.
He didn't have a picky palate, and his meal times were regular except when he was busy.
Then Edwin shook his head and said.
“Of course, you ate well before, but back then you ate as if you just needed to fill your stomach. But now…….”
He paused for a moment, then looked at Ludville's expression and swallowed a laugh, adding.
“……Aren’t you secretly looking forward to the next meal time?”
Ludville wanted to refute it for no reason, but he was unusually speechless.
He couldn't deny it.
Edwin glanced at the scone and asked.
“Is it that delicious?”
His voice was filled with curiosity.
Ludville seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then handed a scone to Edwin and said.
“Try it.”
“Really? May I?”
Edwin didn't refuse.
He gratefully accepted the scone with joy.
Actually, he was curious.
Just what kind of taste did these foods, which his lord accepted indifferently, have that he ate them all?
How delicious could it be to have revived the appetite of a person who used to only eat with alcohol?
And he took a bite.
But…
“Hmm… It’s delicious?”
It was really delicious.
Soft and warm, freshly baked scones…
“…It’s delicious, but is it that much?”
Edwin couldn't help but tilt his head because it wasn't as amazing as he had expected.
To be honest, the dishes made with high-quality ingredients that the chef usually procured were more refined and sophisticated.
“It seems like I’m the only one who thinks it’s delicious.”
“Ah, no, I definitely don’t mean it’s not delicious!”
Edwin hurriedly waved his hand.
But Ludville didn't give him the scone just to find fault.
He just wanted to be confirmed.
Whether he was the only one who felt this way.
“You mean it’s not a popular taste that everyone would like.”
“…Well, yes?”
“That Princess Cardel, she accurately matched my taste alone.”
How could every dish she brought out be felt delicious without a single exception?
'Did she analyze me?'
The thought stopped there.
'Based on what?'
What did she see to pinpoint such precise tastes?
Even the chef and even the person herself didn't know.
He couldn't even guess.
It would have been better if she had come forward and showed off.
If she had tried to take advantage of his weakness by saying that he wouldn't be able to eat properly without her now, it would have made sense.
'She revealed all the recipes.'
The chef was cooking it himself.
When he asked, he knew exactly what ingredients to use, how much to use, and how to cook it.
Since he was a skilled chef, he would be able to create dishes that roughly matched his taste on his own without Princess Cardel in just a little time.
That's why it doesn't make sense.
Princess Cardel was acting as if he just needed to eat his fill.
