HCYPBTKIRWO Chapter 23

I grew up watching my grandmother's hands every day, so I understood it perfectly.

However, other people regretted that it did not taste as good as what my grandmother made.

“Now, minced garlic in moderation…”

Moderation. Did the habit come out again? In any case, I am the same as my grandmother.

“Why are you adding garlic now? Isn't it usually stir-fried with meat or added to the broth at the latest?”

“Yeah, that’s usually the case. But I like it better to add garlic later than the steps in the recipe."

Well, actually, I accidentally forgot it several times and found it after putting it in late

“By the way, Mr. Harold has a long career and graduated from the Academy with the highest grades, but you are trying to learn from me, who is not very good. You are cool.”

“It’s no good. Oh, I admit I'm cool."

I misunderstood on the first day. I thought he might hate and criticize me for thinking that I had tarnished his honor and narrowed his position in the duchy.

But he broke his pride and asked me for help. It was really surprising and enjoyable.

‘I guess he's a person with a big mind.'

Anyway, it's cool to see him continue to find his shortcomings and develop without being complacent with the present.

“I must follow the example of Harold and continue to hone my skills.”

Not just cooking, but also magic. Anyway, I guess I'll have to live here as a witch.

“Miss Hazel doesn’t seem to need that at all.”

Mr. Harold waved his hand over the pot and smelled the beef stew, admiring it.

“Hey, isn’t it just that my taste is suited to the taste of the people of the duchy?”

“It was just right.”

"Really? I’m happy.”

Other chefs, busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, also helped Harold. When compliments poured in on how delicious it was, I was embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

“It is not empty at all. Chefs compete with each other every day for the leftovers of the food they make for dinner.”

As if to prove Mr. Harold's words, I could hear the conversations of the chefs preparing the desserts from across the kitchen.

“How much stew is left…?”

“The chef did the same, so there will be less competition today.”

“From now on, let’s set the order fairly.”

Everyone seemed too serious to be joking or a polite exaggeration.

It was then that I felt something strange. Originally, I tend to cook quite a bit, as I inherited the skills of my grandmother, who boasts 45 years of experience at a restaurant.

But for some reason, my cooking skills have improved since I came here. Even if I just read a cookbook and made a carrot cake or stew I’ve never tried while living in Korea, I'll succeed at once.

Before I came to the duchy, I rarely treated others, so I thought it was just for my taste.

'That's interesting. Do I have any abilities that I don't know about?'

Maybe it's a witch's basic ability, though I don't know.

When I lowered the pot from the oven, it was already time for the religion class to end. I was going to leave the service to the servants, but Mr. Harold greeted me.

“You worked hard today, Miss Hazel.”

Following him, the kitchen staff greeted me one word at a time.

Everyone is friendly.

In the first few days, the servants avoided me, but these days, everyone treated me politely and kindly.

'Except for two people.'

So now everyone knows I'm not evil? Also, the truth prevails.

(3rd person pov)

"Hmm..."

When Harold made a nasal sound as if he was unsure, the chef next to him asked.

"What's wrong with you?"

The smell was different. The smell from the stew in his pot and the witch's was distinctly different.

Harold, who tasted two stews each, opened his eyes wide.

"It tastes different too."

"What? That can't be true."

However, the chef who tasted it had no choice but to agree.

"This doesn't make sense. Same material, same amount, same order. How can it taste so different when it's even cooked side by side?"

Everyone who came in while preparing for a meal and tasted it one by one tilted their heads, saying it was ridiculous.

Even if they tasted it without telling who's dish it was, everyone looked at the witch's.

"The chef's stew is great too..."

The butler, who stopped by to serve the prepared dish, tasted it and commented.

"Your stew tastes like something else."

"Oh! That's right. It's a taste where something's missing from my cooking. What is it?"

"It's… I don't know about cooking because I'm an outsider."

Even the culinary expert didn't know. All the chefs put their heads together. However, no matter how much they thought about it, they couldn't think of any ingredients that tasted like this.

During a long discussion, a young assistant chef suddenly muttered.

"Is it really the drugs?"

Some eyes shook, saying it was speculation.

***

Tap. Tap.

The sound of tapping the table with his fingertips rang the quiet dining room.

The maid and servants glanced at the duke who sat alone at the table. The soup turin in front of him kept leaking the smell that made his mouth water.

"Right now..."

It was the moment when he looked serious, called in a servant close by and ordered something.

The door to the room opened wide, and the Princess and Prince came in holding the witch's hand. Both children were rubbing their eyes, perhaps sleepy.

"Why are you so late?"

Elliott asked the witch who was sitting Luca. The witch looked back at the clock in the corner and tilted her head.

"You came 3 minutes earlier. By the way, your excellency is coming very early these days."

"...Harold."

Elliot pretended not to hear the witch's sharp words and nodded to Harold, who stood next to him. At a signal, servants began to move.

In the meantime, Elliott threw his eyes at the sleepy faces.

"I've been working hard since the morning, and you’re sleepy from taking a nap."

Luna, who was rubbing her eyes, responded sulky when he scolded lightly.

"It's not like that. Religion classes are so… I was bored."

"Right. Everything is fun."

"This is a teacher specially sent by the Vatican for you. How busy he is...”

Elliott, who was trying to preach, saying, “you should be thankful for taking religious classes from a high-ranking believer" and became quiet as soon as the lid of the soup turin opened.

"Let's eat first."

Apart from the dishes, the stew was served first.

Only then did he realize. There was a reason why the two ate Harold's stew.

Of course, Harold's stew was great.

Whenever there was a rare party in the Grand Park, guests gathered and praised Harold's cooking.

He was a talented person who never lagged behind any chef in the empire because people even begged Elliott to hold parties more often.

So Harold's stew was never wrong, but just different.

The chef’s cooking was spectacular with a variety of flavors.

If so, the witch's cooking can be compared to a warm fireplace for those who return from the snow in the cold winter.

It was a taste that melted the frozen body and mind together.

Elliott was so into the stew that he forgot that he had his younger siblings on the same table, came to his senses only after emptying the soup plate neatly.

‘Why are these guys so quiet?’

Usually, it would not have been strangely quiet even if they made a slurping sound or dropped a spoon to make a crackling sound.

Fortunately, the children sat calmly in their seats. But they didn't know why they kept glancing at him while eating and exchanging glances with each other.

The children's quiet but suspicious behavior continued throughout the meal.

When he lifted the spoon, both of them followed.

‘Are you copying me right now?’

He picked up a fork to check. When he took a roasted bell cabbage in the corner of the plate, the children followed him even though it was definitely the vegetable that the two hated very much.

‘Then try copying this too.’

Elliott's eyes grew bigger as he ate the cabbage in one bite without hesitation.

"Wait, do we copy this too?"

Luna and Luca squinted at each other, and as soon as Luna put the cabbage in her mouth first, Luca also put it in his.

Of course, Luca cut half of it and put down the fork, but in Elliott's eyes, it was a tremendous development. Perhaps because of the servants' eyes, everyone looked at the children as if it was fascinating.

"Whoah, I won.”

When Luna suddenly broke the silence and laughed, Elliott narrowed his eyes.

‘You won? What are they doing?'

"Shh!"

When the witch, who was watching from behind, warned, Luna cooperated.

Immediately, the suspicious purple eyes moved from Luna to the witch.

After dinner, Elliott went blank.

His younger siblings tasted food that they usually didn't touch, and rarely spilled meals and never knocked down a glass of water.

They have never eaten so peacefully since they were big enough to sit at the table.

‘Suspiciously peaceful...’

Elliott, who was watching his younger siblings eating pumpkin pie as dessert, quietly got up and called the witch to the corner of the dining room.

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