Chapter 8
***
Lalit rushed to the kitchen and explained the situation. The head chef tilted his head.
"Ebran? We absolutely never use it as an ingredient. You know that, Lalit. Dr. Jansen strictly forbids any foreign spices."
Since the head chef had been there since Lalit was a child, he spoke to her casually.
"Lady Eleonor using Ebran flowers... One thing is certain. They didn't come from our kitchen."
"Then did she have a place she visited regularly?"
"Not that I know of. She usually stayed secluded in the mansion. She said there was no one left she knew in her hometown, and it's been ages since she last visited."
Lalit frowned slightly.
'It's precisely the kind of thing she'd do—go somewhere regularly to consume just a small amount…’
Lady Eleonor was from the southwestern domain. When she was young, she often visited her hometown. She missed her friends and relatives.
Each time she did, Adrian became more withdrawn, soaking his pillow with tears.
"What if even Grandmother abandons me? If even Grandmother abandons me here..."
"Why would Her Ladyship abandon you, young master? She cherishes you so dearly."
"That's not it. Grandmother loves Father. I... I can't keep her here because I'm not as good as Father. If she says she prefers her homeland and refuses to return, I'll be left alone... ……………."
"Alone?"
Lalit gently touched Adrian’s gleaming blond hair as she spoke.
"I'm here, young master………………."
"………………You won't leave me, will you?"
"Of course not. I have nowhere else to go."
Adrian repeated that question over and over. Truly, countless times. Only after she renewed her promise not to leave each time could he finally close his eyes in peace.
There were times she watched those long lashes lower for a very long while. So the wicked desire she secretly harbored, wishing for Lady Eleonor's absence, was buried deep within her.
'Then.'
Lalit gasped for breath. Truthfully, she had a reason for coming this far.
"Chef, what about meals and refreshments for the household staff? Not the Duke's people? You still don't make individual snacks for them, right?"
"Of course not. Is this a restaurant?"
The chef chuckled.
"Everyone has different hometowns and tastes. How could we possibly cater to all that? We just plan the menu based on the Lady and the Duke's preferences, then make simple meals for us with the leftover ingredients."
Truthfully, this was the part Lalit knew best.
"The Lady doesn’t eat pork anymore either, right? Lady Matilda specifically asked about it before leaving. Did she ever get terribly sick from it or something?"
"Not exactly... Ah, then what about dessert?"
"It's all the same. You know that, right?"
He stretched and added.
"Lalit, if you've nothing else to do, could you at least slice some carrots?"
"Yes. I'm good at slicing."
Lalit answered immediately.
"But the head maid would need to pay me extra for that. I think I should mention it separately."
"Then I'll go talk to Matilda. I had something to discuss with her about the ingredients anyway."
The head chef handed Lalit a knife, wiped his hands on his apron, and waddled out. Lalit found an apron, put it on, and skillfully sliced carrots with the knife she'd been given.
Just as the beautifully chopped carrots piled high on the cutting board.
"Are you out of your mind?"
Matilda came rushing in, flustered.
"You put the doctor to work in the kitchen? Could you tell Dr. Jansen to slice carrots too? Huh?"
"Ah, no... I mean, Lalit didn't say much, and she said she'd charge extra..."
The moment Matilda reached the kitchen, she pressed her forehead in disbelief. Lalit set down the kitchen knife beside the chopped carrots and said.
"Twenty silver coins, please, Head Maid."
"………………Even so, this is………………."
"And Head Maid, I have one question."
Lalit looked calmly into Matilda's flustered eyes.
"Have you ever shared desserts from your hometown with Lady Eleonor?"
"Ah……………."
Matilda blinked slowly at the sudden question.
"Sometimes…… she would ask for them occasionally."
"Head Maid."
Lalit removed his apron. A dry swallow escaped her involuntarily.
Matilda was the maid Eleanor had brought from her hometown. Eleanor, even in her youth, had often visited her hometown, always longing for it.
That was why, after hearing that Eleanor had no exposure to outside food, Lalit had come up with this.
"Couldn't it be that she asked Matilda to occasionally bring her food from her hometown?"
Being a maid at the duke's residence, she could make this inference. If meals were skipped, the head chef would naturally know, but that hadn't happened.
Everything that entered Eleanor's mouth in this mansion was known to the head chef. So, something the head chef didn't know about. Not a meal, but a dessert.
And only occasionally, when she remembered.
"Eat up. These are famous cookies from my hometown. My younger sister sends them regularly."
Lalit had once, just once, gotten cookies from Matilda's room. She had definitely said that then. It wasn't something she'd go out of her way to find, but what if, occasionally, Eleonor had said this to Matilda?
"I'm craving cookies from my hometown. Bring me some."
Given Eleonor's personality, she probably wouldn't ask for them often. If she only mentioned them when she remembered, she clearly wouldn't have ordered them in advance.
If... Eleonor was in a mild state of addiction, what about Matilda?
"Lady Matilda, may I perform an Ebran flower toxicity test on you now?"
Matilda stared at Lalit with a blank expression.
***
That same hour, in the office.
Adrian was trying to steady his confused mind.
He had to somehow stop this confusion first, then decide how to treat her going forward.
Would he foolishly, like before, wield only sincerity as his weapon, trembling while being swayed by her every move?
'I can't do that.'
He never wanted to be swayed by her again. He'd rather be the one swaying her.
He didn't want to be abandoned. He'd rather be the one leaving.
How hard it had been for him back then, how miserable.
'………………If I can't be indifferent, then maybe I should seek revenge.'
He had grown into a cold-blooded man, worthy of being the master of the duke's house, who repaid wounds tenfold. But...
"Please, please be careful."
Those words she had spoken to him felt strangely familiar...
Overlapping with the image of Lalit’s younger self, anxiously fretting over what might happen to him if anything went wrong.
Adrian sighed deeply. It seemed he was the only one still living in the past. Perhaps Lalit had spoken without a second thought.
It was then.
"Your Grace, it's Evan."
"………………Hm?"
He thought today's reports were all finished, but Evan rushed in. Then he thrust a receipt forward.
[Additional Fee Request
Duke's Medical Consultation: 20 Silver
Health Advice: 22 Silver]
Adrian was so flabbergasted he snapped.
"What? Why is health advice 22 silver? And not 20 silver?"
Evan replied respectfully.
"It includes the questionnaire fee. And it doesn't include the hour spent discussing Lady Eleonor."
Adrian sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead.
"Unbelievable."
It wasn't the 42 silver that bothered him; he despised himself for being momentarily stunned by that small smile.
As if seeing through this self-loathing, Lalit had already remarked that he hadn't changed much from the past.
'I will get revenge. I will. She doesn't even care about me now.'
That was when Adrian gritted his teeth.
Once more, a knock sounded.
"It's Lalit."
Only then did Adrian realize he hadn't stopped thinking about her since she'd left. All while she was probably writing up the bill for the 42 silver.
He, on the other hand... hadn't even sorted out his thoughts about the Ebran flower yet. Even if he narrowed down the candidates and traced the distribution channels right now, it would be too late.
Adrian took a deep breath to clear his head. The most urgent task now was to uncover the connection between the Ebran flower and Eleonor.
He would send Lalit out as quickly as possible and get to work. He deliberately replied in a slightly sullen tone.
"Come in."
The moment his order fell, Lalit quietly opened the door and entered, wearing a somewhat serious expression.
"Why? Is the receipt number wrong?"
"No, it's not that……………"
Lalit hesitated briefly before speaking.
"I have something to report. It concerns the Ebran flowers."
"You have more to report? Well, since you're here already..."
Adrian sighed softly and instructed.
"From your professional perspective, I'd appreciate it if you told me everything, no matter how small. Because finding that source isn't easy. The relationships among nobles are complicated, and I've only been at the duke's residence for a short time since leaving the academy."
"I believe I've identified the source of the lady's poisoning symptoms."
……………Already?
Lalit, who knew nothing about noble relationships and had only been at the duke's residence for a few days?
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