𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧
“Let’s eat.”
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Munching on some slightly cooled yakitori. The simplest ones are seasoned with salt and pepper. The large grains of salt and pepper really hit the tongue. It’s a bit heavily seasoned, but that’s what makes it delicious.
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“So that’s how you eat it.”
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Realized that the two were apparently observing me while eating. Feeling a bit embarrassed because I had been taking big bites.
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“Is this your first time eating it straight off the skewer? This is how common folks eat.”
“I see. Let’s eat then.”
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Edgardo opens his mouth modestly, eating the yakitori much more gracefully than I did. Rolf eats heartily, but he still has a sense of refinement.
Edgardo smiles gently.
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“. . .Delicious. So this is what it’s like to eat out with friends.”
“The Valka family is strict, isn’t it? Let’s do it again sometime. Miss Norchev can join us too.”
“That sounds good. How about we go to a cake shop later?”
“Uh, well. . .”
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Edgardo seems flustered, probably about to say that he doesn’t eat sweets like he usually does, I think.
Unlike eating at my house, a shop is public. It wouldn’t be strange for information to leak from anywhere.
Rolf is quietly waiting for an answer, so I also wait in silence. Edgardo’s eyes wander, and then he notices the yakitori in his hand. His expression softens slightly.
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“. . .I’ll go. I am. . .someday going to inherit the Marquis Valka family. But that doesn’t mean imitating the behavior of the previous generation. Eating sweets, eating out. . .I am a Valka.”
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Edgardo’s voice is filled with determination.
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“I am Edgardo Valka. I will make the Marquis Valka family better.”
“Well said!!”
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Rolf slaps Edgardo’s back hard and laughs. It looks like his eyes are a bit moist, and somehow, it’s moving.
Perhaps Edgardo was also struggling to break free from past painful experiences. If he’s found a ray of light, we should celebrate it grandly.
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“Once we finish eating this, shall we go to the cake shop? Please pick a place you’d like to go, Valka-sama.”
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I start eating the second skewer of yakitori, which is spicy, as I glance at Edgardo, who seems lost in thought. Rolf is eating it as if it’s delicious.
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“It seems a lot of people like spicy food. Every shop we see has something spicy.”
“If Miss Norchev is cooking something, curry flavor would be nice. It might look intimidating, but once you eat it, you won’t forget it.”
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On the day I first served curry, the lord knights were frozen. It seemed they had never seen a brown, gloopy food before.
Indeed, curry doesn’t look that great. If you saw it without knowing it’s food, it would be quite shocking. Yeah.
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Arthur, who always takes the lead and graciously thanks me, and Rene, who enthusiastically eats first and exaggerates his reactions, are both motionless.
As I am about to bring out the backup rice I had prepared just in case, Rene senses it and grabs the plate. But he doesn’t move.
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“. . .The aroma is good, but what is this?”
“It’s curry.”
“Food?”
“Yes. It’s very popular in the Norchev family.”
“This is?!”
“Yes. We have both bread and rice, so please enjoy it however you like.”
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Rene tightly closed his eyes and lifted the plate, gazing up at the sparkling Arthur.
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“Dahlia-sama, may I go ahead and eat first today?”
“No, it’s my duty to eat first.”
“Please forgive my presumptuousness. But today, allow me.”
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Rene took some naan and added just a tiny bit of curry to his plate.
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“That’s medium-spicy. Rene-sama, don’t you usually prefer mild?”
“I’m fine with this today.”
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Rene sat in his usual seat and after glaring intently at the curry, he scooped it up with a hand that seemed to tremble slightly.
The tip of the spoon disappeared into Rene’s peach-colored mouth and quickly reemerged.
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“. . .Hmm?”
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After tasting the curry, Rene tilted his head and took a bigger bite this time.
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“Various spices and. . .tomato? Sweetness, spiciness, and sourness. . .the aromatic vegetables add depth to the flavor.”
“My brother loves it, so we have researched the types and amounts of spices. Of course, it’s still amateurish compared to a curry specialist.”
“This isn’t curry?”
“Some would say that, yes.”
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While I habitually call it curry, in this world, it might be more familiar as ‘kari.’
Suddenly, whispers like “So that’s kari. . .” “It looks just like what I heard.” “I can’t believe they’re serving kari” filled the room. Kari seems to be famous here.
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Rene walked up to Arthur and quickly bowed his head.
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“It may not look appealing, but the taste is not an issue. I apologize for overstepping.”
“No, it seems my internal struggle was apparent. Thank you.”
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I didn’t think curry could become such a big deal.
Slightly sweating, I serve some extra rice. I offer a strained smile to Arthur, who has picked up a plate.
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“Please take whatever you like. There’s no need to force yourself to eat the kari.”
“Since it’s here, I’ll try the kari. Never thought I’d see the day when I’d eat kari.”
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What’s the deal with curry in this country?
There’s no need to force oneself to eat kari, but saying more might be disrespectful. I quietly watch as Arthur serves himself some kari.
Whether it’s because Arthur chose the kari, the subsequent lord knights also opt for kari. The only ones showing happy faces are the handsome puppy-types. One of them gets a large portion and cheerfully digs in.
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“Mmm. . .Hmm?! This is a taste I’ve never experienced before! It’s delicious!”
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Thank you, puppy-type. Even though you’re probably older and of higher status, I feel a strange sense of familiarity.
This one comment opens the floodgates, and the lord knights hesitantly start tasting the kari.
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“This is. . .a complex flavor, unlike what the appearance suggests. . .”
“Rich and flavorful. . .the sourness is just right for me.”
“This is. . .kari!”
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Next time, I’ll definitely ask dad about how kari is treated here.
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The curry event ended in an unclear state of success or failure.
Just when I was thinking it would be better not to serve it again, the lord knights started to ask when the next curry would be served. Curry does have an addictive quality.
For the record, it seems that Roa-sama also took a liking to the medium-spicy curry. He was smiling as he ate.
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