It’s been a long time since we had people gathered in the dining room.

The round table, though luxurious for just three, brought back memories as we huddled together reminiscent of old times.

Olivia and the head of the family.
The co-head and the lady of the house.

Though we used to bicker daily, it was a somewhat harmonious time. Sitting at the dinner table, eating face-to-face had been a long-lost experience.

It’s been about a year.
Since eating at the table.

I’ve typically dined with the lady in her bedroom, but it was nice to sit at the table again after such a long time. It stirred excitement within me.

I asked the landlord with an elated heart,

“How does it feel to be back in the dining room after such a long time?”

Olivia’s expression was a bit withdrawn. The lady seemed somewhat displeased. She wasn’t woken from a nap, so why the long face? I thought she would have been pleased to have a visitor.

Olivia’s gaze was fixed on Hanna.

To be precise, on the pale blue pajamas that Hanna was wearing.

“Isn’t that mine?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then why is she wearing it?”

Hanna shrunk her shoulders at the lady’s gaze. Perhaps she felt like she had stolen her favorite clothes.

Concerned that I had upset the landlord by taking her clothes, I frankly confessed to Olivia.

“I pilfered them.”
“Aha.”

Olivia nodded her head, seemingly relieved.

“Give her the pretty ones.”

Olivia wasn’t upset about losing a dress, but rather that I had given Hanna an unattractive one.

Hanna shook her head in understanding at Olivia, who was proud-ish of my thievery, and wore a puzzled expression at this routine of ours.

Seeing the lady calm down again, I revisited the question I had dropped earlier.

“How do you feel being back in the dining room?”
“I don’t like it. It’s a hassle.”
“That’s how one turns into a pig.”

Olivia bore a confident look.

“A pig?”

With certain pride, Olivia flaunted her chest, certainly shapely, but it was hardly appropriate for a grown adult—and in front of a guest at that—to act in such a manner. Both her triumphant expression and her behavior deserved a rap on the head.

“I eat, and it goes right here.”
“Don’t lie. Then what are the rolls on your belly from? Greed?”
I teased Olivia as I noticed a slight protrusion on her side.

Olivia was huffing and puffing. She threw her fork at me, but I effortlessly dodged.
“Too slow.”
“Eek…”

Olivia clutched at the back of her head.

It’s for reasons like this that I don’t give her chocolate. She’s prone to high blood pressure if she eats too much. What would I do if she fell over while I was teasing her?

With my laughter, I dimmed her proudly inflated chest.

“Pig.”

Despite Olivia’s anguished cry, I ignored her and continued preparing our meal.

Hanna seemed unable to adjust to our behavior.

Whether it was the butler making fun of his master or the wicked lady throwing forks at her butler, neither was acceptable to her. Despite being good people, neither seemed normal.

I read Hanna’s perplexed expression and smiled subtly.

“Don’t worry. We’re not crazy.”
“No…”
Hanna thought to herself. They seem just like crazy people.

From the first time we met, with a fist stuffed in her mouth, crying, she felt like a lunatic.

The rumor of the wicked lady being teased by the butler or the wicked lady throwing a fork at the butler, neither side was normal to her.

Sure, they might be good people, but they don’t seem quite sane.

As I set the fork and knife on the table, I said,

“We’re not mad, so don’t worry.”
“No…”

Hanna thought they were indeed crazy people.

She believed them to be insane ever since she had seen the butler teasing the so-called villainess and the villainess hurling forks at the butler.

Of course, they are nice people, but they didn’t seem right in the head.

I read Hanna’s flustered face and chuckled softly.

“We’re just excited about it, both the lady and myself.”
“Excited? I can’t see which part is exciting you.”
“Oh, just.”

I spoke while watching the gaze of Olivia, who was intently looking at Hanna.

“We’re happy to have a visitor for the first time in a while.”

Hanna was speechless.
What to say about this feeling?
Suddenly, my heart felt heavy.

It had been a long time since she felt welcomed.

Previously, the day known as her birthday always ended in tears.

She cried over her father’s neglect, holed up in a room where nobody celebrated her, blowing out candles alone.

It felt like being welcomed was a first for her.

“Are you happy that I’ve come?”

Hanna asked me.
Her voice was a little muffled, a little sad.
As a butler, I was pleased to have something to do after such a long break. It was happy that she had come to this mansion because she remembered the tea I brewed.

It was an excessive concern for someone I had only known for two weeks.

It would be good for the quest progress concurrently, too.

Though it was a mercantile thought, I could genuinely answer the question she posed.

“Yes. I am happy.”
“Really?”
“Of course. In that sense, may I ask you to keep our lady company after dinner?”

Hanna fell silent for a moment.

Surprised by my request, Olivia snorted steam from her nose. She seemed nonchalant but internally looking forward to having a woman’s talk. It appeared as if the lady was already planning tonight’s conversation topics in her head.

I worked hard to meet the lady’s expectations.

And Hanna did not respond.
I had no intentions of listening to her response.
I would make her do it regardless. Nothing in life is free.

And while I’m at it, I might as well ask for other things too.

“Aren’t you uncomfortable being all wet from the rain?”
“A bit, yes.”
“Then, after the meal, you should have a bath with our lady.”

Whoosh.

Olivia let out even bigger clouds of steam through her nose, clearly excited.

“Ah…?”

Hanna’s face contorted, bewildered.

It was a good look.

“You seem better now.”
“Huh?”
“You look much happier than earlier.”

Hanna touched her face. Her mouth was unreasonably upturned. It was supposed to be an unpleasant errand. She was supposed to be annoyed about doing chores, yet her smile betrayed her inner feelings.

Why was she smiling?
It had been a long time since she had smiled on her birthday.

As the awkward atmosphere lingered for a while,

The voice of Olivia, known as the mood-killer, rang out.

“Ricardo, I’m hungry.”
“As expected, the Glutton Fairy.”
“Is that an insult?”
With a question mark hovering above her head, Olivia wondered whether it was a jab or a compliment. I assured her with a slight smile that it was praise.

“No, it means you’re as lovely as a fairy.”
“I am a fairy.”
“Yes, you are. You do eat more than one though. But yes, a fairy for sure.”

Thwock. The fork flew at me again, but I dodged it as easily as before.

With a guileless face, Olivia asked me,

“What’s for dinner tonight?”
“What would you like to have?”

The answer was written in Olivia’s eyes. She always responds the same way.

“Meat?”

As always, I offered a negative response. The reason I ask about the dinner menu isn’t to know her preference, but rather to play a kind of telepathic game to see if what I plan to make coincides with her desired meal.

If it doesn’t align, too bad.
If it does, it’s a delight.
That’s all there is to it.

“No.”
“Awww.”

Today’s menu was as I told Hanna: I was planning to make a cake.

A cake smothered in fresh cream.

My past hobby included cooking and baking, so I had enough skill in baking to avoid disaster.

The dessert is a fresh cream cake.
For the side menu, maybe some seasoned chicken will suffice.
And the food that used to drive women crazy in my previous life. No matter if they were feeling down, sad, or even happy, this food would always do the trick.

It seemed like the kind of obsession one could only have if their brain was made of rice cake. I thought that if I made this food the main dish, it could help lift Hanna’s spirits, which had been quite down.

I flashed Olivia a confident smile.

“It’s the lady’s favorite food.”

I turned around and gave Hanna a similarly assured smile.

“You’ll like this too, Miss Hanna. It’s a new dish for you, but just go ahead and eat. Guests are supposed to receive what’s given.”

Hanna wore an incredulous look.
What can she do about it? If I wanted to do this, so it shall be.

I entered the kitchen.

Soon, the spicy aroma began to fill the dining room.

***

“Tss… Ahh…”
“Aaah… Heuh.”
“Tsss… Aah.”

Murmurs and moans drifted through the dining room. I sat up straight. This wasn’t the scene I aimed for. Did I make it too spicy?

On the contrary, it was perfect.

The exuberant sounds were enough to make outsiders think this was more than just dining – the kind of noises that arise when spicy food is involved.

Even Olivia, who was somewhat accustomed to spicy foods, seemed challenged by this dish, as she fluttered the hem of her dress.

I looked at Olivia’s indiscreet actions and commented.

“Lady, you’re being too sensual. Don’t do that.”
“Why not?! It’s too hot in here.”
“Still, it’s overly suggestive.”

‘Tsk’, Olivia sneakily checked my reaction. After continuous nagging, she gave up fluttering her dress and returned her focus to eating.

At the center of the table was fiery red food.

One of my best recipes from my previous life: Tteokbokki.

Having experimented with Olivia since she was young, I wondered if this spicy taste would appeal to people in this world, too. Given that she liked it more than I expected, I thought it would go well with Miss Hanna.

And as anticipated, Hanna was enjoying it.

“It’s spicy, yet so tasty. My tongue hurts but… tss… It’s strangely addictive.”

She seemed to have taken a liking to it.
A smile naturally crossed my face.

“Do you like it?”
“It’s incredibly delicious!”

Her sweating face as she continued to eat reminded me of myself in the orphanage, always snatching up the fish cakes.

A true gourmet.

In this world where fish cakes don’t exist, I tried substituting with ham – and it turned out quite well.

Hanna picked out just the ham pieces from her tteokbokki, and I was quite moved by this act.

Of course, Olivia’s affection for Hanna was falling in real-time.

“Eek! You stop picking out just the ham!”
“But the Lady is eating only ham, too.”
“This is my house!”
“I’m a guest!”
“Eeek.”

Olivia’s near-hypertensive reaction had me calming her down by sorting out the ham onto her plate.

Hanna looked at me with eager eyes.

“This is the first time I’ve tried this dish. It’s good, isn’t it?”
“It’s a pretty expensive dish.”
“Huh?”

Hanna was momentarily shocked.
I teased her with a playful tone.

“It costs 100,000 gold.”

Clang. Olivia dropped her fork.

“Yeeeek!”

Why are you shocked?

“How much have I eaten all this time?! A hundred thousand… a million?!”
“No.”
“Ricardo… have I really become a money-eating pig?”

Looking incredulously at Olivia, and she at me disbelievingly.

Of course, Hanna was calmly there.
She seemed to know it was a joke.

I hastened to allay the most surprised lady’s fears by correcting my statement.

“It’s a lie. It didn’t even cost 10 shillings.”
“Phew. Almost went on a forced diet there.”

Olivia focused on eating again.
Hanna nodded.

“What’s this dish called?”
“It’s tteokbokki.”
“Tteokbokki.”
“Yes, it’s a special dish I made for your visit. It’s a recipe of my own creation, so likely no one else in this world can make it.”
“Should you be making such a dish for me?”

Hanna’s eyes widened with surprise, as if I had given her a unique dish that only exists one in the world.

I told her as a matter of fact.

“It’s your birthday.”
“…”

Hanna clutched her fork tightly.

“Yes, it’s my birthday today.”

As she quietly ate the tteokbokki, Hanna’s breathing was rough.

“Guk… Why is it like this? Maybe it’s too spicy. Ahahah… It’s too delicious…”

Putting a cup of water next to her, I said once more.

“Happy Birthday.”
“Guhh… thank you.”

Apparently, Hanna was prone to tears.

***

The night came.

Unexpectedly, I ended up staying over at someone else’s house.

It’s been a while since I spent the night elsewhere. Engrossed in swordsmanship practice, I had no friends, and any other night spent away was due to sleeping rough for a task.

Sleeping in someone else’s house…
It’s awkward.
Yet, the feeling wasn’t unpleasant.

After eating food that completely relieved my stress and hearing words of welcome, I was grateful to the butler who treated me like a guest even though I arrived like an intruder.

The lady was still a bit scary, though.

A lot had happened, indeed.
Feeling resentment towards a family that forgot my birthday…
I ran away because I hated my neglectful father.
And I cried while eating…

“Haa… Why did I cry like a fool there!”

Hanna kicked the blanket fiercely with her feet.

‘But it really was nice.’

It felt like the most enjoyable birthday I’ve had until now.

I felt excitement over a long-absent sensation – being recognized and acknowledged on my birthday, something I could never feel in that oppressive home no matter how much I watched my brother practice swordsmanship or was ignored even when simply saying hello.

Tomorrow, I’ll rise up and shake it all off. It seemed like I had gained the strength to carry on.

Until a while ago, I wanted to give up on everything, including swordsmanship, but it felt like coming here was the right decision.

However, part of me dreaded the morning sun. I’d have to return to that suffocating home. Perhaps they hadn’t even noticed my absence yet?

My father’s mind was all about my brother.

He said my brother was nearing the state of Sword Expert. That’s why father was too eager to teach him more.

“…I really hate it.”

As loneliness crept in, so did the gloominess. Hanna clutched the blanket and curled up.

“I should’ve just slept by the lady’s side.”

Though I had asked for a separate room thinking that the lady would keep me awake with her chatter all night, I now regretted it.

Just when I believed I had enough sleep for the night.

-Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Are you asleep?”

That familiar voice came.

Hanna carefully got up and opened the door.

“Ha ha…”

Ricardo stood there wearing an awkward smile.

In his hand was a set of snacks and tea.

“I had forgotten something when I left.”
“Please come in.”
“Thank you.”

As I closed the door and saw Ricardo’s face, Hanna’s face instantly flushed.

She had forgotten the fact that a grown man and woman were in a room – covered overhead with four walls about them.

Strange thoughts crept in.
Racy imaginings seemed to paint themselves in her mind.

Though ours wasn’t that kind of relationship, as Ricardo took a step closer, Hanna shut her eyes tight and exclaimed.

“I’m sorry! I’m not ready…”
“Huh? What for?”
“That… we aren’t in that kind of relationship…”

Ricardo laughed heartily.
He seemed grateful that she kept her voice down and reassured her he hadn’t come with that intention, causing Hanna’s face to redden even more.

“Then why…?”
“Ah…”

Ricardo wore a gentle smile and said,

“I don’t think I gave you a birthday gift.”

Hanna wanted to disappear into a mouse hole.