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Chapter 29
The girl standing in front of them slowly lowered the bow she had just drawn.
Silver hair. Cold eyes. A face that looked exactly like Melina’s.
It was Celine Bellaon.
Beside her stood a boy who looked about sixteen.
Bael vaguely remembered him as one of the collateral family members, but his name didn’t come to mind.
The only thing he remembered was seeing the boy’s parents bowing their heads to Melina in order to maintain business ties with the main family.
“I was taught that it’s polite to wait your turn instead of interrupting.”
Bael spoke first.
“It’s also polite not to monopolize the training grounds by yourself.”
Celine’s eyes gleamed coldly.
The way she rapidly assessed her opponent was exactly like her mother.
“The training grounds are huge. Everyone should use them together.”
At that moment, the boy beside Celine spoke up.
Unlike her, he was far more openly provocative.
“And…”
His gaze traveled up and down Bael’s body.
“Shouldn’t you be practicing walking and running instead of archery?”
“……”
The boy examined Bael’s reaction again, but Bael’s expression didn’t change at all.
Instead, he quietly tugged on Estelle’s reins and whispered something into her ear.
Neigh!
In an instant, Estelle reared up onto her hind legs, lifting both front hooves high into the air.
“W-What?!”
Startled, the boy stumbled backward.
He flailed both arms wildly to keep from falling.
“Looks like you’re the one who needs more practice.”
Bael smirked as he watched the boy barely regain his balance.
“If a horse scares you this much, what are you going to do when prey comes charging at you?”
“Y-You…!”
The boy’s face turned bright red.
“I told you not to say pointless things, Dale.”
Celine’s voice was icy as she addressed the boy.
“Hmph. As if anyone besides Celine or Theo is going to win anyway.”
Still glaring at Bael, Dale muttered under his breath before finally falling silent.
For a moment, Bael and Celine locked eyes.
“I’m going to hit all six targets.”
Bael declared.
“Why? To beat me?”
“No.”
“Then what? To beat Brother Edwin and Brother Theo? Or is there someone among the collateral family members you’re worried about?”
“Because Luciella said she’d make me cranberry tarts if I hit them all.”
“……”
Celine was speechless.
Cran… what?
He was training for that?
On the eve of the Hunting Festival—a competition that could influence the future succession of the family?
Ridiculous.
It had to be a joke.
Creak—
Just then, the door to the training grounds opened.
A small figure peeked inside.
Celine narrowed her eyes.
Bright blonde hair.
Clear green eyes.
Was that the girl Mother had mentioned? The one who had collided with the head chef in the garden before?
The girl appeared to be carrying a large plate.
When Celine recognized what was sitting on top of it, her brows furrowed in disbelief.
…Cranberry tarts?
“Oh! There are a lot of people here.”
The girl looked slightly startled as she walked toward Bael.
“I hit four targets.”
Bael announced.
The way he said it sounded almost like he was asking for praise.
Celine’s expression twisted.
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
The girl beamed and held out the plate.
“Here. You can hit the other two later.”
Without a word, Bael picked up a tart and took a bite.
For a brief instant, a flicker of happiness crossed his face.
Celine stared.
That guy can smile?
More importantly, was this blonde girl really the same child Mother had described?
She hadn’t gotten a clear look at her face that day.
Everyone’s attention had been focused on the shocking sight of Bael, who had supposedly been wasting away in his room, suddenly appearing on horseback.
No one had paid much attention to anyone else.
What had Mother said again?
That she was ambitious.
That she had somehow managed to win over even the taciturn Uncle Cain.
The girl standing before her looked nothing like that.
Her face was almost absurdly cheerful.
Even the way she carefully held the plate seemed innocent.
No.
That had to be an act.
She claimed to be a cook, but surely she cared less about cooking and more about the Duke’s wealth and her own glory.
Mother had told her:
Look beyond appearances.
“You can share them if you want…”
At that moment, the girl looked between Celine and Dale with her bright green eyes and spoke.
Bael briefly looked as though the suggestion pained him deeply, then reluctantly pushed the remaining plate toward Celine.
Celine stared down at it.
Small, round tarts.
A thin, golden shell baked to perfection.
Cream piled softly on top.
And above that, several vivid red cranberries.
The contrast between the bright berries and the white cream was simple, yet strangely eye-catching.
As if enchanted, she reached out.
Not because she had lowered her guard.
Just one bite.
“…!”
The delicate shell crumbled the moment it entered her mouth.
Smooth cream burst from within.
Its rich sweetness enveloped her tongue.
Then the tart, slightly bitter flavor of the cranberries rushed in, sharply cutting through the sweetness.
For a moment the flavors seemed to clash.
Then somehow, naturally, they merged into one.
For something that looked so simple, the lingering aftertaste remained long after the bite was gone.
“……”
Still stunned, Celine blinked several times.
It was incredible.
A simple, adorable appearance.
A flavor that exceeded expectations by an absurd margin.
Perhaps this was what it meant to look beyond the surface.
Slowly, Celine’s hand moved again.
“……?”
There was nothing there.
Coming back to her senses, she realized the plate was empty.
Startled, she looked up.
Beside the plate, Dale stood with his cheeks puffed out, wearing a blissful expression.
Without realizing it, Celine’s eyes widened.
Sensing her stare, Dale tried to erase his expression, but it was already too late.
“…Gulp.”
With a nervous look, he swallowed the last bite.
Even in his terror, a faint smile of satisfaction lingered at the corner of his lips.
* * *
The Hunting Festival was now just around the corner.
The Duke’s castle was bustling with activity.
The kitchen was no different.
Luciella was no longer exclusively Bael’s personal cook.
Though she still focused on preparing his meals under the Duke’s orders, she also helped with other duties and prepared the Duke’s evening snacks.
For the Hunting Festival preparations, Luciella’s main responsibility was ingredient preparation.
The featured dish for the festival would be Renard’s special venison stew.
It was famous throughout the Imperial Capital and was something the collateral branches of the Bellaon family eagerly wanted to taste.
According to Jerome, it wasn’t just delicious.
There was also a superstition that it brought good luck.
Supposedly, every Hunting Festival champion had eaten Renard’s stew on the morning of the competition.
Renard seemed rather proud of himself for assigning all the ingredient preparation to Luciella, apparently believing it was a particularly nasty punishment.
But compared to the hardships she had endured at the lord’s castle, this was nothing.
On the very first day, she finished her work quickly and even started helping with other people’s tasks.
Jerome ended up taking half of those tasks away and doing them himself.
Preparing ingredients.
Making late-night snacks according to the Duke’s secret orders.
Cleaning up afterward.
Her days were busy yet straightforward.
Aside from having less time to look after Bael and Estelle, her life had become orderly and suited her perfectly.
And then—
At last, the morning of the Hunting Festival arrived.
Luciella woke up in an excellent mood and headed straight to the kitchen.
Once breakfast for the twenty-one participants was finished that morning, she would finally be free from the kitchen’s busiest duties.
The Duke had even granted her permission to sit in the spectator stands and watch the competition.
After all, she had successfully bribed him with her Sea Salt Brownies—a dessert she had previously fed to Bael.
I can’t wait!
Her cheeks flushed with excitement as she hurried along.
Creak—
She threw open the kitchen door energetically.
Then frowned.
Everything was quiet.
Everything looked normal.
And yet something felt wrong.
The kitchen looked ever so slightly different from the night before.
Very slightly.
Almost imperceptibly.
Her eyes slowly swept across the room.
Polished pots.
Spices lined up neatly on the shelves.
Organized utensils.
Prepared ingredients.
And then—
Her gaze fixed on the enormous cauldron standing in the center of the kitchen.
The lid looked strange.
Luciella wasn’t particularly sensitive in every regard.
But she was extremely aware of changes involving food ingredients and kitchen tools she handled every day.
Just like now.
The cauldron lid was tilted ever so slightly compared to how it had been the previous night.
Luciella bit her lip.
She had been the last person to use the kitchen the night before.
She also possessed the key.
Which meant that if someone had entered afterward, they were either a thief—
Or…
Slowly, Luciella lifted the lid and peered inside the cauldron.
