Bill dedicated his entire life to the Schmaichel family. He could not tolerate anything that might bring even the slightest blemish to the house.
That was what blinded the butler. He only trusted something after thoroughly verifying and confirming it.
“Has it not occurred to you that the rumor might have been falsely spread?”
“Master. Pardon my audacity, but I did not investigate this lightly.”
Bill answered seriously.
“I cross-verified this multiple times with the servants who came from the Vikander family. The social rumors collected by Miss Yeshika also align with this.”
“Rumors can be fabricated at any time. Especially if several people maliciously gang up on her.”
Bill listened to my words in silence, though he still wore an expression of disbelief.
“Rose Vikander is not the type of person to do such a thing, nor does she have any reason to.”
“······.”
“I vouch for her. I studied alongside her at the academy.”
Only then did Bill's expression soften slightly.
“Have you met the Madam in person before?”
Of course, today was the first time I had actually met her.
But I possessed all of Rose's memories from her past life and her second life. So it was no different from having met her.
“Of course. I know very well what kind of person she is.”
I answered with deliberate emphasis.
“Therefore, if you treat my wife poorly based solely on rumors, I will not forgive you.”
“······.”
“This is the last time you will act with such intentions as you did during the welcoming ceremony earlier. Do you understand?”
“I am sorry, Your Excellency.”
Bill flinched and bowed deeply from the waist. It seemed he finally understood the intent behind my words.
"Nothing like today will happen again. I will keep that in mind.“
“Good. Treat the Madam as you would treat me from now on.”
“That is impossible. For the only person I truly serve is you, Master.”
“Bill.”
When I clicked my tongue low in reproach, Bill shook his head with a resolute expression.
“I understand your intentions, Master. However······.”
“However?”
“I have a duty to be your eyes and ears, Master. Please allow me at least this much.”
In short, he would not test the Madam again as he did today. However, he would only trust her after observing her a little more.
— That was the implication.
‘That was typical of Bill.’
He was so straight-laced that he lacked any flexibility, but that was also Bill's greatest strength. As a master, it was my duty to utilize this cleverly rather than trying to blindly suppress it.
“Do as you please. Just report all the information that comes through your eyes and ears.”
“As you wish.”
Behind Bill, who gave a hearty reply, Chef Fabri could be seen waiting quietly in the background.
“Your Excellency.”
He had waited patiently, but it seemed he had finally reached his limit, as his entire body was fidgeting.
“Is everything prepared?”
“Of course, sir. But······.”
Fabri's forehead was damp with sweat.
Due to the cold climate of the Schmaichel estate, one rarely broke a sweat. The fact that he was sweating now meant it was not due to the heat.
“I am just anxious about whether it is truly fine to do this, sir.”
“Do you doubt me?”
“How could I, sir!”
Letting out a *Kkyaak* of a shriek, Fabri wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
“Your Excellency, I have served in this castle for over ten years. I have served seven Madams who hailed from central noble families. As such, I know precisely what their culinary preferences are.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Are you certain I should serve ‘that’ to the Madam? I prepared it because you ordered me to, but I cannot help but worry.”
“Worry not.”
“Ah, good grief······.”
When I gave him a firm, decisive answer, Fabri could only groan. It seemed he wanted to plead his case further, but my unyielding stance made him give up.
“Go and finish your preparations.”
“Your Excellency, I warned you beforehand! If this goes wrong, I knew nothing about it!”
“How could you know nothing? You are the one who prepared it.”
“You are truly too cruel, sir······.”
Fabri shuffled away with a pathetic expression on his face.
He was a man at least twice my age with a massive build, and seeing him slump his shoulders like that was quite a pathetic sight.
I turned my eyes away from his wretched back.
“Is the Madam still not here?”
“I was told she just departed from her room.”
Just as Bill finished answering,
“The Madam has arrived.”
The servant standing at the entrance of the dining hall announced Rose's arrival.
Kkiik.
The dining hall doors opened, revealing Rose standing there with an awkward expression on her face. She was wearing a different dress from the one she had arrived in.
‘That dress had likely been sent to the incinerator by now.’
Bill was a man who always kept his word.
Just as the saying goes that clothes make the person, she looked far more radiant than before. At the very least, she no longer looked like a withered rose.
‘Had she done something to her face?’
It was the same face as before, but there was a subtle liveliness to it. Her messy hair was now neatly arranged. It seemed the maids had helped her dress up.
Rose, who kept touching her dress here and there as if she felt awkward wearing it,
“Oh.”
Upon seeing me sitting at the head of the dining table, she parted her lips in apparent bewilderment.
‘He was actually here?’
That was what her expression was saying.
However, the hesitation lasted nowhere near as long as it did during our first meeting. After freezing up briefly, Rose soon began to walk forward.
“This way, please.”
Following the servant's guidance, Rose took her seat in the chair across from me. Seeming uncomfortable, she glanced around once before meeting my gaze.
“You didn't······ wait for me, did you?”
“I was.”
“I apologize.”
Rose's expression immediately darkened.
Here we go again. She was acting like a machine that automatically spewed out apologies.
“Is apologizing a habit of yours?”
“That's...”
“Save your apologies for when you have truly made a mistake.”
Rose stared at me in apparent disbelief. Her gaze seemed to say she couldn't believe those words had come from my mouth.
Eventually, Rose mumbled.
“I really······ didn't think you would actually be in the dining hall.”
“I always keep my word once it is spoken.”
“You were that kind of person······.”
It was a faint mutter, soft as a sigh. Her voice was so quiet I almost missed it, but I heard it clearly.
‘Haven't you passed the age where someone needs to be present for you to eat?’ After saying such things, the Dane Schmaichel in the novel never once ate a meal with Rose. He would have his meals brought to his office, or occasionally drop by the dining hall to eat a quick meal alone whenever he fancied it.
He was a man who truly kept his word once it was spoken. For a man like that to actually be waiting for her in the dining hall, it was only natural that Rose was surprised.
“I plan to have all my future dinners in the dining hall.”
“Pardon? Yes.”
“Meaning, we will be dining together every day.”
“Wh-what?”
Rose sharply inhaled, but I ignored her and raised a hand.
“Bring out the food.”
The quiet dining hall suddenly sprang to life. Plates were swiftly transferred onto carts, and the servants began to approach, pushing them along.
“Your Excellency, what do you mean by······.”
Rose, who had been sending a look demanding a detailed explanation,
“Ahem.”
froze on the spot as Chef Fabri, who had been waiting a few paces away, approached.
“It is an honor to serve the Madam her first meal.”
“Fa······ Ahem, yes.”
‘Had she almost called out his name just now?’
Pretending not to have heard, I introduced Fabri.
“This is Fabri. He serves as the head chef of the Schmaichel household.”
“Yes. My primary duty is to ensure His Excellency, who barely eats, does not collapse from hunger······.”
“There is no need to introduce that.”
“If not now, I might never get another chance to······.”
Seuk.
I raised my hand and covered Fabri's mouth as he recklessly spewed his personal sentiments.
“Focus on attending to the Madam today. I can feed myself perfectly fine.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Dalgeureuk.
Fabri picked up a plate from the cart. He then sneakily glanced back toward me.
‘Was he really going to do this?’
Well, I understood why he was reacting like that. I knew that despite his massive build, Fabri had an incredibly timid personality.
Still, his constant need for reassurance was beginning to test my patience.
‘Immediately.’
When I knit my brows and gestured with my eyes, Fabri scurried backward. He hurriedly placed the plate down on the table in front of Rose.
“This is······?”
Rose's eyes widened as she examined the dish.
It was an appetizing soup loaded with generous chunks of meat and various vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots.
“This is a Northern-style soup. It is richly flavored by stir-frying pork fat. There is nothing better as an appetizer.”
Fabri answered, desperately trying to mask his nervousness.
It was called a soup in name only; in reality, it was so thick and chunky that it was closer to a meat stir-fry.
The northern region where the Schmaichel estate was located was cold and dry, making it unsuitable for farming. Because of this, meat-based dishes like this one had developed over time.
But more than anything, what set this soup apart from an ordinary soup was the complete lack of steam rising from it.
In other words, it was stone cold.
“······.”
Rose stared piercingly at the bowl of soup, her expression unreadable.
Kkulgeok.
Fabri's Adam's apple bobbed nervously.
When he had served this soup to the previous Madams...
‘You call this food?’
The first Madam had severely scolded Fabri,
‘Are you mocking me right now? Good heavens, cold soup! I have never seen anything like this before.’
The second Madam had been utterly astounded, and
‘Bring His Excellency at once! How could we keep someone in the castle who would serve such a dish?’
The third Madam had been absolutely furious.
Whenever I was told those words, I had simply snorted.
‘Let them go hungry.’
Fabri could not bear the thought of someone going hungry or food being thrown away. Thus, from then on, he had no choice but to serve the subsequent Madams with tasteless mushroom soup or bland cream soup.
It was truly a shame.
This soup was a dish Fabri had created back when he was an active-duty soldier, scraping together whatever ingredients he could find while bashing monsters on the frontlines.
Ever since then, Fabri had always served me this soup whenever I visited the dining hall. However, when I informed him that I would be dining with the Madam today, he had sent word suggesting he prepare a different soup.
‘Shut up and just serve the damn soup.’
Unable to overcome my coercion, he had eventually resigned himself to making the soup, fully prepared for the new Madam's mistreatment.
The same was true for the other servants in the dining hall. Having endured the tantrums of the previous Madams, they were united in solidarity with Fabri.
‘Ugh, that precious food was going to be wasted again.’
‘Please just don't touch it and leave it for us. We can eat it······.’
The servants' pitying gazes flitted back and forth across the dining table.
“······.”
Whether recognizing this or not, Rose blinked a few times, and then...
Seuk.
She picked up her spoon. And without a single ounce of hesitation, she scooped up a spoonful of the soup.
“—!”
The atmosphere in the dining hall shifted drastically at this unprecedented situation. For the first time ever, a Madam had actually taken a bite of the dish.