Book 17: Chapter 5
I was faced with a life-threatening danger. Correct, it was arguably the most serious crisis I ever had to face since coming to this world. The crisis I speak of was the table of dishes that Mommy Elizabeth enthusiastically prepared for me. I had no idea who she learnt to cook from. If you ask me, I’d say she didn’t cook it.
Put aside portion sizes and the issue with the combinations for the meantime. You can’t serve up a table of all meat dishes, can you? Even if I accept that, there was still one more problem. The steak in front of me was still raw and was heated unevenly! Furthermore, Mom didn’t seem to be patient with her preparations. The meat stew in front of us resembled black magic. Judging from the fact that there was a half-cooked steak in front of me, I knew the centre of the meat stew wasn’t boiled properly, either.
I glanced over to Nier, only to see her gleaming with gratitude. Nier’s reaction screamed, “Being able to eat a meal prepared by Her Majesty is a blessing.” But that wasn’t the case for me!
Mommy Elizabeth guaranteed that she’d prepare an edible meal; however, I suspected I might’ve died if I ate those dishes… I couldn’t bring myself to say it when I looked at Mom’s eager gaze, though. Plus, Nier already had a spoon of the stew and was still her usual stuff.
I thought, “Nier, I understand you are a Valkyrie who follows orders, but please, can you speak up for my sake?”
I picked up bread. Mom made the dishes, but she didn’t bake the bread. The bread was the only normal food on the table. Actually, there were also the few mini-steaks that were smothered in flour and fried. Some were a little burnt, but some were fine. As for the meat stew, I needed to mentally prepare myself before I had it.
Mommy Elizabeth’s serious gaze on me instigated my fear. I had no way of slipping my way out. I probably wouldn’t get to leave unless I ate everything she made.
The meal reminded me of my first time at Hilles City. At the time, I was scared of Mommy Elizabeth, which was why I ate however much she gave me. As a result, I nearly stuffed my face to death. Although our relationship had changed, the same ordeal still plagued me… In my opinion, it was a most painful lunch.
After I finished, Mom called for a maid to pack my utensils. The moment I relaxed, my terror began. If I wasn’t frank with her, there was a chance that’d she’d keep on cooking for me… In all fairness, though, Mom might’ve improved with practice.