Chapter 62

“The age gap… and the difference in status….”

“My parents also have a twelve-year age gap, and my mother is the older one. Furthermore, she was a knight of our household. At the time my father proposed, she was a divorcee with a child.”

Since this was a family history known to almost everyone except those living under a rock, Hyon didn’t bother trying to hide it. Instead, he laid everything out in the open, effectively cutting off Ramona’s path of retreat.

“B-but, I am Raon’s….”

“If you wish, after marrying me, I could even place Raon on my family register….”

“Young Master! You have crossed the line. Please, stop!”

One of the servants, whose face had gone pale as a sheet, threw etiquette to the wind and intervened with an expression that looked ready to scream. They had no choice; otherwise, there seemed to be no stopping Hyon’s relentless advance.

“Did I cross a line? I don’t think so. My father put my mother’s son on his register, didn’t he?”

“That may be true, but please! You came here today to build a friendship with the Young Master of the Cassius Duchy. You must not commit any more rudeness. I beg of you.”

The servant, nearly on the verge of tears, pleaded with Hyon repeatedly. If Duke Lepid ever found out about this, he would surely storm this place instantly. If that happened, Duke Cassius wouldn’t just sit idly by. A massive confrontation would be inevitable.

“U-um, Brother Yon… you went a bit too far ahead. Lady Ramona is so shocked she can’t even speak.”

Unable to watch any longer, Aruka spoke up while cautiously reading the room. Only then did Hyon let out a low sigh and rise from the floor.

“Lady Ramona, I apologize. When I focus on one thing, I tend to lose sight of my surroundings… I have been disrespectful, but I am not the type of person to say things I don’t mean.”

Hyon looked as if he were saying that while he would withdraw for today, his feelings wouldn’t change the next time they met. Ramona couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

“Thank you for retreating like a gentleman. Now, please enjoy the food and have a comfortable chat before you go. To the staff as well—the same food will be served to you, so please come to the dining hall in shifts.”

Having been saved by the bell thanks to Aruka and the soft-hearted servant who was still sniffling, Ramona gave an awkward smile.

“By the way, why is Raon’s food red?” Riad asked, curious about the difference in color between his dish and Raon’s.

“Raon handles spicy food well, so I added red peppers. I thought the three of you might not have encountered spicy food before, so I made yours with cream.”

“But the red one looks more delicious.”

“It might look that way, but the first time you eat something spicy, it can feel painful, like fire breathing out of your mouth. It can also irritate your intestines and cause a stomachache. Do you still want to try it?”

At Ramona’s warning, they all nodded. The white version was tasty, but the red one looked far more appetizing. Seeing this, Ramona sent word to those waiting outside to bring some lukewarm milk. Once the milk arrived, she received Raon’s permission and gave each of them a single piece of the red rice cakes.

The boys popped them into their mouths fearlessly. At first, their faces were calm, but slowly, they began to turn a bright, burning crimson.

“W-water… hiss, haaa….”

Ramona let the boys, who were frantic from the heat, drink their milk while she shook her head.

“My mouth isn’t just spicy, it hurts! But… it’s actually tastier than the cream sauce version. Raon, could I have just one more?”

At the request of Riad, who had finished his portion of cream rice cakes, Raon smiled broadly and handed over some of his own food.

“Everything my mom makes is delicious. My dad, grandpa, my master, and everyone else loves her cooking.”

“Yeah, it’s really good. Lady Ramona, thank you for the wonderful meal today.”

“You’re very welcome. I’m glad it suited your tastes. Raon, go back to talking with your brothers now.”

“Okay, don’t worry about us. Hehe, Ack! Toto, that’s not for you!”

Raon narrowly managed to stop Toto, who was twitching his nose and charging toward the plate of red sauce.

“Toto, I told you it would be trouble if you ate human food. Have you stopped listening because I’ve been easy on you lately?”

When Ramona spoke in a slightly lowered, firm tone, Toto seemed to lose all his spirit. He turned his back, slumped down, and lay flat on the floor. Seeing the boys swooning over how cute he looked, Ramona shook her head and stepped outside.

“Ooh, as expected of my sister! You haven’t lost your touch. Though, this is going to be a problem.”

“What is?”

“Oh, just something.”

Anna, who had seen everything through the crack in the door, began humming to herself, feeling a bit sorry for Adrian, who would surely be working hard in vain.

***

In the dining hall, the servants from the three families took turns coming down to eat. Just as Ramona had promised, they were served the same food the young masters had eaten. It was their first time seeing such a dish, but after one bite, their brows furrowed in pure culinary bliss.

“I-it’s delicious. I’ve never felt this texture before, but it goes so well with the cream.”

The servant from the Rabid Marquis household, tasting the rice cakes filled with various vegetables, tilted their head in wonder. This was not the kind of food that usually suited Riad’s picky appetite. It was astonishing that Riad had finished a plate full of vegetables—the very things the Marquis and his wife would practically beg him to eat.

A short while later, everyone prepared to leave with a sense of lingering regret. To each of them, Ramona handed a small bundle. The servants carefully tucked the bundles—wrapped in elegantly knotted silk cloths—into their arms.

“Inside are the ingredients and the recipe for the rice cakes you had today. I prepared this for those who might be worried about such an unfamiliar food. If you show the recipe to your chefs, they will be able to recreate it for you.”

“Oh, thank you! Lady Ramona, I’m sure the Master will love this. Very, very much!”

The Lepid servant, who had been pale with shock earlier, now replied with a bright, beaming face.

Upon returning, the Rabid servant immediately reported the day’s events to their master.

“What? Our child became friends with others already? He’s usually so shy.”

“He spoke very well from the start, as if he didn’t even know what shyness was. And he finished a whole bowl of a dish that was full of vegetables.”

Normally, Riad wouldn’t touch vegetables, let alone meat. He lived almost exclusively on desserts. It had reached a point where the family physician had given him a warning rather than mere advice: if he only ate cake, his teeth would rot from lack of chewing, he would become obese, and his severe constipation would only worsen. Indeed, Riad currently suffered every time he went to the bathroom, yet he had never paid any mind to the doctor’s words.

“This is what Lady Ramona packed—the same food the young lord ate. She sent it so you could try it for yourselves, in case you were worried about what he had eaten.”

The Marchioness let out a gasp of admiration at the beautiful knotting of the silk cloth, feeling almost guilty at the thought of undoing it.

“I’d love to go and learn how to do this myself when I have time. The knot is so pretty I feel like I shouldn’t untie it.”

However, since she had to take out the food, she suppressed her regret and undid the knot. Inside were the ingredients and a written recipe.

“This is really delicious. Father, Mother, you’ll be surprised when you try it. It’s so chewy… and soft….”

Riad explained the food he had tasted for the first time in his life, gulping as he watched the chef bring out the dish prepared according to the recipe.

“Well, I shall try it first—”

The Marquis was left speechless after one bite, and the Marchioness soon followed suit, putting the unfamiliar food in her mouth.

“My goodness, how can something be this delicious?”

“Raon said Lady Ramona made the Duke and the Young Duke Cassius help prepare the ingredients. It was so cool.”

Hearing Riad’s words, the couple smiled. The fact that the head of the house and his heir had personally prepared the ingredients for their child’s new friends made the dish feel truly precious.

“What a wonderful and precious dish. Perhaps it tastes like a fantasy because it’s filled with a family’s love… Riya?”

“Ah, my stomach…!”

Suddenly clutching his stomach, Riad rushed toward the bathroom. The smile vanished from the Marchioness’ face, replaced by worry for her child who suffered from chronic constipation.

However, he came out much sooner than expected. In fact, it was probably the fastest he had ever been.

“Did you… fail?”

At the Marchioness’s cautious question, Riad shook his head, a look of strange relief and pleasure washing over his face.

“It just… slid right out. Lady Ramona did say that if I ate Raon’s food, it might stimulate the intestines and cause a bit of a stomachache… but I’ve never felt this relieved in my life.”

It felt as though years of chronic constipation had been resolved in a single moment. The Marquis and his wife were overjoyed.

“In the future, if an invitation comes from the Cassius Duchy, can I go right away? I liked talking to brother Yon, brother Luka, and Raon. And… I want to go to the Academy too.”

Since Hyon and Aruka were already studying there and Raon was set to enroll soon, it seemed he didn’t want to be left out.

“Of course! Your father will make the arrangements. Hahaha, with your skills, transferring into the Academy won’t be a problem… I should send a letter of thanks to the Young Duke and Lady Ramona immediately.”

“I’ll be the one to write the thank-you letter to Lady Ramona.”

The Marchioness intended to put her heart into a letter for the woman who had brought vitality—and regular bowel movements—to her only son. But before that, a new problem arose.

“Dear, I can compromise on other things, but I cannot yield on this.”

“My lady, you’ve already had ten pieces! Aren’t you full? You should let me have the rest.”

A fierce battle over the remaining rice cakes had begun.

They might yield on anything else, but they absolutely could not give up the very last piece.