Published: August 15, 2025
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough."
A butler coughing incessantly—truly a rare sight.
It was the first time I had ever seen Wolfgang with a bright red face. Everyone present was in a similar state—either coughing with flushed faces or turning pale while covering their mouths. I was the latter.
Yes... the dish Tunic made was terrible.
It went beyond just being bad; it was downright dangerous.
The moment it entered my mouth, an indescribable otherworldly taste and foul smell pierced my nostrils, triggering my survival instincts as a living being, screaming to my brain,
"Spit it out immediately!"
...Impossible.
I silently spat the meat into my handkerchief.
Lord Ruifeng was also pale, covering his mouth and groaning.
"...I never thought there could be someone worse at cooking than Anastasia. Is this even safe for humans to eat...?"
"There shouldn’t be any harm to the body. In fact, it’s good for your health!" Tunic said, puffing out her cheeks.
"I carefully packed all the nutrients a person needs in a day, no more, no less. The more you eat, the healthier you become, and your skin and hair will shine beautifully—this is the ultimate medicinal recipe!"
"Wait, you just casually said you packed a day's worth of nutrients into one dish. Why cram all of that into a single plate?"
Lord Cyrus questioned, and Tunic glanced up at the ceiling for a moment before sticking out her tongue with a playful 'tehe.'
"It was a little mistake! I forgot to divide it into three meals!"
"A little mistake? Is this really just a little mistake!?"
"Well, well. If you eat this until you're full and then fast until tomorrow noon, it balances out nicely. Let’s not sweat the small stuff."
Didn't Tunic just say earlier that precise measurement was necessary?
Lord Cyrus and Lord Ruifeng both buried their heads in their hands in the exact same gesture.
"...I was foolish to assume most adult women could cook..."
"Yeah... no, at least I knew the precedent and should have expected this. I shall reflect honestly..."
"No, it’s not about gender—some people just can’t cook."
Tunic said, cheerfully detached as if it were someone else's problem.
"If you have a proper recipe, you can make it exactly as instructed. But if you don't know the dish, you can only guess. This time, the color and shape turned out well, so it’s passable."
...Yeah... that part was really well done. Since it looked fine, I unknowingly took big bites, which made the damage much worse.
I secretly peeked into the pot; a generous amount of the beef roll stew remained. I couldn’t eat any more, but throwing it away felt wasteful.
Clutching my spoon reluctantly, I sighed.
...I wonder if I can somehow remake this and fix the taste... The ingredients weren't spoiled; it was just the seasoning that was off. If I took out all the ingredients, soaked them in water, and then stewed them again in a rich sauce, it might become edible.
It would take some effort, but it’s faster than starting from scratch.
Lisa was getting sleepy and whiny, which concerned me, but I patted her back gently and turned to Lord Cyrus beside me.
"Lord Cyrus, could you please look after Lisa? I’ll hurry and remake the dish. Everyone’s hungry."
I said this, but Lord Cyrus shook his head and stood up.
"Then I’ll do it."
"Huh? Lord Cyrus, you will cook?"
"I don’t do it often, but I can manage. During trade, we sometimes camp at the hall. At least I can make something edible."
"Not that... but—"
"When it comes to times like this, talking about status or gender is pointless, right? There are seven people including grown men; it's a lot of hard work. So it’s better to have a man with strength."
"Oh, then I can help too."
Lord Ruifeng also stood up. We were surprised again, but he gave a mischievous wink.
"We’ve done outdoor field training as knights often, cooking for the group. I’m quite skilled with a kitchen knife."
"Cough, cough. Then this Wolfgang will carefully taste and adjust the seasoning... ahem."
The elderly butler, still coughing a bit, also rose.