CH 41

“It’s the same with Albert. If it were me, I wouldn’t go to all that trouble, I would have driven him out for hiding the accounts. Rather, the conclusion would have been different if we talked about it as the Lord of the territory close to Peloche.”

Well, that could have been one way to handle it. Albert’s attitude towards me was never particularly good from the beginning.

But he clearly made an effort to protect this territory despite not having any authority or noble status.

I am a noble and he is a commoner. He made me angry and even tried to deceive me. And he almost ruined things, and I could have driven him out, as Sein said.

Actually, even if I had done so, no one would have blamed me.

So why did I do that?

Perhaps because a stranger from another world’s way of thinking still remains somewhere in my mind.

But I didn’t want to let this affect how I work.

When I was a reader, I used to shout “How great, how great” to the protagonist, but now that I’m in his position, I started to see the various situations of the others.

But there were also times when I gave orders even though I knew it would cost them their job and possibly their life.

And yet, in the eyes of Sein, who had been born and raised here as a nobleman, I still looked soft as a nobleman.

“Albert is a commoner, but it’s commendable that he has faithfully guarded the territory of the Duke. Besides, he’s an expert on Ensis, so he might be more useful in the future.”

This aristocratic way of speaking would convince not only Sein, but also everyone around me.

Even Albert himself would nod in agreement if he heard me. It was really a crazy caste system.

Soon, the servants started bringing out the meal, as if cutting off the headache-inducing conversation.

Without much thought, I cut a slice of the steak in front of me, as I had always done, and my eyes widened as I savored the flavor.

“It’s spicy.”

“What?”

Sein asked, as if questioning my sudden outburst, but I ignored him and gently scraped the surface of the well-done steak with my fork.

As I did, a red sauce I had seen in the past started to come out.

“My food is spicy. What about yours, Sein?”

Sein’s face hardened into a grimace at my words.

In this world, spiciness, or more accurately, the sense of pungency, was not a popular sensation. 

It was something added to meals to make someone sick or, in extreme cases, to torture someone.

Perhaps that’s why, upon hearing my words, Sein’s voice rose in anger.

“The taste of my food is perfectly normal, but who would dare…”

“No… That… I don’t think there’s a bad intention.”

Isn’t it? Perhaps, like foreigners on Earth who were not used to spicy Korean food, this level of spiciness could be torture for people in this world.

It had been a long time since I had tasted something spicy, or at least with my own body, and my tongue was actually tingling with the spiciness.

But more than that, I felt a longing and a sense of joy, and the thought of ‘delicious’ came first.

Sob sob, I had been eating only salty and greasy food every day. I thought that spicy food did not exist in this world, so I just lived without it. But when the spiciness spread to the tip of my tongue after a long time, the Korean blood in my soul boiled.

Despite my denials, Sein was already ordering the servants to call the chef with a stern face.

I also wanted to hear the reason, but my hands did not stop slicing and eating the meat. It was the first time I had eaten spicy food in a long time, and it was so delicious it brought tears to my eyes.

Soon, the door to the dining room opened, and a plump man rushed in, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief.

He alternately looked at me eating the meat and Sein with a cold expression, then politely bowed his head.

“I greet you, my Lord.”

“Uh, yes. You worked hard.”

“Oh, no, not all. Is there… something wrong?”

I asked the man while picking up a piece of steak meat that I had sliced and poking it with a fork.

“No, the food was very delicious today. It was slightly spicy and delicious…”

Sein looked at me silently, as if I was saying something completely out of place, so I naturally changed the subject.

“…Today’s food seemed different than usual. And it seems like only my food has added spice, so I was curious if there was a reason for it today.”

At my words, the chef said, wiping off his sweat with his handkerchief once again.

“Well… that was requested by Mr. Hisch.”

At the sudden mention of that name, both Sein and I widened our eyes in surprise.

“Mr. Hisch?”

In response to Sein’s suspicious words, the chef waved his hand.

“H-He brought a spice that I had never seen before and asked me to mix it properly into the Lord’s meal… When I tasted it first, it seemed to be very spicy, so I had my doubts, but I couldn’t refuse the request of the Lord’s husband.”

Thinking he was being reprimanded, the chef fidgeted and stammered out an excuse.

Sein looked at him as if he doubted the sincerity of his words, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak as I felt a stirring in my chest.

‘Of course, here in this world, there were times when I had to write down documents by hand, and there was no spicy food. If someone breaks the rules, people will be killed too…’

My secrets as if it was just a delusion that I couldn’t confide in anyone, but one day I inadvertently blurted it out to him.

Yes…

You’ve always believed it and remembered it.

“I see… I understand.”

I barely managed to say that.

“Thank you.”

I blurted out the words that, in fact, I should have said directly to my husband, and smiled broadly.

It was late when Hisch returned to the room. He looked a bit tired, and with a crude touch, he rubbed the back of his neck.

The lights were off and it was dark, as if the room was unoccupied, and he seemed much more relaxed than he had in front of me.

Hisch was about to sit up in bed when I, still hidden under the covers, grabbed him by the waist, and pushed him onto the bed.

“Liddell?!”

Startled, Hisch struggled as I climbed on top of him and firmly held his cheek. I thought about giving him a deep kiss, like we’d done before, but he desperately pushed my shoulder away and shouted, “No!”

“W-W-Wait! My heart is not prepared yet…!”

“…No, if anyone sees us… they might think I’m a wicked Lord or something.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Even in the darkness with the help of the dim moonlight, I could see Hisch’s face flushed red.

He covered his face with his arm and looked at me through the gap. He stayed still as if observing me, and then, as if he couldn’t take it anymore, he grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me into his arms, and rolled me on the bed.

As I burst out laughing, Hisch also chuckled softly and stretched his arms out to light the magic lantern.

A soft glow illuminated the man’s face as he looked at me fondly. I stroked his cheek with my thumb.

“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard these days? You seem to be getting back late and……. are you having trouble with work?”

I tried to alleviate Hisch’s burden by saying that, even if it meant turning his work schedule upside down. The man looked at my face as I spoke and soon said this.

“I thought so until just now… but when I saw your face, I thought everything was okay.”

“…Still, if it’s too hard, you need to talk about it, okay?”

Hisch nodded his head and hugged me tighter. As his breath tickled my ear, I felt strange and straightened myself and stood up.

I opened my mouth to speak to Hisch, who looked at me strangely as I broke free of his embrace.

“Today, I had lunch… It was really delicious.”

“Ah.”

Hisch smiled happily.

“How was it? I don’t know if it was the taste you remembered. If I knew how to cook, I would have made a lot of things for you.”

When he spoke softly, there was something so lovely about him.

I suddenly became curious about the true nature of the feeling I am experiencing right now. Is it really just a comfortable feeling, or the feeling I have when I look at my family? Or is it something else…

I tried to cut off the thought that was about to continue and turned the conversation around.

“By the way, where did you get those spices? It doesn’t seem like the people around here eat spicy foods.”

“Ah…”

The man, who hesitated for a moment at my words, soon got up like me and said.

“Umm. I was going to show you when it’s a little more complete.”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing special. But still. Um. Since we’re talking about it….”

Hisch said with a shy smile.

“Do you want to take a look at it with me right now?”

The place Hisch led me to was the most secluded spot in the mansion’s garden, where even the servants seemed to rarely venture.

The entrance was oddly concealed by trees and foliage, making it feel like a secret hideout.

Small magical lights emitted a faint glow around some of the plants. I wasn’t sure of their purpose, but it seemed as though they were giving the plants the sunshine they lacked, as if compensating for the lack of sunlight when they were on earth.

“Wow, what is all this? It looks like a small garden. What are you growing here?”

With that said, I was soon left speechless when I saw the signs on the plants in the small flower beds.

[Spicy Seasonings]

[Yellow Grain Therophyte]

[Black seeds with stimulant effects]

“Actually… I tried to find the closest thing based on your description, but I’m still not sure what it is.”