NOVEL WEB Chapter 211
Suddenly, it struck me.
Catherine was accustomed to being served.
As a Grand Wizard, she was considered a valuable asset, worthy of being attended to by those sent from the kingdom. Even a sage-level wizard would not be disrespectful to the rulers of even the smallest nations.
Let alone the fact that she had been cursed with drought.
She couldn’t even pick up food with both hands.
It meant she had no choice but to be served.
Damn old man’s servant, fellow adventurers, the inn’s flunky, other nobles’ attendants, and so on.
If no one was around, she would just starve.
No problem at all.
A person doesn’t die from starving for a few days.
Of course, there were indeed rare situations where a sage-level Grand Wizard almost starved to death, but during such times, her outstanding knowledge, wisdom, and magic shone through without fail.
And then there was the house fairy, Mary.
Every household should have one house fairy.
Mary did her job remarkably well—so well that I could hardly imagine a day without her.
Rustle—whoosh—sizzle—
“Hmm? Sir Atanitas?”
“…Don’t mind it.”
Hmm? Catherine waved her hand at Karem, who was tilting his head in confusion.
It was a bit awkward or perhaps just embarrassing.
How strange it was. Truly.
‘What’s so embarrassing about this?’
Catherine focused to maintain her composure.
Karem, who served her, was as ordinary as Mary. Of course, because of that, the two often bickered.
It had already become part of their daily life for a year.
And then a change occurred in that daily life. No one intended for it, but the immature Karem grew due to the curse, followed by a totally unexpected confession of past lives leading to a real confession.
‘No, that’s the cause.’
It all started a few days ago in the village she’d visited on a business trip. She had somewhat achieved her long-held wish over the past few centuries through improvised means. She could once again catch food.
In that process, they reaffirmed each other’s real intentions.
Thanks to that, Catherine was able to shed the anxiety she’d harbored until then.
As soon as she returned, she secretly got her hands on a novel.
There was no hesitation.
Her cold rationality defined their actions as a frustrating exchange process between two awkward individuals who had never experienced romance.
In the end, Catherine recognized this… hard-to-define, bittersweet, and oddly awkward sensation objectively.
Rustle—
“…Is this much butter enough?”
“Yeah. That’s plenty.”
“What about the syrup…?”
“Butter caramel would be ideal.”
Though she felt subtle gazes, Karem poured a generous amount of butter caramel sauce over the thick pancake, which was about to lose its form as butter seeped into it.
“Speaking of which, I followed Zigmeser this morning.”
Catherine diverted her gaze slightly as she watched the long cascade of butter caramel sauce.
“You’re using all of King Frost? Have you checked what kind of decorative dish you’re trying to make?”
“When I brought it up, he just froze completely.”
“What?”
“I mean, my words.”
Empathizing deeply with Catherine’s feelings, Karem set down the kettle and began slicing the pancake with a fork and knife.
“Well, he asked me to help with the concept.”
“You mean what to make as a decorative dish?”
“Yeah. I can think of a few dishes using ice.”
None of them had much impact.
Karem shrugged silently. Catherine didn’t bother to ask; it was clear without looking.
“Before that, King Frost. Is it safe to eat that?”
“Well, there shouldn’t be any problems. King Frost is basically just a bit tougher and larger than Jack Frost. And Jack Frost, stripped of its material, leaves only ice behind.”
“Material?”
What does Jack Frost leave behind when it dies besides the shards of snow and ice? At least, Karem had never seen it.
“The material of Jack Frost. In order to obtain the Crystals of Winter, you need preparation. You need powder from explosive fruits.”
“Just hearing the name sounds ominous. Does it explode if touched?”
“Yeah. It explodes if you touch it. Well, the worst you’ll get is a small burn.”
Its effectiveness was unexpectedly timid compared to its name.
“They grow in clusters, so if harvested improperly, they’ll explode all at once and obliterate the area.”
Forget what I just said.
“Well, let’s stop with the ominous stories here.”
Anyway, what was important now was the pancake.
Pancakes are cakes too, after all.
They’re delicious desserts even when eaten cold.
And since they’ve been smeared with butter and soaked in syrup and sauce, it’s only natural for them to taste good.
However, warm pancakes have textures and aromas that can’t be felt when they’re cold.
“Be careful; the sauce might spill.”
“I cut it too small.”
“I just don’t have the skills of Mary.”
Karem ignored Catherine’s little grumbling as he held the knife under the dripping sauce, moving the fork towards Catherine’s mouth.
An infinitely natural movement, one they had done several times.
‘Uh… wait a minute.’
Cutting the food into small pieces and feeding it to her.
It’s nothing particularly special.
Feeding someone is a universally common occurrence across various relationships and circumstances, not just between lovers.
Karem was the same.
Although he hadn’t done it in his past life, he had become familiar enough with serving Catherine in this life. Especially when Mary left the room.
“…What’s with the sudden pause?”
“No, it’s just that doing something I’ve done so often feels unexpectedly embarrassing.”
“You’re saying it out loud so honestly?”
“What’s so unexpected about it?”
Although he thought he had gotten accustomed to it many times, realizing his feelings and trying to act normally around Catherine made his joints creak.
But it couldn’t go on like this forever.
Moreover, he was currently serving Catherine.
With Mary out of the picture now,
He couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
“Phew, okay. I’ve calmed down.”
“Try to get used to it, will you?”
“Please understand. We’re both awkward.”
“Stop fooling around.”
Catherine opened her mouth and ate a piece of pancake that had soaked deeply in sauce.
Size has its own kind of impact that can only be felt by size alone.
That thick pancake, smeared with butter and drenched in butter caramel sauce, looked somewhat like a cake soaked in syrup.
But the taste was not as straightforward as it appeared.
While they drowned it in butter caramel sauce and it penetrated the now-soft surface of the pancake, it hadn’t reached the depths.
The surface of the soaked pancake was moist to the point of crumbling with just the movement of her tongue, with no resistance at all.
As it emitted the sauce it had absorbed like a sponge, the richness of the butter it contained exploded outward.
Beneath it lay the dormant taste and texture of the pancake that had been too deep and thick to reach awakened as the surface broke apart.
A density without any noticeable holes.
From which arose a high sensation of resistance.
Yet the pancake was soft, inversely proportional to that density.
As she moved her teeth to break the two and four pieces into particles, the fluffy texture she felt faded even while the lingering sweetness coated her mouth and tongue.
“So just making the pancake thicker makes such a difference.”
“Right? I’d only thought about trying it out. If I’d known it would be like this, I would have done it sooner.”
“But it is still too small.”
“If I cut it any larger, I feel like it will spill.”
“Too small.”
Catherine slightly lifted her head and frowned at Karem.
“Cut it a bit larger for me.”
“You have a small mouth, you know.”
“You talk too much!”
“I’m a cook, you know.”
As long as he didn’t change the status quo, the essence of being both a servant and a contractor wouldn’t change, so Karem decided to engage in a more productive task.
“Anyway, got it.”
Karem speared a sizable pancake soaked in sauce on the plate. The small section that looked a little crushed bounced back with some resilience.
“Is this much good?”
“Larger than that. Yeah, that’s it.”
Though he cut it to Catherine’s request, it turned out to be too large. A piece clearly bigger than the dimensions of Catherine’s mouth. Of course, being a pancake soaked in sauce meant it would fit.
But if she took it in like that, it would certainly spill over not only her mouth but also the table and floor. Mary might gladly clean it up, but that was bothersome.
With no choice but to rise from his seat, Karem took a step closer to Catherine.
“I’ll move my seat a bit.”
“Yeah. Hmm- huh?!”
Karem moved his seat a bit closer to Catherine.
The suddenly decreased distance felt like something else, but disregarding that, he held the new plate under the fork and presented it to her.
“Here you go.”
“…”
Mmm. Nom. It was a quiet response.
So different from the loud demand earlier.
It was more comfortable for Karem.
Yet—
‘As I expected, it’s a mess.’
As anticipated, the pancake crumbled on its way into Catherine’s mouth, landing on the plate that was holding it.
Her mouth was covered in syrup and pancake bits.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Karem placed down the dinnerware and grabbed the napkin that was close by. Meanwhile, Catherine, keeping her gaze down, was silently munching with her mouth barely moving.
“Excuse me.”
“What?”
Gathering her fluttering thoughts to savor the taste, Catherine froze upon feeling a sensation at the corner of her mouth.
Swipe—swipe—swipe—
It wasn’t exactly something to be startled about.
Karem was just gently wiping her mouth with a napkin.
“….”
“Of course, it won’t all fit in one bite, will it…”
“…I was being a bit greedy.”
“Oh, no. It’s fine; I can just wipe off what’s on my face. That, um…”
Catherine nodded in a tone that felt awkward. Karem glanced away, their eyes meeting briefly before both turned away simultaneously.
‘It’s just wiping the food off her mouth.’
Even if she held it with her two hands and ate, food would get on her mouth, and no matter how neatly he fed her and she ate, it was only natural for something to smudge.
So, it was no different to just wipe it off like this—
Clatter!
Both Karem and Catherine quickly turned their heads.
“Uh… whoops.”
They locked eyes with Alicia, who was reaching for the pancake on the empty plate without a trace of sauce. She was crouched down, peeking over the table.
…Right. Alicia was there too.
The two had completely forgotten about her.
“…Lady Alicia?”
“Oh, Alicia just thought it seemed like Karem and Kitty were busy, so she was trying to eat a pancake alone…”
Karem subtly turned his gaze. Alicia’s fork was hovering just above the edge of the pancake stack on the plate. Her arms were too short due to her young age.
“So don’t worry about it, Alicia! Alicia often sees Flora and Gordon’s work, so she’s used to it. So—”
“Although I took a detour, I’ve returned!”
“Oh, my.”
The flustered Alicia was trying to compose herself when a voice from behind made her instinctively touch her forehead. Mary hadn’t missed that clear gesture.
“Ah.”
There was the table, Alicia extending her arm, Karem moving closer to Catherine than his original seat, and many tangled expressions filled with complex emotions among them.
She had accounted for everything.
“Don’t worry, it’s fine. Rest assured, Contractor. I am in a position to cheer on the relationship between Karem and my contractor.”
“Mary! You shouldn’t say that so openly…!”
“But Karem, that doesn’t mean you should cross into my area of responsibility—”
In truth, Catherine had no particular thoughts about it.
Even if she had momentarily forgotten about Alicia and felt flustered, how could she possibly hide this feeling and relationship in this vast castle?
But was she openly teasing them right now?
No, considering Mary’s personality, it was highly likely she was just unaware of the surrounding situation.
In that case, she wouldn’t have to hold back either.
Catherine smirked and gave a small smile.
But first, there was something to do.
Catherine made a gesture to the trembling Karem, glancing at Alicia.
Karem obediently stood up to carry out the message.
A moment later.
“Oooh, oooooooh!”
A scream and a sound of pain from a house fairy echoed through the highest level of the Wizard’s Tower as Karem ran out with Alicia in tow.