Although the Duchy of Mohnton may be affluent, sugar and fatty food are still considered luxuries. Especially sugar that had been refined to a pure white colour, the likes of which rarely if ever found itself in the dishes of commoners.
Camilla also came from a noble house. As a member of Count Storm’s family, she never was left wanting when it came to sugar, but she was still aware of how expensive it truly was.
However, Alois uses it as if it were water. Not metaphorically, but truly like water. The amount of sugar that he melts into his tea rivals the amount of liquid originally in the cup. Food violence that recklessly disregarded the delicate taste of the tea leaves.
The levels of seasoning were violent as well. There is no industry of salt production of Mohnton, so all supplies of it are imported from elsewhere, yet despite this it is used as if it were abundant. Sometimes, eating the food here felt no different to biting into a lump of salt.
Previously, Alois had espoused to Camilla that a chef’s value lay in his cooking. But, thinking about it rationally, it wouldn’t matter who made it at all with this level of seasoning. It’s so salty you can barely taste the original dish, it’s an insult to the poor food on the plate.
When she originally arrived at the Montchat manor, Camilla had been violently ill after tasting the same type of food that Alois ate on a daily basis because of the excessive salt. This much had to be bad for your health.
But, what could she say in order to have the types of meals changed?
She thought about talking to Alois directly, but Camilla gave up that idea straight away. Because of how things had gone the other day, talking to Alois seemed like a lost cause.
If not Alois, then perhaps the chef? Or, the one who takes care of Alois the most ―――― The head maid, Gerda?
――No.
Absolutely not. She’s the last person Camilla wanted to talk to.
Because, Gerda was the one who seemed to despise Camilla the most. She wouldn’t even hear her out.
But, if she spoke to the chef herself, Gerda would inevitably hear about it. The writing of menus and organization of ingredients isn’t something handled by the chef alone. If the sugar content suddenly dropped, it would raise suspicions and if the menu changed, the servants would obviously notice.
Most of all, the idea of interfering with Alois’ daily life whilst trying to leave Gerda in the dark was terrifying. Everything comes back to Gerda. With that frightful attitude of hers, she would no doubt stop Camilla’s plans.
In that case, it’s best to simply tell her from the beginning.
――…..There’s nothing else for it.
As long as she continues to waver, Alois will never lose weight. Camilla has to do this, for her own sake.
Besides, Gerda is the faithful maid of the House of Montchat. She may be open to talking about Alois’ diet. In fact, she may even agree with Camilla’s demands without any problems.
○
Use only the best ingredients without being miserly. Those were the words of the late Master and Mistress.
Of course, there was a problem.
Committed to keeping Alois’ diet to the status-quo, Gerda cast her usual cold glare at Camilla as she told her as such.
The best fat, the best sugar, the best salt. It is the pride of the Montchat family to use everything plentifully and to never worry about the food piled on the plate. The Master and Mistress were always saying that.
The previous heads of the House of Montchat. Alois’ parents had already passed away. She had heard that Alois was only fifteen years old when the two of them fell victim to an accident. It had been eight years since Alois had inherited his position as the Duke of Mohnton, but all of the veteran servants, including Gerda, still used ‘Master’ and ‘Mistress’ to refer to the deceased Duke and Duchess.
Like Alois, his parents did not travel much outside of their own lands, so they weren’t well known in the royal court. She hadn’t heard much about them from Alois, but from what she could glean from the servants, they were very well thought of.
――But, you really did spoil him.
If it wasn’t for that, then there’s no way he would look the way he did today. As a result of raising him to eat as much as possible without having to worry about restraint, he’s lost his sense of self-control when it comes to food.
Even so, there has to be a limit to being plentiful, right? If you overuse seasoning, it overpowers the taste of the meal. That being said, maybe it would be better if I ――――
She was about to say something, but Camilla bit back the words. Some utterly strange line almost left her lips. She shook her head at the thought of it.
If his late parents saw Lord Alois now, I’m sure they would be grieving.
Why are you speaking as if you understand a single thing?
Gerda slammed her hand on the bench as she said that. Her already cold glare turned to ice.
Lord Alois has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of as the head of the Montchat family. By eating the way he does, he honours the late Master and Mistress ―― In other words, it’s about the love between a child and his parents. Who are you to get in the way of that? You who came here, despite being so unwelcome?
――Guh…..
As much as she wanted to speak, she had no answer.
Gerda hadn’t left her a single opportunity to interject, so Camilla had no choice but to slink away in dejection.
