The Original Novel's Female Lead's Reservation

A strange reservation came in at Maison Monbel.

The moment Elysia saw the name on the reservation, her hand froze.

“Ah.”

I looked up from the ledger.

“Do you know her?”

Elysia stared down at the reservation for a while, then smiled with a slightly conflicted expression.

“She was a close friend of mine at the academy. Now that she’s in the capital, we haven’t been able to meet often, but I guess she finally managed to get a reservation.”

I checked the name.

‘Lilia Beloa.’

At that moment, an old memory stirred somewhere in my mind.

The name finally brought it back to me.

She was the female lead of the original novel.

I looked at the list of companions written beneath the reservation and became even more certain.

A noble from the west, the second son of a northern knightly family, a young mage connected to the Magic Tower, and the heir to a merchant house.

The names were hazy, but the arrangement was familiar.

They were probably the male lead candidates who pursued Lilia in the original novel.

In my previous life, I’d skimmed over that part.

Still, I remembered enough to know that it was a story about handsome, wealthy, powerful men gathering around a single female lead.

Looking at it now, it was an excellent customer lineup.

They had money, status, and a competitive streak toward one another.

Men had a particular tendency to become financially foolish in front of women they liked.

They’d be easy to fleece.

As I was thinking that, Elysia spoke first.

“Let’s not fleece Lilia.”

Elysia was smiling brightly.

“No matter what, Lilia is my friend.”

“What about her companions?”

“We can fleece them.”

“How much?”

Elysia looked down at the men’s names one by one on the reservation.

Then, with a wonderfully clear and sunny expression, she said,

“As much as we can squeeze out of them.”

“Sounds good. Then how should we structure the course?”

When I asked, Elysia sat down.

“Don’t make it too heavy for Lilia. She’s always been proper and kind since she was little. She’s also the sort who gets worn out trying to please everyone in high society. So the meal itself needs to be something Lilia can eat comfortably.”

“Then we should keep the overall atmosphere gentle, while giving her companions separate reasons to pay.”

“Exactly.”

Elysia nodded immediately.

“Lilia should feel like she’s been invited by a friend without any pressure, while the men should feel like they’re the ones providing something better.”

“Should we make them compete with one another?”

“Not too blatantly. Lilia might feel uncomfortable.”

“Then I’ll add optional extras.”

Elysia’s eyes lit up.

“What kind?”

“We’ll tailor the basic course gently to the young lady. Light fruit and cheese for the first course, clear soup for the second, and a delicate fish course. For the main, something aromatic like a young game bird or veal would be better than strongly flavored meat. In between, we’ll offer special pairings the companions can add.”

“Wine?”

“Wine, desserts made with magical cooking, cream made from western milk, or extra seafood. The important thing is making it visible who gave Lilia the better experience. We’ll capitalize on the moment men become idiots in front of women they like.”

Elysia rested her chin on her hand and looked at me.

“You’re really clever in the worst ways sometimes.”

“I learned from you, my lady.”

“I said not to fleece my friend.”

“Then I’ll learn the good side too.”

“Too late.”

We spent a while planning the course with the reservation between us.

We determined the order as we worked out the details.

For Lilia, it had to be a comfortable meal.

A meal that would let someone who had been worn down for a long time relax and eat.

But for the male lead candidates, it had to be a quiet battlefield.

A battlefield where no one drew a sword, but everyone opened their wallets.

And we would happily gobble up every last bit of that money.

We decided on ‘A Greeting from an Old Friend’ for the amuse-bouche.

We would thinly slice fruit from the Monbel garden that we didn’t normally sell and pair it with fresh cheese from the west.

A light aroma and gentle acidity.

It was a plate meant to make Lilia feel as though she had come to Elysia’s home.

The second course was a clear soup.

This time, I planned to use the tiniest amount of MSG.

We had to be careful about openly incorporating the results of our mass-market restaurant research into Maison Monbel’s course, but using them invisibly to shore up the foundation of the flavor should be fine.

For Lilia, it would feel like a comforting broth.

The fish that followed would be cooked lightly, with just a touch of fruity acidity.

Of course, it would be fun to have a romance-fantasy heroine try sashimi and spicy fish stew, but she’d be in for quite a shock.

It was more important for Lilia to laugh comfortably than to be surprised.

The real opportunity to fleece them would be the main course and wine pairings.

“We need something to make the men compete to show off.”

Elysia nodded at my words.

“They’ll all want to look impressive in front of Lilia.”

“Then the basic main will be tender young game bird, with a special game sauce as an optional addition. We’ll phrase it like this: If Lady Lilia wishes, one of her companions may choose to add a special game sauce to the main course.”

Elysia paused for a moment.

“Only one?”

“Yes.”

She immediately caught my intent.

“Then they’ll have to jockey over who gets the right to choose.”

“Giving it to whoever pays the most would be too obvious. So we’ll take advance requests instead. Each of them can write a short note about what flavor they’d like to add for Lady Lilia, and you, Lady Elysia, will choose one.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You know your friend’s tastes best.”

Elysia looked at me for a while, then smiled.

“That sounds fun.”

“And so those who aren’t chosen won’t have their pride hurt too much, we’ll incorporate each proposal into a small accompaniment or dessert garnish. Of course, we’ll charge extra.”

“All of them?”

“All of them.”

Elysia looked like she wanted to applaud.

“Good. Lilia gets to eat comfortably, while the men spend money, each convinced he understands her better than the others.”

“Yes.”

“Wow, you’re ruthless.”

“From a business perspective.”

Elysia smiled with great satisfaction at that.

“That was supposed to be my line.”

“I’m giving it back to you.”

After hearing about the reservation arrangements, Uncle Bernard said quietly,

“We should confirm the companions’ identities. If they aren’t on good terms with one another, the seating arrangement will be important.”

“How should we seat them?”

When I asked, he thought for a moment.

“It would be best for Lady Lilia and Lady Elysia to sit side by side. Place the male companions around them, but don’t have them sit directly opposite one another and keep locking eyes. We should preserve the competitive spirit, but a duel at the table would be problematic.”

As expected of a butler.

Elysia folded the reservation.

“It’s been a long time since Lilia last came. I want her to eat without feeling pressured.”

“What about the men?”

“Tell them to feel some pressure. If they want to win over our pretty Lilia, they should spend some money.”

“Very well. How should we set the price? The duke’s course?”

Elysia considered it for a moment.

“Let’s go with the duke’s course. I’ll pay Lilia’s share.”

“You will, my lady?”

“Yes. She’s my friend.”

“And her companions?”

Elysia smiled brightly.

“They can pay for themselves. If they’re willing to follow a friend here, they should be prepared to spend that much, shouldn’t they? I’m going to squeeze them for more than Lilia’s meal costs, so don’t worry.”

Marie shuddered beside us.

“My lady, you’re really scary.”

Elysia laughed brightly.

“I’m paying for my friend’s meal, after all.”

Marie thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Then does that make you kind?”

I didn’t answer.

I was confused too.

While Elysia and I diligently prepared to wring money out of them, Marie, who happened to be bringing tea, asked,

“By the way, my lady, was your friend always that popular?”

“Yes. She was pretty, kind, polite, and a good person, so she was popular from her academy days. She never dated anyone, but all the young noblemen in town would hover around just to have one meal with her.”

“What about you, my lady? You’re pretty too.”

“Me? I wasn’t in a position to date back then. I had no intention of it either. Anyway, Marie, don’t you want to date?”

“Not yet. I want to save money and work hard for now.”

“Hmm… Should I introduce you to someone nice?”

“I must respectfully decline.”

Marie laughed.

It was a smile that didn’t really seem like a smile.