NOVEL WEB Chapter 130
The size of the cream puff was somewhat ambiguous.
It was roughly a bit smaller than an adult’s fist.
This meant that it was a tad too daunting for Catherine to eat in one bite.
If she really stretched her mouth wide, she might just manage it, but even for Mary, who was more like a personal maid, it would be a bit embarrassing to try that in front of others.
But there was no way to hesitate forever.
Catherine closed her eyes tightly and opened her mouth wide—taking the cream puff in one bite.
As expected, half of it didn’t even fit.
In a moment of desperation, she tried to take a bite out of it.
Unless Mary had shoved it in with a fork first.
“Mm! Ugh!?”
Because of the forced insertion, the cream puff broke apart, spilling the white whipped cream inside, which caused Karem to quickly turn his head away.
For Catherine’s honor, he couldn’t bear to witness this directly.
‘Why does it always come out like this just when I think I’ve adjusted?’
“Ugh!”
“I know it’s rude, but I assure you.”
Naturally, Catherine frowned.
But just for a moment.
Catherine could understand Mary’s words.
The cold and crumbly surface of the cream puff, when it met the warmth of her mouth, changed immediately to a soft and moist texture.
As the surface absorbed moisture and softened progressively, a rich but unobtrusive aroma of butter spread throughout her mouth and into her nose and throat.
And then.
Snap!
“Mm?! Huh?”
“Do you understand now?”
“Ugh.”
The whipped cream exploded.
There was no other way to explain it.
Whether it was the outer layer weakening or the movement of her mouth that had been stretched to its limit, the whipped cream burst.
The rich scent of milk and sweetness took over her mouth, while the subtle aroma of butter lingered in her nose and throat for a moment before fading away.
The pastry that had held the whipped cream in check became as limp as a deflated balloon, but its texture remained intact.
No, rather than that, it felt reminiscent of another dessert.
It had the softness of syrup-soaked crêpes Suzette.
The difference was that it was less sweet—a positive aspect, not a negative one.
Crêpes Suzette, which stimulate sight, taste, smell, and touch, were distinctively smooth and impressive.
Yet, looking back, she felt it was more humid due to being soaked in syrup. If that was the only flaw, then so be it.
However, the cream puff she had just eaten was different.
The whipped cream and the puff pastry moistened in her mouth became soft inside and out, without any dampness to be found.
The soft sensation against her teeth.
The moist feeling on her tongue.
She could feel it all sufficiently.
Of course, before she even chewed with her teeth, it had already disintegrated with just a movement of her tongue.
No, it didn’t just disappear; the now softened puff pastry began to break apart, enveloped in the whipped cream, with every single particle maintaining its softness until its final moment.
And then, it truly vanished.
Catherine felt all those flavors and textures.
‘Already?’
And although sufficient time had passed to take another bite, it felt like just a fleeting moment to Catherine.
Now it seemed like something clean-cut from an old romantic novel, with bittersweet flavors lingering in her mouth.
“This is quite something.”
Catherine’s expression bore nothing but the lingering aftertaste of Mary’s earlier rudeness completely forgotten.
“Wait, you’ve been hiding this kind of skill all along? Were you dissatisfied or something?”
“I’m dissatisfied that someone else is doing what I should have been doing.”
“Hm, but you were enjoying the snacks made by the little one, weren’t you?”
Oops!
Mary’s eyes widened as if she hadn’t thought of that.
Of course, in the meantime, Mary neatly sliced the cream puff.
As Catherine ate the evenly cut cream puff like a baby bird, a happy smile spread across her lips.
“But it would really be a shame to waste something like this.”
“Indeed… there’s no denying that.”
“Huh? After being so guarded all this time, you’re accepting it quickly?”
“Well, when faced with something like this.”
Karem picked up the cream puff situated at the top.
The pastry known as puff pastry, the larger you make it, the more difficult it became.
Karem carefully tore the cream puff in half.
With a soft popping sound, the inside filled with whipped cream was revealed.
Surrounded by countless small air bubbles, it resembled a pastry.
If one were to compare, it would be like honey (whipped cream) encased in a beehive (puff pastry).
Karem tossed the torn half into his mouth.
There was no way this wouldn’t taste good.
“Soft, moist. Ah, confectionery truly is.”
“Well, this is something remarkably exceptional. Without your creativity, something like this wouldn’t have come about. So, do you have any improvements in mind?”
“How about filling it with custard instead of whipped cream?”
‘Since that’s the original, anyway.’
Karem swallowed the next words he thought.
Look, didn’t I tell you? Catherine, who had gulped down the cream puff, turned her gaze towards Mary.
Mary silently clicked her tongue, turning away.
She didn’t want to admit it.
But she couldn’t deny it either.
“If you could make something like this every time, I wouldn’t mind the little one looking after my snacks instead.”
“Nom. Huh?”
“What does the party in question think? Honestly, you’ve received help from Mary for half your snacks, haven’t you?”
Though it was half, if it included help with the dough, it was practically all of them.
Gulp. Karem swallowed the other half and picked up another cream puff.
“I concede defeat. Nom.”
He said that with calmness and took a bite out of the cream puff.
“Right, you’re reluctantly acknowledging it… what? Did you say something?”
A surprisingly casual reaction.
In fact, it was Catherine who was taken aback by the proposal.
However, someone else was even more astonished.
Mary, unable to mask her horror, was frozen in place as if struck by lightning, then teleported over and shook Karem’s shoulders with both hands.
“How can you accept that so easily?!”
“If I saw something like that, I can’t hold on hideously, can I?”
“Giving up so easily? Are kitchen tasks a joke?!”
“No, are you angry at me?!”
“You’re surrendering this easily! I can’t accept this!”
“I never claimed to be confident in confectionery, did I?”
Does someone who’s not confident produce such cuisine?
Catherine grimaced at their nonsensical arguments.
Though both of them were throwing around absurd remarks, this level of rudeness could not be allowed. After all, it’s her snack time now.
Catherine struck the table to gather their attention.
“Are you going to waste my precious time? Cut the nonsense that holds no nutritional value and find a compromise!”
“A compromise, you say.”
“You’re probably dissatisfied that the little one has passed his tasks onto you so easily?”
“This House Fairy Mary, in decades of my life, cannot endure such humiliation!”
“That much, huh? No, wait, ahem.”
Catherine cleared her throat and composed her voice.
“Why not compromise and have both of you prepare snacks together?”
“Huh?”
“Mary, you are likely among the top three in your nature in confectionery, and you, little one, possess remarkable creativity that no castle chef can match.”
Catherine subtly glanced towards the pile of cream puffs on the table.
“It seems we’ve struck gold this time. The point is, why not use the little one’s ideas and your skills, Mary, to bring them to life?”
“Oh.”
Such a method. Mary slammed her palm down, a sign of her unexpected realization.
“I mean, you would finally get to cook some of the dishes you wished for, and little one, while taking a step back, would still be involved as the head chef, right?”
I won’t accept any objections. Bang!
With those sounds, Catherine wore a satisfied smile as she took a bite of the cream puff that Mary presented.
Yet, Karem wondered if anything had actually changed.
No, really. She had been offloading all the troublesome tasks to Mary when working in the kitchen.
From doing the dishes to tidying up afterward, making dough.
And whipping meringue or cream.
And all that.
Indeed, there was a difference compared to before.
The main role had shifted from Karem to Mary.
Karem looked on with salty eyes as he watched Catherine enjoying the cream puff that Mary was serving.
Catherine met Karem’s salty gaze and smirked playfully.
No need to say it; it was obvious.
‘Did you know about this?’
Karem sent an even saltier glance.
That, too, was short-lived, as he soon sighed softly and popped the cream puff he held into his mouth.
“This is a satisfying conclusion for everyone, indeed.”
Karem’s monologue echoed only in the cavernous space filled with cream puffs.
What does it matter, anyway?
As long as the most troublesome one—Mary—was understanding things like this, Karem could breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy his daily life for a while.
Of course, this wouldn’t last long.
Karem was certain of that.
Before long, Catherine would surely come after the range of her three meals and snacks.
That was one thing he couldn’t give up.
Having learned the hard way, Karem’s determination grew strong.
“By the way, this cream puff is really delicious.”
“Huh? Cream puff?”
“Yes? Oops.”
“Cream puff, huh…”
Karem panicked at his unguarded thoughts that slipped out.
As Catherine, now down to a single layer of cream puff in the bowl, looked down, Mary spoke as she scooped up a bite of cream puff.
“Cream, as in Choux. You mean the same thing as the cabbage, Bersengzeto?”
“Hm, hearing that, it does look a bit like a small cabbage. If you put it that way, it would be Choux à la crème.”
“Your pronunciation is fine, but the meaning is quite harsh. Cabbage. Cream puff sounds cuter.”
“Well, that’s what the developer says. Still, it was quite good. Just like this time. Your naming skills are developing wonderfully, aren’t they?”
As Catherine praised him for not being bad, Karem blinked in surprise at the sudden compliment.
It happened again; whenever he lost his guard, she would suddenly come at him like this.
Karem scratched his head awkwardly and deflected the conversation.
“But anyway, are you planning to keep going if you finish this all?”
“Isn’t it obvious? There’s still this much of the selection of magic tools to get through?”
“Oh boy.”
“Well, it’s all for your benefit, so bear with it.”
Though she wasn’t wrong, it didn’t make it any less exhausting.
But Karem had no choice but to decline.
As the last of the cream puffs ran out, Karem’s magical tool fashion show was set to resume.
Knock, knock, knock—knock, knock, knock—
Before that could happen, someone knocked on Catherine’s office door.
Mary, who was about to step away with the dish, immediately opened the door.
Bang—
“Excuse me.”
“Your Highness Robin? What brings you here?”
“I enjoyed the egg tart. Karem. I thought you might be in the kitchen, but it seems you were with Atanitas.”
“Me?”
Robin nodded affirmatively, confirming that they were indeed looking for him.
Then he lifted up the round frozen orb hanging around his neck.
It was the holy relic of Skadi that Karem had lent him.
“Now I can manage without this.”
“First, come on in. Your Highness.”
“Then, excuse me. Atanitas.”
As Catherine let the guest inside, she suddenly recalled previous events upon seeing the relic hanging around Robin’s neck.
It brought to mind Robin’s recent runaway episode under the guise of talent awakening.
Due to that incident, the nearby servants, handmaidens, and soldiers had all frozen in place.
The strangely intact condition of Karem was a mystery, attributed entirely to that relic.
Is it possible?
Catherine looked over at Karem.
Karem had the same thought.
The servants were thinking alike.
“Atanitas, I think that relic should be sufficient for protection.”
“No, I need to conduct experiments first… since it would directly block the flood of magical power… hmm… Yes.”
Catherine nodded, unable to deny the reality, her expression showing clear dissatisfaction.
Finally, they had been freed from this situation!
Of course, Karem only cheered internally.