Chapter 22.1

As Gilbert-sama looked at me for too long, I shifted my gaze to the dishes lined up in front of me and said, “Please enjoy the food as it will get cold.”

Food tastes better when eaten warm. According to Astaroth, Gilbert-sama has not eaten since he was born, so I wanted him to eat something delicious.

I am confident in the taste of the food since I was directly taught by Noir, an adventurer who is a professional campsite cook.

The duke’s kitchen has more seasonings, so we can add more flavor, but that’s a story for later.

“I’m sorry. I was just admiring how beautiful you are when you are silent.”

“I get that a lot.”

“I’m sure you do.”

I am often told that I am beautiful.

Well, I am beautiful whether I keep quiet or open my mouth, so what Gilbert-sama says is not so wrong.

“If I keep quiet, that means Gilbert-sama likes silence. I’ll try to be as quiet as possible.”

“No, you can’t. Well, I’m used to your petulance too, and I’d feel more comfortable if you were talking about something.”

“I’m sure you’re right. But right now, it’s more eating than talking. If you’re not sure about eating it, shall I eat it first to show you that it’s okay?”

Perhaps he wonders if I might have poisoned the food like Astaroth did.

As I said this, Master Gilbert shook his head, picked up a spoon, and brought the soup to his mouth. His eyes suddenly widened and he began to eat silently without saying a word.

I was hungry too, so I decided to get some food.

Both the soup and the skewers were well flavoured with herbs, so the smell was gone from the meat. The meat was a little tough, but the fat was sweet and tasted like good quality meat. If the meat in the soup is boiled a little longer, it will be soft enough to melt in the mouth.

I made a lot of it, so it should taste even better tomorrow.

The sautéed mushrooms remained chewy, and when I bit into them, the mushroom soup slowly spread in my mouth.

It was a good thing we had found a place where the mushrooms grow in clusters. As its name suggests, it is a high-end mushroom that is said to be so delicious that it disappears overnight. If you wanted to get one in the kingdom, the price would be so high that an ordinary citizen would lose a month’s salary.

I guess nobody eats them in this country, but there were so many that I could not eat them all, so it was worth collecting.

“I thought you were being a fool when you started talking about eating unicorns, but they are delicious.”

“The narwhal hare is called a unicorn over here?”

“Yes. They are proliferating, eating the weaker animals of the forest. There are so many of them in the forest that it’s frightening, but if they’re good to eat, I’ll go out and capture as many as I can.”

“Gilbert-sama, this is your first meal, so you must chew it well and eat it slowly. We still have plenty of meat from the narwhal, and we’ll be setting traps to catch them, so don’t worry. You can never have too much of anything. The golden rule of hunting is to take only what you can eat.”

Gilbert replied curtly, “All right, all right,” and quickly ate everything on his plate.

Then, out of nowhere, a fire spirit appeared and replaced Gilbert-sama’s soup plate with a new one filled with soup.

It is not good to eat too much, but I am glad that he seemed to like it.

I had wondered what I should do if demons have different tastes than ours and they preferred the kind of beastly dishes that Astaroth had served me the other day. But it turned out to be alright.

“It was delicious. Thank you Lydith.”

“As head chef, I did what I had to do. I am the one who should be thanking you for inviting me to dine with you.”

“No, It’s the first time I’ve had a leisurely meal like this with someone, and I enjoyed it.”

“The food will taste twice as good when you see my white, fragile neck.”

“Ah… yes, I suppose so. It’s not bad to see you all dressed up. I’m not sure what that was, servant’s clothes or something like that, but that’s fine.”

I was a little surprised that Gilbert-sama praised me so honestly.

The effect of cooking is a terrible thing. It is often said that to win hearts and minds, you have to start with the stomach.

By eating the delicious dishes I made, Gilbert-sama must have fallen more and more in love with me.

I am a sinful, beautiful girl who is not only pretty but can also cook.

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