CH 78

I’m sorry, head maid of honor.

In order not to ruin Lara-chan’s good mood right now, I had to put the story together a little too forcefully.

“The bath is ready, how would you like it?”

“Actually, I’ve cleaned the dirt off with [Clean] already. It would be a nuisance if we were late because of cleaning up, so let’s have our meal first.”

“Yes, sir. Please wait in the dining room.”

“I’m going to pick up my mother and then we’ll head to the dining room, so you guys go ahead.”

When I entered the dining room with Sasha-san, all the employees were waiting for us.

“”Congratulations on your engagement, Your Highness Luke, Your Highness Mifa and Emilia-sama.””

It seems that this is what they are saying.

A representative of the family stewards called out to us.

“The Master has informed us that the formal celebration will be held after tomorrow. We have gathered here this time to convey our feelings to you.”

It seems that none of those here are maid apprentices, but only those who are officially employed by the duke’s family. Everyone’s eyes are on Diana, Hati and Spinel.

They were curious, of course.

After bowing together, the servants left the dining room.

To my surprise, Iris and Natalie are seated at my side of the table.

“Huh? This time, Are you and Natalie eating with us?”

“That’s right. It seems that I’m no longer a maid apprentice employed by the duke’s family, but by the royal family. Therefore, this time I will be treated as a guest of Master Luke.”

“♪ Since Iris’s family is in a vulnerable position having just become a count, making her a royal hire will protect her with royal prestige.”

Since I got engaged to Mifa, it was decided that the number of people courting Iris, my attendant maid apprentice, for a relationship with the royal family would increase. I guess it would be less troublesome to make her a royal hire so that she can put down any accusations from anywhere.

This time Natalie seems to have taken into consideration that Emilia would be nervous because I, a man, was present, so the family orderly took that into consideration.

Emilia seems to be dependent on Natalie for day to day life.

“♪ The reason why Erica’s meal is also being served this time is because it would be pitiful if only one member of the same group could not eat. “

It was supposed to be a light pre-dinner celebration, but the chef did a great job.

As before, a course meal was served.

Today’s dinner

1、Appetizer

2　Soup (Horned Rabbit Soup)

3, Bread

4、Fish dish (Rainbow fish meuniere)

5、Fruit juice sherbet (grape juice)

6、Main meat dish (orc garlic steak)

7、salad (fresh vegetables with fruit juice sauce)

8、Cheese (highland goat cheese)

9、Dessert (assorted fruits)

10, Tea and baked sweets

The chef seemed to have remembered my previous request to try a fish dish from this region.

When the last baked pastry and tea were served, I asked for the chef.

“How was it, Your Highness Luke?”

“It was delicious! The fish meuniere was especially to my liking.”

“I’m glad to hear that. It was caught this morning in a lake in the south and brought to me on ice.”

“♪ Apparently, since he didn’t know when the master will arrive, he has arranged in advance to have it delivered tomorrow and the day after tomorrow as well.”

“Eh? Because I said I wanted to eat fish? 』\

“♪ It seems so.”

“I can’t say anything bad about it….. Well, I’ll take the extra. 』\

“♪ Unfortunately, there is no surplus. The fish that arrives after tomorrow will be served as meals for the employees, so it won’t go to waste.』\

“You remembered I said I wanted fish next time. It was delicious.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Oh, yes, I was wondering if I could get some fresh milk, eggs, and cheese through your contacts?”

The chef’s eyes seemed to light up at my words.

“Master Luke, you are going to cook something again! I’ll arrange it right away!”

This guy …… is after my recipe again!

At first, he was respectfully addressing me as ‘Your Highness,’ but when we started talking about cooking, he started to become more and more frank. ……

“Oh, thank you.”

I’m full, so whatever I was going to cook and eat today will have to wait until tomorrow.

King Zeno is coming tomorrow night, so I think I’ll serve it for lunch. I know the cook will be busy cooking dinner again.

“Oh, and since we don’t need tomorrow’s lunch for the members here, you don’t have to make it.”

“By any chance, will Master Luke be making it for us?”

His eyes flashed again!

“I intend to, but ……”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to join you!”

He asked to help me, but there’s a bit of a problem. ……

If it’s something like “mayonnaise” made at the Navi workshop, it’s still fine, but the problem is that if it’s something like “soy sauce” or “miso”, I’ll have to delve into the explanation of fermentation from soybeans to fermentation. I don’t have time to do that now, for defeating the evil gods. It would be better to hunt frogs, gain a little experience, and level up.

Fermented products take a long time to complete.

By the way, I asked Navi to make soy sauce from a famous soy sauce maker, but she couldn’t make the same product.

There was a reason why they were not the same, even if they were made in the exact same process.

“Jiuqu” is alive. No two are the same unless they are separated into different species. It seems that each manufacturer has been protecting this “Jiuqu” for generations, and this is the main reason why similar products do not taste the same.(TN: “Jiuqu” refers to the substance used to cause fermentation)

For the same reason, it is natural that the taste of miso, sake, and other products made with jiuqu is unique to each manufacturer. 

I feel sorry for him, but I don’t have time to teach him, so I have to let it go for the sake of my future.

“I don’t think it’s very impressive for a chef to steal a recipe developed by someone else.”

“I know, right…. Sorry about that.”

“I taught you last time because I was under the assumption that I would become the son-in-law of this family, but apparently I can get a title.”

“Why don’t you stop being stingy and at least teach him how to cook?”

Anna intervened and told me not to be stingy.

“Anna, a new and original recipe is very valuable.”

Sasha, you know what I mean!

“That’s right. if you serve a delicious dish at a dinner or a party that no one has ever eaten before, people will say, ‘That’s the duchess has a great cook! It will be a great honor not only for the chef who made it but also for the family that has a good chef in its employ. I’m going to have a family name in this country, and my original recipe, which is not on the market, is an important asset to my family.”

“Heh, I see….. I didn’t know that, I’m sorry.”

Oh, she apologized honestly.

She would be cute if she treated me normally like this instead of always slamming!

I had called him with the intention of praising him for the food he had prepared, but the head chef left the room with a pensive look on his face, so the atmosphere of the place turned a little darker.

Here, Lara-chan changed the mood again.

“ Luke oniichan, please let me listen to the piano again.”

Duke Guile said that Lara can see people’s emotions through their colors, but she must be exhausted if she’s always looking at people’s faces like this.

“I would love to hear you play the piano, Luke.”

Mifa had urged me to play it, so I had no choice.

“♪ You really want to play it with pleasure, but you’re not being honest.”

In fact, ever since I entered this diner, I’ve been~~ curious about the piano.

The last time I composed with Chopin, so I think I’ll go with Beethoven this time.

Ludwig van Beethoven, born December 16, 1770, was a German composer. He’s characterized by more intense and pummeling tunes than Chopin.

First, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, “Passion,” 3rd movement.

I like the first movement, but playing the first three movements would take 20 minutes, so I will only play the third movement this time. I’ll play this one super fast. Unlike last time, this time I have the sheet music downloaded by Navi, so I don’t have to worry about unexpectedly forgetting the score.

“ Luke-oniichan you’re amazing!”

“I don’t know what it is, but it makes my heart go badum!”

I don’t know what you’re talking about either!

Lara was excited and praised me, but the others looked at me with dumbfounded faces.

Diana also seemed intrigued by the piano melody.

Never mind, it was the second piece.

Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, “Fate,” first movement, this time a version arranged by Liszt.

Even those who are not familiar with Beethoven have heard this piece.

It is famous for the phrase “Jajajajaan!

It was originally a difficult piece, but the genius Liszt arranged it into a very difficult piece and if you can play it well, you are sure to be looked at with envy.

In fact, Mifa’s eyes are pretty.

The third piece was Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27-2, “Moonlight,” 3rd movement.

This is one of my favorite pieces. And this piece, as usual, is also extremely difficult.

Since everyone is excited, I’ll end with one of my favorite pieces of all time.

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27-2, “Moonlight,” 1st movement.

This is a quiet piece with a beautiful melody that is sad but very touching, a complete change from the intense tone of the previous pieces. It is a piece that can be played by an intermediate piano player, but the impression one gets from it varies greatly depending on the player’s touch.

“This piece was written by my favorite pianist before he passed away. He was in a state of blindness and deafness due to an illness, but he composed this piece with his ear attached to the piano. It’s kind of sad, but I like it very much.”

By the time he was 30 years old, he had almost completely lost the use of his eyes and ears. There are various theories as to the cause, but according to modern medicine, lead poisoning is the most likely candidate. …… And he died at the young age of 56.

When I finished playing quietly, Mifa was crying again.

I looked at everyone else and saw that Sasha, Lara and Emilia were also crying.

The other girls were listening entranced, but they didn’t seem moved enough to cry.　

“♪ Erica and Natalie are more interested in swordplay than music. Anna is more interested in magic and Iris is only interested in pharmacology and restorative magic, so they don’t seem to be moved to tears.”

“Well, I love that song too, but I’ve never cried to it. I rather don’t understand… why I can cry when there is no poetry in it.”

“♪ Eh~! Can’t you understand the composer’s feelings after such a wonderful performance”

Even if you say that, I can feel the sadness from the tone of the music, but I can’t understand the composer’s feelings or his intentions. There are many people who have been giving lectures to posterity, but there is no such thing as the real voice of the composer telling us what he really felt. There are many handwritten musical scores that have survived, but they do not contain detailed annotations such as, “Please play this part with this kind of feeling”. The only way to understand the music is to read the notes on the sheet music.

“Can Iris play too? 』\

“The girls of the aristocratic family in this country have been practicing the piano since childhood to the extent that they like it. I guess it’s like when boys have to learn swordsmanship.”

After that, Mifa, Emilia, Lara and three others played the piano for us.

Emilia’s skill is also excellent, though not as good as Mifa. Lara is much better than last time.

“She seems to have been influenced by master’s performance she heard last time and has been practicing for quite a long time every day since then.”

I’m glad to hear that. It’s nice when people share your favorite hobby.

“Lara, you’ve improved a lot since I last heard you play.”

“Really? I’m so happy! I worked so hard on it.”

She’s so cute!

“I’ll give you some sheet music to practice with. If you practice in this order, you’ll eventually be able to play the songs I used to play. I’m pretty sure it’s the same one I actually used to practice with.”

Sasha, Mifa, and Emilia also took a bite out of this story.

“I thought mother-in-law, who is an advanced player, wouldn’t need the sheet music for practice. …… I’ll give you the sheet music I was playing earlier.”

“I’d like some too!”

I put it on my e-mail and sent it to Mifa and Emilia as well.

After that, I take a bath with my followers and use [alchemy] to process metal in order to make a certain object in my assigned room.