Volume 1 Chapter 68 A Troubling Morning Mushroom Porridge
I thought I couldn't sleep much, but maybe I was just tired from everything because I ended up sleeping soundly.
I had a dream where Mr. Lucian was smiling sadly, with his hands and feet chained up, while His Majesty Zeere and Sir Stefan stood in front of him with serious faces.
Sir Stefan was holding a sword, and even when I shouted, "Stop!" my words didn't reach them.
I woke up when my vision was filled with red flowers.
"...huh, ah..."
I rubbed my tear-streaked cheeks and the corners of my eyes with the back of my hand and got up.
I put on a white blouse and a dark red skirt, along with a cute black apron.
When I went down to the restaurant kitchen, I brought onions and yesterday's mushrooms to the workbench and started chopping them.
Tap, tap.
The regular sound of the knife.
I made cuts in the onions both vertically and horizontally first, making it easier to chop them finely.
I sliced the mushrooms thinly lengthwise and then cut them into pieces horizontally.
"Mr. Lucian... I wonder if he's okay..."
I sautéed the onions in a deep frying pan with a little oil until they softened, then added the mushrooms.
I sprinkled some salt for flavor, then added water and rice, letting it simmer.
Simmer, simmer.
"Good morning, Princess! It's a nice morning, isn't it?"
While it was simmering, the kitchen window suddenly swung open.
It was Sir Rail, coming in through the window as if it were normal.
"Uh, Sir Rail... it surprises me when you come in through the window, so if possible, please use the entrance..."
I jumped a little as I was boiling water to make tea.
From early morning, a man with a fox mask sneaking in through the window feels a bit bad for my heart.
"Princess. A hero is someone who appears out of nowhere. They usually come in through the window."
"Is, is that so...?"
That feels more like a thief than a hero.
I'm not very knowledgeable about heroes, so I tilt my head.
I take a bag of green tea from the shelf and put the leaves into the teapot.
When I pour hot water, a refreshing, nice aroma of green tea rises.
"I have locked the window, but how did you open it...?"
"Princess. I can turn back time for things. So, if I turn back the time of the window lock before it was locked, it will open. I don't really like this power and have hardly used it, but since I have it, I thought I might as well use it."
Sir Rail enters the kitchen through the window, sits on a chair with his legs crossed, and lifts the fox mask that was covering his face.
"This is because of you, Princess. Since you are doing your best, I thought I couldn't just say I hate my own power. So, while trying various things, I realized it's useful not just for organic things but also for inorganic ones. I can unlock doors and even fix a broken teapot."
"That's convenient... Sir Roxas often breaks things, doesn't he?"
"No, I don't think he breaks things. He hasn't broken anything in the restaurant yet, right?"
As I say this with admiration, the grumpy Sir Roxas walks in through the restaurant entrance.
Sir Roxas is angry again this morning.
He's usually quite angry, though.
"Even though I haven't broken anything in the restaurant, you often break teacups when you talk to me."
"That's because my brother..."
"Brother?"
Maybe it's about an apple. As I tilt my head, Sir Roxas shakes his head.
"Never mind."
Sir Roxas has been hiding something since this morning.
I decide it's fine and take out the cups to prepare tea for Sir Roxas, Sir Rail, and Sir Ciel, who came in with Sir Roxas.
"Good morning, Sir Ciel. ...Um, thank you for coming yesterday and today."
"I'm on a long break, so it's okay. I've informed Leonsroar that Lucian will be away for a while with me for fieldwork on monster ecology. I've also told Leavis about the situation, and he will keep it quiet. He's good at keeping secrets, so I don't think there will be any problems."
Today, Lobelia Diner House is closed.
I feel sorry for having more days off, but while work is important, there are even more important things.
I bring 2 round chairs from the corner of the kitchen to the side of the workbench.
I have Sir Ciel and Sir Roxas sit down and serve them tea.
"Noctis seemed a bit unconvinced. ...Lucian has been using the floating magic stone transport device... Fafnir, right? He might have felt something uneasy when he disappeared using it. ...I think it will be fine once Lucian returns safely."
Sir Ciel lets out a small sigh and takes a sip of tea.
"Yesterday, I was locked in the royal palace's archive, researching Kirschtein. Just as Sir Rail said, it seems the tensions with the kingdom have been going on for a long time. During that time, it looks like they tried many times to revive Sylphina, the witch of the red moon. In the first place, bringing back a lost soul is almost impossible... The Kirschtein royal family, being of Sylphina's bloodline, was said to have committed the cruel act of creating a vessel for the soul by intensifying their royal blood..."
"Mr. Lucian is a witch...?"
In my mind, I pictured Mr. Lucian in a sexy witch outfit, with his muscular build.
Mr. Lucian was biting a handkerchief while crying in the shadow of the loving God Theobart and Goddess Alexandria.
"If Lucian is a witch... I don't think that's likely. The nature of a soul is related to gender. It must have been a witch among Lucian's siblings, or perhaps a cousin, someone from his bloodline."
"Mr. Lucian had a sister... in his mother's womb?"
"That's right... So, perhaps that child had the potential to become a witch..."
"Sir Ciel, have you not been sleeping much?"
"I usually have light sleep, so I'm fine."
I said goodbye to Sir Ciel and the others last night.
Since then, he has been researching and keeping in touch with everyone from Leonsroar and Mr. Leavis, so he probably hasn't slept much.
I'm worried.
"...Roxas. You also need to work hard and not skip sleep. You've completely fallen behind."
"Brother, don't say unnecessary things."
Sir Rail said cheerfully, and Sir Roxas frowned deeply.
I gently added beaten eggs into the bubbling mushroom porridge and stirred it.
"It's done! This mushroom porridge will wrap you in warmth, even on a troubling morning."
"You..."
Sir Roxas blushed at the corners of his eyes, almost spilling his tea.
But even if the cup broke, I felt safe because of Sir Rail's magic.
We ate the mushroom porridge. When you're hungry, it feels like your heart is empty and dark.
I had a sad dream, but I felt a bit better.
Always──I was anxious, thinking I had no power at all.
But now, strangely, I feel calm. Maybe it's because I'm not alone.
"Ms. Lydia, do we have the ingredients to cook for Lucian?"
After finishing breakfast, Sir Ciel purified the plates and put everything back on the shelf before asking me.
"Y-yes! It's fine. I think we just need to buy meat and other things from Mx. Margaret's shop..."
"That's perfect. I also have business with Mx. Margaret."
"Margaret?"
Sir Rail said with curiosity.
He hadn't met Mx. Margaret yet.
I wondered what Sir Ciel's business was. Maybe it was to ask about Mr. Lucian's whereabouts?
I thought about whether that was possible while I tossed the necessary ingredients into the bag.
Since there is a lot to carry, Sir Rail and Sir Roxas helped by sharing the load.
Sir Rail took the fragile items that might break or spill, while Sir Roxas carried the more sturdy things.
With that, we headed towards Mx. Margaret.
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