BOPE 107

Chapter 107 …

Yujin spent the whole day playing in the garden with Kevin, wearing the cargo pants Julia had made for him. Everyone in the castle treated him kindly, but since he didn’t have any friends his own age, he had often been bored. Now, having met someone his age, he was having more fun than ever.

After spending the whole morning playing tag and sword fighting without a single break, the two finally plopped down on a garden bench long past lunchtime.

“Cool, right? My sister made these pants! Look—there are so many pockets, you can put all kinds of stuff in them! My sister even makes clothes for Lord Grace himself. She made this coat too. Isn’t it awesome?”

As Yujin proudly showed off the large and small pockets on his pants, bragging about his sister, Kevin refused to be outdone. He pulled out a loaf of dural bread that had been baked that morning and offered it to Yujin.

“My mom invented this bread! It’s a hundred times better than just steaming dural. All the ladies in the village entered the dural bread contest, and my mom won first place! Lord Grace himself tasted every bread there and said hers was the best! When the dural bread factory opens in our village, my mom’s going to work there as a technician!”

Both Yujin and Kevin were eager to boast about how amazing their sister and mother were. And rightly so—Julia and Baekie were indeed vital talents, indispensable to the Grace territory.

Watching them from a short distance away, Handsome approached the two with a gentle smile.

When the tall, well-dressed butler came over, both children stopped talking and looked up at him. Handsome was so tall that the two had to crane their necks to see his face.

When their round, innocent faces turned toward him, Handsome squatted down on the spot to meet their eye level.

Yujin and Kevin looked at him with admiration. To them, Handsome—wearing fine clothes and serving the lofty lord of the castle—was one of the coolest people they could imagine.

“Hello,” Yujin greeted brightly, his voice full of energy. Kevin followed a little shyly, mumbling a greeting of his own.

Handsome looked at the adorable pair with affectionate eyes and gently patted both their heads with his large hand.

“Have you had lunch?”

“Lunch time ended already. I shared my mom’s dural bread with Yujin,” Kevin replied.

“Lunch time ended?”

“Yes, we didn’t realize it was lunch time ‘cause we were playing.”

The boys grinned mischievously at each other.

A little distance away, Donghee watched them thoughtfully for a while, then quietly made her way toward the servants’ dining hall.

When the lord herself appeared in the servants’ dining hall, the head cook and assistant chefs—who had been busy preparing dinner—rushed out to greet her in a panic.

“Sorry for dropping in unexpectedly. Did I startle you?”

At her question, the head cook—who had just run out, bowing deeply—shook his head frantically.

“Oh no, not at all, m’lady! Not one bit!”

In truth, his heart had nearly leapt out of his chest, but he answered as calmly as he could manage.

“How many people work in this kitchen?”

Donghee was oddly amused by the cook’s thick Chungcheong Province accent. A foreign-looking man speaking such a cozy dialect—this world truly worked in strange ways.

“Including me, there’s seven of us all together.”

“Not short on help?”

“It’s busy, but not unmanageable, m’lady.”

The number of servants in Grace Castle had been steadily increasing. There had once been only about fifty, but ever since the rumors spread, more and more of the former staff had been returning.

The kitchen that served mercenaries and laborers was managed separately, so this team handled only the servants’ meals.

“Seven seems a bit too few.”

Though he had just said things were manageable, the head cook now blinked in confusion at the lord’s quick judgment. It was tight, yes, but not impossible.

“Triple the staff,” Donghee said.

“Th-th-three times, m’lady? That’s far more hands than we’d ever need…”

The cook suddenly grew anxious—was this her roundabout way of saying he was being replaced? The other kitchen workers exchanged nervous glances, waiting for the lord’s explanation.

“You’ll need them soon. From now on, this kitchen will operate around the clock.”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“I want food to always be ready—so anyone working can come in at any time and eat.”

Even after her explanation, the cook looked baffled. Handsome, standing nearby, was equally puzzled but also curious—just what kind of strange, innovative idea was the lord planning this time?

Donghee glanced around the dining hall, then walked over to the wall and began explaining.

“From here to there, we’ll put one long table. Fill large serving dishes with various foods and keep them stocked all day. When people get hungry while working, they can come here and eat whenever they want.”

“Keep it… stocked all day?”

“Right. Working all day is hard. Split the kitchen into three teams that rotate shifts. Hire more if needed.”

Donghee was planning to turn the servants’ dining hall into a buffet.

“Handsome.”

“Yes, my lady?” he replied, still dazed.

“Tell all the servants they can come to the dining hall up to three times a day—whenever they want. If they want to come more often, charge a small fee. You know the drill.”

She didn’t want to allow unlimited visits—it might lead to waste or imbalance—so she set a limit of three.

“Make sure to prepare a variety of dishes. Ah, and Head Cook—create a monthly menu in advance and post it on the wall. Include a special meal once a month. Get a generous budget from the treasurer so the food never runs short.”

“Yes, understood, m’lady.”

The head cook answered, though his mind was spinning. He thought he understood, but it was such a shocking idea that he doubted his own comprehension.

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask. Don’t make that confused face.”

Startled at how accurately the lord had read his thoughts, the cook flinched. After a moment’s hesitation, he carefully asked,

“So, you’re saying we should keep food ready at all times so servants can come and eat as much as they want? Put big dishes on a long table and make sure they never run empty—is that right?”

“That’s right. Though you’ll probably need to have someone serve portions, at least at first. People might pile up too much food and waste it otherwise.”

Donghee remembered her own past experiences at buffets—where her eyes had been bigger than her stomach.

“And for the monthly special meal… what should we serve?”

“Of course—meat.”

Before he could even finish, Donghee answered decisively.

“M-meat, m’lady?”

“Yes. Thick, hearty cuts. You need to eat meat once in a while to stay strong, don’t you?”

Even now, the servants’ meals weren’t of poor quality, but adding a special meat day? The head cook felt both thrilled and worried—it meant more work. Yet, her next words blew away all that worry.

“If you manage the budget well and create meals that truly satisfy everyone, you’ll receive a reward.”

“I’ll do my very best, m’lady!”

The cook, who had secretly envied the higher pay of lumberjacks and construction workers, now answered in a bright, eager voice.

“By the way, what’s your name?” Donghee asked, curious what the system had named him.

The head cook grinned proudly.

“I’m White Berun, m’lady.”

“White… Berun?”

Donghee blinked. The name sounded oddly familiar. Then realization struck, and she closed her eyes.

So White means Baek, Bel means Bell, and Run… just Won—literally Baek Jong-won.

Of course. The system never failed to deliver. It always put in its utmost effort when coming up with random names. No wonder the man’s accent was so folksy.

Donghee smiled awkwardly at the kindly face of “White Berun,” already picturing all the culinary success he would soon achieve.

The thought of how happy the servants would be filled her with renewed energy. With a light heart, Donghee returned to her room, where Anna handed her a letter.

“Anna, when did this arrive?”

“It came just a little while ago, my lady.”

Since Anna couldn’t read, she had no idea why her lady’s face had suddenly hardened. She only worried that she might have done something wrong.

Donghee irritably tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter inside. The ornate envelope, decorated with flowers, contained a neatly written note in elegant handwriting.

[To my beloved cousin, Chloe.]

 The letter was an invitation from Eileen—to her birthday celebration.