The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

**Chapter 209 – Northern Trip (2)**

The North was not known for tasty food.

The harsh cold made nutrition a priority over flavor, which is why Northern cuisine lacked in taste.

Greasy.

Over-seasoned.

Salty.

While James loved everything about the North, he just couldn’t bring himself to love its food.

It was early morning. James was in the kitchen, thinking deeply about what to serve the two guests staying at the inn for breakfast.

He wasn’t sure what kind of food they’d like.

Even though they seemed a bit off, guests were guests. They may have appeared eccentric, even mad at times, but they also looked like nobles and had paid a generous amount of money.

And so, here was James, tying on an apron and standing before his kitchen, ready to serve.

“Hmmmm…”

James wanted to make something special for the rare visitors who had come to the North.

-Why have you come to the North?

-Oh, the lady… I mean, we were just curious about what the North is like.

-Pardon?

-We wanted to learn about the culture and food of the Northern people, so we came to check it out.

-Well, that’s quite a noble reason.

Since he had accepted their money, it was only right to serve food that matched it. Besides, he admired the young man who had come to the North for such an interesting reason and wanted to prepare a great meal in return. The pride James had in his homeland pushed him to keep thinking.

“Alright… should I put in some effort for a change?”

Rolling up his sleeves, James prepared to get serious. However, as a life-long Northerner, he was still clueless about what to actually make.

To be honest, James hated Northern food.

While he was confident in his cooking skills, he wasn’t as confident about the nature of Northern cuisine itself. With a serious expression, James focused on preparing breakfast.

**Two hours later.**

James, ladling stew from a massive pot, tasted the broth and shook his head.

“…It’s too greasy.”

The rich, concentrated broth clung to his mouth in a way that made James uneasy. While Northern residents would go crazy for such a flavor, it didn’t seem like it would suit his current guests’ tastes.

As James mulled over his doubts, a loud shout rang out from the second floor.

-Air raid… siren!!!!

His shoulders tensed, and he looked up at the ceiling with a mixture of confusion and alarm.

“What on earth…?”

-Air raid siren!!!!

James shook his head slightly while holding an empty frying pan.

Looks like the monsters had woken up.

With trembling hands, James hurriedly finished setting the table and awaited the descent of his guests. Before long, someone came downstairs, yawning.

“Hmmmmm…”

The first to come down was the red-haired man, Ricardo, if memory served him right. Yesterday, he had told James to address him casually. However, after seeing the absurd amount of money in the man’s coin pouch, James found it difficult to do so.

Ricardo nodded slightly at James, offering a polite greeting.

“You’re awake, sir.”

“As an innkeeper, I shouldn’t be oversleeping. Haha… Good morning.”

“Yes, good morning.”

“Did you find the room warm enough? I tried to make it as comfortable as possible.”

“Yes, thank you. The heating was so good that, honestly, it felt a bit too warm. Haha.”

Seeing Ricardo smile as he glanced at the food set on the table, James swallowed nervously, clutching his apron.

“You’ve prepared breakfast. It probably wasn’t easy; thank you.”

“Oh no… It’s nothing. After receiving such a generous payment, it would hardly be fair to only provide lodging.”

“Thank you for the effort.”

Despite the conversation, it was clear that Ricardo’s attention was mostly on the food. He kept glancing at the spread on the table.

Once at the roast lamb,

again at the soup garnished with tiny bits of broccoli,

and yet again at the freshly baked baguette.

Each time, Ricardo blinked slowly, his face forming a subtle, unreadable smile.

“Hmmm… Is this what the North serves for breakfast?”

James swallowed the gathering saliva in his mouth and responded.

“No… breakfast is normally much simpler, just bread or some jerky…”

“So, this must be more of a dinner feast or something meant for special occasions.”

“If you put it that way, sure… is there any issue with it?”

“No, no. I was just curious.”

Shrugging lightly, Ricardo turned and started walking back toward the stairs. He paused midway up, tilting his head slightly as he spoke to James.

“Would it be alright if I cooked breakfast tomorrow?”

“…”

“Oh, I don’t mean any offense by it! I just thought it might be burdensome for you, and I probably phrased it poorly.”

“No, you don’t have to…”

“I’ll compensate you for any kitchen usage. Plus, if there are other guests, I’ll stay out of your way.”

“Is something wrong? It may not look great, but it tastes fine.”

“There’s really nothing wrong. The lady just prefers my cooking, that’s all…”

“Well… if that’s the case…”

James clenched his fists beneath the table, standing in silence long after the young man had left. Wasn’t their reaction an insult to Northern cuisine?

Even if it wasn’t a direct insult, there was something irksome about it.

James felt a sudden urge to defend his Northern pride.

Even though, in truth, he despised Northern food himself.

*

I had carried the lady to the dining table and stretched her cheeks playfully as she glanced at the massive spread before her.

“My lady.”

“Mmm…”

“Wake up. It’s time for breakfast.”

“Ugh… breakfast…”

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, the lady wobbled in her chair, staring blankly at the food before her.

Roast lamb stew.

A soup topped with minced broccoli.

Crisp, freshly baked baguette.

Seeing the fully laden table, her eyes sparkled.

“Meat?”

“Yes, it’s meat.”

“Did Ricardo make it?”

“No, my lady. The innkeeper prepared it for us. Please thank him.”

Looking a bit awkward, the lady turned her gaze to James, who was standing by the table. She gave him a small bow.

“Thanks.”

“You should say, ‘Thank you very much.’”

“Thenk yoouu veryy mouch.”

As expected, my lady had excellent manners.

Smiling, I placed a well-seasoned piece of lamb onto her plate, watching as she gazed up at me with wide eyes.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“I will!”

The lady stared at me for a moment, silently asking for permission as she held her fork. The way she looked at me was as if she needed my blessing to begin eating. I gave a nod, setting a tray on her lap, and smiled.

“Help yourself.”

“Mhm.”

I turned toward James, who had been standing silently with his hands folded. I gestured to a nearby chair.

“You should join us, Mr. James. There’s far too much here for just the two of us.”

“It’s not too much!”

“And here I thought you were dieting.”

“…Oh, right.”

After much insistence, James shyly sat down and hesitantly picked up a fork.

And then…

The lady, known for her blunt honesty when it came to food, spoke up.

“Tastes bad.”

She stabbed the lamb on her plate with her fork and muttered coldly.

“This meat? It’s bad.”

True to her villainess ways, she didn’t hesitate to critique the dish right in front of the chef. Her voice was loud enough for James to hear as she complained about how awful the meat tasted, questioning how anyone could cook meat so poorly.

“It reeks.”

“…Ugh.”

“It’s super tough.”

“…Ow…”

“It’s too salty.”

“…”

“It’s overly sweet.”

James’s expression grew more and more pale as the lady’s harsh words poured out. Having been on the receiving end of her complaints many times before, I knew exactly how he felt.

But what could I do?

Her criticisms were accurate, after all. The food was worse than my first attempts at cooking.

With a bittersweet smile, I glanced down at my empty plate. From the scent alone, I had known it wouldn’t taste good.

After forcing down my portion, I lowered my head and apologized on behalf of the lady.

“I’m very sorry. My lady happens to have a picky palate… My lady, apologize.”

“Why?! Do you want me to lie and say it’s delicious when it’s not?! That’s how people go broke!”

“Even if it’s not delicious, it’s bad manners to insult the person who made it right in front of them.”

“Ugh… fine. Sorry. But seriously, it was awful.”

James remained silent, staring down at the table. He gripped his fork and knife with trembling hands, clearly wounded by the lady’s brutally honest remarks.

Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I carefully addressed James.

“I’ll prepare lunch myself.”

-Bang!

James slammed his fists on the table and shouted loudly.

“Well then, if you’re so great, let’s see you cook!”

“Of course.”

“What?”

He blinked at my calm and prompt reply, clearly regretting his outburst.

I looked at him with a small, confident smile.

“You see, I’m actually quite good at cooking.”

Matching his gaze, I flashed another brief smile.

[James Lv.55]

Occupation: Innkeeper/Retired Adventurer

Affection: -10

Favorite Topics: My lovely daughter/Praise for the inn/Compliments about his cooking/The North/Alcohol/Delicious food

Disliked Topics: Insults toward the North/Northern food/Greasy dishes/Monsters/Crazy people/Troublesome guests

I was confident I knew exactly what James wanted, and I was sure I could satisfy him.

I rolled up my sleeves and headed toward the kitchen. With plenty of time ahead, I resolved to prepare a dish that took its time, while James, still dazed, followed behind me.

“This is how you simmer pork bones to make the broth…”

Awed by my knife skills, which I had honed while working part-time jobs, James fell silent.

When he took his first bite of the completed dish, his eyes welled up with tears of admiration.

“What… what do you call this dish?”

“It’s pork bone soup.”

“…”

Gripping my hands tightly, James asked:

“Have you considered dating my daughter?”

Once again, pork bone soup worked its magic.

*

A cold wind blew.

The icy wind, sharp as a blade, swept over the Northern land.

Somewhere in the North.

The remnants of the cultists sat around a massive magic circle, chanting strange incantations. It was difficult to make out exactly what they were saying, but one thing was clear—the enormous monster in the center of the circle was writhing in agony.

A sinister grin spread across the face of one cultist as they spoke softly.

“Let the conversion begin.”

As soon as the words left his lips…

The monster inside the magic circle began to transform into a horrifying new form.

End of Chapter.