[V7EX1] Lavish Breakfast

After finishing his deliveries, Glenn Dudley, the son of a butcher, returned to his family’s shop only to find his two sisters rushing over with stern faces.

“Hey, Glenn-nii, what’s wrong with you?”

“What happened to the princess?”

“You’re cheating on her!”

“So impure.”

Cornered by his two sisters, Glenn scratched his head with a puzzled expression.

He had no idea what they were talking about, so it seemed like his sisters just wanted to use words like cheating and impure, which were not part of their usual vocabulary.

“Ugh, what’s this all of a sudden?”

“A girl just came into the shop! She’s asking to see you, Glenn-nii!”

“She looked really troubled too! You must have done something to her!”

“I didn’t do anything!”

Ignoring the clamor of his sisters, Glenn headed toward the counter.

Surveying the familiar interior, he spotted a petite girl standing in the corner of the shop. It was Monica, who seemed to be nervously kneading her fingers while looking down.

“Monica, I didn’t know you were coming! That’s kinda unusual.”

The Silent Witch, Monica Everett, was technically a valued customer of the Dudley Butcher Shop. But to be more precise, it was actually her disciple who regularly purchased copious amounts of meat.

Since there was a considerable distance between the Dudley Butcher Shop and Sazandol, Isaac had asked Glenn for deliveries whenever he had business in Sazandol. Thus, every time he wanted to see Isaac, Glenn also brought stacks of meat.

This marked Monica’s first time personally visiting the shop. Glenn had assumed Lana or Isaac would be with her, but apparently, Monica came alone.

Monica greeted Glenn with a bow, wearing a stern expression.

“Um, there’s something I want you to teach me, Glenn-san…”

Glenn’s sisters apparently thought of Monica as an ordinary girl, but little did they know that Monica was the Silent Witch, one of the Seven Sages and the pinnacle of Ridill’s magicians. In other words, she was exceptionally intelligent.

What could someone as clever as Monica need to learn from him?

Perhaps this was going to be a matter of national security. As Glenn began making major leaps of logic, Monica blushed as she asked…

“D-Do you know, um… Ike’s favorite meat?”

That was an unexpected question.

Monica was asking about her disciple, who was also the Second Prince of Ridill. But to Glenn, he was a fellow meat enthusiast and a reliable senior.

By the way, Glenn still referred to him as ‘President’, a moniker that had stuck since their time at Serendia Academy.

“So you want the President’s favorite meat?”

“Yes. I want to get Ike his favorite… I thought you might know since you always talk with Ike about meat, right…?”

Glenn crossed his arms and pondered while recalling the meat discussions he had with Isaac.

He had learned this after graduating from Serendia Academy, but Isaac had quite similar tastes when it came to food. Lately, they had begun exchanging their favorite recipes.

“Yeah, that’s true. The President likes almost any kind of meat, but he seems to enjoy stronger flavors. More than the type of meat, the seasoning is crucial. I think he prefers well-seasoned dishes.”

“Strong seasoning…? Um, so should I just sprinkle a lot of salt?”

Belatedly, Glenn began feeling anxious about Monica’s cooking skills.

“Monica, how good are you at cooking?”

“Um, I can cut, grill, boil, and sprinkle some salt, I guess…”

“Oh good. You’re better than my master then.”

Glenn let out an involuntary mutter, to which Monica found herself questioning, albeit hesitantly.

“Um, you mean Louis-san’s cooking is…?”

“He says he can eat just about anything, meat or fish or whatever, as long as it’s well-cooked and splattered with jam.”

“…Wow.”

Back when they had been camping in the mountains for training, Louis casually took out a jar of jam from his baggage to season his meals, all of them. Glenn couldn’t believe his eyes.

In the northern parts of Ridill, it was common to pour berry sauce on meat, but Glenn was convinced that Louis’s approach took the form of something entirely different.

“He drinks alcohol like water and puts jam on everything… If it weren’t for marrying Rosalie-san, he would have died young for sure.”

“Ah… ahaha…”

Perhaps recalling something similar, Monica stared into the distance and let out a weak laugh.

Getting back on topic, Glenn pondered what to do about the meat Monica wanted to get Isaac. Based on Monica’s confession, she wasn’t particularly skilled at cooking. At this rate, Isaac might be fed over-salted meat.

“I got it! Wait just a moment!”

Glenn retreated to the back of the shop, recovered the enamel pot in the kitchen, then packed it into a basket. The contents of the pot were grilled chunks of meat marinated in sauce.

The Dudley Butcher Shop also handled processed meat products, and this was one of the trial ones.

Glenn wrapped the basket with a cloth and presented it to Monica.

“I’ve been wanting the President to try this one! Since he seems to like the seasoning from the eastern region, I’m sure he’ll love it!”

Rather than sprinkling sauce afterwards, marinating the meat in sauce before grilling was a cooking method commonly seen in eastern Ridill. Adding honey and fruit to make the sauce a bit sweeter was also characteristic of the eastern style.

The new recipe included this sweet sauce in addition to the secret spice of the Dudley family.

“So I can just heat up the meat as it is?”

“Yeah, it’s already cooked. Just put it in the oven on low heat, and warm it for about five minutes. Then it’s ready to eat!”

Cooking a chunk of meat can be surprisingly challenging for a beginner. One would have to heat all the way through without burning the surface, and determining the doneness is tricky.

However, even a novice like Monica should be able to handle warming it up… probably.

Upon hearing Glenn’s explanation, Monica let out a sigh of relief.

“Even I can handle that… Thank you, Glenn-san.”

“You’re welcome! I’d like to hear your thoughts on it too!”

“Got it!”

＊　＊　＊

Monica awoke to the appetizing aroma of the meat, tinged with a hint of spices and fruit.

Rolling over on her bed, Monica squinted at the soft spring sunlight streaming through the curtain… then opened her eyes wide.

Her plans had been to display adult consideration, and provide Ike with a comfortable environment. How could she be lying in bed?

“Ike…! Ike!”

Without smoothing out her bed hair, Monica rushed down the stairs, finding breakfast already prepared. Thin slices of meat were neatly arranged on the large plate at the center of the table——the meat she had purchased from Glenn’s shop.

“Good morning, Monica.”

Isaac poked his head out of the kitchen to greet Monica. Then, he came to the table with freshly baked bread, and poured coffee into Monica’s cup.

All the tableware had been set, so there was nothing for Monica to help with.

As Monica stood dumbfounded, Isaac pulled a chair and gestured for her to sit. She immediately fell into the chair and covered her face with both hands.

“Ike, I’m sorry. I… fell asleep, didn’t I…?”

“You were tired from the long journey, right?”

“Ugh…”

“Thanks for preparing the bath and cleaning the sheets. That was a big help.”

Monica was happy to help, but something felt off. This was not the adult consideration she had intended for.

(Rather, it feels like he’s the one being considerate…)

While reflecting on her own immaturity, Monica picked up a piece of bread. The roundish bun, about the size of her palm, had a cut in it. Perhaps it was meant to be split into two for a sandwich?

On the opposite side of the table, she saw Isaac placing meat and vegetables between the slices of bread.

Stuffing bread with meat and vegetables was not particularly uncommon. Such snacks could even be seen on the dining tables of the upper class. However, these dishes typically used thin bread, making it small enough to be easily held and eaten with one hand.

Making a sandwich out of round buns was much rarer in high society. However, Monica knew one person who ate that way: Casey Grove, a girl from eastern Ridill.

“Ike…”

“Yeah?”

Isaac paused the making of his sandwich and tilted his head curiously. That said, there was already a ton of meat stuffed inside. The substantial portion would make for a hearty breakfast.

(Where did you grow up?)

That was the question that came to mind, but Monica decided not to voice it. Surely, the most important thing was making sure Isaac could eat what he liked in the way he liked it.

“I think, um, a fried fish sandwich will be delicious too.”

“Let’s try that next time.”

“Yeah!”

Monica stuffed a slice of meat and vegetables into her bread, then opened her mouth for a big bite.

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