Chapter 007
“It’s empty, as expected.”
Delphia peeked through the sturdy wooden door before swinging it wide open.
“Now, Miss—no, Lady Irina. This is the dining room of the Winifred residence. It’s lovely—well, it’s spacious, isn’t it?”
Irina stepped into the room first, following Delphia’s lead.
“Truly,” Irina nodded. “It is spacious.”
It was wide. Just… wide. I couldn’t find any other way to describe it. I had imagined a noble’s dining room would be more magnificent and extravagant, but this was not the case.
There was a long wooden table and three chairs that looked like something out of a busy downtown eatery. Against one wall, several containers were neatly arranged, presumably holding food.
“We don’t really have a ‘grand’ dining hall yet. Though this room was originally used for other purposes, it was converted into this spacious dining area. The original one was too small.”
“I see.”
As they entered, Delphia’s eyes widened at a discovery.
“Oh? What’s this? Rio! Why are you still here?”
A man was sitting in the corner of the room, eating soup. Delphia marched toward him with long strides.
“Did you start eating late?”
“Ah, yes.”
In response to Delphia’s question, the man—who had impressive brown hair reaching down to his waist—nodded apathetically and continued sipping his soup. He looked as though he wanted us to leave, clearly finding it difficult to eat with company around. Delphia, naturally, ignored this and pressed on.
“Why?”
“…….”
“Why?”
“…Because.”
“Why?”
“I had some work to do.”
“Ah, I bet Layton caused trouble again. You can eat with us. Lady Irina! Come over here!”
“Lady Irina?”
Only then did the man named Rio lift his gaze from his bowl and settle it on Irina.
“Ah… hello.”
Irina approached hesitantly. Delphia introduced them cheerfully.
“Lady Irina, this is—”
“I’ll do it myself. You just go get the food.”
Suddenly, the man stood up, looked at Irina, and extended his hand.
“I am Von Rio. Please call me Mr. Rio.”
“Ah, hello. I am Irina Leonid. Please, call me Irina.”
This time, I didn’t hesitate for long or tremble. Satisfied, I smiled slightly to myself.
“Hmm.”
The knight, Rio, stared at Irina for a moment before sitting back down.
‘What is it?’
While Irina looked at Rio curiously, Delphia returned with her hands full of food. She smiled brightly, placing a tray beside Rio and one in front of Irina. On the tray sat a red stew brimming with meat, two pieces of white bread, jam, and butter.
‘It looks delicious.’
Irina swallowed hard. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten such a complete meal at this hour. Half the stew was meat, and there was jam and butter—luxuries rarely seen on white bread.
It was such a lavish meal. Deeply moved, Irina immediately picked up a wooden spoon, scooped up a large piece of meat from the stew, and put it in her mouth.
‘Huh?’
Irina’s head tilted to the side. As she chewed the meat, her expression grew darker.
“Is something wrong?” Delphia, who had been chatting with Rio, asked immediately.
“Well, it tastes… strange.”
“What?”
“The meat… it isn’t sour, and it isn’t tough. I can swallow it after chewing only a few times.”
“…Yes?”
Irina sniffed the aroma of beans and meat on the spoon.
“It doesn’t smell bad… is this what meat is truly like?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It was Rio who spoke up, leaving the bewildered Delphia behind.
“We, the Winifreds, bring in high-quality meat every day.”
Irina’s eyes sparkled. “Is it like this just because it’s good meat?”
“That’s right. Additionally, it’s warm and not tough. It isn’t strange at all, so you can eat to your heart’s content with peace of mind.”
“Oh……”
Irina nodded, her eyes shining as if she had just learned a profound secret. “Thank you for telling me.”
Only then did Irina begin to eat the stew with gusto.
“What in the…” Delphia muttered in embarrassment until Rio tapped her side.
“I think she’s only ever eaten fake meat.”
“Fake meat?”
“Because not everyone can afford real meat. It’s made by mixing inedible parts with things like bran,” Rio explained slowly. “In fact, I heard that if the bran is good, they’ll add anything to it. I’ve heard they even mix in discarded shoe leather.”
“…….”
“Since she mentioned a sour taste, she likely ate something that had gone bad.”
Delphia’s gaze fell on Irina, who was now eating the soup with a look of pure bliss.
“This isn’t enough!” Delphia stood up abruptly. Irina blinked in surprise, and Rio asked:
“What is it this time?”
Delphia looked at her with wide eyes. “My Lady, you need to eat something even more delicious! Just wait a moment!”
Delphia shouted and ran off, but she soon returned with her shoulders slumped.
“…The chef went out to buy ingredients.”
She had sprinted to the kitchen only to find it empty. Rio, continuing his meal with an indifferent expression, spoke up.
“He left in the carriage earlier.”
“You knew?”
“Yes. He came to the training grounds earlier to ask for an escort and a porter.”
“Why didn’t you tell me…?”
“Well, you didn’t ask.”
As Delphia lunged at Rio, trying to grab him by the collar, Irina narrowed her eyes in thought.
‘Is there no one else working here?’
She kept thinking about the dust in the room and the fact that the chef had to go buy ingredients himself. Even at Ben’s inn, there was a cook and a separate person for errands. Ben always said he didn’t have enough time to cook, so he hired others for everything else.
‘They never asked me to do the shopping, though.’
Leaving the slums for the downtown area was a privilege in itself. Ben had often scolded Irina, claiming she was a thief who would run away if she ever got her hands on money. He excluded her from anything that involved handling funds.
‘Thinking back, I did wonder if I could just take a few coins and run.’
Smiling bitterly at the memory, Irina asked, “Delphia, is there anyone else working here?”
Though she was a girl from the slums, she knew how a noble household functioned. There should be a mountain of work. But at the Winifred residence, she had only seen three people: the Duke, Delphia, and Rio.
“I haven’t seen any servants on my way here.”
“Good question!” Delphia’s eyes lit up as she sat back down, having exhausted her annoyance with Rio. She leaned toward Irina and began her lament.
“Actually, you see! No one wants to come to the Duke’s house! As we know, it’s been a long time since a Winifred has been in the capital.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! The starting point of the war was the East. Loberge targeted the East because it’s the breadbasket region.” Delphia continued tearing her bread. “The Winifred Duchy is right in the East. Because of that, the Duchy ended up right in the middle of the battlefield.”
“Thus, His Excellency and the previous Duke couldn’t come to the capital because of the war,” Rio added, tearing his white bread along the grain. “They say he only visited once or twice at most.”
“Exactly! So, the previous Duke, due to the costs of funding the war, ordered that the household staff be kept to a bare minimum.”
“Oh, so that’s why I don’t see people here.” Irina nodded. But hadn’t she heard that working for nobles paid well? It was the dream of every slum child.
‘That explains it.’
The chef buying his own ingredients, the empty mansion, and the fact that Delphia—a knight—was looking after her instead of a maid. It all made sense.
“Wait a moment.” A thought flashed through Irina’s mind. “I can do the cleaning, can’t I?”
She had planned to ask the Duke for work today anyway. She never imagined such a perfect opportunity would present itself.
‘I am confident when it comes to cleaning.’
She had lived in that inn every day since she was tiny. Even Ben, who never praised her, acknowledged her cleaning skills.
‘The Duke, Delphia… no one here seems like a bad person.’
She needed to prove her value so she could stay longer. Now, she had a purpose. Her eyes began to sparkle, but Delphia, busy complaining about her soup, missed the glint.
“Yes, it’s true! There was no one here when we arrived! The mansion is a mess!” Delphia said with a look of disgust, mentioning they had tried to clean it themselves. “I tried to find workers, but it takes forever to hire from scratch. Luckily the chef came with us, but we still don’t have enough hands! It’s so annoying!”
Rio popped the last bit of bread into his mouth and stood up.
“Hah, Rio?”
“I must go.”
“Wait, by the way.” Delphia grabbed the hem of Rio’s clothes as he tried to leave. Rio stumbled back. His face darkened, but Delphia didn’t care. She pulled him closer and pointed to a spot on the table.
“What is that?”
Irina followed Delphia’s gaze. There was a dish covered by a silver dome. Delphia’s eyes gleamed.
“Can I give that to Irina?”
“You cannot.” Rio lightly tapped Delphia on the head. “That is the Master’s food.”
“Oh, that won’t work then.” Delphia looked disappointed but pulled Rio back again. “Then why is it still here? Instead of being in his room?”
“Layton already left. This is fresh food the Duke hasn’t touched.”
“Why didn’t you take it to him?”
“He strictly refused.”
Delphia shook her head. “He shouldn’t skip meals so often… I don’t think he ate last night either, did he?”
“I believe not.”
“The chance of him coming down to eat is…”
“Zero.”
“Then what about this?” Delphia groaned, then her eyes snapped open. “Let’s keep it simple! Whoever loses a match has to go serve the food!”
“That isn’t simple at all.”
“I will go.”
A voice cut through the air between Delphia and Rio. Both turned their heads toward the source.
“I can go and serve him the food.”
