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Chapter 35
“I’m someone who’s seen the captain eating today with the expression of someone about to freeze their steak.”
“Everyone eats Malehark food with that kind of expression.”
“But it was made by a chef from Zenotat, wasn’t it?”
Alina crossed her arms at Ulrich’s objection.
“Was the seasoning too strong? Richard doesn’t particularly like salty food. Maybe that’s why.”
“Unless it’s because Riese is a legendary chef you were looking for.”
Ulrich muttered, seemingly ignoring Alina’s words. He pondered something deeply before his eyes suddenly lit up. Then, with conviction, he asked:
“So, you’re indeed the captain’s first love, aren’t you?”
“Uh-huh.”
Alina immediately frowned at Ulrich’s statement.
“That’s not true.”
“Excuse me?”
Ulrich blinked at her blunt answer. Alina reiterated, firmly:
“No, it’s not true.”
“But the captain is definitely… wait, could it be… could it really be… the captain’s partner…?”
Ulrich, speaking with a confused expression, suddenly clamped his mouth shut. He pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head.
“I never thought I’d feel sorry for the captain in my life…”
“Ulrich? Are you alright?”
Ulrich removed his hand from his face and looked at Alina. With a somewhat desperate expression, he said:
“Riese, please think about it again. Don’t dismiss it so bluntly.”
“But it really isn’t. We were just close when we were kids.”
“No. That’s not it!”
Ulrich gulped down some water and began speaking passionately:
“Do you know how shocked we all were to see the captain completely melt in front of Riese? In the past two years, the captain hasn’t even once shown anything resembling a smile. Unless it’s a smirk.”
“Really? That’s strange. When he was younger, he smiled often. To me, he hasn’t changed much at all.”
“What did you just say? The captain smiles often? Are you serious…?”
This time, Ulrich’s face twisted. His eyebrows twitched so much that Alina added:
“If Richard doesn’t smile much, maybe it’s because he’s shy? I know him well, like a little brother.”
“Excuse me? Shy? The captain? The Ice Knight?”
“I don’t know who you mean by ‘Ice Knight’…”
Ulrich’s eyes widened at Alina’s muttering.
“I mean Maximilian Richard von Holtzliger.”
“Yes, Richard.”
Alina nodded under Ulrich’s intensity, and he rubbed his eyebrows, saying:
“This is strange. We’re talking about the same person, right? What on earth is going on?”
Ulrich began ruffling his hair, as if the confusion had exceeded his tolerance.
“And a little brother? Please don’t say something so disappointing.”
He pulled a small box from his chest, running his fingers through his curly orange hair. The box, polished jet-black, was elaborately decorated with gold.
“Look at this.”
“What is it?”
Alina opened the small box, smaller than her palm, and saw a radiant blue stone inside.
“It’s beautiful. Is it a sapphire?”
She marveled at the gem sparkling brilliantly in the morning sunlight. Ulrich shook his head.
“It’s a top-grade magic stone. The princess had to call an emergency meeting today and couldn’t come, so the captain asked me to deliver this first. He said to always keep it with you.”
Ulrich continued, his expression grave:
“He said he enchanted it so he could know immediately if anything happened to you, Riese. He told me to think of it as a dog guarding you.”
Alina took the stone out of the box. The smooth, plum-sized oval gem seemed even more beautiful than a jewel.
“A magic stone like this must be expensive.”
“Compared to the money the captain has spent to find you, it’s nothing.”
Ulrich sighed deeply and muttered:
“What kind of little brother puts in this much effort for his sister…”
“Huh?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Ulrich chuckled awkwardly and slowly looked around the shop.
“You’ve decorated the shop very nicely. Last time I saw it, the food looked incredibly delicious too.”
“It’s just a small local shop.”
Alina smiled shyly at Ulrich’s compliment. He waved lightly at her.
“You’re humble. But the smell from the food wasn’t ordinary. Not a hint of fishiness or greasiness…”
Ulrich turned his head at the “Open” sign on the door.
“If it’s alright with you, Riese, may I place an order with the legendary chef?”
“Yes, of course! As long as you don’t call me a legendary chef again.”
Ulrich raised his eyebrows at Alina’s condition. His eyebrows had barely stayed still since earlier.
“How confusing.”
“What’s confusing now…?”
With his hair in disarray, Ulrich muttered quickly:
“I called you a legendary chef because you are one. But if you tell me not to call you that, then what should I call the legendary chef…?”
“Call me Riese. Just Riese.”
Alina neatly summarized Ulrich’s rambling. Feeling the conversation would never end otherwise, she smiled and continued:
“Since Ulrich asked me to drop honorifics too, let’s just call each other casually.”
“That’s not possible. You are Riese. I want you to understand that in our order, you are on par with, or even above, the captain.”
“Even so…”
“No.”
Alina tried to argue, but Ulrich clenched his fist tightly.
“Now, repeat after me. Ulrich, hey, you.”
“Hehe, alright. Then Ulrich, may I place an order?”
Finally surrendering, Alina called his name. Ulrich smiled in satisfaction:
“If it comes from Riese, I’m fine with anything. Honestly, the smell from the kitchen has made me hungry. Whatever it is, it smells incredibly delicious.”
“I was making beef stew. It tastes better the longer it simmers, so I started with that first.”
“Then may I have the beef stew?”
Ulrich didn’t hesitate for a second and placed the order. Alina beamed and stood up.
“Of course.”
A little later, Ulrich looked at the bowl in front of him and swallowed hard.
In an oval, shallow bowl sat steaming hot stew. The rich brown stew contained thickly sliced beef slightly large for a bite, roundly prepared potatoes, and smoothly cut carrots in generous amounts.
All the ingredients had been simmered long in the rich sauce.
“Enjoy your meal. Let me know if you need more bread.”
Alina brought bread and a spoon to accompany the stew. Ulrich looked at her curiously.
“No fork or knife? The meat is quite large.”
“Try it with a spoon first.”
“Alright.”
Ulrich took a spoon. The meat, roasted first and then simmered gently over low heat, made his mouth water just to look at.
“Then, I’ll enjoy it.”
Being Malehark, Ulrich went straight for the meat. He thought he might need to cut the tendons with force, but surprisingly, the meat fell apart softly when pressed with the spoon.
“Huh?”
Meat that can be cut with a spoon. Ulrich wore a bewildered expression.
“This isn’t meat?”
“It is meat. Beef.”
“But how does it cut so easily?”
Ulrich dipped a piece in the sauce and ate it, entranced. The meat was so tender it required no chewing. It had the texture of fish.
He tasted the sauce with a spoon. The rich vegetable flavors and the concentrated taste of the meat created a perfect umami balance, making his eyes widen.
“This is impossible…”
Ulrich muttered unconsciously. He couldn’t believe the taste, even though it was in his own mouth.
“Put it on the bread too.”
Ulrich layered the stew on bread. The crispy crust and soft, fragrant interior absorbed the rich sauce perfectly—a match made in heaven.
The potatoes and carrots inside the stew also absorbed the sauce fully, tasting delightfully sweet. Ulrich buried his face in the stew, as if wanting to enter the bowl itself.
“Riese.”
A few minutes after starting, Ulrich had finished the stew and looked at Alina seriously.
“Yes?”
“From today, I will sincerely serve you, Riese. The captain was right. You must come to the palace.”
Ulrich scraped the remaining stew from the bowl with bread:
“I’ve never eaten food like this anywhere in the empire. Think about it—meat this tender? And the sauce?”
Looking at the sauce-soaked bread, he furrowed his brows. He bit into it, chewed, and rested his chin on his hand.
“No matter how much I eat, I still want more. This isn’t ordinary food. What did you put in here? Seasoning? Gold dust? No, even gold dust wouldn’t taste like this!”
“Why are you angry…”
Ulrich raised his voice. Alina leaned back, startled. She had said Richard was scary, but Ulrich seemed even scarier.
“Ah, sorry. I got a little excited.”
“Little?” It was clear Ulrich was extremely excited. He coughed loudly, as if choking, and Alina laughed while refilling his water.
