TPCFE 05

Chapter 5

The fact that Mother occasionally disappeared meant that I had to be left on my own.

That was why Mother used every bit of knowledge she had to prepare me for the world.

“Lucy, when the Crown Prince ascends the throne, you need to run away immediately. Sneaking in among pirates is one option, too. They’re always looking for good cooks.”

“Lucy, the year you turn ten, there’ll be a typhoon in the South Sea, and the price of sugar will skyrocket when you’re eleven. Let’s stock up in advance.”

“There are all sorts of schemes and intrigues running rampant in the Bellaon Ducal Family. If you ever meet someone from that household, be extremely careful.”

Luciela stared intently at Cain and blinked.

So this man is Cain Bellaon.

Even without hearing his name from Mother, there were few people in the Empire who didn’t know who he was.

The Duke of Bellaon’s fifth-degree nephew.

A man who, despite not being a close relative, had pushed aside every direct descendant and claimed a barony for himself.

A formidable warrior who, had he been born as the Duke’s own son, would have been considered a natural heir long ago.

People generally described him as ruthless.

After all, anyone who could push aside the direct descendants of a duke as cunning as a snake and hold onto his position had to be even more cruel than they were.

In fact, Mother had said that when she first started the game, she had died at his hands several times.

Remembering that, Luciela looked at his face again.

His eyes seemed even sharper than before.

“You must be wondering why you’re here. For your information, half a day has passed since you lost consciousness.”

Cain spoke to Luciela, who was furiously turning things over in her head.

“The doctor says there’s nothing wrong with you. Apparently, it’s simply exhaustion and depletion of your mana.”

Then why am I riding in the same carriage as the Bellaons?

A chill suddenly ran down Luciela’s spine.

Kidnapping?

No.

It was more likely that she had been arrested.

Perhaps he had discovered that the woman he met during his days in the Imperial Army had been a wanted criminal and tracked her down all the way here.

Or perhaps he had held onto the fact that Luciela had called him ugly that day and was now seeking revenge.

Or maybe…

Luciela suddenly felt around her waist.

She couldn’t feel the gold pouch she had stolen from Nigel.

…So that’s it.

I’ve been arrested for theft.

“I-I don’t think I did everything right, either…”

Certain that she was doomed, Luciela swallowed dryly and opened her mouth.

“But from my point of view…”

“I’ll ask you directly.”

Cain’s Adam’s apple moved slightly.

“Can you recreate those butter potatoes from earlier, and the Castella you made long ago?”

“What?”

“I mean those crispy, salty potatoes you made yourself, the ones with such an interesting shape. Can you make those again? And the fluffy Castella, too.”

This time, Lucan spoke.

Luciela stared at the two men with wide eyes.

Looking closely, she noticed that there was still seasoning around the corners of their mouths.

The very herb powder she had sprinkled on the Tornado Potatoes.

Did they eat it? While I was unconscious?

The stuff that fell on the ground?

…Gross.

Perhaps because he saw the horror on her face, Cain cleared his throat and handed her something.

“First, I’ll return these to you. Officially, they belong to you. These are the items determined to be yours, along with your share of the severance pay. The lord asked me to give them to you.”

Luciela’s eyes widened.

What Cain handed her were her mother’s diary, the bottle of MSG, and the pouch she had taken from Nigel’s waist.

Except the pouch was about ten times heavier than it had originally been.

“I suppose an explanation is in order. After you lost consciousness, I entered the lord’s castle to assess the situation. The kitchen staff continued to lie until the very end, but judging from the testimony of the cleaning staff, it seems that a man named Nigel had been exploiting you rather severely.”

“……”

“I punished all of them based on the accusations and testimonies you left behind.”

“What? The entire kitchen staff?”

“Everyone who had been colluding with Nigel has been dismissed. Since they were stealing property belonging to their former master, no noble in the Empire will be willing to employ them.”

Cain nodded with an indifferent expression.

“I had intended to add a whipping to the chef’s punishment, but apparently he can’t feel anything because his face was pierced by poisonous scales. I’m told that in a week, he’ll experience enough pain to wish for death, so keep that in mind.”

“……And the lord?”

Luciela asked with a dazed expression.

She found it difficult to believe that the people who had tormented her for an entire year had been dealt with so easily.

The exhilaration of having achieved revenge was mixed with shock at how Cain had sent their lives spiraling downward in less than half a day, leaving her mind in a state of confusion.

“He lacks the ability to properly govern his subordinates, so his authority will have to be restricted and an inspector dispatched. He seemed quite saddened by it.”

“Ah…”

Luciela murmured sympathetically.

The Lord of Nor, who was nearly eighty years old, wasn’t a bad person.

If there was a problem, it was that his age made him easy to deceive by Nigel and the people around him.

Being subjected to such humiliating punishment at his age would inevitably come as a shock…

“I learned that the special dishes I’d been eating all this time, especially the French fries and apple pie, were your work. He pounded the floor and wept when he realized he wouldn’t be able to eat them anymore. He grabbed onto me, calling it a cruel punishment, but there was nothing I could do to reverse the decision.”

Cain’s cold gaze swept over the scars and calluses that didn’t belong on the hands of a fourteen-year-old girl.

“……”

Luciela was dumbfounded for a moment before growing solemn again.

The lord really did have an unusual fondness for apple pie.

He had eaten it constantly, calling it one of the joys of his life.

No wonder Nigel had harassed her so much, demanding that she make more.

She subtly raised her eyes and looked at Cain.

So you punished the old man by taking away one of the joys of his life, too.

In her eyes, Cain seemed even more ruthless.

“Anyway, that’s why we’re going to the duke’s estate in the Imperial Capital.”

“What?”

Luciela froze in confusion.

How did we arrive at that conclusion?

“The Bellaon Ducal Estate?”

But Mom said that place is crawling with scary people!

“Yes. I need to let my nephew taste your cooking.”

“……”

“It would be good if you could make a few things like those potatoes from earlier, or perhaps that Castella from the past. I’ll reward you generously.”

Luciela immediately understood what he meant.

So what he wants is the buff ability.

The power to increase the eater’s physical abilities and mana by more than twenty percent.

Luciela could imbue her cooking with power.

All she had to do was pour her own stamina and mana into it.

“How amazing and wonderful! My precious daughter is so talented. Your father said that children born between people from two different dimensions would have unique talents, but I never imagined yours would be such a cute ability!”

“Lucy buff?”

“That’s right! You’re already incredibly talented at cooking, and you have a buff ability on top of that! But you have to be careful when using your buff.”

“Why?”

“Because our Lucy’s ability is so extraordinary that bad people might try to take advantage of it.”

For a moment, Mother’s warning flashed through Luciela’s mind.

When she raised her head again, she saw Cain’s eyes shining like those of a beast of prey.

Could the bad person trying to exploit my ability be standing right in front of me?

She had never expected him to be grateful for saving his life.

But she certainly hadn’t expected him to come chasing after her all the way here.

Luciela’s mind raced.

“What… if I can’t?”

“It would mean that your talent is of no use to me in the way I thought it would be.”

“……!”

A terrifying threat slipped from Cain’s mouth.

His face was so elegant that anyone looking at him might gasp, but his characteristic impassive expression—neither smiling nor frowning—combined with his aura, was deeply intimidating.

Luciela didn’t trust people easily.

After what she had experienced with Nigel, she had developed a habit of assuming the worst whenever things were ambiguous.

Just like he killed Mother’s character in the game, does he mean he’ll kill me now that I’m no longer useful?

Cold sweat trickled down her back.

I have to hold out until Mom comes back…!

While she was still frozen, she felt the carriage slowly come to a stop.

“We’ve arrived.”

Cain spoke.

“Get out. I want to see your skills with my own eyes.”