Chapter 05
The fact that Mother occasionally disappeared meant that I had to be left alone.
That was why Mother used every bit of knowledge she had to prepare me for it.
“Lucy, you have to run away immediately if the Crown Prince ascends the throne. Sneaking in among pirates is one option, too. They’re always looking for excellent chefs.”
“Lucy, there will be a typhoon in the Southern Sea during the year you turn ten, and the price of sugar will skyrocket during the year you turn eleven. Let’s stock up in advance.”
“There are all kinds of schemes and intrigues going on in the Vellaon Ducal Family. If you ever meet someone from that family, be extremely careful.”
Luciela stared intently at Cain and blinked.
So this man is Cain Vellaon.
Even without hearing his name from Mother, there were few people in the Empire who did not know of him.
The fifth-degree nephew of Duke Vellaon.
Despite not being a close relative, he had pushed aside all the direct descendants and seized the baronial title.
A remarkably skilled warrior who, if he had been born as the Duke’s legitimate child, would have been considered certain to become the heir long ago.
People generally described him as ruthless.
After all, anyone capable of pushing aside the direct descendants of a duke as cunning as a snake and holding onto that position had to be even more cruel than they were.
In fact, Mother had said that when she first started the game, she had been killed by this man several times.
Remembering those words, Luciela looked at his face again.
His eyes seemed even sharper than before.
“You must be wondering why you’re here. For reference, half a day has passed since you lost consciousness.”
Cain spoke to Luciela, who was busily turning things over in her head.
“The doctor said there’s nothing particularly wrong with you. According to him, it’s simply exhaustion from having depleted your physical strength and mana.”
Then why am I riding in the same carriage as the Vellaon family?
At that moment, a chill ran down Luciela’s spine.
Kidnapping?
No.
It was more likely that she had been arrested.
Perhaps Cain had realized that the woman he met during his time in the Imperial Army was a wanted criminal and had tracked her down all the way here.
Or maybe he had held onto the fact that Luciela had called him ugly that day and had come to take revenge.
Or perhaps…
Luciela suddenly felt around her waist.
The gold coins she had stolen from Nigel were gone.
…So that’s it.
I’ve been arrested for theft.
“I-I don’t think I did everything right, but…”
Thinking that she was doomed, Luciela swallowed hard and opened her mouth.
“But from my perspective…”
“I’ll ask you directly.”
Cain’s Adam’s apple moved slightly.
“Can you recreate those butter potatoes from earlier, and the Castella you made long ago?”
“Huh?”
“The crispy, salty potatoes you made with your own hands, the ones with such an amusing shape. And the Castella that was as fluffy as a cloud. Can you make them again?”
This time, Lucan spoke.
Luciela’s eyes widened as she looked between the two men.
Looking closely, she noticed that there was still seasoning around the corners of Lucan’s mouth.
The exact herb powder she had sprinkled over the Tornado Potato.
Did he eat it? While I was unconscious?
The part that fell on the ground?
…Gross.
Perhaps because he saw the horror on her face, Cain cleared his throat and handed her something.
“First, I’ll return these to you. They officially belong to you. The items determined to be yours, along with your share of the severance pay. The lord asked me to deliver them.”
Luciela’s eyes widened.
What Cain handed her was Mother’s diary, the bottle of MSG, and the pouch she had taken from Nigel’s waist.
Except the pouch was about ten times heavier than it had originally been.
“I suppose an explanation is necessary. After you lost consciousness, I entered the lord’s castle and assessed the situation. The kitchen staff lied until the very end, but after hearing the testimony of the cleaners, it seems you were being exploited quite severely by that man named Nigel.”
“…”
“Taking into account the complaint and testimonies you left behind, I punished all of them.”
“What? All the kitchen staff?”
“Everyone who had been colluding with Nigel was dismissed. Since they stole their former master’s possessions, there isn’t a single noble in the Empire who will be willing to employ them.”
Cain nodded with an indifferent expression.
“I was also considering having the head chef receive a flogging, but apparently he claims he can’t feel anything because his face was pierced by a poisonous scale. He’ll experience enough pain to kill him after a week, so keep that in mind.”
“…And the lord?”
Luciela asked with a bewildered expression.
It was hard to believe that the people who had tormented her for an entire year had been dealt with so easily.
Her mind was a mess, caught between the exhilaration of having finally gotten her revenge and the shock of how Cain had ruined their lives in half a day.
“He lacks the ability to properly govern those beneath him, so his authority will likely be restricted and an inspector dispatched. He looked quite saddened.”
“Ah…”
Luciela murmured sympathetically.
Lord Nor, who was nearly eighty years old this year, wasn’t a bad person.
If there was a problem, it was that his age made him too easily deceived by Nigel and the people around him.
Receiving such a humiliating punishment at his age would inevitably come as a shock…
“He cried and pounded the floor when he learned that the special meals he had been eating all this time—especially the French fries and apple pie—had been your work and that he wouldn’t be able to eat them anymore. He even grabbed onto me and called it cruel, but I couldn’t reverse my decision.”
Cain’s cold gaze swept over the scars and calluses that were ill-suited to the hands of a fourteen-year-old girl.
“…”
Luciela was dumbfounded for a moment before becoming solemn again.
Lord Nor really did have an unusually strong fondness for apple pie.
He ate it constantly, calling it one of the few joys of his life. No wonder Nigel had harassed her so much, demanding that she make more.
She discreetly raised her eyes toward Cain.
So he even punished the old man who lost his greatest joy in life.
In her eyes, Cain looked even more ruthless than before.
“Anyway, that is why we are going to the ducal residence in the Imperial Capital.”
“What?”
Luciela froze in confusion.
How did things end up like this?
“Th-The Vellaon Ducal Residence?”
But Mom said it was full of scary people!
“Yes. I need to let my nephew taste your cooking.”
“…”
“It would be good if you could make things like those potatoes from earlier, or perhaps that Castella from the past, a few times. I will reward you sufficiently.”
Luciela immediately understood what he meant.
So what he wants is the buff ability.
The power to increase the eater’s physical abilities and mana by more than twenty percent.
Luciela could imbue her cooking with power.
All she had to do was pour her own physical strength and mana into it.
“Amazing, my wonderful daughter! Your father said that children born between people from two different dimensions would have unique talents, but I never imagined yours would be such a cute ability!”
“Lucy buff?”
“That’s right! You already have incredible talent for cooking, and you even have buffs! But you have to be careful when using your buffs.”
“Why?”
“Because Lucy’s ability is so amazing that bad people might try to take advantage of it.”
For a moment, Mother’s warning flashed through Luciela’s mind.
When she raised her head again, she saw Cain’s eyes shining like those of a wild beast.
Is the bad person who wants to take advantage of my ability standing right in front of me?
She had never expected him to be grateful simply because she had saved him, but she certainly hadn’t expected him to chase her all the way here.
Luciela’s mind began racing.
“What… if I can’t?”
“It would mean that your talent is of no use to me, contrary to what I thought.”
“…!”
A terrifying threat slipped from Cain’s lips.
His face was so refined that anyone looking at him might gasp, but his uniquely indifferent expression—neither smiling nor frowning—combined with his aura, was extremely intimidating.
Luciela did not trust people easily.
After what she had experienced with Nigel, she had developed a habit of assuming the worst whenever things were ambiguous.
Just like he killed Mother’s character in the game… does he mean that he’ll kill me once I’m no longer useful?
Cold sweat trickled down her back.
I have to hold out until Mom comes back…!
While she was still frozen in place, she felt the carriage slowly come to a stop.
“We’ve arrived.”
Cain spoke.
“Get out. I want to see your skills with my own eyes.”
