“Hmm.”

Darius continued to stare at me silently. What, why, what. If you have a complaint, just say it. Then I’ll apologize for my mistake.

Now Darius was quietly looking at me without even making a “hmm” sound.

Sparkle sparkle.

But that gaze seemed… somewhat mixed with expectation?

“I see, Anette cooked. For the knights. All night long.”

“Yes…”

“While I was sleeping.”

“Um, Your Grace. My lady spent all night making a large quantity of fried food for the knights to eat, without anyone’s help, hurting her hands in the process…”

“Ah, so she made fried food so diligently.”

In truth, my hands weren’t hurt, but I wrapped them in handkerchiefs to make it seem burdensome. Was that a mistake? Did he already notice? My fake injury?

“I was sleeping while my wife was working so hard…”

Darius let out a small sigh.

“No, it’s just that. The northern knights will soon gather together, and if our knights fall behind, it would be embarrassing in front of the other knights, and above all, Darius is the one leading the Black Knights.”

I was just trying to boost everyone’s morale.

Feeling somewhat guilty, I put my handkerchief-wrapped hand behind my back. Darius’s gaze persistently followed my hand.

“I know how to eat fried food too…”

Pardon?

“If you had asked me if I wanted to eat fried food, I would have come out to eat.”

Darius looked dejectedly at the training ground.

“If I couldn’t eat because I couldn’t beat someone, I wouldn’t even feel wronged. I could beat them all up.”

All the knights who had trained through the night had gone to sleep, and only I, who had caused trouble, Sir Lucian, and Darius, who had come to inspect the training ground after hearing the news from Barbarossa, were present. Oh, and Apple, my dedicated maid.

“We ran out of ingredients for fried food…”

“Well, has Anette ever asked me what I wanted to eat?”

Apple, with a flushed face, tugged at my sleeve.

“My lady, we have plenty of food ingredients in our kitchen. Really plenty. Even if we run out, I’ll replenish everything.”

“Ah, but…”

Darius whispered quietly, as if talking to himself.

“If I’m going to eat something, I prefer pudding.”

“Pudding ingredients! We have all the pudding ingredients!”

Apple jumped up and down with red cheeks. Are you going to make it?

That damn pudding!

If I ever come to power, I’ll issue a pudding ban in this castle.

* * *

“I brought vanilla essence and egg yolks!”

“I wasn’t sure if you meant custard pudding or fruit pudding, so I prepared all the ingredients just in case!”

On the countertop was soft pudding mixture dissolved in warm water, and in a small pot, sugar was caramelizing to make the caramel sauce for the custard pudding.

Since Apple had even cut the fruits, there wasn’t much left for me to do.

With a feeling that this wasn’t quite right, I poured the melted pudding into round glass cups amidst everyone’s expectations.

Once this cools down enough, then…

“Oh?”

Ting, when I removed the glass cup, the pudding’s shape failed to maintain its elasticity and collapsed.

“Is it because I didn’t grease it?”

“Next time, you’ll be able to make a perfect pudding!”

“That’s right, a pudding as pretty as a baby’s bottom!”

I tried again amid the maids’ encouragement.

“This is quite… difficult?”

The result was a failure.

Maybe the problem was using round glass cups instead of special pudding molds to pour the cooked pudding into.

The pudding filled with lots of fruits also lost its pretty shape and crumbled as soon as I flipped it over.

I mean, we’ve already made the pudding, right? We just need to remove it from the cup, can’t someone else do just that part? The maids did all the preparation anyway.

Flinch, a strange glance passed between me and the maids as I turned to look at them.

My lady can do it.

Am I mistaken to think their eyes seem to be saying exactly that?

“Hey, you know.”

I should have said, let’s stop playing around and serve the pudding to the lord. But…

“…Do we have more pudding mixture?”

“Of course, you want to give your precious one something made with all your heart.”

This is subtly making me sincere.

How much time has passed since then?

“Huff, huff…”

The hundredth pudding settled softly onto the plate.

Ting.

The elasticity that returns even when touched with a spoon.

“It’s an amazing elasticity.”

“Look at this ripe golden color.”

“And this rich vanilla aroma. It’s the epitome of an excellent custard pudding.”

“Truly the king of puddings.”

Everyone applauded in admiration.

Besides the hundredth pudding, I now have about twenty successful ones! I’m the best at removing pudding from glass cups now.

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I looked at the maids. The maids with proud faces were rubbing their noses.

Anyone would think I prepared all of today’s formal dinner at Inkhart Castle. But everyone looks so happy, so it’s fine. Probably.

The maids flocked to the kitchen, constantly squealing. I could make pudding alone, but they were unusually excited about something.

“The Duke has never requested anything separately outside of meal times before.”

“He’s not really one for gluttony.”

“And such a person is complaining about fried food in front of me?”

Oh my, that’s right. As I joined in their conversation, the maids all raised their hands to cover their faces as if trying to hold back laughter.

“Just laugh.”

Bang. As soon as I gave permission, the maids all laughed with ticklish expressions.

“Why was the Duke suddenly upset about last night’s fried food?”

“And he said he wanted something other than fried food.”

“He means he wants something other than the food his wife gave to another man.”

“Completely.”

“Clearly.”

“This is exactly…”

“Aren’t you all going back to work? Among you, only Apple is my dedicated maid, right?”

“Ah, Apple! Switch with me. It’s my break time, so you go in and rest. I’ll attend to the lady and the Duke.”

“What? Why? I don’t want to. I’m a diligent maid. I can’t leave Anette’s side even for a moment.”

“You’re still not good enough to attend to the Duke and the lady. We can’t risk ruining an important moment.”

“In that sense, I’ll attend too. Two is better than one.”

“I’ve improved a lot now!”

Feeling slightly annoyed at the maids and Apple competing to watch the weekend romance drama ‘War with Pudding’ of the ducal couple, I deliberately looked for cinnamon.

“Come to think of it, where’s Cinnamon? She seems like she’d work efficiently without saying things like you do.”

“Eeng, my lady. You can’t abandon me and choose Sister Cinnamon! That’s betrayal.”

“You betrayed me the moment you chose pudding as the meal…”

The maids even drew an A with caramel sauce on top of the custard pudding. Anyone could see it was Anette’s pudding made by Anette.

All I really did was maintain the perfect pudding bottom.

“Ah, right. Aren’t you going to taste it?”

There was a mountain of puddings. Both properly completed ones and those that just lost their shape midway. Since it’s a snack, it might be worth trying one, but everyone just watched the making without eating.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Well, the caramel might be burnt or we might have forgotten to add sugar by mistake, so shouldn’t we taste it?”

“It’s delicious without tasting.”

“Of course, he’ll like it.”

“So we should taste it…”

“No!”

“The Duke specially ordered it. He said he wanted to eat it alone!”

“No, he didn’t go that far.”

“So the lady is forbidden from tasting it in advance too!”

“I’ll eat it if there’s any left!”

“But it’s forbidden to give leftovers to the knights!”

“Right! Male servants too!”

“Let’s just all not eat it!”

“Let’s make the Duke eat only the pudding he requested for 3 days and 4 nights!”

I gave a small response to this brilliant idea.

“Oh, I agree with that.”

That way, he’ll get sick of it and never make such a mischievous request again.

* * *

“Eat it.”

Amid everyone’s cheers and aspirations, the pudding arrived at Darius’s reception room.

“This is the specially ordered pudding feast.”

You want pudding?

Alright, I’ll let you eat as much as you want.

Darius glanced at me as he saw the tea time tray filled with puddings from the first to third floors.

“Is this possibly Anette’s A?”

I thought he’d be sick of it.

He looked at the pudding with curiosity.

“Just try not eating it all.”

“Then who will you give it to?”

“Anette’s pudding will be served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until you finish it all.”

I poured my soul into that pudding.

“It’s incomparable to mere fried food, I made it with great difficulty.”

It was so difficult that I had to throw off the handkerchief I was supposed to wrap around my hand to pretend I was hurt, because I was so focused on making it.

This is all because of Darius’s unreasonable demand. Feeling somewhat wronged, I clenched my fists and looked at Darius, when he suddenly lowered his head and laughed.

“Pfft.”

“Are you mocking the pudding now? Do you know how hard it was for me to maintain that pudding’s beautiful curve?”

“I’m sorry, so I’ll eat it all.”

“…That’s over ten of them.”

Even for dessert, that’s overeating.

“I can eat them all. Because I like it.”

“You like it that much?”

Pudding? To that extent?

“Of course.”

Darius’s black eyes met mine.

He gazed at me and took a bite of the pudding, nom. The curvature of the pudding I had been so careful about all day instantly collapsed before the spoon.

Food is made to be eaten, but seeing the perfection I created crumble made me feel somewhat uneasy.

“I like it.”

“…If I had known you liked pudding that much, I would have made it earlier.”

“There will be many opportunities to make it in the future, Anette.”

Will there really be?

“I like pudding, and Anette dislikes me eating pudding. Everything was unknown in order to get to know.”

Darius continued to eat the pudding. It must be delicious. He’s smiling.

Ah.

Is this good?

Is this right?

I, merely an extra in this world, cannot judge.

I just tried hard to fry the fried food. But suddenly Darius asked for pudding for himself. And everyone said I should give it to him. So…

“Anette. You’re thinking unnecessary thoughts again.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been seeing that expression often lately. Since when…”

His voice becomes subtle. Again. He deliberately comes close to whisper even though he could be heard if he spoke from a distance.

It was just before the thought that had suddenly occurred to me turned into deep contemplation.