18 - Valentina's Paradise
Part 1 Extra Story: Nora's Kitchen
- Summer, 7 years ago, Terra Nebulosa Grand Ducal Castle.
"What kind of thieving bastards are you!"
Nora, who had stormed into the kitchen, shouted loudly, brandishing a fire poker.
"How dare you sneak in here and steal food? If I catch you, you're dead!"
Farmers in the summertime, they must have a devil child with its mouth wide open in their bellies, ― God forgive them. ― No matter how much they eat, they always say they're hungry as soon as they turn around. So, if they have any excuse to set foot in the kitchen, they sneak in and grab something to eat, and if Nora isn't there, they even steal a bowl of the lord's dinner simmering in the pot.
Nora had received permission from the Duchess to beat such guys to a pulp, and she had been waiting for this moment. But.
"Nora? I'm here. It's been a long time."
The man sitting on the stove, scooping up beef stew, waved his hand and smiled brightly. Nora dropped the fire poker and jumped up.
"Oh, young master! What brings you here so suddenly! How did you come so quietly without a word!"
"Has it been a year and a half? Well, I didn't need to come home blowing a trumpet."
Edgar opened his arms wide, hugged his nanny, and kissed her on the cheek. Nora's mouth stretched into a wide grin.
"But Nora, how does your cooking get better every day? This is dangerous. If you keep making such delicious stew, the world might end soon. Jesus might even return early just to taste it."
Nora shook her tree-trunk-like body and burst into hearty laughter.
"Oh, you still have the habit of teasing your old nanny. How have you been?"
"I've been doing too well. Hey, William, Will? Aren't you going to greet your mom?"
But William was squatting in front of the stove, engrossed in scooping up stew. Nora approached and smacked him hard on the back.
"William, you son of a bitch! Not even a greeting! If the young master comes, you should come and tell your mom right away, what are you doing squatting here!"
With that scolding, the stew bowl he was holding so preciously fell to the floor. The son, who was as huge as a mountain, jumped up and flared up.
"Ah, Mom! I was eating! Oh, oh, that meat! Aw, geez!"
She sighed and resisted the urge to kick her son's butt as he frantically picked up the fallen chunks of meat. How could her son be so clueless, clumsy, and awkward?
Nora had two sons who grew up with Edgar. The older brother, William, was very strong but simple and straightforward, while the younger brother, James, was weak but quick, talkative, and perceptive. The brothers were famous for 'doing the work of two men when they teamed up.'
The brothers were very proud of Edgar and both volunteered to be his attendants. But Edgar, who couldn't afford to have two attendants, took only William with him when he was appointed. James had to stay in Nebulosa Castle to take care of his mother, the household, and serve the ducal family.
Nora loved and cherished Edgar more than anyone else in the world. Even more than her own two sons.
From the time he was a baby, Gongzi Edgar was as pretty as an angel, and more lovable than an angel. And now he had grown into a handsome man who melted women's hearts, an excellent knight, and an outstanding man who could captivate and lead men.
Nora was proud and delighted, but also heartbroken. How could such a wonderful person be born as the second son? Duke Edgar should have been the lord instead of the unnecessarily sensitive, gloomy, and introverted Duke Edwin. How wonderful it would have been if the two had been born in each other's place. Nora had countless times entertained such dangerous and futile fantasies.
Sometimes, very rarely, she had even more presumptuous thoughts. If Duke Edwin were to die early in an unfortunate accident, and if, really, really if, Duke Edered was not Duke Edwin's biological son as Duke Edwin suspected, wouldn't it be right for Gongzi Edgar to become the next lord?
Of course, after having such thoughts, she would be startled and quickly make the sign of the cross and offer a prayer of repentance. But these thoughts, like summer insects, stubbornly survived even when killed. That was because she wasn't the only one who had similar thoughts.
Edgar scooped up a new serving of stew and put it in his mouth, saying,
"The men in our castle have tongues and eyes that are all rotten and twisted. How can they still leave a mama who can cook such a wonderful stew all alone? If it were me, I'd kidnap her in the middle of the night and take her away!"
"Oh, stop saying such scandalous things. Husbands are just a headache, so I'll just live like this."
Nora, who had been living alone for over 10 years since the death of her second husband, felt awkward but grateful whenever she heard such words. Of course, Gongzi Edgar had no authority to marry off the people of the territory, but she was so touched that he would even say such things.
"Don't worry about me, young master, you should get married first. You're almost twenty! You should hurry up. Even Duke Edered is said to be getting married to his fiancée next year."
Edgar's eyes widened, and he stopped his spoon, then burst into laughter.
"He's eleven years old this year. What does such a young child know? He'll probably ask his bride to tell him old stories on their wedding night?"
"The bride will be sixteen next year, and since the conditions are better on this side, they're in a hurry. The bride is currently the most valuable commodity on the continent, so there's no reason to wait until she gets older and her value drops. If it falls through, only the bride's side will lose out."
"That's right."
"Originally, there was talk of getting them married this year, but the Duchess said, 'Wait until Edered reaches the age set by the church for marriage,' so they set the date for next year."
"Duke Edered's fiancée was the Grand Duchess of Regio Florida, wasn't she? Was it the famous young Grand Duchess Valentina?"
"Yes, young master, she's said to be the most beautiful woman on the continent, intelligent, and very mature. Men who have seen the Grand Duchess even once can't sleep at night because they're so lovesick. Dozens of love letters fly to Florida Castle every day."
She knew the events happening all over the continent as well as the wandering Romani people.
"Really? Your future niece-in-law is more popular than I thought?"
"Of course. She's incredibly popular. But she doesn't even bat an eye. She's also famous for being cold. She humiliates anyone who tries to flirt with her. She says, 'If you're in love with a painting, marry a painting, and if you're in love with a rumor, marry a rumor'?"
"Hahaha, well, beautiful roses have thorns, but she's a very haughty and audacious lady."
Edgar burst into laughter again. Nora shook her head firmly and said seriously in a small voice.
"But young master. The reason why the daughters of the Grand Ducal Family are popular isn't just because of their beautiful appearance, refinement, or chastity. In the ladies' chambers of that Grand Ducal Family, they secretly teach their daughters..."
Nora looked around, then covered her mouth with her hand and whispered.
"The techniques of the night. As weapons to control men."
"Oh? Really? That's the first time I've heard that."
"The Romani swore on their prophet, so it must be true. Men who marry the daughters of the Grand Ducal Family are said to lose their minds to that ecstatic pleasure and ruin their lives. Still, the most prominent men are desperate to marry the women of the Grand Ducal Family. But unfortunately, the Florida Grand Ducal Family has always been short on descendants. Especially daughters."
Nora told Edgar all the gossip she had heard. Nora was so friendly, kind, and well-connected that her kitchen became a place where all the rumors circulating in Nebulosa gathered. And the information she obtained spread quickly.
"That kind of lady is marrying Edered...?"
Edgar stopped moving for a moment and thought, then scratched his head and laughed.
"Ha, well... Of course, in terms of conditions, our Edered isn't lacking, but I'm worried. My nephew is too young, quiet, and weak. Isn't he going to be dominated by his bride from the first night...? Oh? Edered!"
Edgar was startled and stood up. A long shadow stretched from the entrance of the kitchen.
"It's been a while, Uncle. I hope you've been well."
A pale-skinned, slender boy stood at the doorway and bowed his head expressionlessly.
The boy, wearing a splendid dalmatica with a rose emblem embroidered on the hem and a purple velvet hat with tassels, exuded an atmosphere of solemnity and seriousness that was uncharacteristic of his age. He had the delicate and elegant beauty of Duke Edwin, but he didn't look like his father because of his black hair and black eyes.
Behind the boy, Nora's second son, James, stood fidgeting. Judging from James's expression, Duke Edered had been listening to their gossip all along.
But Edgar approached his nephew without any hesitation, put his arm around his shoulder, and pressed his cheek against his.
"It's been a while, Edered. We just arrived. Oh? You've grown taller."
Edgar hadn't spent much time with Edered. He only remembered that his nephew was an unusually calm and quiet child. He didn't know if that was his natural personality. The education methods of Terra Petronia were very strict, and especially the Duchess was so strict that she was called the 'Iron-Blooded Lady,' so even a rascal like himself would have to be quiet if he grew up under such a mother.
Still, he had noticed early on that his nephew liked his uncle. The quiet boy, who had rarely left Nebulosa Castle, seemed to admire his uncle, who traveled freely around the continent and enjoyed adventures ― in fact, he was struggling to make a living because he had no inherited land.
The boy looked up at his uncle and smiled slightly.
"If I had known that Uncle would come straight to the kitchen instead of the reception room, I would have come down here right away."
"Oh, was our nephew waiting for me?"
"Yes. I looked outside the castle every day to see if Uncle was coming."
The boy was generally expressionless, but the way his eyes narrowed and sparkled, and the way his lips curled inward slightly, was very pretty and lovely.
"Oh dear, should I be happy or scared? What did you wait for me for?"
"I wanted to hear new stories from the regions you've traveled to. News is slow here, after all."
The boy added with a smile.
"It's embarrassing to ask my wife for old stories in bed, but it wouldn't be shameful for a man to listen to Uncle's adventure stories and tales of the world all night in front of the stove in the kitchen, would it?"
A cold sweat ran down Nora's back in an instant.
The young duke was now sternly warning them not to speak carelessly about his fiancée.
