Chapter 601: Cook Julius

By the time dinner was served, the head chef had already prepared ginger pork for everyone.

Since ginger was apparently being cultivated in House Heine’s medicinal herb gardens as well, he had wasted no time putting it to use and recreating the dish immediately after hearing my explanation.

As expected of the head chef.

The version he prepared was even more delicious than the ginger pork I had made back in the Raven Kingdom. The aroma alone was enough to stimulate the appetite, and the balance between the savory sauce and the sharp fragrance of ginger was perfect.

Everyone at the table seemed thoroughly pleased with it.

Perhaps encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive reaction, the head chef puffed out his chest proudly and spoke a little louder than usual.

“As expected of Julius-sama. I never imagined ginger could be used in such a way.”

“Indeed,” Father agreed with a satisfied nod as he cut into the meat with his utensils. “It’s delicious, and somehow it feels as though it warms the body from within. Now that I think about it, Lionel mentioned in his letter that Julius prepared this dish for everyone in the Raven Kingdom. Where exactly did you learn it?”

…Crap.

This was bad. Extremely bad.

There was no way I could casually answer, ‘Oh, it’s knowledge from my previous life before I came to this world.’

If I said something like that, my family would become even more suspicious of me than they already were.

I needed to dodge this carefully.

“I knew ginger had restorative and strengthening properties from my knowledge of magic potion ingredients,” I explained as calmly as possible. “So I simply thought about trying it in cooking. Ginger is also excellent at removing unpleasant odors, so I figured it would pair well with meat.”

Everyone’s attention gathered on me at once.

Well, naturally.

A person who had shown almost no interest in cooking suddenly talking knowledgeably about cuisine would make anyone suspicious.

What should I do here?

Should I just claim I suddenly awakened as a gourmet or something?

“Julius-sama truly possesses extensive knowledge about cooking as well,” the head chef said with sparkling eyes. “I would very much like to incorporate your ideas into the dishes we prepare.”

The chef was smiling so brightly it was almost blinding.

Apparently, he intended to drag me deeper into the culinary world.

Well, considering I had already introduced things like dried fruit and hot cookies, he probably wanted me more actively involved in menu development.

“Making magic potions and cooking are actually somewhat similar,” I said with a laugh. “If I come up with anything else that seems useful for cooking, I’ll consult with you immediately.”

“I greatly look forward to it!”

The chef beamed innocently with delight.

I knew he meant no harm, but honestly, I would have preferred him bringing this up privately when I visited the kitchen.

Then I wouldn’t be sitting here sweating nervously under everyone’s scrutiny.

“I wish I could’ve tried the ginger pork made by Julius-niisan himself,” Rosalia said wistfully. “Sister-in-law Fabienne, how did Julius-niisan’s cooking taste?”

“Kyuu?”

Rosalia and Mira tilted their heads at exactly the same angle.

The synchronization was almost perfect.

They looked so alike at that moment they could have passed for real siblings.

Ever since I returned to House Heine, Mira had remained glued to my side. Even now, during dinner, she refused to leave my lap.

Was she really that lonely without me?

Though Rosalia, Alex-niisan, and Sister-in-law Daniela had all been here with her the entire time.

Maybe she was replenishing the “Julius energy” she had missed while I was gone.

I vaguely remembered reading somewhere that Holy Dragons received magical power from close contact with trusted companions, so perhaps this behavior was related to that.

If that was the case, I supposed I should just let her stay there.

Though eating with a dragon on my lap was admittedly a little difficult.

“It was absolutely delicious,” Fabienne answered with a graceful smile. “Everyone loved it, so we ended up extremely busy preparing more.”

“Extremely busy…?” Daniela narrowed her eyes curiously. “Wait, does that mean you cooked as well, Fabienne?”

“Yes. Julius-sama taught me, and we prepared it together. It’s actually quite a simple dish, so I believe anyone could learn to make it.”

“Hm, hm…”

Sister-in-law Daniela furrowed her brow and nodded with an oddly serious expression.

Could it be that she wanted to try making it herself?

It felt somewhat strange imagining a princess personally cooking ginger pork, but perhaps seeing Fabienne—someone she treated almost like a younger sister—working in the kitchen had sparked a sense of urgency in her.

“Fabienne, would you teach me how to make ginger pork sometime as well?”

“Of course. Though I believe Julius-sama knows far more about it than I do.”

“Sister-in-law Fabienne, I want to try making it too!”

Rosalia enthusiastically shot her hand into the air.

Apparently Sister-in-law Daniela wasn’t the only one interested.

Even Mira, still perched on my lap, raised one of her tiny little arms enthusiastically.

…You absolutely can’t.

With those tiny limbs, there’s no way you could cook properly.

I appreciated the spirit, though. Still, she would probably just get in everyone’s way, so perhaps observation duty would be enough for her.

After that, the conversation naturally shifted toward making ginger pork together someday.

Then somehow it evolved into discussing baking cookies as well.

Of course, these would be ordinary cookies.

Hot cookies technically counted as magic potions, after all.

Apparently the ginger pork had also been served to the alchemists dining in another room.

It became wildly popular there too.

In fact, I heard some of them had dramatically lamented—with actual tears in their eyes—that I hadn’t invited them when I first made ginger pork in the Raven Kingdom.

…Wasn’t that just a little excessive?

Eventually, the lively dinner came to an end, leaving only baths and sleep ahead for the night.

Rosalia repeatedly begged me to teach her how to make a phonograph, but I steeled my heart and firmly postponed it until tomorrow.

Starting another crafting session at this hour would definitely be a bad idea.

If people started saying my return had disrupted discipline within the household, I’d never hear the end of it.

Besides…

There was still the possibility that Father intended to summon me later.

I should make sure to leave time open for that.

Would the summons come?

Or wouldn’t it?

Which would it be?

As I sat nervously waiting in the salon, my heart thumping louder with every passing minute, a servant finally arrived.

“Julius-sama, the master requests your presence in his study.”

The summons came—!

After informing the servant that I would head there immediately, I straightened my clothes and composed myself.

Beside me, Fabienne began adjusting her own outfit as well, apparently intending to accompany me.

“Fabienne, you don’t have to force yourself to come with me.”

“No. I’m going with you.”

Fabienne snorted determinedly through her nose, looking unusually fired up.

Apparently, she had decided she needed to protect me.

So I had finally become someone who needed protecting, huh?

…Though, to be fair, every single problem leading to this situation had been entirely my fault.

If Father lectured me, I’d have absolutely no grounds to complain.