The first floor appears to have served as both a restaurant and a bar, as the modest-sized hall was filled with many round wooden tables and chairs.
Following Bonita's lead, I sat down at a table and looked around with great curiosity.
A worn wooden table, huge oak barrels stacked in one corner like a small mountain…
Given that I had mostly eaten in the dining rooms of the Royal Palace of Soult or the Grand Ducal Palace, it was only natural that this quaint, fairy-tale inn felt very unfamiliar.
“Your order is ready.”
"amazing!"
After she was satisfied with the dried meat, she let out a little yelp at the sight of the hot food.
How long has it been since you've had properly cooked food from the kitchen?
With a happy heart, I picked up my tools, ready to fill my belly.
But then… something strange caught my attention.
'Huh?'
There was an unknown spot on the fork, made of an unknown metal.
It also looked… well, pretty worn – more neglected than its normal use over time.
Calmly, she picked up a napkin and ran it over the tines of the fork.
Indeed, not only was it rusted, but some black dirt also fell on the napkin.
Very disgusting.
No, let's assume it was a mistake. They must have been busy.
With a precise but thorough movement, I cleaned the pots well.
That's enough, isn't it? haha…
It made sense, considering that this place had probably not seen many visitors for a long time, and now it was suddenly hosting a crowd of travelers.
Plus, thanks to the tour guide's warnings, it didn't seem like as much of a problem as it might have been otherwise.
I think this is why preventive measures are so important.
Anyway, let's ignore this.
“We have almost arrived at the Imperial Capital. Bon appetite!”
Bonita's cheerful call signaled the start of lively conversations from other diners.
“Ah, I finally sat down in a proper chair and had a rest!”
“You had a hard time with the Night Dew, didn't you?”
The noise in the place increased as the other knights began to enjoy their dinners.
I felt more at ease, so I took my first bite of food with a lighter heart.
Then... something else caught my attention.
“Oh…”
This time, the problem wasn't the cutlery, but the menu item itself.
“Is this supposed to be roast duck leg?”
When I tapped it, the tender meat bounced off the fork.
Its texture was completely different from any duck or chicken I had ever seen before.
There is something abnormal.
One thing was clear: what was described as a “roasted duck leg” was nothing close to what was in front of me.
I haven't spent my life obsessed with duck legs, but this one was pretty small.
Honestly, it looked more like a dove, quail, or even an unknown bird caught from the middle of nowhere.
The menu clearly stated “Roasted duck leg with butter special.”
But no matter how hard I tried, this was neither duck leg nor buttery.
There is no buttery smell either, just a strong peppery smell.
'What is this?'
It was a strange situation.
Nothing strange appeared on the plate, but it was clear to everyone that the menu and the meal did not fit. However, everyone seemed completely unconcerned.
Even Grand Duke Balael, known for his extreme selectivity, did not bat an eyelid!
He was calmly cutting his portion of meat while I watched in disbelief.
My enthusiasm for this rare “real meal” fizzled like a sad balloon.
As a food-loving Korean, meals are very important to me, okay?
I was disappointed, then suddenly remembered the safety tips Blair had shared:
1. If foreign objects appear in your food, pretend not to notice them.
Small lodges in remote villages often have difficulty enforcing strict hygiene standards due to limited resources. Being alerted to these problems may greatly hurt the feelings of kitchen staff.
...Okay.
Let's not overreact.
The guide advised me not to make a fuss. So, whether it's a duck or a goose or something else, I'll keep quiet.
But after two successive strange incidents, my appetite almost completely disappeared.
Has anyone noticed that?
While I was eating the meat with my fork, one of the waiters approached me.
“Is everything to your satisfaction, miss?”
I glanced at my untouched plate.
Maybe the waiter was worried after seeing how little I was eating.
For a moment, I wondered if lying would be strange under the circumstances.
No, stick to the rules.
The rules are in place for good reason.
Just as I was about to speak, the strong smell of spices came back, triggering a violent sneeze.
“Oh, sorry... sneeze!”
The sound caught everyone's attention.
“Are you okay, miss?”
The waiter's worried gaze met mine as he repeated the question with a warm smile.
“Is there a problem with the menu, miss?”
“Well... the thing is... there is...”
Have they noticed that I'm not eating?
I felt the weight of everyone's gazes on me as I hesitated.
What's with all these nervous faces?
At that very moment, Liam appeared like a savior.
“…She ate a lot of bacon on her way here.”
"pardon?"
Liam stood between me and the waiter, and gave an unusually imprecise explanation.
“Dried meat is tough and takes a long time to digest. It is not surprising that her appetite has not returned yet.”
I took in Liam's words, and realized he was offering me a lifeline.
“He's covering for me.”
The chef of this restaurant must have had such a fragile pride that even Liam felt the need to be careful.
I thought it best to keep up with him, so I quickly nodded.
“Exactly! I've been eating nonstop, so I feel a little full. Haha!”
“However, I would recommend trying a piece of our duck leg. The chef has put his best effort into preparing this dish.”
Thank you for your interest.
After taking one last look at the table, the waiter left. The crowd gradually dispersed - except for Blair.
“Why is he staring like that?”
I couldn't look at him directly, so I turned my head away.
No no. It's not like I applied because I wanted to!
However, technically, I didn't break any of the guidelines, so it should be fine, right?
Even though what I was served was not a roast duck leg, I didn't complain or make a fuss – just muttered a little, and that was it!
“أحم، أحم.”
“Are you uncomfortable, miss?”
“Huh?”
Bonita's anxious question elicited a quick denial from me.
“No, I'm fine.”
“Eat your food before it gets cold.”
“Okay, thanks.”
In the end, I tapped into the cold soup and bit into the mystery meat, but I couldn't distinguish any obvious taste.
Honestly, dried meat might have been better.
At the very least, as warned in the safety manual, cleanliness in the restaurant was low, but there were no foreign objects in my food.
After finishing that uncomfortable meal, the first thing I did upon returning to my room was soak my tired body in hot water to relax.
As soon as I got out, I heard a knock on the door, just in time.