NOVEL WEB Chapter 335
The Yuba Pouch soaked in hot broth swelled up.
Naturally, the moment it was pressed against the roof of my mouth and tongue, the hot broth erupted forth as a last-ditch effort from the prey towards its predator.
“Eh-uhh!”
Even as I burned my palate, Alicia’s instincts kicked in, outpacing her thoughts.
Screaming, she quickly rolled her tongue. The time that the hot broth and Yuba Pouch made contact in her mouth diminished drastically.
She resolved the heated air inside her mouth by exhaling it, rhythmically cycling it from her nose to her mouth.
The cold air from outside circulated with her hot breath, quickly cooling the temperature of the broth and its ingredients.
At last, Alicia’s sturdy tongue could fully savor the slightly cooled broth and the Yuba Pouch.
“Is this what the master was talking about? Hoooh.”
“…Huh?”
Robin, caught off guard by her unexpected reaction, set down his bowl, though there were only a few sips left.
“Hey, pig. Pig?”
“…This is strange.”
“What’s up? The pig’s reaction feels off.”
With one eye slightly squinted, Robin furrowed his brow, watching Alicia, who looked clearly troubled.
Alicia’s reaction while eating was usually simple. She would bob her shoulders and body, inhaling food until her cheeks bulged.
However, this time, Alicia wasn’t acting like herself.
She wasn’t bouncing her shoulders or shoving food in her mouth.
Is it hot? That couldn’t be it. If it were hot, she would have spat out the Yuba Pouch the moment she bit into it.
“Do you know why she’s acting like this?”
“I’d be at a loss to tell you.”
Mary added more broth to Robin’s empty bowl.
“However, I did predict that Karem junior would react this way.”
Alicia didn’t pick at her food; she ate a variety and in ample amounts.
The problem wasn’t that she ate too much; rather, her age was still young.
Yet there was certainly a food she favored the most.
Definitely meat.
‘Something seems off…’
The broth and ingredients were not tasteless.
Sure, the vegetables made up a large proportion, but she had no complaints about that.
As she crushed it with her teeth, the Yuba Pouch burst with broth and toppings, revealing a rich flavor the more it was chewed.
And with the satisfaction of being freed from oppression, the explosive mushroom aroma darted out, making her feel somewhat satisfied.
“…Feels like my soul has left my body.”
“Thought you were being quiet to keep it together, but were you just going to ramble?”
“Try it, and even a twig can understand.”
“Ha, how ridiculous. A soul, really?”
Robin, as if mocking Alicia, shot her a glance before placing his bowl down and took a bite of the Yuba Pouch.
Slurp-sluurp—
“Mm, mm? Huh?”
Although it had cooled down, the heat made him react once.
As he savored the flavors now, he reacted again after a second taste.
Could it be he was misperceiving something? A third taste came.
His silence, however, conveyed a reaction similar to Alicia’s, something that tasted different than he had expected.
‘So, I wasn’t mistaken?’
Still unsure, he decided to try it again. Warily, Robin opened his mouth with a grimace.
“I really don’t want to say this, but…”
“Just say it frankly.”
“What is this…?”
“I don’t know either.”
“You don’t?”
“Nope!”
In the end, the two curious kids came to the same conclusion. Mary, on the other hand, subtly avoided their inquisitive gazes.
“Sadly, I only helped because Karem asked me to.”
“Are you really clueless?”
“Yep. But…”
Swiftly, Mary filtered through some words that seemed suitable and concluded.
“It was prepared using a special method so that the Duchess could eat it. The unique ‘solid food that is not vegetables’ in this pot is precisely that.”
“Alright, got it?”
Something felt off about the emphasis.
Still, that wasn’t what mattered right now. What was important was how the meat was prepared to not feel heavy despite eating.
Alicia then scooped up the remaining piece of tofu with broth and ate it.
“Wow.”
“That’s tofu.”
Alicia had never eaten anything like that before.
If she were to compare, maybe akin to custard pudding?
Of course, that’s just in words as tofu wasn’t as soft as custard pudding and had a considerably high density of texture.
But while the touch was similar, it was vastly different.
The sensation of the flavorful broth with the warm, tender solid flowing through her mouth, tongue, throat, and esophagus to her stomach was incredibly addictive.
“This…this is alright.”
Alicia felt a twinge of displeasure at Robin, who was thinking the very same thought, but she decided to focus on the strangely comforting, revitalizing sensation instead.
The radish and carrot were cooked perfectly, cut to the consistency of butter, easily crumbling under her tongue like pudding.
The onion had half melted already, easily swallowed like broth.
That didn’t mean the texture was bland.
The mushrooms, soaked in broth, emitted broth with each bite and ended up pleasantly chewy, while the cabbage, sautéed and added separately, was crisp and fresh.
Soft yet with density, the tofu.
The Yuba Pouch filled with all sorts of ingredients.
Alicia felt as if she was being healed.
And that healing sensation she felt wasn’t just a feeling.
All the various dishes—steak, cookies, cakes, stews—that Alicia devoured in abundance. Even excessively so.
To digest all that food, her stomach was always busy at work.
Of course, her stomach had the same tenacity and digestibility as its owner.
It probably would remain robust until she aged and died.
In fact, it had grown faster than before due to the desserts, which were accidentally enriched with divine power that she consumed frequently.
However, a person, a human’s body, was not an infinite power source.
After all, saying she didn’t tire from digesting food year-round wasn’t accurate.
Generally, the dishes that entered Alicia’s stomach, active for 24 hours, were full of fat and stimulants, a calorie bomb.
But this time was different.
She only ate half as much as usual to get up for the late-night snack.
Her stomach was empty.
Although that made her stomach growl, catching Mary’s attention wasn’t the main concern right now.
An empty stomach meant an environment to relieve stress and recover had been established.
Thanks to the tofu hotpot, rich in vitamins, fiber, and plant-based proteins that were entirely opposite to what Alicia loved, her stomach relieved the buildup of stress.
Thus, Alicia instinctively felt a sense of comfort.
And so, Alicia couldn’t hide her question.
“Mary. I still don’t get it.”
“What are you curious about?”
“It feels like I’m not eating meat…but Alicia can’t quite grasp it.”
Of course, Alicia was holding out her empty bowl, asking for a refill of the tofu hotpot.
“There’s definitely texture. It’s not vegetables. Even this Yuba has a different taste and texture, but this was probably made of tofu, right?”
“Correct. It’s thinly sliced tofu, fried at low temperatures.”
“Hmm…I thought so.”
Alicia took another bite of the Yuba Pouch and tofu.
The chewy texture of the Yuba and the bouncy, soft texture of the tofu.
The rich flavor and sweetness of vegetables absorbed in the savory broth.
All of it resonated wonderfully with her.
Delightful, yet…
“It still doesn’t taste like meat.”
The question lingered on.
“The flavor feels like my soul is leeching out, especially the texture…”
“It must have softened during the processing. Isn’t it like the meat from a stew simmered all day?”
“Indeed, the texture is quite similar.”
Upon that comment, Alicia tapped the tofu with her spoon.
The wobbliness somewhat made sense to her.
“That’s why I thought I’d persuade to call it ‘White Tenderloin’ rather than a name with no roots like tofu.”
“Hmm. White Tenderloin.”
Karem’s naming sense still needed work.
If soft tenderloin were thoroughly cooked, it might turn out like this.
As Alicia pondered, she noticed Robin, who was about to gulp down the entire hotpot broth in one go.
“So you acknowledge it, right?”
“Slurp—Huh? What did you just say?”
“Either way, it’s not vegetables. So that makes it meat.”
“Ugh…”
Robin’s previously relaxed expression twisted into a grimace. In that moment, Alicia felt victorious.
“White Tenderloin might taste second to the broth regarding the swallow factor. It would also pair nicely with sauce.”
“I heard tomorrow’s dish for the Duchess would have a similar menu.”
At those words, Alicia’s eyes sparkled with intrigue as if to say, ‘what’s so delicious yet feels off?’
“No more of that gaze will work on me.”
Mary firmly dismissed her.
“I want to make it for you, too. But as long as it’s not a regular breakfast or midday meal, sneaking into the Wizard’s Tower at this late hour could be troublesome for the contractor.”
“Buuu—”
“Most importantly, isn’t it time for you to be resting now?”
“W-well, then what about skinny Robin! He’s still awake!”
Feeling unsatisfied with backing down, Alicia clung to Robin like a drowning swimmer. Robin was bewildered.
“What? Me?”
“Prince Robin is a disciple of Olivier, thus an esteemed member of the Wizard’s Tower, free to roam anywhere except restricted areas.”
“As I said before, Mary just reiterated the same. Did you hear that?”
Robin smirked with a deliberate crooked smile. His expression was incredibly infuriating—
“However, however…!”
“If you keep insisting here, you’ll find yourself in trouble with the Duchess and Lady Poppins—”
“Alicia is fine with this!”
Ah, but this was unavoidable!
If it got out that she secretly escaped the castle, she would be in deep trouble, so Alicia suppressed her fury.
Anyway, she had achieved her goal.
Robin was the first to leave the scene.
Satisfied and full, he patted his stomach and exited the kitchen.
‘It tasted good, but it was strange to call it tenderloin.’
He didn’t want to admit it, but Robin recognized the tofu as specially processed meat. If it’s called white tenderloin, then it had to be tenderloin. Of course, it felt oddly convincing, but he had eaten all the hotpot, so there was no more left.
Exactly as Mary intended.
Having resolved her hunger and question, Alicia made her exit accompanied by Mary, slipping into the shadow of the main estate.
Time passed without a hitch along her route.
Following the exact path taken when she snuck out of the estate, Alicia returned to her spot without being detected.
Swiftly changing into her pajamas, she hid her outdoor clothing again.
After brushing her teeth, Alicia returned her cushion and pillows to their set positions and lay down.
‘Thankfully, I wasn’t caught.’
However, the dangers of being caught, as warned by Mary, were far greater than any past events, so she decided to limit her late-night strolls.
Having made that decision, Alicia fell asleep with comfort, just as she felt relief in her stomach.
Indeed, as she anticipated, no one except Mary and Robin noticed her late-night escapade.
But the next morning.
“Hmmm…Princess?”
“Hmm?”
“Did you perhaps have a restless night?”
“Oh, Alicia slept soundly without a dream! I think you’re mistaken!”
“Um…understood.”
She had to endure Lady Poppins’ suspicious gaze.