Emily and Ralph entered the kitchen near the very end. The moment Ralph spotted me, his face crumpled like someone who had just chewed cow dung. Just when he was about to yell at me, Emily rushed forward first.
“Eliat, you…! Do you know how long I waited? I couldn’t even sleep, worried something might have happened to you!”
Emily’s eyes were dark underneath – she must have stayed up all night with her eyes wide open. Just seeing her like that told me how anxiously she had waited for me.
But it was hard to judge how much I could tell her about what had happened recently. Maybe if I had told Emily everything that night Rebecca disappeared, we wouldn’t have reached this situation.
I couldn’t easily open my mouth, troubled about what to say. While I hesitated with my lips, Emily’s freckled nose bridge wrinkled completely. Her face showed raw emotion with a look of disbelief, wondering if I still had things to hide.
“Are you being threatened by someone? If that’s the case, just tell me. At least let me worry about it with you!”
“It’s not that…”
Just when Emily’s expression was about to turn fierce, we felt someone entering the kitchen. The people working held their breath and stared. Emily, who had been about to get angry, also opened her mouth and blankly followed their gaze.
‘Who could it be to cause this reaction?’
I turned my head toward the kitchen entrance at people’s strange reaction. And the person who appeared there was none other than the man.
‘What…? Why is he here!’
Even when I rubbed my eyes, his figure didn’t disappear. Rather, the man’s face bathed in sunlight looked more beautiful than ever. His golden eyes sparkled brilliantly like jewels, and his porcelain-like skin was clearer and more transparent than anyone else in the kitchen.
Not only that, but his straight nose and full red lips were also perfect in every way. Everyone stared at him like they were entranced. Then Ralph, who came to his senses faster than others, carefully opened his mouth.
“May I ask where you’re from…?”
“Do I need to explain who I am in my own mansion?”
“Ah, no…! Could you possibly be… the young master?”
Startled Ralph began hiccupping. It was understandable since nothing was known about the owner of this mansion.
What the household composition was, what he looked like, what he usually did and what he ate. Whenever the workers had questions, the butler would just smile and say nothing.
Because of this, rumors even circulated that the butler had killed the master’s family to seize the Herlin family’s wealth and was still pretending they were alive.
So even without solid proof, Ralph had no choice but to believe, albeit half-doubtfully, in the appearance of someone who looked like a well-bred young master.
“Figure out who I am yourself.”
“I’m sorry. Due to my stupidity, I never thought you might be the young master. What brings you here…? Did you come to order something because there’s food you want to eat?”
Gone was his usual high-handed attitude – Ralph rubbed his hands together and bowed obsequiously. His tone was so fawning it made onlookers uncomfortable. The man frowned at Ralph’s behavior.
“Just because.”
“Pardon…?”
“I said I just came. Can’t you understand what I’m saying?”
“Ah, I see! Then please stay as long as you’d like and feel comfortable. I’ll immediately prepare some simple dishes for you, young master.”
Ralph smiled sheepishly like a docile sheep. Then he suddenly turned to look at me and began shouting with veins bulging on his face.
“Eliat, you stupid b*tch! Do I have to explain every little thing to you? An important person has arrived and you’re not even bringing a chair – what are you doing! If you don’t want your good cheek slapped, move right now!”
He was so angry that with every word Ralph spoke, you could see spit flying from his mouth. Being openly humiliated in front of people like this still wasn’t something I was used to, but I thought this was actually fortunate.
Normally Ralph would have slapped my other good cheek and chased me out of the kitchen without even giving me a chance to work, but luckily today his unexpected visit seemed to have made Ralph miss the timing to send me away. Even if a difficult day was expected, the fact that I could earn today’s wages was a great comfort.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be right back, head chef.”
I was about to hurriedly leave the kitchen, worried another scolding might come down, when the man watching me had his expression turn somehow crooked. Soon his voice, turned cold, settled over the kitchen.
“What are you doing?”
“Pardon…?”
“I asked what you’re doing. Are you so lacking that I need to say the same thing twice for you to understand?”
At his sharp reaction, Ralph wiped away cold sweat and blinked. I also stopped walking, wondering if I had done something wrong. When anger gradually settled on the man’s face, Ralph rubbed his hands and hurriedly replied.
“I’m sorry, young master. I didn’t understand well… If you tell me what I did wrong, I’ll fix it immediately.”
“Don’t make others do it – you go yourself.”
“Pardon…?”
The sound of Ralph’s pride getting scratched seemed to reach the annex. Ralph’s eyebrow twitched like a worm, seemingly holding back rising anger. His face turned red like a tomato, ready to burst, but he couldn’t say anything.
However, that didn’t last long – soon a bright smile appeared on Ralph’s lips like he had realized something.
“Ah! Were you perhaps displeased with making a woman do the work? These types really can’t be trusted with even such simple tasks. Then this Ralph will bring it faster than anyone!”
Ralph ran to the storage room to get a chair as quickly as he had said. Perhaps because he had found his own reason, Ralph didn’t look too upset, but I felt like my vision was going dark at this man’s behavior. After he left, Ralph’s venting would be entirely the burden of me and the kitchen staff.
‘No, why did he suddenly come to the kitchen when he hasn’t shown his face all this time? What benefit does he get from causing this commotion?’
I let out a deep sigh in frustration when I felt a persistent gaze from somewhere. When I looked up, brilliant golden eyes were directed at me.
Just when he was about to open his mouth to say something, Ralph returned to the kitchen with the chair. He must have run so frantically that his protruding belly moved breathlessly like it might burst.
“Hah, hah, haah… Young master, I, hah… brought the best chair, whew. Please sit here.”
When Ralph brought out the chair, the man sat naturally like it had always been his place. With his hand propped on his chin, his head tilted arrogantly to one side, and his long legs crossed in a haughty posture.
After bringing the chair and breathing heavily for a while, Ralph began hovering around him with a grin once his breathing somewhat calmed.
“Aren’t you a bit hungry, young master? This reliable Ralph can make you anything. Do you have any preferred foods? Ah, even if you say no, I can make something good according to your taste! So if you could just tell me anything…”
“Really annoying…”
“Pardon…? Did, did I make another mistake…?”
“Why do you talk so much? Don’t bother asking annoying questions and just shut up and handle it yourself.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. This mouth of mine runs off… Then I’ll quickly make food and show you with my skills.”
Ralph cursed with a pale smile. From his murderous glare, it seemed like if this weren’t the mansion’s young master, he’d want to beat him up thoroughly with his fists.
But Ralph wasn’t foolish enough to act stupidly without knowing his place. He quickly composed his expression and grabbed a pan to cook. Watching this, the kitchen staff and I quickly moved our hands, pretending to work, worried the sparks might fly to us.
Soon a mouth-watering aroma spread through the kitchen. Though Ralph was famous for his nasty personality, I had heard he was a head chef at a famous restaurant before coming to the Herlin family.
So famous that people from across distant seas would take boats to come taste his cooking.
Before long, he placed the completed dish on a plate. The glossy meat looked tender at first glance, and precious spices that he usually wouldn’t even bring out were generously sprinkled on it. Ralph set down the plate with clean, efficient movements.
“This is veal steak marinated in wine aged in oak. It’s a recipe I developed when I worked at a restaurant in my younger days – anyone who tasted it once couldn’t forget the flavor and came looking for me. I hope it suits your taste, young master.”
All the kitchen staff who would never get to eat such precious food in their lifetimes couldn’t take their eyes off it and swallowed their saliva.
The man stared at the veal steak with a suspicious expression, then used a knife to cut it into small bite-sized pieces. Then he put it in his mouth with an elegant gesture.
The meat must have been tender since it went down without much chewing. Everyone watching waited for his reaction. Ralph’s personality was definitely nasty, but on very rare good days, he would present excellent food.