Archmage's Restaurant - Chapter 45: Hidden Faces and Dessert (1)
“Master, what do you think?”
The young lord of Grayke had accepted the Crown Prince’s proposal.
If the Crown Prince becomes Emperor, Grayke City could become a direct territory of the Emperor. However, if the Crown Prince fails, the young lord would be gambling with his future, potentially ending up as a noble with no power.
It seemed that the young lord was drawn to the Crown Prince’s ambition. If Grayke City had a direct connection to the central government, no one would be able to interfere with its governance.
The Crown Prince and the young lord of Grayke. Whether they can achieve their dreams is a battle they will have to fight. It has little to do with me.
However, for the young lord to move forward, there is one issue he must deal with: the problem with his stepmother.
The second wife of the lord had been heavily involved in managing the territory since her husband had become bedridden and until the young lord firmly decided to act as the regent.
She even went so far as to use tricks to turn the young lord into a puppet.
She is clearly an enemy of the young lord and Grayke City.
The best way to deal with an enemy is to find their weaknesses.
And then strike them where it hurts.
It’s quite satisfying to imagine what expression she’ll make.
The method I suggested to the young lord was simple. I advised him to review all the ledgers from the time the Count fell ill.
The young lord spent days and nights poring over the ledgers and, trembling with anger, summoned me. The documents he handed me were evidence of the enemy’s misdeeds.
“The ledgers clearly show evidence of tax embezzlement. There are discrepancies in several places.”
“It seems the second wife wanted to turn you into a puppet to secure this lucrative income.”
“I never imagined she would do something like this. This is outrageous. The amount… it’s too much!”
The young lord’s hands trembled with a mix of anger and disappointment as he furrowed his brow.
“But I remember she treated me quite well when I was young… When did things change…?”
People can change in an instant. The memories of being treated well might just be distorted recollections from childhood.
“You’re not her biological son. Such outcomes are common in noble families, but she was certainly bold to mess with the taxes like this.”
The amount embezzled was far from pocket change. During the war, she used the excuse of famine to withhold most of the taxes that should have been sent to the central government, and after the war, she siphoned off a tenth of the profits that should have gone to the Count’s treasury.
Of course, the taxes the Count actually received were only a fraction of what was owed.
When the Count lost his faculties, the young lord was just a child. He’s still young now, but he was even younger then, which gave the second wife the audacity to act so boldly.
She had been siphoning off more money than what the Duke of Taemuran had demanded in taxes every time.
“Recently, she hasn’t even tried to meet with me. It’s probably because of these actions that she’s been avoiding me….”
“To embezzle so blatantly is like daring you to challenge her. I wonder what her real intentions are. Didn’t you say she’s been unusually quiet lately?”
“Yes, there’s been no movement at all. But my stepmother’s family is the Dederan Count’s household, the neighboring territory. She probably feels emboldened by their strength. I’m not sure what to do.”
The current Count of Grayke is essentially a dementia patient. The young lord cannot rely on his father’s help. Over the years, the second wife has managed to win over some of the loyal retainers of the Grayke family, and if she’s also relying on the military strength of the neighboring territory, this could become a more complicated situation.
However, since the young lord stepped up as the acting lord, many of the retainers who had been distanced have returned.
Given that she’s been so quiet since then, it’s obvious she’s plotting something.
After becoming deeply involved during the Duke’s inspection, I couldn’t just leave the young lord, who now looked up at me with trusting eyes. I have to help him see this through.
“I’d like to meet with the second wife. If I meet her in person, I might be able to get a glimpse of her true intentions.”
“But…”
The young lord stood up from his chair, looking troubled, and scratched his cheek before sighing.
“She’s been making excuses to avoid meeting me lately. I’m not sure if it’s possible to introduce you in this situation….”
“It would be better to meet her through a different route, one not connected to you. Do you happen to know what her interests or hobbies are?”
There’s no way she would have a proper conversation with someone the young lord introduces. So it’s better to approach her from another angle.
The best way to do that is through her interests and hobbies.
Of course, the simplest way is to overpower her with force, but killing everyone who displeases you makes you no better than a monster.
And if you threaten her with force but let her live, secrets that could disrupt my peace might leak out.
So it’s best to resolve this in a more orderly manner. Now that the evidence of tax embezzlement is clear, there are several ways to proceed.
“Hmm, I think it would be faster to ask the butler about that.”
The young lord immediately went outside to call for the butler. A short time later, the white-haired butler of the Count’s household entered the study and bowed.
“You called, young master?”
“Do you know anything about my stepmother’s hobbies or interests?”
“Pardon? Her hobbies, you say?”
The butler hesitated for a moment before trailing off.
“There’s nothing that she particularly likes…”
“Is there anything she’s interested in at all?”
“Oh, yes! Since she first arrived in Grayke City, she has taken a great interest in tea and desserts. I’ve heard she enjoys desserts more than actual meals. Apart from that, there doesn’t seem to be much.”
Tea and desserts. A fitting hobby for someone of the upper class. If her interests lie in the culinary arts, that’s actually quite welcome.
I nodded to signal the young lord that this was enough. He dismissed the butler and quickly expressed his curiosity.
“What do you plan to do, Master?”
“I have a good plan. When people are presented with something beyond their expectations, they tend to get excited. I believe she’ll agree to meet with me.”
***
The dessert I’m going to make is a blackberry tart. Personally, I prefer strawberry tarts, but it’s impossible to get strawberries in the fall.
The storage room I plan to create using Rurin’s time-stopping magic is still far from being completed.
Once that magic storage is built, I’ll be able to enjoy fresh food at any time, regardless of the season. Not frozen, but fresh as if it were just harvested or caught.
Of course, that’s not the priority right now.
The goal is to make a dessert that will appeal to the lady of the house. For that purpose, I’ve chosen this blackberry tart.
Blackberries are different from blueberries. Blueberries are very particular about their soil, and it wasn’t until the 1900s that a cultivation method was discovered, so they’re still hard to find in this world.
In contrast, blackberries belong to the rose family, making them a common fruit in Europe since ancient times, often used in modern tarts.
After acquiring the blackberries from the market and starting to prepare the custard cream—the heart of a good tart—a certain dragon poked her head into the kitchen.
“El, what are you doing?”
“Why, our dragon has suddenly taken an interest in kitchen work? Did cooking awaken something in you after trying it once? Does that mean you’ll make dinner tonight?”
“No! That’s not it. But isn’t it strange for you to be in the kitchen so long with no customers around?”
“What? Unlike someone who’s been lazing around, I’m very busy.”
“Hmph. But is that food for me? You’re working so hard without any customers, so if it’s delicious, I’ll forgive you! Hehe.”
Rurin curiously wandered around behind me as I cooked. So, I dabbed some custard cream on my finger.
“Of course, our dragon should get the first taste. Here, say ahh.”
“That white stuff is edible? Ah—”
Without a second thought, she grabbed my finger and sucked the custard cream off.
Her eyes sparkled like stars.
“It’s delicious! Sweet, no, it’s sweet and sweet! But your finger is salty.”
She added a needless comment and then lunged for the custard cream.
“Just taste it! You’re not supposed to scoop it up like that! Stop, dragon!”
I tried to stop her, but she had already grabbed a handful of custard cream. And then, as if to retaliate, she turned to face me, pressing the custard-covered hand to my face.
“Hehehe! Attack!”
“Hey, you little—”
Then, quick as a flash, she dodged and ran out of the kitchen, licking the remaining custard cream from her hand. I couldn’t believe I was outwitted by a food-obsessed dragon.
Naturally, I had to get my revenge.
I wiped the custard cream from my face and followed after Rurin.
She was happily licking the cream off her fingers when I launched my counterattack, rubbing her face with custard cream. Ha!
“Rawr?”
She let out a strange sound and glared at me. Now both of our faces were covered in custard cream.
“How dare you.”
“El, you’re acting like a child!”
“What did you say?”
The dragon had the audacity to laugh at me. This dragon is crazy. Calling me childish… I felt a shiver down my spine as if I had lost.
And then, Rurin lunged at me.
Smack!
She grabbed me around the waist, tackling me to the ground. I guess absorbing the mana from the dragon orbs has made her stronger.
“This is tasty. So that means what’s on your face is mine too!”
Rurin started scooping the remaining custard cream from my face and eating it. Sitting on top of me, she even licked the cream off my nose with her lips. Her soft tongue touched the tip of my nose, much gentler than her fingers. It tickled.
“Sweet!”
I had custard cream smeared all over my face, I was being mocked, and now I was pinned down and licked by her tongue.
This is ridiculous.
I can’t just let this slide.
Using my abs, I pushed myself up, causing our foreheads to collide.
Smack!
“Ow! That hurts!”
Rurin cried out, and it hurt me too. But I held back my pain and smirked.
“You’re a hundred years too early to mess with me, dragon.”
“A hundred years? That’s nothing!”
The dragon rubbed her forehead, questioning my words. Well, to a dragon, a hundred years is like half a year to a human. I chose my words poorly.
“Hold still.”
“Huh?”
I leaned in and licked the custard cream off Rurin’s ear. She licked my nose, so I got her ear.
An eye for an eye.
A nose for an ear.
“El?”
Rurin flinched, reacting in a way I’d never seen before.
“You’re being weird… Huh? Huh! Huh?!”
Thanks to our little battle, custard cream had gotten into her ear, so I cleaned it out, then looked at her face. Rurin, looking startled, lowered her head.
Her ears turned red again, just like when I licked her blood in the northern forest.
“I-I feel strange. El!”
Then she suddenly stood up, touching her ear and tilting her head.
“What’s strange? Nothing’s strange.”
I said that, but it was weird enough that I backed off a little. Then I got a towel to wipe her face and mine.
Rurin backed away, her face still red, as I wiped her with the towel.
“Go wash your face. I’ll make something even tastier.”
“El, that was really strange. Maybe if you did it again, I’d understand better!”
She quickly approached me again, looking up with hopeful eyes. I firmly refused. From a dragon’s perspective, a hundred years is nothing; it might take a thousand.
“No more until you grow up.”
“What does that even mean?! I’m already grown up, you human!”
“And you’re a dragon!”
I shoved a slice of the finished blackberry tart into her mouth, cutting off her retort.
“Mmf! What is this?”
“It’s delicious, right?”
“Oh, it is.”
The dragon, distracted by the blackberry tart, forgot what she was saying and focused entirely on the dessert.
That was the Rurin I knew.
Watching her, I let out a sigh of relief.
For a brief moment, she had looked like a woman to me.