Alongside the fries, we had also finished preparing deep-fried vegetables. All that was left was to grill the meat that had been soaking in the marinade. At this point, it was just a matter of cooking it in a frying pan and slicing it up—something the kitchen staff could easily handle on their own.
Honestly, slicing the cooked meat and sandwiching it between bread to make hamburgers wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
However, just then, I noticed a gaze fixed on us from somewhere nearby.
“Margrave-sama… what are you doing here?”
“The smell drew me in. It’s my break time, so I came to the kitchen.”
Drawn in by the savory aroma, the Margrave—who was supposed to be in his office—was now peeking into the kitchen from the entrance. Behind him, I could also see Sue and the others, wearing expressions that seemed to say, “Well, what can you do…”
Even if it’s break time, it feels like only about an hour has passed since work started…
But the curry was already finished.
Alright then—let’s get to grilling the meat right away.
Sizzle… sizzle…
“Ooh, that’s a nice smell. I’m really looking forward to eating this.”
“Your Excellency, the tasting is meant to be done together so we can gather opinions.”
“Haha, I know, I know.”
“…”
“…”
The Margrave had already come right up beside where the meat was being grilled. If he’s talking about eating it, then he’s clearly planning to sample it the moment it’s done. Sue and the others were watching him with exasperated expressions.
Then, the first piece of meat finished cooking—and the moment it was placed on a plate—
Snatch. (Nom. Munch, munch, munch…)
“Ooh, this is good. It’s just meat marinated in sauce and grilled, but there’s a slight kick to it that really stimulates the appetite.”
The Margrave picked up the large chunk of meat placed on the plate and ate it in a single bite. Not only that, he went on to eat the salted fries and the deep-fried vegetables as well.
Snatch, munch—snatch, munch.
After that, every piece of meat marinated in sauce was eaten the moment it came off the pan, and even the hamburger portion disappeared before it could be assembled. Even the potatoes… all of them were gone—cleaned up entirely by the Margrave.
“Whew… I’m full. If meat this good is served at the festival, I’m sure everyone who comes will be more than satisfied.”
“R-right….”
“Y-yes, that’s good then…”
While the Margrave stood there completely satisfied, I couldn’t help but make a complicated expression. Meanwhile, Sue and the others were practically radiating fury—like flames burning behind their eyes. We were supposed to do the tasting together but everything had been eaten by the Margrave alone.
Messing with food especially when it comes to women is dangerous.
“With that much in your stomach, I’m sure you’ll be able to work hard until evening.”
“Yes, let’s return to processing documents immediately.”
“Fufu… break time is over.”
“W-wait, hey—hold on, aahh!”
Sue and the others grabbed the Margrave by the legs and dragged him back toward the office. It was almost as if they were disciplining a hopeless child. Even though, technically speaking, the Margrave was a married man with children.
“Now then…. shall we prepare another tasting portion for Emilia-sama?”
“Yes. She is scheduled to return for lunch.”
With a collective sigh, the kitchen staff and I resumed preparing the tasting dishes once more.
By the way, the matter of the Margrave monopolizing all the tasting food didn’t stay hidden for long. When Emilia-sama returned at lunchtime and heard what had happened—
the Margrave was strictly forbidden from eating anything at all until dinner.
No meals.
No snacks.
Nothing at all.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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