Knock knock.
Without waiting for an answer, I poked my head through the slightly opened door, flashing a bright smile.
“Ta-da! Midnight snack delivery!”
Startled by my sudden appearance, the Beast, who was seated at his desk, lowered the book he’d been reading and shot me a sour look.
“…What nonsense are you up to now?”
Seriously? That’s all you’ve got to say to your beautiful, devoted employee who personally made you food? Ugh, this guy…
“No nonsense, but it is handmade. I made some soup. Thought you might want a taste.”
“Soup? Did you poison it, by any chance?”
Ugh, what a nasty mouth he has! Matching his tone, I feigned exaggerated shock.
“Oh right! I knew something was missing—the poison! I’ll remember it next time.”
“Then why bring it if you didn’t even poison it?”
“I made it because I wanted some, but there was too much. Butler Squawk mentioned you were still awake, so I thought I’d share.”
“I don’t want it. Take it and eat it yourself.”
“Come on, don’t pretend you’re not interested. With that huge body of yours, three meals probably aren’t enough.”
“You don’t honestly think I got this big just by eating, do you?”
Sure, sure. It’s all natural-born muscle, obviously.
Afraid he’d reject it again, I quickly placed the tray on his desk. Kalz eyed the vivid red tomato pork soup suspiciously.
“It’s bright red like it’s burning. Honestly, it’d be stranger if it wasn’t poisoned.”
“That’s the tomatoes! Tomatoes make it red.”
“This sour smell—isn’t it spoiled?”
“It’s lemon! Not sour, it’s tangy and fresh.”
“…I swear I smell something else dangerous in there.”
“You really talk a lot when food’s in front of you. Just don’t beg me for seconds later.”
Although I responded confidently, a pang of guilt hit me. I had dumped in a ridiculous amount of chili at the end. My urgency grew, desperate for him to take a bite before he caught on.
“Here’s your spoon.”
“What’s this foam floating on top? Your spit?”
“Oh, forget it, forget it! I brought it to you fresh because I thought you’d enjoy it, but you’re completely ruining my appetite.”
The nerve of this guy, insulting my cooking like this! Sure, I had some mischievous intent, but I cooked this because I genuinely wanted to eat it!
Annoyed by his blunt critique, I tried to pick the tray back up, but it wouldn’t budge. Kalz had firmly pressed down on it.
“What’s this now?”
“Imperial Law clearly states you can’t take back what you’ve given.”
“Ha! So much for pretending you didn’t want it.”
Pretending defeat, I settled back into my seat. To clear his lingering suspicions, I bravely took the first spoonful.
“Mmm, delicious!”
Delicious my foot—it’s spicy as hell!
Yeah, I definitely went overboard with the chili. Still, I couldn’t let it show. Using every ounce of acting skill, I calmly took a few more spoonfuls. Hang in there, Briel! This is nothing compared to the spicy jjambbong or chicken feet you used to devour. Think back to the days when mild ramyun wasn’t even worth mentioning!
After mentally hyping myself up, the soup surprisingly became tolerable.
“…Is it really that tasty?”
Observing how eagerly I ate, Kalz finally lifted his spoon.
Yes! Hurry up and taste real Korean spice! With me enjoying it so naturally, even if you spit it out in agony, no one would accuse me of ill intent.
Carefully, he scooped a timid spoonful toward his mouth.
“…Hm.”
With a short grunt, the Beast’s eyes widened. Would he spit it out or roar angrily?
But disappointingly, unlike the dramatic reaction I’d anticipated, he remained composed. Instead, he quietly took another spoonful. Gradually, his movements sped up.
“…Well? How does it taste?”
“It’s surprisingly not bad.”
You devour ‘not bad’ food like that? You’re practically ready to drink the whole bowl. The rapidly moving spoon and steadily decreasing soup spoke louder than words ever could.
Damn, talk about anticlimactic—I was expecting him to choke and desperately scramble for water.
The outcome was totally different from what I’d expected, but strangely, I didn’t mind it at all. In fact, I felt pretty good. Watching someone thoroughly enjoy my cooking was deeply satisfying.
But now, what about the milk I’d heated earlier? I’d assumed he’d immediately complain it was too spicy and had thoughtfully prepared it. Pouring milk into the soup would mellow the spice and add a creamy richness.
Thanks to Kalz’s unexpectedly resilient palate, both my playful revenge and thoughtful kindness vanished in an instant.
“There’s more, so take your time eating. But if you get indigestion, don’t blame me.”
“…This is enough.”
Kalz, embarrassed by the now-empty soup bowl, cleared his throat awkwardly, his gaze drifting briefly to my bowl, still more than half full. Maybe feeling compelled to make conversation, he asked out of nowhere,
“Is the workload manageable?”
Ah, suddenly interested, is he?
“That’s an unexpected question. Well, as you can see, I’m doing just fine.”
“From what I see, you’ve lost some weight.”
Oh, he’s surprisingly observant. Actually, the job wasn’t hard—in fact, given the pay, it was excellent. The only issue was that my boss was moody and difficult. But my weight loss was a separate matter entirely.
“That’s just because I’m eating less. You’d be surprised at how much I usually eat.”
“Are your meals insufficient? Come to think of it, how have you been handling meals until now?”
“The same as everyone else. We get our share and eat alone in our rooms.”
When I shrugged casually, Kalz fell silent, deep in thought. Moments later, he casually picked up his spoon again and spoke as if it were nothing.
“If you have no objections, let’s eat dinner together from now on.”
“Together? You mean…with you?”
“Technically, it’s part of your duties, so refusal isn’t an option. Elizabeth always prepares more food than I can handle alone anyway.”
“Really? That sounds great!”
His unexpected suggestion immediately brought back memories of the juicy roast beef I’d enjoyed when I first visited the castle as a guest. Eating with my employer might feel slightly awkward, but the delicious food and generous portions were more than worth it.
“But…is it really okay? I’m just a newcomer after all…”
It felt strange receiving special treatment when senior staff didn’t, especially knowing their current dining situation. Kalz chuckled softly.
“Funny how you don’t hesitate to disrespect your employer yet worry about trivial things.”
“Hey, who said I disrespect you? That’s a misunderstanding.”
Look at him, surprisingly quick-witted!
“Actually, the castle employees don’t strictly need to eat. If they did, could a parrot and a cat eat the same menu? They eat occasionally simply to maintain a sense of normalcy—like desperately clinging to memories of their human past.”
“Human past?”
“Don’t act surprised. Surely you’ve figured out by now that Almond, myself, and the rest were all originally humans.”
Well, yeah. Truthfully, I hadn’t just suspected—I’d been certain. But hearing it directly from him was a first.
“Jack mentioned something about that. He said it’s been around a hundred years.”
“Precisely ninety-eight years. That’s how long we’ve been trapped in these cursed forms, neither fully alive nor completely dead.”
“What exactly happened?”
“…”
At my question, Kalz’s expression darkened, like he’d swallowed something unbearably bitter. Even after nearly a century, the memory clearly tormented him deeply. His troubled look was enough to make anyone anxious. I waited patiently for his reply, but when he finally spoke, he had already returned to his usual calm demeanor.
“As I said, meals here are symbolic. It doesn’t matter much if the others have simpler fare. But it’s different for you. You’re genuinely human and alive. Without proper nutrition, it could become problematic.”
Clearly, he wasn’t interested in sharing any further details. But honestly, what could I even do if he did? It’s not like I could break the curse. So I smiled brightly, acting as if nothing had happened, and clasped my hands together cheerfully.
“Oh my, you’re worried about me? How thoughtful!”
“Is that how it sounded?”
“Yep.”
It was definitely concern. Even performing backflips inside a speeding carriage, you’d see it as worry. But this boss of mine had his own twisted view.
“You tend to interpret everything positively. If I’m worried, it’s purely about my reputation. Imagine how humiliating it’d be if a castle employee collapsed from malnutrition.”
“Right, of course. Even though nobody outside the castle knows you exist, it’s clearly your reputation that’s at stake.”
“Internal reputation matters more than external.”
“Then why are your ears so red? Did you smear some of that ‘not bad’ tomato soup on them by accident?”
“Quit your nonsense and finish your soup.”
“Fine, fine. I wouldn’t want anyone to worry unnecessarily, so I’ll eat plenty and stay healthy.”
Grrr.
There he goes, growling again because he’s run out of arguments. Would it really kill him to just admit he’s concerned? Seriously, he’s the absolute definition of a tsundere.
