Abandoned Empress's Survival Manual Beside the Male Lead - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 43
It was a word that felt strange to her. Since possessing Loreltianna, she had never once bought anything to eat from outside.
In any case, on the surface she had lived as royalty before ascending to imperial status.
‘Even a low-ranking concubine counts as imperial if she’s imperial.’
Erihi’s arms drooped at her sides.
“Honestly, I’m so tired of porridge I could die.”
“Are you now?”
“The maids, well, they can’t help it—but don’t you grow tired of it, Duchess? You’re the highest-ranking person in this castle!”
I ate hospital food three times a day before transmigration!
“I have a strong will. I’m fine.”
“I’m not fine! At this rate I really might die!”
Erihi looked on the verge of tears, and I glanced up at the sky.
How on earth did Sherkan manage to drag her around like this so often?
True, Erihi’s abilities were exceptional.
The speed at which she read ledgers, the efficiency with which she drafted reports—her fingers on the abacus, flicking three beads at a time with each hand, made her a living supercomputer.
But she threw fits like this periodically. If not for Bridget, she likely would have staged an outright rebellion against me by now.
“All right. Let’s eat out then.”
“Really?”
Erihi’s eyes sparkled brilliantly.
“I knew it, Duchess! Your inner light shines as bright as your radiant beauty!”
“Then tell the maids to prepare.”
“Pardon? Why the maids?”
Erihi’s face held not a trace of malice as she asked.
“What noblewoman, let alone a Duchess, would take her entire staff out to eat?”
I narrowed my eyes.
Strictly speaking, she wasn’t wrong—but was this some ordinary noblewoman’s castle?
The maids shouldn’t even need to be tending cattle and chickens, yet here they were doing it anyway.
“So you want it to be just the two of us eating out?”
“Should we take all fifty of them and feed them?!”
“Were we the only ones eating porridge? Were we the only ones?”
“Perhaps, but it’s too many! Just take me, please! Eggs have become more profitable than expected, but not enough to cover dining out for everyone!”
I closed my mouth and tilted my chin slightly.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Duchess!”
Erihi’s eyes glittered. I smiled and immediately threw cold water on her hopes.
“But Erihi… what are you, then?”
“I… pardon?”
“If I’m taking just one person, of course it has to be Bridget.”
“…!”
Shock-stricken, Erihi grabbed my hem and hung onto it desperately.
“Waaah! Duchess! I’ve been practically dying selling eggs every single day, and now milking cows too! Please, just let me eat food from outside once!”
With Erihi wailing and carrying on, I ended up pressing my forehead against my palm.
“Fine then. We’ll form a rotation! We’ll divide into groups and take turns eating out!”
“Pardon?”
Erihi immediately sprang up and objected.
“Then we won’t have enough money!”
“How much were you planning to spend per meal?”
“This much!”
Erihi spread all ten fingers.
“Ten silver coins?”
“No! One hundred silver coins! I couldn’t spread all one hundred, so my hands weren’t enough!”
One hundred thousand won?
She was planning to spend one hundred thousand won on a single meal?
I let out an astonished cry immediately.
“Are you insane? Are you some prince?”
“Duchess!”
Erihi’s eyes reddened as she pleaded tearfully.
“How hard have I worked like an ox for the past month? Don’t I deserve this much? Waaah! The other maids honestly don’t have as much right as I do!”
“Then you should eat with Gavin, who’s worked like an ox even more than you.”
Erihi immediately wiped away her tears.
“I can’t eat alone. We should all eat together—that’s only fair.”
* * *
An hour later.
Since there was some distance between Gonnet Castle and where the territory’s people lived, we’d taken a carriage out, and then disembarked with the servants at a suitable spot.
Bringing out multiple carriages at once would have drawn too much attention, so we’d brought only one.
I’d dressed in plain everyday clothes to avoid revealing I was the Grand Duke’s wife, and the servants had changed into similar garb.
It was a flawless disguise—no one would have mistaken us for members of the Grand Duke’s Household.
“The territory is enormous.”
I glanced around with wide eyes.
The marketplace was teeming with people. It was in full swing—merchants had spread out their wares, carts rumbled past one another, and haggling voices erupted from all directions.
Though it was autumn morning, the breath of the crowd rose in white wisps before scattering away.
A long line had formed in front of a stall selling pickled fish, and smoke curled up lazily from the clay oven where bread was baking.
I marveled inwardly.
No matter how close the Grand Duke’s Household was to ruin, the territory itself was running beautifully.
The lighter tax burden must have played a role.
‘If they’d tried to cover the Grand Duke’s debts by squeezing the territory’s people for taxes, the crown would have stepped in.’
The servants wore equally delighted expressions. We’d all eaten the same sparse porridge together, and now they could feel the satisfaction of their careful savings.
“My goodness, where do such lovely young ladies come from!”
At the bystanders’ remarks, the servants blushed deeply and giggled.
Today, there were six of us who’d come to the marketplace: myself, Erihi, and four servants.
We were welcomed warmly and took seats at a stall selling skewers and stew.
‘Damn.’
For my first outing with the staff, we could only afford a place like this……!
But as Erihi had said, if everyone from the castle went out to eat, it would cost far too much.
“What would you like to eat?”
“Anything but porridge is fine with me.”
Erihi’s eyes widened as she spoke. The servants exchanged glances and laughed brightly.
“Let’s get the signature dish, mis…… young lady!”
“That’s right, miss! Every establishment is most confident in their signature dish, aren’t they?”
The servants had already agreed beforehand to call me “young lady” when we were out in public.
“Perfect!”
Everyone looked thoroughly happy, as if we’d gone on a picnic.
The stall owner who took our order went to the large charcoal brazier. He pulled several skewers from a big wooden box, then deftly began grilling them.
Sizzle.
The moment the skewers hit the flames, the smell of oil caught fire first. Then, as honey touched the heat, a sweet caramelized aroma rose up.
They crackled and popped. The skewers were threaded with rabbit meat and mushrooms in alternation, and as moisture seeped from the mushrooms and dripped onto the coals, smoke rose ceaselessly.
‘I’m starving.’
The food arrived quickly at the small tables and chairs where we sat in a row.
“Should I serve you first, young lady?”
“Thank you.”
I gazed at the large skewer with curiosity.
I waited until the stall owner had distributed skewers to the others, then carefully took my first bite.
It was scorching hot and caught me off guard.
‘This is delicious?’
I couldn’t tell what the rabbit meat had been marinated in, but it was tender and absolutely flavorful. The surface was glazed with caramelized honey that glistened, and however they’d seasoned it, it was savory in just the right measure.
“The mushrooms are amazing too.”
The servants were too absorbed in eating their skewers to say much.
Soon the stew was set down. The servants made unfamiliar expressions.
“The stew bowl is made of bread?”
Erihi’s face showed a hint of disgust. She leaned toward me, holding skewers in both hands.
“We ate this every day in the war camps.”
“Really?”
“I wonder how the Grand Duke is getting on…… He hasn’t replied to any of my letters…….”
Erihi suddenly murmured sadly. I hadn’t received replies from Sherkan either.
I recalled the letter of Erihi’s I’d glimpsed by chance.
“Wasn’t what you sent more of a diary than a letter?”
How was he supposed to reply to that?
“It wasn’t! It was a letter! I simply included a few minor reports alongside it!”
As Erihi bristled, the bread’s surface began to soak up the stew and grow moist.
I ignored Erihi and took a spoonful of the stew. The broth, made by simmering mushrooms for a long time, was rich and deep, softened further by what must have been cream.
The warm broth slid down my throat, and warmth seemed to spread all the way to my fingertips.
The servants carefully followed Erihi’s lead as they watched her tear into the bread bowl without hesitation.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, they left the vendor’s stall with happy faces.
“That was so delicious!”
“Really!”
It was both touching and amusing that not a single servant spoke of coming back tomorrow.
Though I’d been doing my own mental accounting the whole time.
‘Thank goodness it’s delicious and affordable.’
At least everyone could eat their fill because of it.
The moment we returned to the castle, the servants clustered around us in a tight circle.
“How was it? How was it?”
The servants excitedly recounted the skewers and stew we’d eaten today.
“They really say autumn is the season of mushrooms, and the flavor was genuinely excellent.”
“Then should we gather some mushrooms starting tomorrow?”
“Yes, let’s! Back Mountain should have plenty of them! Even if the terrain is a bit rough!”
The servants burned with enthusiasm.
Bridget, who had been listening quietly, opened her mouth solemnly.
“Can you now?”
“Yes?”
“Little things like you would faint halfway up the mountain and become food for wild beasts besides.”
“……!”
“If a bear gets hold of you, your spine will snap, and you’ll never serve the Grand Duchess again.”
“…….”
“If a wolf gets hold of you, your belly will be torn open while you’re still alive, and you’ll never serve the Grand Duchess again.”
“…….”
“If a pack of jackals tears off one of your legs, won’t you never be able to serve the Grand Duchess again?”
The servants turned ashen.
It was unclear whether the frightening thing was the wild beasts themselves, or whether it was Bridget—who seemed to have zero empathy and only mentioned that being bitten to shreds by beasts wouldn’t let them serve me—and there was something almost pitiful in their expressions….

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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