Chapter 26
The day after we paid off all our debts, we decided to take a day off.
On the books, it was a day off; there were no reservations, and we decided not to read the meal requests today, either.
Turning our guests' life stories into food took more mental energy than you'd expect.
If I kept reading about other people's lives, I started to feel less like a chef and more like a priest hearing confessions.
My body had moved less, but my mind had been working overtime.
I lay in bed, intending to sleep like a dead man all day.
‘Ah, wait. Let's not say that.’
Having died once, the expression felt a little unsettling.
Anyway, I intended to sleep for a very long time.
But someone knocked on the door first thing in the morning.
“Kyle.”
It was Marie's voice.
I answered with my eyes closed beneath the blankets.
“Dead.”
“I can hear you being alive, you know?”
“Then I'm in the process of dying.”
The door opened.
“Get up.”
“It's our day off.”
“Exactly. So get up.”
“Sleeping is work on a day off.”
“That's your standard.”
I slowly opened my eyes.
Marie was dressed much more properly than usual.
It wasn't her maid uniform, but clothes for going out.
Her hair wasn't just tied back carelessly, either; she'd actually fixed it up, and there was a strange anticipation on her face.
The moment I saw that expression, I grew uneasy.
“What is it?”
“Let's go to the village.”
“Why?”
“We got bonuses.”
After we paid off the debt yesterday, Elysia gave the servants and kitchen staff bonuses.
It wasn't a huge amount, but by the standards of Maison Monbel, it was quite generous.
Marie had spent nearly the entire day fidgeting with the money in her pocket after receiving it.
I should have realized then.
People who get money in their hands for the first time usually cause trouble.
“Go by yourself.”
“I don't want to.”
“Why?”
“It's no fun alone.”
“Take Thomas.”
“He's going to his family home today.”
“The others, then.”
“They're all busy.”
“I need to rest.”
“You work all the time anyway.”
I pulled the blankets higher.
“That's why I'm resting.”
Marie stood beside the bed and looked down at me.
“Kyle, you're going to think about the kitchen even on your day off.”
“I'm not.”
“Liar.”
“I'm really not.”
Marie didn't back down.
In the end, I sighed and sat up.
To be honest, I was curious about the village, too.
I'd heard that business in the village had revived after the homeless people in front of the manor were driven away, but I'd never had the leisure to see it for myself.
Whenever I went out to buy ingredients, I only looked around the market before coming back.
“All right. Give me a minute.”
“Really?”
Marie's face lit up.
“Yeah. But we won't stay long.”
“Okay!”
I should never have trusted that answer.
After getting ready to go out and heading downstairs, I ran into Elysia at the end of the hall.
Elysia was wearing the calm, understated dress she usually wore.
She was holding a ledger.
The fact that the people in this household carried ledgers even on their days off meant none of us were normal.
Of course, I wasn't in a position to criticize; I'd been thinking about sauces in bed, too.
“Where are you going?”
Elysia asked.
I answered casually.
“We're going to the village for a little while.”
“The village?”
“We got our bonuses, so we're going to buy some things.”
Marie said excitedly.
Elysia's gaze moved once between Marie and me.
It was only for a brief moment.
But her expression grew strangely stiff.
I pretended not to notice and didn't think much of it.
Elysia had looked a little tired lately because of the ledgers, contracts, and noble guests.
So I assumed she was simply tired.
Marie naturally didn't notice, either.
Her soul was already half down in the village, busy thinking about how to spend her bonus.
“We'll be going.”
When I said that, Elysia answered a little late.
“Okay. Have fun.”
Her voice sounded normal.
We left the manor.
The village had definitely changed.
It used to be run-down and quiet.
Many shops had been closed, there were more sighs than loaves of bread outside the bakery, and the innkeeper had sat blankly in a chair from midday because there were no guests.
But now it was different.
There was a line in front of the bakery, carriages stood in the inn's courtyard, and laughter came from the tavern even in the middle of the day.
Servants from noble houses came and went in coats bearing their respective crests, while the village children earned errand money from them.
Lumber for the construction of new lodgings was piled up on one side.
Count Klever had said he was getting things moving, and he really had moved fast.
That man was quick both when collecting debts and when sniffing out the scent of money.
“Wow, there are really a lot more people now. Is it because of us?”
“It's because of Maison Monbel.”
“That's us.”
Marie said that with a slightly proud look on her face.
I snorted softly when I saw her expression.
Marie went into a ribbon shop first.
“You buy ribbons, too?”
“Why? Can't I?”
“No.”
“We got bonuses, so I'm allowed to buy one.”
“Do whatever you want.”
Marie spent a long time choosing before buying a pale blue ribbon.
It was much brighter than the worn cord she usually tied her hair with.
She immediately retied her hair with it, then turned to me.
“How do I look?”
“You don't look messy.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Yeah.”
“It's really annoying, but now that I know that's a compliment, it's even more annoying.”
A positive development.
Next was the bakery.
Even on my day off, I ended up checking the bread.
‘This damn occupational habit.’
When the baker saw me, he bowed with a nervous look on his face.
He probably thought the head chef of Maison Monbel had come to evaluate his bread.
I spoke as gently as I could.
“I just came to eat.”
“Ah, yes.”
“It's my day off today.”
“Yes, Chef.”
Marie bought two small, freshly baked rolls, and I stole one of them and ate it.
“Hey.”
“Quality check.”
“I bought those with my own money!”
“Quality control.”
“You're seriously a thug.”
“It tastes good.”
The bread was definitely better than before.
Maybe the increase in customers had prompted him to bring in better flour; the texture was less coarse.
I almost told the owner that a slightly longer fermentation would be better, but stopped myself.
Today was my day off.
Let's not work.
After that, Marie bought a small scented sachet at a general store and dried fruit at the market.
I looked over the ingredients and almost started discussing prices with a merchant again, but Marie grabbed my arm and pulled me away.
“You said it was your day off.”
“I was just looking.”
“Those were working eyes.”
“Are there special eyes for that?”
“There are. They're scary.”
In the end, I moved away from the market.
By the time we had made a circuit of the village, it was past lunchtime.
Marie was still excited.
She was probably happy about getting a bonus, but she also seemed to enjoy seeing the village come back to life with her own eyes.
There was something strangely energizing about realizing that your work was having an impact on the world.
Whether it was washing dishes, serving, or carrying plates to lunatic nobles.
As the sun began to sink, we stopped in front of a tavern.
“Want to have just one drink?”
Marie asked.
“Day drinking?”
“It's not daytime anymore.”
“Aren't you taking things too far just because it's our day off?”
“You use alcohol in cooking all the time, too.”
“That's for cooking.”
“It's all the same once it goes in your mouth.”
It was strange logic, but since it was our day off, I decided to let it slide.
The tavern was much busier than before.
Servants from noble houses were quietly drinking beer at one table, and villagers were mixed in among them.
A few people who recognized us bowed their heads.
Someone among them said quietly,
“That's the head chef of Maison Monbel.”
I pretended not to hear.
‘It's my day off. Leave me alone.’
The owner brought us two beers.
The foam was a little coarse and the temperature was questionable, but it wasn't bad.
It wasn't like the beer from my past life, but by this world's standards, it was perfectly drinkable.
Marie raised her glass and smiled.
“Cheers.”
“To what?”
“Paying off all our debts?”
“Sounds good.”
We clinked our glasses.
Marie took a sip of beer and grimaced.
“It's bitter.”
“Beer is bitter.”
“Then why drink it?”
“Because it's bitter and refreshing.”
“Weird.”
Even so, Marie took another sip.
I smiled and drank my beer.
It had been a long time since I'd spent time thinking about nothing.
I didn't have to worry about what meaning the guest had asked me to put into their food, calculate what terms the creditor might bring up, or fear for my neck in case the Emperor came pretending to be a commoner.
I was simply drinking beer in a noisy tavern with Marie, who was excited about getting her bonus.
It wasn't bad.
Of course, the world never let moments like this last long.
When we returned to the manor in the evening, Elysia was near the entrance.
I didn't know whether she'd been waiting for us or had happened to come out.
Her gaze went first to Marie's new ribbon, then to the bread bag in my hand and Marie's slightly flushed face.
“Looks like you had fun.”
Elysia asked.
I answered without thinking.
“Yes. The village has really come back to life.”
Marie chimed in excitedly,
“My lady, the bread from the bakery is much better than before. And I bought this ribbon, too. Kyle said it made me look pretty.”
“I never said that.”
“That's what you meant~”
“I suppose it is...”
“I see.”
Elysia smiled.
She did smile.
But there was something faint about it.
Once again, I failed to notice it properly.
Maybe it was because I'd had a beer, or maybe I was simply hopeless at picking up on things like that.
“Did you get to rest well on your day off?”
When I asked, Elysia looked at me for a moment.
“I looked over the ledger.”
“That's not resting.”
“You went to the village and were definitely thinking about food the whole time, too.”
“I was just looking.”
“So was I.”
Strangely, I was at a loss for words.
Elysia looked away.
“Come inside. We'll be busy again tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
Marie, unaware of anything, went excitedly toward her room.
I headed for the kitchen with the bag of bread.
Maybe because of the beer, I was a little sleepy.
I didn't see the expression Elysia wore by the entrance.