Chapter 113: You can do it!

“Do I… really have to do all this?”

Plain white dishes, devoid of any elaborate patterns, were stacked like a mountain before my eyes.

If those dishes were lined up, they would definitely tower far above my height.

“This is nothing, and you’re already whining? Kids these days, tsk tsk.”

An elderly woman, her entire body layered with muscles, crossed her arms and glared down at me fiercely.

‘Why does she have to be so terrifyingly tall, too…’

She must be at least two meters tall.

Her height far exceeded that of an average man, forcing me to crane my neck to look up at her.

This woman, whom Viviana called Grandma Miranda, was the owner of this shabby tavern.

The moment Viviana left, Grandma Miranda grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, shoved me into the kitchen, and pitifully stood me in front of a pile of dirty dishes.

When I asked why there was no one else in the kitchen, she replied that she ran the tavern all by herself.

Though the interior and furniture paled in comparison to establishments in the Empire, it seemed to attract a surprising number of customers.

I wondered if it was manageable for one person, but then again, considering her build and muscles, it seemed she could handle just about anything.

“Are you here to play? Get to work already!”

“Yikes?!”

Her thunderous scolding made my whole body tremble.

Had anyone ever yelled at me like this in my life? And judging by her attire, she seemed to be a commoner. Could she really not know that I was a noble?

“Um, could you please lower your voice just a bit…”

“Lower my voice, my foot! If you’re wasting my time, get out right now!”

Her voice pierced my eardrums again, and I reflexively reached out for a pair of gloves.

“Fine… fine! I’ll do it, okay?”

After all, it’s just washing dishes.

Of course, I’ve never done it before in my life, but surely it’s less painful than snapping fingers or slitting wrists.

Besides, this is a task Viviana entrusted to me. I have no intention of disappointing the person who always approaches me first with kindness.

Honestly, I don’t understand how doing chores like this, something suited for commoners, serves as penance. But Viviana is far more intelligent and capable than someone like me. Trusting that she has her reasons, I put on the gloves.

This wasn’t me cowering in fear of Grandma Miranda. Absolutely not.

‘How hard can washing dishes really be?’

You just coat them in bubbles, rinse them in water, and wipe them down. Determined to finish quickly, I gingerly picked up a plate and dunked it in the water basin.

But in an instant, water seeped through the cheap gloves, and the icy temperature made me instinctively yank my arm back.

“Ack! Ah, that’s freezing?!”

“Oh, please.”

Miranda narrowed her eyes at me, clearly unimpressed.

“This water is too cold! How am I supposed to do this?”

“What, you were expecting warm water? Do you think this is the royal palace or something?”

“Well, no, but this is…!”

“Stop whining. This is nothing. Back in my day, I bathed in water colder than this.”

Miranda clicked her tongue and looked down at me as if I were pathetic. Her tone stirred a fiery indignation within me.

What’s so impressive about a life of hardship that she can look down on me? In the past, I could have earned enough jewels to run hot water for months just by batting my eyelashes a few times.

N-not that I’m saying I was proud of it back then. But still, I don’t deserve this kind of disrespect.

‘…No, calm down.’

I didn’t come here to throw a tantrum.

I engraved in my heart once again that I am a sinner and dipped my hands into the water.

“Ugh…”

The water was so cold that I questioned whether wearing gloves even made sense, but I bit my lip, thinking it was better than nothing.

It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt as much as bending my fingers. Compared to the pain of biting my tongue or cutting my wrist, this is nothing. I consoled myself with such thoughts, as if hypnotizing myself.

“I’ll take care of the backlog of orders thanks to you, so finish everything while I’m gone.”

Grandma Miranda snorted and turned her back on me.

I felt the urge to flip her off as she walked away, but I held back, knowing I’d be in serious trouble if she caught me.

‘Washing with water like this? Don’t overdo it with the bravado!’

I grumbled under my breath, cursing as I endured the pain that felt like my hands were freezing. Still, as time passed, the water no longer felt as cold as it did at first.

I submerged a dish into the water. After applying soap all over it, I rinsed off the suds with the remaining water. Finally, I wiped the dish with a cloth and placed it on the drying rack.

Repeating this process, I soon found a small pile of clean dishes next to me. But, to my dismay, a mountain of unwashed dishes still loomed in front of me.

“…Couldn’t I just wash them all at once?”

It felt like a waste of time to handle them one by one like this.

I gathered the dishes in front of me into one big pile and dumped them all into the water basin. I made a generous amount of soapy foam and poured it all over the dishes. Roughly scrubbing them with the bubbly water, I placed them one by one on the drying rack, muttering to myself.

“They’ll dry on their own, I guess.”

Isn’t there a reason people say air-drying is best?

I smiled in satisfaction, looking at the stack of dishes standing tall on the drying rack.

The speed was much faster than before. At this rate, I felt like I could finish everything in no time.

“Nothing is as foolish as inefficiency.”

Swallowing a wry smile, I dipped another dish into the water again.

Each time the cold water seeped through the gaps in my gloves, my body flinched, but I clenched my teeth, imagining the old hag’s flustered face.

***

Despite being an area impoverished to the extreme due to constant warfare, Miranda’s cooking was always popular among soldiers and mercenaries, rivaling the luxurious restaurants in the imperial capital.

“What’s this, old hag? You never let anyone in your kitchen, and now you’ve hired help?”

A mercenary with a thick beard dangling beneath his chin asked with interest, his eyes twinkling. Miranda scowled as she plopped a plate of food in front of him.

“Stop yapping and eat your food before you leave.”

“Yes, ma’am. If you say so, I’ll obey.”

The mercenary let out a hearty laugh and began devouring his meal.

Miranda shook her head, imagining the kid who would be grimacing and grumbling as they washed dishes.

“I can hear everything, you brat.”

The cheeky kid’s grumbling voice came from the kitchen. She wondered what kind of face they would make if she told them her sharp ears could catch everything they said.

A scrawny little brat, skinny enough to make one frown.

She wondered if their so-called parents had failed to feed them properly. They looked so frail, as if they might collapse at any moment.

Kids that age are supposed to be plump and chubby to grow into healthy and strong adults later on.

“Tsk. Kids these days… All they care about is their appearance, looking flashy on the outside but empty inside.”

It seemed like one flick on the forehead would knock her out cold, yet despite her fragile appearance, she had an annoyingly strong energy. This brat was nothing short of audacious.

Normally, a pampered noble lady who had grown up like a greenhouse flower wasn’t worth paying attention to.

Those high-nosed nobles, who looked down on the world while pretending to be elegant swans, were tiresome just to think about.

Their arrogance, the belief that they could have everything without dirtying their hands, was their very essence.

Even so, there was only one reason why she allowed that child into the kitchen.

The heartfelt request of Lady Merdellia. Without that plea, Miranda would have chased the brat out of the region immediately.

Miranda’s first meeting with Viviana happened seven years ago on the battlefield.

As a mercenary, Miranda had taken a commission from the fallen kingdom of Kaladwen, wielding her blade to prolong the kingdom’s life.

During that time, Miranda faced a monster known as the Empire’s Sword.

A cold, emotionless blade swung by hollow, sunken eyes. The murderous intent radiating from that sword was enough to make even Miranda struggle to breathe.

Unfortunately, their fight ended abruptly when Kaladwen fell. Because of this, Miranda left the battlefield and returned to her life as a wandering mercenary.

The one who hired Miranda back then was none other than Lady Viviana.

[Hey, old lady, I heard you have an interest in cooking.]

The massive funding and this shop, granted under the condition of cooperating with House Merdellia, were too good to pass up. Miranda accepted the offer without much resistance. Since then, she had settled here, running a restaurant while guarding the outskirts of the continent.

In truth, Miranda had also been intrigued by Lady Viviana.

At such a young age, her eyes already seemed to have abandoned the will to live, radiating a wild madness. Did Viviana herself know how much fear those eyes instilled on the battlefield?

However, the Viviana Miranda had seen recently had completely different eyes.

Eyes overflowing with honeyed affection, brimming with vibrant, dazzling colors unlike anything from before. It was almost hard to believe this was the same Viviana who had emotionlessly swung her sword on the battlefield.

It wasn’t difficult to figure out who had transformed her eyes.

“That monstrous noblewoman, of all things, turned out to judge people solely by appearance.”

And to make it even stranger, her affection was for another woman. The world truly was full of surprises.

Well, it was true the brat was so stunningly beautiful that anyone might stop and stare. Miranda herself had been momentarily distracted by her dazzling looks when they first met.

Unfortunately, her personality was the dealbreaker. A person who carried as many thorns as this girl did was exhausting to deal with.

Apologies to Lady Viviana, but that brat would likely run away from this place in less than a week.

Sighing inwardly, Miranda handed over the last dish before returning to the kitchen.

“Hey, brat. The dishes better be done.”

“Oh, you’re back?”

The girl flashed a confident smile.

The plates and cups were neatly arranged on the drying rack. Her gloves lay discarded nearby, suggesting she had finished the dishes quite some time ago.

“Oh? Did you actually finish everything?”

“What’s so difficult about washing dishes?”

Listening to the mocking words of the brat, I took out a plate from the dish rack.

At first glance, the surface of the plate seemed to shine cleanly. However, upon closer inspection, greasy residue, poorly cleaned, gleamed faintly.

Not only that, but the plate hadn’t even been dried properly, and bits of food were still stuck all over the edges.

“…That damned brat.”

It was clear they hadn’t even checked the plate they cleaned.

And yet, the brat stood there confidently, puffing out their chest and looking straight at me.

“You little fool! Do you call this washing dishes?”

“Hiiik?!!?”

At my scolding, the kid’s eyes widened in shock.

Like a frightened rabbit, they trembled and took a step back, covering their ears while glaring at me threateningly—it was rather amusing.

“Why, why are you yelling at me!!”

“Even a toddler could do better than this! How is it possible you have two perfectly good hands and feet but still can’t handle such a simple task?”

“Wh-why don’t you just eat off it as it is?! It’ll just get dirty again anyway!”

Ah, nobles, nobles…

They’re all insufferable, every single one of them.