The long dining table at the White Deer mansion was quite grand, with seven chairs on each side, and two on either end. Even with all five of them, it looked a little lonely.
But since Emilia had neither the confidence nor the will to make enough for dozens of additional servings, it was naturally impossible for all the maids and servants to join them for dinner.
Not only would it make them feel awkward, it would also defeat the purpose of tonight’s get-together, since Emilia couldn’t in her right mind discuss such things in their presence.
Even if they were generally considered ‘trustworthy’, the crimson-haired girl hadn’t yet had the time to verify their hearts on an individual basis.
As Emilia and Michelle had taken up the task of serving the food, and Sam had arrived later, the seats had mostly been arranged by Dixie and Crystal. And whether it was intentional or not, both the ‘head’ seat and the ones on its left and right were left empty.
Of course, the heroine’s intention had been to leave the place for Sam and Noelle, as they would be the main topics of discussion, but the gray-haired girl’s absence left one of them empty, so the crimson-haired girl simply had Michelle take up that spot.
Naturally, the ‘discussion’ could wait until after they were done with their food, as Emilia hoped that they enjoyed what she had worked on so hard.
Although it wasn’t really a big deal, Emilia still couldn’t help but feel slightly apprehensive. After all, while she considered her cooking level to already be ‘decent’ by now, the crimson-haired girl didn’t believe she had reached the peak of the craft.
When she thought about how Sam had probably been to more five-star restaurants than she could count, Dixie was the heiress of the fastest growing confectionery in the country, and Crystal was practically raised in a restaurant… their standards were bound to be sky-high.
If they found her cooking to be disappointing, Emilia knew that she would be a little sad in her heart. It was already bad enough that Noelle didn’t even bother showing up, but what was the point of spending hours toiling away in the kitchen if the rest of them didn’t like it either?
Of course, it was impossible to ask them directly. Not only would it serve no purpose, it might also make them feel compelled to compliment her, which was the farthest thought from Emilia’s mind.
Cynthia couldn’t help but roll her eyes in exasperation. “You just want to be praised, right? Here, I’ll do it.”
Feeling a little embarrassed in her heart, the crimson-haired girl was quick to reject her partner’s ‘sincere’ offer. ‘N-No, it’s not like that! Um, anyway, even if you praise me, it won’t matter since you haven’t even tasted it, right?’
The raven-haired girl scoffed. “I’m not going to praise you for serving food to mortals, obviously. But you really did do a great job ruining both the hero’s mentality and reputation, so he seems to be completely set on a downward spiral to doom. I realized I never praised you for it properly, but as expected of my villainess, really amazing!”
Emilia couldn’t help but feel a little warm in her heart. Despite her thorny words, sometimes, her partner was really too cute. ‘Thank you, Cynthia.’
Aside from some incoherent grumbling, her partner offered her no further response, but Emilia didn’t mind.
Of course, this kind of thing wouldn’t dissuade her from what she planned to do, though she did lower Cynthia’s punishment score by three points.
Thankfully, the ‘distraction’ from Cynthia allowed her to avoid the anxiety of watching everyone sample her dishes one by one, and Emilia breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that none of them seemed to have any issues with what she had made.
Of course, although one of Emilia’s main goals this time had been to soothe the gloom in Noelle’s heart, she had still taken into account what the others didn’t like.
Whether it was Sam’s hatred of turnips, Dixie’s phobia of beetroots, or Crystal’s archenemy – the artichokes, Emilia had carefully avoided all their taboos while planning the meal.
Of course, there was no need to mention Michelle’s distaste for bitter gourds, since Emilia didn’t like them either, so they would never be on the menu.
Maybe Crystal had been able to sense some of Emilia’s emotions earlier, so she tapped the soup bowl with a spoon and gave the girl a big grin and a thumbs up. “Everything you made is so delicious, just like you!”
Aside from Sam, who was lost in the joy of fantasizing about Emilia being her dutiful wife waiting at home while enjoying her little sister’s delicious cooking after a tiring day at work, Michelle and Dixie almost ended up choking as they coughed after hearing Crystal’s words.
The ‘maid’ in particular almost cried. ‘Even if you’re the wife of the princess, do you have to show off at every turn?!’
Of course, even if she was a little aggrieved, it was already great fortune to be able to enjoy the food prepared so lovingly by her princess. In the future, she definitely had to be diligent in her service, and not let her princess suffer!
As for Dixie, well, after facing the ‘threatening’ glare from Crystal all day, she had already given up trying to figure out what was going on in this girl’s mind.
Emilia hummed happily as accepted Crystal’s compliment, not paying much attention to the ‘vulgarity’ of it. From the rosy blush on her cheeks, it was clear that the little beauty was pleased, leaving Michelle feeling melancholic for the naïveté of her princess.
Naturally, Crystal’s intention hadn’t been to boast, and the compliment came from her heart.
The blend of mellow, slowly cooked, caramelized onions in a broth laced with white wine and cognac served perfectly to both induce hunger yet comfort the famished at the same time, and had just a faint fragrance of some essence that Crystal couldn’t quite tell, just like the little beauty who prepared it.
Not only were all the dishes crafted masterfully, but even their combination left her with nothing to complain about. Whether it was the savory risotto infused with mushrooms that went well with the main dish, or the ride wine and shallot sauce with a hint of rosemary, the blending of both texture and aroma was all in place.
Compared to when she had only been able to make shortcakes every day for breakfast, Emilia had clearly come a long way, and Crystal was sure that her mother would be proud.
Emilia was happy to see that they all seemed to enjoy what she had prepared, and all the hard work seemed to have been more than worth it.
Listening to their compliments one by one, the crimson-haired girl was already blushing and grinning from ear to ear by the time the desserts were to be served, and the sweetness of the ice-cream sundaes seemed to have made their compliments turn even sweeter.
The ‘worst’ of them was Sam, who seemed to have been fully re-energized after gorging herself silly. “My little baby’s hands are simply magic! Everything you made is so delicious and fragrant, I almost swallowed my tongue!”
While Dixie and Crystal weren’t so exaggerated with their compliments, they still agreed with everything Sam said.
Of course, the variety of dishes was still incomparable to what the professional chefs in the mansion could prepare, but how could it compete with the taste of their sweetheart’s love?
Only Michelle remained silent, but nodded along with their words, just hoping that her red nose and wet eyes weren’t too obvious and didn’t disturb their meal, no matter how moved she was.
Shortly after they were done with their ice-cream sundaes, however, Michelle finally couldn’t hold it anymore as she spontaneously burst into tears, leaving everyone else dumbfounded.
The short-haired girl knew that the fate of her princess and herself had been like two parallel lines.
A commoner like her who had never seen anything but a life of mediocrity had nothing to do with the beloved daughter lovingly raised by one of the most powerful families in the country, after all, not even taking into account her other identity.
These parallel lines had intersected only because the princess used her own strength to forcefully save her from her doomed fate, and Michelle had already been grateful enough to dedicate her worthless life to her savior.
But the more she stayed by her side, the more Michelle realized that Emilia not only cared for the wife she had been chasing, but also put thought and consideration into insignificant people like herself.
Not only did Emilia care for her enough to make sure she didn’t overwork, she even paid attention to her weight, giving her vacations and having the chef give her a special diet to quickly fix her malnourished body.
And now, her princess had even cooked her a meal with her own hands, and let her be by her side even though she had done nothing to deserve it.
For a talentless girl like her who had nothing to boast about, this kind of favor made her feel like she had wronged her princess instead of helping her. How could she not cry?
Feeling herself enter the soft, fragrant embrace of her princess, Michelle’s sobs came to an abrupt halt. Naturally, with her being seated by Emilia’s side, the crimson-haired girl had stood up to console her, not caring much about anything else.
But for Michelle, having her face buried in the breasts of her princess — right in front of her ‘wife’, at that — was like a flash of thunder from the sky, leaving her both thrilled and terrified. ‘I-I won’t get killed, right? N-No! How can I continue serving my princess if I’m dead?!’
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━