Volume 3 Chapter 45 Chilled Meat Pie And Troubled Lydia
Elder Brother Chrisrain said it's dangerous for me to be here.
Maybe it's because of the two witch daughters that are still around.
The Elgard Kingdom is definitely interesting, and I'd love to try new ingredients and recipes if I could go.
But...
"Pumpkin pudding..."
"Tarte Tatin..."
Eir-Eir looks up at me with worry, and I hug Ms. Famine.
When I squeeze them tight, I feel their soft, squishy bodies and fluffy fur against me.
It's warm.
"I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm not going to Elgard. Elder Brother Chrisrain is a nice guy who gave me crabs, and I appreciate his concern... but I really like it here."
As I hug Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine tightly, they both snuggle closer to me.
I made them worry a bit because I was thinking too much.
I wasn't really worried about going or not going; I was just trying to figure out how to say no.
I guess I'm not very good at saying no.
Of course, when Sir Ciel and Sir Roxas kidnapped me, I cried and didn't want to go, but that was because I was confused and scared since I didn't know them well.
With Elder Brother Chrisrain, it's just pure kindness. It's probably harder to say no to him.
"Everyone is here, and there's nothing to be scared of. Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine have become such cute and good kids. Maybe the other witch daughters have had tough times too, but if we talk, they might understand."
"Pumpkin..."
"Tarte..."
Tears started to fall from Eir-Eir's big eyes and Ms. Famine's large eyes.
"It's okay, you two. Everything will be fine. I'll figure it out. Because I have cooking skills. Elder Brother Chrisrain said it's better to farm than to fight. I'd much rather eat delicious food than fight."
As I hugged the two of them, I started to feel better.
"...I'm not strong, and I can't fight, but I think I can still be helpful. ...I want to keep running this restaurant and make delicious food that makes everyone feel relaxed when they come here... that's what I can do, and I want to do it. ...Dad, is that okay?"
When I spoke, my dad, who was cozy in front of the magic stone stove, looked up.
"You choose to face things instead of running away. That's your choice. I'll be by your side. Always by your side. Because I'm your dad."
"Thank you, Dad."
"...I usually try not to get involved in other people's lives, but for some reason, I want to help you. I know you can... no, never mind."
Dad trailed off and curled back up in front of the stove, warming up again.
Sir Stefan helped clean up the dishes, so only a box of meat pies was left on the restaurant table.
I looked down at the cold meat pies.
"...They brought the meat pies, but why didn't they come inside?"
"Pumpkin?"
"Tarte Tatin..."
I closed the box of meat pies. They must have been hot and fresh.
They looked really delicious. The round pies were about the size of my palm, and they were filled with soft, stewed meat on top. There was cheese and some parsley sprinkled on top.
There were 6 of them. I think the extra ones are for Eir-Eir, Ms. Famine, and Dad.
The meat pies, which should have been warm and gooey with cheese, were left out in the freezing cold, so they were frozen solid.
If it were summer, they might have spoiled, but in winter, they freeze, which is good.
When they freeze, they last longer.
If you warm it up, it will definitely taste good.
But leaving delicious food outside isn't really a good idea.
It's not good, and it makes me feel really lonely.
The person who brought me the meat pie went home on the cold, snowy road without coming inside.
Meanwhile, I was inside with Sir Stefan and Elder Brother Chrisrain, eating hot crab cream croquettes and grilled crab shells.
"...Maybe they were worried that the crab would run out and didn't want to take too much."
The crab was packed in a box, and there were about 2 hundred of them, so even if I ate a lot, it wouldn't run out.
There's enough for a crab feast starting next week.
"Tarte Tatin!"
Ms. Famine complained about something while poking me with her front legs.
She has 6 legs, so there are front legs, middle legs, and back legs. Her soft paws touched my arm, and I smiled awkwardly.
"I know, it's not like that."
I looked down. When I do, I remember the feeling of long fingers that always come to check on me in the evening and see how my magic power is recovering.
"...It's lonely to watch someone having fun from a distance. I kind of understand the feeling of wanting to run away."
At the Rest priest's house, I couldn't stand watching FraFra having fun with my dad and stepmom, so I would hide or run away.
At school, I was all alone. I would see my friends chatting happily and rush back to the dorm after class, or I would sit on a bench in the back yard during break, just zoning out, or read books in the library.
During those times, I felt really lonely and sad.
I don't think Sir Ciel feels the same way, but maybe he was just being considerate so he wouldn't bother me.
But leaving the meat pie outside is not okay, and if that's what he was going to do, I wanted him to come inside.
"Eir-Eir, Ms. Famine, Dad, I'm going out for a bit. I'm taking the meat pie and crab with me. You all stay inside because it's cold."
"Pumpkin pudding!"
Eir-Eir tried to squeeze in between my arms, but Ms. Famine caught him by the scruff of his neck and led him toward Dad, hopping lightly down from my arms.
Eir-Eir was squirming in Ms. Famine's grip.
"Leave the animals to me. They're resting in front of the magic stone stove, so it's fine. If anything happens, I'll turn back into my human form."
"Thanks, Dad. I'd feel bad if Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine got cold, and I'm a bit angry right now, so I'll be back later!"
"Ah... Lydia. Why are you angry?"
"It's not okay to leave the meat pie outside. And... even though they're my friends, I don't like that they came all this way and then just left."
I can't explain it well, but there's a mix of pain and frustration swirling in my chest.
I feel like if I don't go see Sir Ciel right now, I might never get to see him again. That thought makes me anxious.
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