Opening the Italian Restaurant
My head was fuzzy after what seemed like an endless series of restless nights. More people would be executed alongside Hasse’s mayor than necessary unless I could successfully create an opposing faction to isolate him, and the sleep I was losing from repeated nightmares of Ferdinand’s smile weren’t helping things at all. His warning that I needed to succeed here to save lives was real and I knew it.
The day I could visit Hasse’s orphanage had finally arrived. I had boxes of bedding and food loaded into my Pandabus, as well as several stencil templates, then let Fran, Gil, Nicola, and Brigitte inside before heading off. Ferdinand and Damuel had looked at Lessy with the same uncomfortable expressions as usual, but knew by now that complaining wouldn’t change anything.
“We welcome you, Lady Rozemyne.” The priests and gray shrine maidens knelt to welcome me, mimicked by the four newbies who repeated the same greeting. My attendants used this time to unload our goods, and I put away the Pandabus once they were done.
I turned to survey the room, and the first thing I noticed was how great Nora and Marthe looked. The exhaustion that had been clear on their faces the last time I saw them was completely gone. Thore and Rick looked a lot better, too.
“I see that the attack by the city folk did not cause any problems. You and Marthe are looking splendid, Nora,” I said.
Nora looked up, then asked “May I be permitted to speak?” in a stiff, stammering tone. She was clearly learning how to talk politely.
I nodded, and she smiled in relief.
“Those people couldn’t do anything to us. They couldn’t even get inside. And when they swung their farming tools and stuff around, they just got blown away. I couldn’t believe it, but it was a huge relief. Thank you, Lady Rozemyne. I’m glad I came here.”
She had seemingly been taught to call me “Lady Rozemyne” over the past few days. It was such a stark contrast to her casual commoner speech that it was almost kind of funny.
Thore, having listened to what Nora said, looked up as well. “Same here. I, uh... I was real glad to see that they won’t be able to take Nora away from me no matter what. And we get food every day here. Everyone’s saying you’re the reason everyone in the orphanage gets to eat. You’re small, Lady Rozemyne, but now I know you’re somethin’ else,” he said, speaking quickly out of excitement and as casually as ever. But his blue eyes lacked the sharp glare from before; he was now looking at me with respect and gratitude.
The gray priests kneeling next to him and Nora were aghast at seeing how frankly the two orphans were speaking to me, but the fact they were now addressing me by a title showed that they were working hard to communicate properly, especially considering how antagonistic they had been just a few days prior.
“Rick, I imagine that living in the monastery is very different from what you are used to, but have you been managing? I am sure the mayor afforded you all more freedom than you have here.”
“I care about safety more than freedom. I’m just glad to see Marthe smiling again. Thanks, Lady Rozemyne.” Rick’s gaze softened as he looked at Marthe, and she returned a small smile.
Seeing that, all of my remaining doubt that taking them from the mayor was the right idea vanished. I wanted to do whatever I could to protect that smile. My aim was to find a solution that would work for both the citizens and the orphans, but I didn’t know how to go about isolating the mayor and orchestrating his downfall... nor did I want to.
My stomach hurts...
The day after visiting the orphans, I had a meeting scheduled with the Gilberta Company. The Italian restaurant was going to be opened now that Hugo and the others were back, and we needed to discuss the date, the menu, and when I would be visiting. I would also be signing a contract to sell the salting-out method to the Wax Guild, with Benno as my representative.
“You do not look very well, Lady Rozemyne. Shall I cancel today’s meeting for you?” Fran asked, peering at my face with worry after bringing me my breakfast. I must have looked pretty sick for him to think canceling the meeting was a good idea, but I just shook my head.
“I’ll go to the meeting. I want to see Lutz.”
“In that case, I will bring a book for you to read until the time comes. Please rest while you can.”
“I thank you ever so much, Fran.”
I spent the morning in bed with Fran looking after me, reading as I waited for the scheduled meeting time. Reading always brought peace to my heart, since my head would be too full of words to think about all the ills of the world ailing me.
Third bell eventually rang, and I headed to the orphanage director’s chambers for the meeting.
“Careful!” Brigitte shouted, quickly grabbing my shoulders and pulling me back.
I blinked in surprise, and it was only then that I noticed the thick pillar right in front of me. She had pulled me back before I could slam right into it.
“I... I thank you ever so much, Brigitte.”
“I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw you wavering right toward the pillar,” she said. “I believe it would be best to postpone today’s meeting.”
I looked so awful that even my guard felt compelled to interject and suggest I change my plans. But even so, I wanted to see Lutz.
As I bit my lip, Fran got on his knees in front of me. “Lady Rozemyne, may I be permitted to carry you? If you insist on attending this meeting, I ask that you at least allow me to take you there.”
“Please do.”
And so Fran started carrying me to the orphanage director’s chambers. It was impossible to ignore how bad of a state I was in due to sleep deprivation; I would have fallen asleep on the way to the meeting had nightmarish visions of Ferdinand’s poisonous smile not flashed through my mind each time I closed my eyes, causing a searing, stress-induced pain to shoot through my stomach. I couldn’t sleep no matter how much I wanted to.
By the time we arrived at the orphanage director’s chambers, the Gilberta Company was already there. Lutz, Benno, and Mark were kneeling in wait, and once we had exchanged greetings, I invited them to the second floor. They looked up, and then all immediately furrowed their brows.
What might they be thinking? I wondered.
Before we could start talking business, Fran suggested we move to the hidden room. That was strange, since he usually told me not to go there until we had settled all the important matters. I looked up at him in surprise as he put a hand on my back and gently pushed me toward the door, and with a pained expression he murmured, “I apologize for not being strong enough to help you.”
“Did something happen? You look awful,” Lutz said as soon as we were inside, putting his hands on my cheeks and looking at my forehead. His narrowed green eyes made it clear that he wouldn’t let me leave until I’d told him everything.
“Lutz...” I said, warm tears of relief welling up in my eyes and streaming down my cheeks at the knowledge that there existed someone who would listen to and accept me no matter what. I clung to him and wept pitifully, unable to hold it in any longer.
“Ferdinand gave me a new mission, and it’s really, really hard. I don’t want to do it but I haven’t got a choice, and just thinking about it makes me feel sick,” I choked out, before telling them about the letter I had received after taking the orphans, the task Ferdinand had given me, my fear of plotting to kill someone, and how Ferdinand’s poisonous smile was keeping me up at night.
I finished explaining everything that Ferdinand had told me—that I needed to prioritize the citizens over the orphans, isolate Hasse’s mayor so that he could be safely executed, and so on—only to get two completely different reactions: Lutz angrily shouted “No way could you ever manage something like that!” while Benno and Mark widened their eyes and said “He sure is being soft.”
“What do you mean ‘soft’?! He isn’t being soft on me at all! I feel like I’m about to die!” I yelled.
“Calm down. That’s not what I meant,” Benno said, waving a dismissive hand. “The High Priest does seem to be showing you some unusual kindness, but I meant he’s being soft on Hasse. That mayor was dead the moment he disobeyed a noble’s order, and Hasse’s citizens gave up their lives as soon as they got together to attack the monastery. Under normal circumstances, that whole city would be burned to the ground with everyone in it. You know that, right?”
“...Wait, what? Everyone in the city would be burned alive?” I asked, eyes wide open in complete disbelief. I could understand the mayor being executed, but something that drastic just didn’t make sense to me.
“The monastery is an ivory building that the archduke arranged to be built at his adopted daughter’s request. Attacking it is the same as attacking the archduke’s family, and don’t tell me you don’t know what happens to people who attack the archduke’s family.”
I swallowed hard. Count Bindewald, a noble from another duchy, had been imprisoned under extreme charges after attacking me. A bunch of other crimes he had committed were also apparently exposed by searching his memory, but the crucial element that sealed his fate was him attacking the archduke’s daughter.
A crime deemed grave enough to get a noble imprisoned would of course lead to serious consequences for offending commoners as well. The people of Hasse had attacked the monastery with ill intent to get Nora and the other orphans back, but given that they had just attacked the building, hadn’t even managed to scratch the doors, and only ended up hurting themselves, I hadn’t really thought much of it. But if that counted as an attack on the archduke’s family, then Benno was right—it wouldn’t be strange for Hasse’s citizens to be executed at any given moment.
“Hasse was doomed the moment their attack was noticed; they’re going to get punished one way or another. The only reason Hasse is still on the map is because you and the High Priest didn’t report it to the archduke.”
In conclusion, Benno was saying that Ferdinand had spared Hasse so that it could serve as a learning experience for me, and that it would have already been burned down had he not had the idea to give me my mission. The thought alone sent shivers down my spine.
“The High Priest said it’d be a good learning experience, didn’t he? Honestly, I think he’s right on the money,” Benno said flatly. “Hasse’s people messed up so bad that they wouldn’t be able to complain if their whole city got burned down, so it doesn’t matter if you fail. Just give it your best shot. Feeding the opposition and antagonizing rivals is something even we merchants do, and if you’re gonna survive as the archduke’s daughter, you’re gonna have to learn to do this sooner or later. No need to feel guilty about punishing criminals.”
But I just couldn’t see things that way. I fell silent, at which point Mark gave a wry smile and narrowed his eyes a little in thought.
“I believe Master Benno is correct here. When the man meant to teach him died, he had no choice but to develop his skills as a merchant through trial and error. If you have the opportunity to learn under a teacher, I advise you make the most of it while you can.”
They were both right. Now that I was the archduke’s daughter, I would need to learn how to plot against others in order to survive. But actually executing these plots terrified me.
“You’re making it sound so simple, but just thinking about plotting the downfall of others makes me sick. I just... I just can’t do it,” I said, shaking my head as I clung to Lutz.
“Then just change the way you’re thinking about it,” Lutz interjected, patting me on the head. I looked up at him, wide-eyed, and he gave a teasing smile. “You’re feeling sick ’cause you’re framing it as you plotting the mayor’s downfall. How about you think of it as saving Hasse from being burned to the ground by the archduke? So you’re not plotting a downfall, you’re saving people. After all, the High Bishop of Ehrenfest is a real-deal saint who can give true blessings.”
Everything clicked into place. It was like I could truly see at last. I just needed to look at the situation not as plotting the mayor’s downfall, but as saving the people of Hasse from the execution they would all be receiving otherwise. Thinking about it like that made me feel so much more optimistic.
“The High Priest told you to breed opposition to the mayor, isolate him, and then stabilize the town, right? If you can manage to do all that, this whole mess will end with only the mayor being executed. Let’s think about what we can do to save as many lives as possible.”
“Okay!” I exclaimed. “I can’t imagine the citizens like me at all since I stole their orphans away, so I think we should start by fixing that...” I began, only for Benno to pull Lutz and me apart.
“Hold it. Hasse isn’t going anywhere for now, so just let this rest. We can think about it once we’ve opened the Italian restaurant.”
“...You’re going to help too, Benno?”
“Not like I can turn down a request from the archduke’s adopted daughter. Doing that might just get me executed,” Benno said with a teasing grin. “But in return, hold off on thinking about it for a while. You need to announce the Italian restaurant’s opening first, and this isn’t a face you can show in public. Get yourself a good night’s sleep.”
“Lady Rozemyne, you are not particularly dexterous, so handling two things at the same time will likely lead to them both ending in failure. Let us first pour all of our energy into the Italian restaurant, so that we may help you afterward,” Mark said with a bright smile.
I had people who were willing to help me think through an impossible task, and who were there to worry about my health. I let out a sigh of relief, like I was exhaling all the pressure that had been weighing down my heart.
“I think I’ll finally be able to sleep again now. I can already feel myself getting tired.”
“Save the sleeping for when the meeting’s over, idiot. Once we have this wax contract done, we’ll be talking about the Italian restaurant,” Benno said. “Let’s handle this outside with Fran.”
And so we exited the hidden room. Fran immediately looked at me and, upon seeing how much better I looked, gave a relieved smile.
We finished the wax contract just as planned, then moved on to discussing the Italian restaurant. The opening would take place following a big meeting in the Merchant’s Guild so as to draw in a bunch of Ehrenfest’s big store owners, and most of the invitations that Benno had sent out had come back with positive replies.
“What might you be planning for the menu?” I asked.
“I would think that something seasonal would be wise, but...” Benno trailed off mid-sentence, putting on a polite smile. In other words, he wanted me to think up a menu for him.
“Given that you aren’t serving the archduke this time, might I suggest a less elaborate menu?”
“And why is that?”
“Because people adjust to what they’re given. By leaving your most impressive dishes for later, you can surprise them even more when they come a second time,” I replied, starting to think up a menu while considering what fruits and vegetables were in season.
A quality appetizer might be steamed bird mille-feuille layered with sliced pome and turnip-esque vegetables, garnished with meryl oil and herbs after being marinated in wine and salt, then finished with a decorative application of dressing on top.
We could also make some minestrone that looked like normal vegetable soup. Customers would probably be surprised by the consommé flavor, and given that everyone in the city was used to eating soup that tasted exclusively like salt, we didn’t even need to go out of our way to make double consommé.
The first main dish could be spaghetti in white sauce with a ton of seasonal mushrooms. White sauce had earned a lot of points with all the nobles, especially the archduke, so I could trust that it would be well received.
As for the second main dish, I was considering pork cutlet. Pig meat was easier to get this time of year than beef so it would be very reasonable to make, plus we could swap the meat out for chicken when we wanted to save money. Fried food was pretty lavish here since it used a lot of expensive oil, so we would instead marinate the breast meat in salt and wine to make it tender and delicious. Incidentally, Karstedt liked pork cutlet more than anything else.
Dessert could be Leise’s newest fruit pound cake, plus a birne pie.
As I ran through the menu, I saw Benno and Mark writing everything down in their diptychs. Once that had all been decided, we moved on to what we would be doing the day of the opening.
“Am I right to assume that you will be okay to come and announce the opening, Lady Rozemyne? We can send a carriage to the temple once fourth bell rings,” Benno said. I inferred from the subtext that he didn’t want me getting there too early, so I went ahead and wrote “After fourth bell. Go slowly” on my diptych.
“Certainly. There won’t be much for me to do, after all, since I shall be returning to the temple right after the announcement.”
“We ask only that you take proper care of yourself.”
Or, in other words: “You look sick. Make sure you’re better by the time the day comes.”
And so, my meeting with the Gilberta Company came to a close.
I still had the same task ahead of me, but my spirits were high now that I’d changed the way I saw it. That night, I slept well for the first time in days. I woke up feeling great, and spent the days leading up to the opening of the Italian restaurant relaxing, prioritizing my recovery above all else.
First came writing the contents for a new picture book, then preparing for the upcoming Harvest Festival, then finally writing a letter to Elvira saying that my artist needed art utensils and would provide one illustration for free if she was provided for.
...Ferdinand told me not to print Wilma’s illustrations, but he didn’t say anything about her drawing more! I’m not breaking my promise at all. Heh heh.
I started lunch early on the day of the Italian restaurant opening, not wanting my stomach to grumble during the announcement and embarrass me in front of everyone. Once lunch was done, Monika dressed me in clothes fit for an archnoble girl, complementing the look with a fancy hair stick that we would generally use for ceremonies.
Soon after fourth bell rang, Fran came in wearing his commoner clothes and informed me that the carriage had arrived.
“I shall be off, then.”
“We await your prompt return, Lady Rozemyne,” my other attendants responded.
Upon arriving at the Italian restaurant, I passed through the door and into the entrance hall. There I found about twenty men on their knees, each the owner of a large store. The fact they were kneeling put us at eye level, and I could see that they were all looking at me in surprise and shock—likely either surprised to see I was actually this young, or starting to doubt I really was the High Bishop since I wasn’t wearing the white robes.
“I pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the fruitful days of Schutzaria the Goddess of Wind,” the guildmaster said as he knelt in front of the crowd.
I poured a bit of mana into my ring and responded with a blessing. “May Schutzaria the Goddess of Wind bless this meeting.”
At that, the mana overflowing from my ring turned into the yellow light of a blessing. Everyone here had likely received a blessing before when visiting a noble’s estate in the Noble’s Quarter, so all traces of doubt instantly faded from the men’s faces, replaced with stiff frowns and tense looks.
“I am Rozemyne, she who was assigned to be the High Bishop by Aub Ehrenfest.”
From there, I went on to announce that I had contributed money toward Benno’s Italian restaurant after he helped me make a workshop to save the temple’s orphanage, and that I was in the process of expanding printing throughout the duchy at the archduke’s orders.
“Benno and Gustav have been assisting me in spreading the printing business,” I continued with a smile. “It may come to pass that I ask for your help in the future, and I would appreciate your cooperation when the time comes.”
I could feel sharp, money-hungry looks being sent my way almost instantly. Benno, the guildmaster, his son, and even Frieda were all shooting me ravenous glares, like they were looking over every inch of me for somewhere to bite. With the tense atmosphere of merchants clawing for money making me feel somewhat nostalgic, I started explaining how the restaurant’s “introductions only” system worked.
“This restaurant requires an introduction to enter, and we only serve a chosen few customers. As I, the High Bishop and daughter of the archduke, will also be visiting this restaurant at times, only those who can truly be trusted may eat here,” I said, preventing anyone from complaining about the introduction system by firmly establishing that I was the one responsible for it.
The store owners all nodded obediently, knowing how terrifying nobles could be.
“As the provider of the recipes served here, I personally guarantee that the food is on par with what nobles eat. Please see for yourself.”
At that, waiters immediately started pushing carts of food into the room. The appetizers were the same as what I had eaten for lunch. I looked over the wide-eyed store owners as they watched the plates being distributed and knew that they were already hooked.
“I imagine that my presence will distract from the food, so I shall take my leave now. I look forward to your future patronage.”
With the announcement concluded, Fran and I departed at once, with Mark and Benno seeing us off as we returned to the temple by carriage.
“Man, it went great. The store owners couldn’t believe what they were tasting, and they all fell over themselves to butter Master Benno up for an opportunity to help the High Bishop,” Lutz reported with a grin the next day.
We had spent over a year preparing the Italian restaurant, so nothing made me happier than hearing that its opening had gone well. Hopefully that success would continue.
“The customers loved it, but, well...” Benno trailed off, giving Lutz and me a conflicted smile. We both looked at him, wondering whether there had been some other problem.
“Did something happen?” I asked.
“Seems like Hugo wants to become a court chef as soon as he can. He got an invitation from the archduke, apparently. Said we should expect him to leave as soon as he’s done training his replacement.”
“He certainly did receive a direct invitation from the archduke. But are you sure he’s in that much of a rush? I thought he wanted to wait until after the Star Festival... Oh!”
I could still picture Hugo grinning about how he wanted to hold off on becoming a court chef because he had a girl he wanted to marry, and then that picture crumbled to dust. I searched for words, not wanting to say that he had been broken up with, but it wasn’t hard for Benno to guess what I was thinking.
“...Yeah, that’s probably what happened. What he said to me was: ‘I’m gonna become a court chef as soon as I’ve trained someone else. I’m done with women. Cooking is all I need.’”
Sounds like she broke up with Hugo... I can’t say I’m surprised; long-distance relationships are tough.
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