HCYPBTKIRWO Chapter 22

‘You try to deceive me even with kind words…'

It was Elliott who had heard such words, no, more blatantly than that, countless times from noble girls. The witch said to him casually and he closed the locket and tucked it into his shirt.

“By the way, did you tell the chestnuts that I’m only a temporary nanny?”

"No."

"Why?"

"The moment I return from the expedition, if the nanny says she's fired, what will Luna say?"

"Uh… Extend the contract?"

“You don’t know Luna well yet, do you?”

In Elliott's head, Luna would shout wildly, 'Don't you ever come back, you nagging demon king!'.

“I don’t want to upset the children for nothing, so please don’t say it’s temporary.”

“But the lie is…”

“Is it a lie to say nothing?”

“But if they found out later, they would be hurt…”

The corners of the witch's eyes drooped.

“The children believe that I will continue to live here. Of course, I agree with that, but...”

The moment the witch revealed her true feelings, Elliott's eyes became bitter.

"Witch."

Elliott leaned his body forward and pressed his index finger firmly against his desk. Miss Hazel was no longer a title of honor.

“Don’t use the trick to instigate young children to extend the contract. I warned you.”

“It’s not like that…”

“Don’t tell the children."

He cut her witch's excuses adamantly and said his warnings softly, but clearly.

“…Yes."

Although the witch nodded her head helplessly and acted miserable, he did not waver.

Before her appearance changed, he was told that she earned sympathy by pretending to be an old woman with her mind coming and going. It was not the first time she's done something that would have made her go to jail, but he's been put off by acting.

People don't change overnight.

Even if the evil spirit was not felt, it was impossible to entrust the safety of the younger siblings to this brilliant criminal for a long time.

So there was absolutely no contract extension. Elliott pulled the thing around his neck roughly.

“I don't take bribes. Take this back."

“Oh, the bribe was a joke. I gave it to you in case you really want to see the children, so be sure to bring it."

The witch waved her hand and ran to the door.

“Then I have to prepare dinner...”

Elliott, who stared at the witch's back until she closed the door, looked down at the silver locket in his hand and sighed.

“How terribly difficult.”

***

(1st person pov)

Beef stew takes a long time, so I had to prepare it in advance while the children were taking naps.

I sautéed chopped onions in olive oil until translucent, then added a spoonful of homemade tomato sauce, mixing it well with the onions so that the sauce does not burn.

“Hmmm…

Smells good.

Pour in the pre-roasted beef tenderloin and sprinkle with about three tablespoons of flour.

Stir well until no lumps are visible and then it is time to pour the spiral water up to 2/3 of the pot.

"Aren't you going to add red wine?"

Harold, who was stirring the same-looking pot at the next crater, asked.

"No, I don't put alcohol in when it comes to children's meals."

"Hmm..."

Harold crossed his arms and rubbed the tip of his chin with one hand. I poured water into the pot, stirred it well, and put two laurel leaves in the pot.

Harold stopped thinking for a while and asked after picking out two laurel leaves that looked similar to what I put in and throwing them into the pot.

"Don't all the alcohol go away because of the heat? You don't have to worry about their highnesses drinking."

When I imagined the children stumbling with wine bottles in their hands, I smiled.

Of course, it's funny because it's an imagination. It's something that can never happen in real life.

"It tastes richer with wine in it."

"It seems to be a better flavor for adults, but it’s bitter for children."

The younger you are, the more sensitive your taste is. Even the taste that was not felt well by adults could be felt intense for children.

So, the food to feed the children was always reduced in the amount of seasoning, and if it was an ingredient with a strong taste, it was cooked in a way that neutralized.

"Hmm... I see..."

Mr. Harold mumbled over what I said and was lost in thought.

"It's just... That's what I've been through…Haha…”

Talking about recipes and flavors in front of a culinary authority with decades of experience, I was embarrassed and added another word.

Was it the second day after I came to the duchy? Mr. Harold asked me whenever I had time.

"Miss Hazel, please sell me the secret."

"Secret? There's no such thing as that."

"If you're using a potion that captivates their tastes, I'll keep it a secret from his highness and pay you a lot for it..."

"I don't know how to make a potion like that."

"Then I'll make sure you don't have to be disappointed, even if it's a cooking lecture..."

"I don't need money.”

I didn't really need money, and I didn't intend to make money with my ordinary cooking, because it felt like I was cheating.

"And what do you mean by a lecture?"

I'm not even an academy graduate.

"It’s nothing special, but if you need it, I'll let you know for free."

"Wait, you’ll let me learn the secret to captivating the taste of the duchy for free?"

There was no secret... It was so trivial that I felt sorry for him, but Harold was actually apologetic.

After that, whenever I was doing something in the kitchen, Mr. Harold brought a notebook and an ink pen, scribbled around and asked questions.

Thanks to that, I was happy to have an unexpected companion. I also learned by asking Mr. Harold about this and that, so cooking time became a lot of fun.

By the way, Mr. Harold said that he hadn't learned the 'secret' yet, and his shoulders have been shaky these days.

He tried to follow the recipe I wrote down myself, but no matter how much he tried, it didn't taste like the recipe I made.

Hmm… Why? I also had no way of knowing.

So, as a trick, I suggested that we try the same dishes side by side today. Adjust the amount of ingredients and the timing of adding them equally.

“Ah, you should leave this heavy thing to me.”

When I lifted the cast iron lid to cover the simmering thinness, Mr. Harold quickly took it and covered it.

"Thank you."

"Hm"

Not really friendly either.

By the way, the lid could be lifted easily with just magic. I still forget that I am a witch like this.

'That's why I made a mistake with the Archduke.'

But isn't it too much to frame people with such trivial things?

But again, if you think about it from the point of view of the duke, it was not incomprehensible. He’s a person who worries a lot about life, so a witch who is famous for being evil is scary.

'But a person who is obsessed with protecting their lives goes directly to subjugating the monsters?'

Is there a complicated adult situation? He said he was a natural swordsman, so maybe that's why.

“Then what’s left?”

"Ah!"

I stopped thinking after biting my lip and answered.

“Now let it simmer for a few hours until the meat is crumbly.”

If there was a pressure cooker here, it would have been finished in 30 minutes.

However, the taste produced by boiling in a cast iron pot for a long time was so good that it cannot be compared to a pressure cooker.

“Then I’m going to add potatoes and carrots about 20 minutes before dinner and peas and mushrooms 10 minutes before dinner. Lastly, season with spices and you’re done.”

There really wasn't much to say, so I was embarrassed to even talk about it.

“Hmm… The little devils would not like anything but potatoes there.”

“The ‘angels’ I know eat well.”

“Ah, yes…angels...”

"Ah! I will be late for religion class. Then I will go to wake up the ‘angels’.”

I hurriedly woke the children up, fed them afternoon snacks, and sent them to class. I took the opportunity to stop by my hut over the closet to feed the chickens and work in the garden, so it was time to go back to the kitchen.

“Hmmm… It smells good.”

When I opened the pot, there was a wonderful smell that made me ecstatic. The broth was dark brown and slightly thick, and the consistency was just right.

The meat was cooked enough to slip through the fork.

“It’s good.”

In order, I cut the vegetables into small pieces as small as my index finger and then seasoned them for the last time.

“Put the pepper once in here…”

As I turned the pepper grinder, Mr. Harold, who was doing the same, exclaimed.

“Haven’t you turned it two times now?”

“Oh, did I? I learned how to cook from my grandmother, so I tend to be a bit sloppy. Haha."

My grandmother was famous for her excellent taste. But the only downside was that the measurement was not accurate.

This much, roughly, moderately, one scoop, just a little. Those were the phrases she used most often when she taught me to cook.

tl note: The chapter ended a bit abruptly here but that was how it ended in the raws.

Note: Advance chapters are available on patreon :)