episode_0048

In fact, Delki City is located in the northern part of the northern part, so all the people living south of it are treated as ‘southerners’. If you look at the map, the Kingdom of Alwen itself was located in the northern part, and Grand Duke Grattenmount was located in the northern part of the northern part. .

It’s as if people working in the GOP are referring to people who are clearly in the same frontline unit as ‘backliners’, but in fact, it’s not that wrong.

Anyway, the Gratton Mount estate also had a somewhat ‘cold northern’ feel.

The banquet room was in the middle of a castle made of stone. It did not have a chandelier, lack of lighting, or a carpet underfoot, but due to the nature of the castle, which was made by cutting and stacking achromatic stones, it was a dazzling banquet hall that often appears in Jongnopan novels. The atmosphere was very different.

If you look at the atmosphere alone, I would say it looks like something out of an American drama.

The background of the novel was a royal capital, so the atmosphere was that of a typical romantic novel. Since the heroine and Amelia leaving for the North together happened at the end, the atmosphere of Grattenmount was never clearly shown. However, Brother Harvey. It only appears occasionally in Amelia’s remarks and reminiscences.

However, it did not seem poor. Although it did not have the same level of wealth as the royal capital, the Grand Duke’s family was the Grand Duke’s. There were mines such as gold and iron ore in the territory, and there were also many veins rich in various types of metals and crystals. Moreover, there were simply a lot of them. Not only that, but the quality was also excellent. Grand Duke Grattenmount’s army was armed with well-trained weapons and armor.

It was said that the swords used in Delki City were actually the best quality even compared to the entire Kingdom of Alwen. Since the items being supported are of that level, there is of course no need to say anything about the quality of the items used by the people of the Grand Duke’s Territory.

The food served at the banquet was also excellent, without any doubt. The meat quality of the cattle raised on the wide plains was excellent. This is natural since the cattle were originally bred only for meat quality.

To be honest, the food was better than what I had in Del Quiche. Although the deer meat in Del Quiche is delicious, wild animals are not improved for meat quality.

The Grand Duke of Grattonmount sat at the head of the table, i.e. the ‘short edge’ of the long table, and his Grand Duchess sat next to him.

The two princes were facing each other, sitting on the Archduke’s right and Amelia’s younger brother, Ted, on his wife’s left.

And Amelia was next to her, and my seat was next to her.

In fact, compared to my status, this is also an incredibly high-ranking position. All of the subjects and servants who followed the princes were clearly of noble birth, and there were probably many nobles higher than the baron who came from the royal capital.

Honestly, it was uncomfortable.

Even in my past life, I wasn’t the type of person who liked dinner parties. Luckily, there were very few people who spoke to me directly, but I was still acting like I was completely absorbed in the meat in front of me, wondering if anyone would talk to me.

It wasn’t that difficult. The meat was really delicious.

The thickly cut chunks of meat had juices flowing out from the moment you stabbed them with a knife. The outer part was partially crispy, so you could hear a characteristic scraping sound when you scraped it with a fork, but perhaps because you controlled the heat well, the cut side of the steak went from the outside to the inside. As time went on, a gradient became more red.

But that doesn’t mean it’s underripe inside. It’s soft and perfectly ripe.

I wanted to hold it with both hands and chew it down, but that would be difficult.

After cutting the portion I had eaten with a fork, I cut it into small pieces with a knife large enough to fit in my mouth. As I slowly moved the fork with the meat on it closer to my mouth, the scent of well-cooked meat wafted out.

As soon as I put the meat into my mouth full of saliva, the meat juice that was already leaking mixed with the saliva and it tasted soft and oily.

However, I absolutely did not feel it. The oil itself was savory and retained the flavor of the meat. Moreover, the slightly sour steak sauce poured on top of the steak clearly suppressed the oil scent that one might otherwise sense.

Every time I inhaled through my nose, the ecstatic scent of meat filled my lungs.

The meat that touched it felt firm at first, like a well-cooked part, but as I chewed it a few times, the resistance disappeared and I could feel the softness on the inside. The more I chewed the soft part on the inside, the more juice came out, so I didn’t cut it too large. I thought it was a good thing. If I had made a mistake, the juice would have leaked out between my lips.

“… … Si?Elsi?”

With my eyes closed, I was enjoying the soft texture of the meat, which was completely different from Delkisi’s venison, when I heard a voice next to me.

“Elsie.”

It was when Amelia called my name for the third time that I realized it was calling me.

I quickly opened my eyes, hurriedly chewed and swallowed the meat, then turned my gaze towards Amelia and almost passed out.

Not only Amelia, but also the Archduke and Duchess, the two princes and Amelia’s younger brother Ted were looking at me.

… … I felt shame later.

I didn’t want them to pay much attention to me, but they clearly saw that I was obsessed with meat.

Amelia’s cheeks were slightly red as if she sympathized with my embarrassment, and Ted was looking at me as if he was having fun.

Prince Evan knew my personality so he didn’t seem too surprised, but Prince Allen was looking at me with an expression that showed something strange.

He was the second prince who thought his changed appearance was strange. Of course, my behavior would also seem a bit strange.

At least the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess were making sure to control their facial expressions and only had slightly smiling expressions on their faces.

“I was talking about Delki City. Prince Allen wanted to hear the story.”

Only after Amelia said that in a low voice did I understand why people were looking at me.

“Ah, yes… … .”

I answered blankly, then moved my gaze towards Prince Allen.

“What are you curious about?”

When I asked that question as I carefully put down the knife and fork I was holding, Prince Allen shrugged and said.

“I heard that writer Delki Si-nam does not raise livestock separately. So what do they eat on a daily basis?”

“We hunt whenever necessary. Those who scout the Barony of Delkisi are all excellent hunters. They know how to hunt their own game.”

“So what do you do when you need to ride something?”

“When the moment of need arises, I kill a deer and ride it.”

“Isn’t that too inefficient? Even if the moment comes when cavalry is needed, I don’t think they will be able to respond immediately.”

“In the Barony of Delkisi, there are very few moments when large-scale cavalry is needed. The surrounding area is forests and mountains. Depending on the terrain, the trees are so dense and thick that even people find it difficult to run.”

“But won’t there come a time when the kingdom needs the army of Delkish?”

“Let me explain that, prince.”

Grand Duke Grattonmount opened his mouth as if to appease Prince Allen, who kept asking me questions.

“The biggest duty of the people of the Delki City territory is to block the barbarians moving south from the north. If they do not take on the role of blocking the barbarians, they will not be able to secure iron ore or gold so easily from Gratton Mount. It will lead to a great loss for the Kingdom of Alwen. It is not that the royal family has never conscripted people from Delkisi, but they are refraining from conscripting them as much as possible. Even now, Delkisi is waging an all-out war with barbarians.”

“But isn’t there someone from Delkisi here as you can see?”

Prince Allen looked directly at me and said. Although his tone was an honorific reply to the Archduke, his attitude clearly showed that the address he spoke was me, not the Archduke.

“… … For my protection, Elsie—”

“That’s right.”

Prince Allen said, interrupting Amelia mid-sentence.

“They say they are fighting barbarians, but I have never heard that the barbarians have come all the way to Grand Duchess Grattenmount. It is such a peaceful place, so of course there is no reason to give the Lady of Grattonmount a guard. From what I have heard. ,It is said that the people of Delki City are excellent soldiers regardless of gender, but isn’t it surprising that they can afford to bring such a being outside? ”

“… … .”

Not only the people of the Grand Duke’s family who were listening to the story, but even the royal family and subjects of the Grand Duke’s family who were sitting close enough to hear the story froze.

No matter how you look at it, the tone of speech was blatantly quarrelsome.

“In such a situation, if you refuse the royal family’s conscription order, isn’t that just an excuse, Grand Duke?”

Prince Allen finished speaking like that and turned his head towards the Grand Duke.

“Otherwise, the Lady Delkisi here is actually—”

“Prince Allen.”

Before Prince Allen could say anything about me, Duke Grattenmount spoke first.

“Are you saying that the royal capital is now engulfed in a vortex of war?”

The smiling face was still the same. It wasn’t like he was angry or reprimanded. It was like he was literally asking if the situation was that serious.

“… … .”

And Prince Allen was lost in thought for a moment, as if he was thinking over the Grand Duke’s words, and then spoke with a smile on his face.

“No, I never did that. I made a mistake—”

“Lady Delkisi.”

However, before Prince Allen could finish speaking, Prince Evan opened his mouth.

“So, that’s what my brother wants to say. He is wondering if Lady Delki City was abandoned here because her skills were inferior to those of her family.”

Damn.

This time, it seemed like I could almost physically see the air freezing.

No, that’s true, but it’s a bit weird to say it out loud.

While I was trembling inside, Prince Evan spoke as if he were delivering the finishing blow.

“Then there is only one way to find out. How about confronting my brother? I think that is the best way for someone who does not know Delkish to get a little taste of Delkish’s ways.”

As I watched Prince Evan say that with an innocent smile on his face, I felt my astonishment ascend to the heights of the sky.