Chapter 65. Emily’s Plan

“Raye… how do you roll it so well?”

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess does it better.”

“No, Raye, I think you have a natural talent.”

Unlike Maelyn and Yuelina whose dough had uneven thickness, Raye’s pie dough boasted a consistent thickness.

Her fingertips had become sensitive from sword training since childhood.

She couldn’t be careless even with rolling out pie dough.

Hans was also impressed with Raye’s pie dough.

If she hadn’t been Yuelina’s dedicated maid, he might have taken her as a kitchen assistant.

After finishing the dough-making process, they quickly moved on to simmering the cream and chestnuts.

Half a day passed quickly as they frantically learned the recipe and made the cream.

Yuelina was newly impressed by Hans.

While the time they spent eating dessert passes in an instant, Hans spent half a day creating that brief moment of bliss.

“Hans, I’ll eat with deep gratitude every time.”

Hans finished the chestnut pies made by the three people and chuckled with a smile.

“Today took longer because it was your first time, but if you make it again tomorrow, the time will be cut in half.”

On the table sat three chestnut pies made by the three people.

Though not as perfect as Hans’s, their appetizing appearance and sweet aroma suggested they would taste good.

“Can we try them?”

Maelyn swallowed hard while looking at Yuelina.

“Should we call all the servants for a tasting?”

“The servants?”

“Yes. We need objective evaluation, right?”

“Yes, that would be good.”

At Yuelina’s suggestion, Raye took off her apron and went outside.

It was to bring in the servants of the Black Mansion.

Soon after, Raye returned to the kitchen with ten servants.

Yuelina cut the appetizing pies into portions for everyone and placed them on plates.

“Please give me your honest opinions after tasting!”

Despite Yuelina’s words, the servants hesitated.

Desserts were like expensive luxuries to servants. They couldn’t freely buy them outside either.

Moreover, Chef Hans was the dedicated chef for the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess.

Tasting his cooking in front of the Grand Duchess was a difficult and unbelievable thing.

“What’s wrong? Does it look unappetizing?”

At Yuelina’s worried voice, a young-looking maid shook her head vigorously.

“Ca-can we really eat this?”

“That’s right! Your Highness worked so hard to make it…”

“If that’s the reason, then please eat. And make sure to tell me if it’s delicious and what needs to be improved.”

The servants looked at each other before picking up their plates.

A young maid cut her pie into appropriate sizes with her fork.

As if that was the starting signal, everyone began eating the chestnut pie earnestly.

Maelyn, Raye, and Yuelina also tasted the chestnut pie.

The three looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“It’s salty.”

“It is salty.”

“Skip the chestnuts, Your Highness.”

The chestnuts they had simmered had too much salt, making them more salty than sweet.

Yuelina sighed deeply.

She had tried to avoid excessive spending while Theo was away.

But it seemed unreasonable to give the noble ladies homemade chestnut pies after all.

Perhaps it would be better to buy other gifts from the square.

“Ah! I’m sorry. I called you here and made you eat something strange.”

Yuelina hurriedly put down her plate and looked at the servants.

But the servants’ plates were already cleanly emptied.

“Isn’t this how it’s supposed to taste?”

“I found it absolutely delicious!”

“Me too!”

The servants unanimously praised the pie’s taste.

Yuelina was bewildered by their praise.

That’s when Raye whispered to Yuelina in a low voice.

“Your Highness, desserts are expensive dishes that servants aren’t familiar with. They’ve probably never had chestnut pie before.”

Yuelina nodded briefly at Ray’s words and spoke with determination.

“Hans, could you make chestnut pies for all the servants?”

“Ah, yes. It’s impossible to make them all today. It will take several more days.”

“That’s fine. And from now on, if the servants want dessert, please make it for them.”

The servants’ eyes widened. The same was true for Chef Hans.

“Then the ingredient costs will increase. And since I can’t make everything alone, we’ll need to hire more people.”

“That’s fine. Please do so.”

Yuelina decided to do as Theo said.

Yes.

Let’s spend money lavishly!

There’s no choice!

It would be absolutely wrong for people not to taste this sweetness.

Yuelina decided to spend the money meant for the noble ladies on the servants instead, and give the noble ladies the chestnut pies as planned.

With more help from Hans and diligent practice, the chestnut pies should be decent enough to eat.

“Y-Your Highness! You shouldn’t because of us…”

“Delicious things should be shared! Please help a lot with the gardening and cleaning in return.”

Yuelina smiled gently at the servants.

The servants were more moved by Yuelina’s warm heart than by the dessert.

Among the servants, many had worked in other noble households before coming to the Black Mansion.

Among all those nobles, not one had ever cared about what the servants ate.

But Yuelina, the Grand Duchess, was the first to offer sweet desserts to the servants.

And it was with the intention of getting their thorough evaluation and opinions.

Now she even gave permission to eat desserts whenever they wanted.

“Your Highness, we heard you’re tending to the garden. May we help?”

“My father is a gardener. I learned a lot watching him!”

The servants unanimously offered to help Yuelina.

She was a mistress who cared for them first.

They couldn’t remain as servants who only did what they were told.

* * *

Emily came out of the mansion to thoroughly check the prepared location.

The garden arranged in front of the mansion was also Emily’s favorite place.

The small pond in the garden, the abundant weeping willows, and the lawn maintained daily by the gardener were impeccably clean.

Moreover, the white marble tables decorating the garden served as accent points against the verdant garden.

In front of that, heaters were placed at each seat.

They were heaters containing only high-density magic stones from the magic stone shop.

Even if the wind was chilly, with these heaters, one could easily stay outside for half a day.

The heaters were specially made by the Brown family and couldn’t be found anywhere else.

This should be enough that even the Grand Duchess wouldn’t be able to find fault with it.

Emily smiled smugly.

As soon as she heard that Theo would be participating in the festival held in the southern Sebran region, she sent an invitation to the Grand Duchess.

The Grand Duchess probably didn’t know.

Right now, the hottest topic in social circles was the existence of the Grand Duchess.

At first, it was because someone from an island nation not even on maps was going to become the Grand Duchess.

They said she was a bride sold to the Grand Duke in the principality because they needed magic stones.

The rumors about Theo, the Grand Duke of Phaenyx Principality, were all cruel like the cold wind.

There were even rumors that he cruelly killed and ate his brides.

So it was laughable that a woman no different from a refugee or barbarian was coming as Theo’s bride.

After the Grand Duchess arrived, rumors focused on her appearance.

People who happened to see her at the dock unanimously talked about her hair.

They said it resembled the detestable snow.

While other regions might be different, in the principality, white snow was terrible.

The meeting between a Grand Duchess with such horrible hair and a Grand Duke with endless cruel rumors…

Emily and other noble ladies decided not to invite the Grand Duchess to social gatherings.

This too was mockery.

But the next rumors were different.

It was right after four nobles belonging to the council lost their member qualifications.

On the surface, it was because the nobles had upset Theo.

But the truth revealed in social gatherings was different.

They said Theo had cut them all off because they made the Grand Duchess uncomfortable.

Moreover, Theo not only stripped them of their council positions but also initiated tax investigations.

Thanks to this, those nobles who had bragged about enjoying hunting with Theo were now laying low.

There was a baron who had been grabbed by the neck by Theo and was bedridden for days.

Emily was very close with Giselle, that baron’s wife.