Chapter 3-21 : Dinner At House Balvin (part 1)
「This mass of muscle is Duke Balvin!?」(Kako)
「Waiー Ojou-sama!」(Thea)
「…Woops!」(Kako)
I was so shocked that I spontaneously blurted out what was on my mind. I panickedly covered my mouth with my hands, but it was too late.
Calling the duke a mass of muscle is the same as insulting him. It deserves a punishment.
Howeverー
「Bwahahahaha! That’s right! This mass of muscle is the one governing this region! Hnnghhh!」(Baldock)
Instead of feeling offended, he showed me a big smile and struck another bodybuilder pose.
「Please forgive me for my rude words! I didn’t mean it… It’s just…」(Kako)
「No, it’s completely fine. I know you’re just surprised by how beautiful my muscles are. Am I right~? Hnghhn!」(Baldock)
「Ahaha…」(Kako)
Phew… I’m glad that he’s not a typical hard-headed noble.
「Besides, I should be the one apologizing. The mermaids attacked you because of my incompetence. Please accept my deepest apology.」(Baldock)
Duke Balvin lowered his head.
As always, it feels awkward when an adult acts so politely toward me like this, especially when they’re a high-ranked noble.
「Please raise your head, my lord. I don’t mind it at all.」(Kako)
「As Raykard said, you’re such a kind girl. But I can’t forgive myself for putting Marquis Kushaq’s daughter in danger.」(Baldock)
He may be a strange person, but he has a strong sense of responsibility. As expected from a noble.
He was about to continue apologizing, but fortunately, Raykard-sama stepped in.
「Father, it’s not proper to have a conversation while standing. Why don’t we sit first?」(Raykard)
「Ah, you’re right. My lady, please have a seat.」(Baldock)
Saying that, Duke Balvin prompted me to take a seat on a chair and then sat in his chair.
I was about to take a step, but Thea whispered to me.
「Ojou-sama, you should introduce yourself first.」(Thea)
「Aa…」(Kako)
I completely forgot about that.
It’s already too late to introduce myself, but as a guest here, I have to do it.
I pinched my skirt, put my right foot behind my left one, and slowly bent my knees, doing a curtsy while introducing myself.
「My lord, I haven’t properly introduced myself. I’m Kako Mayama Kushaq, the second daughter of Marquis Kushaq. It’s an honor to be invited to your table.」(Kako)
「Haha! Looks like Marquis Kushaq educated you well, but you don’t have to be that polite here. Please have a seat, and let’s enjoy our dinner, shall we?」(Baldock)
I silently replied to him with a bow, and then a maid led me to my seat.
Raykard-sama was sitting in front of me across the table. Meanwhile, Nyat and Thea were standing by the wall watching over us.
「Bring the food.」(Baldock)
「Right away, milord.」(servant)
At Duke Balvin’s command, the servant who had been standing by the door left the room, and not long after, several maids came with trays of food and drinks.
「Unlike other nobles, our house doesn’t require any strict etiquette, so please relax and enjoy yourself.」(Baldock)
After he said that, Duke Balvin started eating his meal and drinking his wine heartily.
In front of me was a feast of seafood dishes. Each one of them looks delicious.
Eating delicious food in a noble’s house without worrying about table manners. What a perfect dinner for me!
Well then, bon appetite~!
「*Gulp gulp*」(Kako)
I was a bit thirsty, so first, I drank the fruit juice that was served by the maids.
Apparently, it’s a specialty fruit of this region. It tastes like mango but has a more intense sweet aroma. If they didn’t dilute it with the right amount of water, it might be too sweet even for me.
Next, I moved my gaze toward the clam soup. The soup was clear and filled with vegetables.
I used my fork to scoop out the clam meat from the shells and brought it to my mouth. The clam was so tender and chewy, and the soup wasn’t too salty. The vegetables were also well-cooked. Delicious!
「Mmm~!」(Kako)
Next was the seaweed salad. It was savory and a bit sweet. The texture was a bit slippery, but it was also crispy at the same time. Delicious!
「Mmmm~!」(Kako)
The next one was the sautéed fish. It had a perfect texture. Not too firm, not too soft. The juice oozed out as soon as I chewed it. It filled my mouth with delightful flavor. Delicious!
「Mmmmm~!!」(Kako)
「So, my lady, how do you like our seafood?」(Baldock)
「Each one of them is delicious! Excellent! Marvelous!」(Kako)
「Hahaha! I’m glad you like it!」(Baldock)
I’m not exaggerating. I really enjoy these dishes, and I think they taste amazing.
Although I’m not as good as a professional chef, I can cook too, so I know that this delicious taste didn’t only come from the freshness of the ingredients but also from the chef’s skills.
It seems that House Balvin has a talented chef here. As expected of the Duke’s personal chef.
While enjoying my food, I noticed Nyat drooling as he stared at the food on the table. Watching us eating, must made him feel hungry.
I feel bad for him, but he will have dinner with Thea and the other servants after this.
Just hold on a little longer, Nyat.
「You’re young and still growing, so please don’t hold back and eat a lot.」(Baldock)
「Yes, my lord.」(Kako)
Well, don’t mind if I do~
「Eat a lot, and eventually you will grow some beautiful muscles like me!」(Baldock)
As he said that, he flexed his bicep.
「Uhh…」(Kako)
I don’t know what to say.
I can’t imagine myself becoming a bulky adult woman in the future.
「Father, you must be joking. Lady Kako will look better with a slender figure. She doesn’t need bulky muscles.」(Raykard)
「Hmph. You don’t understand muscles’ charm!」(Baldock)
Seeing how close these father and son were, I silently giggled.
Right. Come to think of it, this young-looking man is actually Raykard-sama’s father.
His bulky muscles that could tear his suit apart anytime were kind of bothering me, but now I’m more curious about how he maintains his youthful appearance.
While wondering, I continued enjoying my dinner, devouring various seafood dishes on the table one by one.
Ahh, I want to learn these dishes’ recipes.
Oh, that’s right! As an apology for the mermaid incident, maybe I can ask the duke to have his chef teach me the recipes.
What a brilliant idea!
As we were enjoying our dinner, a butler came into the dining hall and approached Duke Balvin.
「Milord, he’s already on the way here.」(butler)
「I see.」(Baldock)
I don’t know who, but it looks like someone is coming.
After the butler left, Duke Balvin put down his knife and fork and looked at me.
「My lady, let’s talk about the mermaids.」(Baldock)
「I’m all ears.」(Kako)
He was smiling and laughing a while ago, but he looks serious now. It was as if he were a different person.
I put down my spoon and listened to him.
「I heard everything from the captain the other day. About the reason why the mermaids are attacking ships and about the poison that has polluted the sea. Is it true that the mermaids fell sick because of this poison?」(Baldock)
「Yes. Most of the mermaids on that island were suffering because of it. However, I managed to save them with my potions.」(Kako)
「I heard about your contribution, too. You’ve done a great job, Lady Kushaq.」(Baldock)
「Thank you, my lord.」(Kako)
「Now, apparently, this poison came from a certain facility.」(Baldock)
「A certain facility? Do you know what it is?」(Kako)
「Yes. It’s a laboratory.」(Baldock)
I thought it was some kind of illegal factory managed by a criminal group, but it turned out to be a laboratory.
「A laboratory. I see…」(Kako)
「To be exact, a potion research laboratory, and I know where it is.」(Baldock)
It hasn’t been long since he heard the news from the captain, but he got that much information already. That’s really fast.
House Balvin must be really good at investigating. I wonder if they have many spies scattered all over this region.
「My lady, you must be wondering how I managed to track them down this quickly.」(Baldock)
Duke Balvin talked as if he could read my mind.
「Umm, yes.」(Kako)
「Well, it’s true that we’re good at gathering information, especially in this region. However, that’s not the reason why we could do it so quickly this time. We could track them down because… That laboratory belongs to our family.」(Baldock)
「…What…?」(Kako)
What did he just say? That laboratory belongs to House Balvin?
Wait… Does that mean the one responsible for all this is House Balvin themselves?
Is this man… an enemy…?
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