A fortune-telling princess - Chapter 7

But that laugh didn’t last long. At once, Camila snatched his collar, and Gelard was startled again.

‘Because I have a bit of a dirty personality.’

If a person hates me, then I will hate him back. I’m not even good enough to keep putting up with blame and ridicule for no reason.

Before she came into this place, she had been willing to put up with bullshit to some extent, so long Camila had also done wrong to that person.

But as far as she knew, Camila had never done anything like that to her chef, Gelard.

In a word, his being rude to me was him doing as he pleases.

Yank!

‘I’m a woman who has caught people by the collar hundreds of times through acting.’

The hand that held him by the collar was strong. This body of hers wasn’t her own, but she had the skills of her previous life. She was a master on grabbing someone by the collar.

Gelard’s body naturally leaned forward.

“What, what are you doing!”

Gelard, who soon came to his senses, shouted with all his might.

In the kitchen, I am the king himself! Getting caught by the collar in front of countless people watching!

“Listen.”

However, Camila pulled the enraged Gelard’s collar even tighter.

“It’s this height.”

“… yes?”

“When I win the bet, it’s just this height.”

Camila thrust her own face into him.

“If you look down at me with those eyes one more time… … .”

Hearing the low whispering voice, Gelard involuntarily swallowed dry saliva.

“I’m going to break your knees and make you crawl for the rest of your life.”

“The, the duke will not let this stand… … !”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll be a little bit punished. You might not be able to come out of your room for days.”

“So this… … !”

“What is it?”

“Yes?”

“It’s not something that happened once or twice, what is that?”

“Oh, no. Not that! The duke… … !”

“I can take some punishment.”

The corners of Camila’s lips curled up slightly. Even though she was wary of the Duke Sorpel, she had no intention of being intimidated by others.

“Would he kill me just because I smashed you to pieces?”

“……!”

“You think I can’t do it?”

Sigh… You would do that and more.

Camila smiled at Gelard, who was only wetting his lips, then she let go of his collar.

However, Gelard couldn’t straighten his bent posture, as if his whole body was stiff. He really felt like his knees would be broken if he got into the right position now.

“Well then, I’ll be using the kitchen well.”

Leaving Gelard behind, Camila took her place again. Then, as if she were talking to herself very quietly, she called someone.

“Ferrol.”

[Yes.]

At her call, the chef’s ghost, Ferrol, came closer to Camila.

“Are you ready?”

[Of course!]

“Let’s start.”

As soon as Camila finished speaking, Ferrol’s hands overlapped hers.

* * *

“Mr. Ludeville has made a big contribution to this operation. He said the performance was great. Here are the relevant documents.”

Listening to his aide’s explanation, Duke Sorpel read the documents carefully.

“He’s doing well.”

“Yes, you wouldn’t expect less of Mr. Ludeville.”

Duke Sorpel put down the report with a satisfied expression.

“… … .”

His gaze soon turned to one place as a habit. A vase full of gypsophila. It was from Camila.

It was a sight he often saw when his mother was alive. His mother, who was particularly fond of gypsophila, used to put gypsophila herself in her office or room.

‘Although I don’t particularly like flowers.’

Seeing the gypsophila placed in his office gave him a strange feeling.

He thought of the morning he went out for a walk not too long ago, when Camila had stood with her gypsophila in her arms, smiling brightly as she stared at him.

Has she ever smiled so much in front of him before?

‘I mean, it’s already been over a week.’

She thought it would be over in a day or two. But Camila had been decorating his own office and bedroom with gypsophila every day for over a week.

“Not bad.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Isn’t Camila not eating properly these days?”

“Ah…… .”

Aide Jackter’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected question.

Although the Duke had asked him about Camila’s mischiefs and misdeeds, it was the first time he had asked on how she was doing on a daily basis.

Even though she gave her order to do something, she never once asked about the result…… .

“I’ll find out right away.”

Jackter hurriedly replied, slightly taken aback.

Knock-knock.

Then, with a knock, a person stepped inside. It was the butler Rube, a man in his early 30s.

A tray was in his hand as he entered the office.

Rube respectfully bowed his head and quickly set the tray of food down on the table.

“What is that all about?”

“I prepared this because I thought you would be hungry.”

Looking at the watch after the butler’s words, Duke Sorpel nodded.

When the Duke was staying in the office for a long time, Rube would often bring simple meals from time to time.

“Thank you for this food.”

The aide, Jackter, had a more welcoming expression than Duke Sorpel. He ate dinner haphazardly, and his stomach had kept sending signals from a while ago.

“You should try it too, Duke.”

“Hmm?”

Duke Sorpel looked at the butler with a puzzled look.

The butler usually left immediately after putting down the food. But today, strangely, he was standing there, urging me to eat.

After staring at the butler Rube in silence for a moment, Duke Sorpel got up and headed to the table where the food was placed.

“Soup.”

There was freshly baked bread to eat with the soup.

“… … .”

However, Duke Sorpel’s eyes widened slightly as he gazed at the soup.

‘No way… … .’

Uncharacteristically, he hurriedly raised his spoon and took a big bite of the soup and brought it to his mouth. As he swallowed the food, his expression became even more surprised.

“This soup… … .”

It’s the soup he ate before. The soup he loved very much!

It was a food that he had never eaten again after the chef, who had worked for the duke’s family for a long time, died in an accident.

The late chef’s apprentice and current chef, Gelard, had tried to recreate the taste somehow, but always failed.

But now the soup was placed in front of his very eyes. It had the exact same taste as before.

“Wow… This is really delicious. How does the soup taste so deep?”

The clear, golden soup was completely devoid of visible solid pieces. But the moment you put it in your mouth, the richness of the taste was hard to describe in words.

“Looks like he’s finally recreated the taste.”

Duke Sorpel thought that the current chef had finally reproduced the taste of his master. But the butler who heard those words shook his head softly.

“It wasn’t made by the chef Gelard.”

“It wasn’t made by the chef?”

“Yes.”

“Who, then?”

Butler Rube smiled and continued.

“It was by Miss Camila.”

“…Who?”

“C… cough!”

Duke Sorpel’s eyes widened even more, and Jackter, who was drinking the soup, let out a dry cough the moment Camila’s name came out.

As if he couldn’t believe it, he looked at the soup with new eyes.

“Miss Camila made this?!”

Seeing the butler smile once again, as if it was an expected reaction, Duke Sorpel and Jackter couldn’t let go of their dazed expressions for a while.

* * *

“This… This… … !”

Chef Gelard couldn’t speak easily.

The moment Camila looked at her finished soup, she couldn’t believe her eyes. That golden soup! How can you not know that soup!

‘The sce… Even the scent!’

It was the same! So much the same as the soup in her own memory!

With trembling hands, Gelard scooped a large bowl of soup into his mouth and brought it to his mouth.

“… … !”

Percussion!

The ladle he was holding fell to the floor. He always talked about keeping kitchen utensils clean, but even after dropping the ladle on the ground, he didn’t think to pick it up.

That’s the taste! Surely that soup is right!

‘Master… … .’

The soup that Master Ferrol made a long time ago. Due to his sudden death, the recipe for this soup was not handed down.

But now, isn’t that soup being made right in front of your eyes! Not by anyone else, but by Camila’s hand!

I couldn’t believe it even when I saw it with my own eyes.

“How does the soup taste?”

Camila, who had been watching him, sneaked closer to him.

“H-, how… … !”

He had stood there with a dazed expression, and only then it seemed that his mind had returned.

“How did you make this! How!”

A fire blazed in Gelard’s eyes as he looked at Camila.

I’ve spent countless hours trying to recreate this soup. But the results were always disastrous. No matter how much I tried to imitate it, I couldn’t keep up with the taste.

“They’re too up high.”

“…Yes?”

“Up high.”

“What…….”

At the bewildered Gelard, Camila indicated his eyes with two of her fingers. Then, just like that, she pointed her fingers downwards.

“Gotta lower your eyes.”

“……!”

The words that she had said a little while ago came to mind only then. Gelard’s eyes flickered incessantly as he understood what Camila was saying.

“My throat is about to hurt.”

Camila rubbed the nape of her neck with one of her hands, pretending that her neck hurt.

“…….”

Squeak.

The bulging eyes looked down. His knees were also slightly bent. Low enough that Camila wouldn’t have to lift her head. He brought his hands together in front of her, in a modest manner.

“Wil-, will you teach me your ways?”

It was a very embarrassing pose to take in front of the countless kitchen members, but that wasn’t the point right now.

“What?”

“The recipe for this soup.”

“Why should I?”

“…Excuse me?”

“I didn’t tell you that I would teach you the recipe?”

“……!”

Seeing the astonished Gelard with his white face, Camila unfastened her apron and tossed it aside.

“Ca, Miss Camila!”

Gelard called urgently to Camila as she headed out of her kitchen. I can’t let her go like that. I need to get that recipe somehow!

“Ok, maybe I can teach you.”

“Are you sure?”

“If you behave nicely.”

“Yes?”

“I might teach you later if you look pretty.”

After that, Camila brushed off her clothes and left her kitchen.

Gelard, who had been staring blankly at the scene, slowly turned his head after a while and looked at the kitchen family standing on one side.

“… What should I do to make this face look pretty?”

“That’s imposs… Ugh!”

The people who hurriedly shut up the senseless young kitchen worker, could only smile back awkwardly.