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——Pratoline’s Perspective

“I know how hard you work, young lady. You have my word. I’ll feed you my real cooking.”
“Is that right?! But, the poison-tasting……”
“I will tell your father that poisoning you is simply impossible. And it’s with my reputation as an S-rank cook on the line. He will agree with me. Besides, I’m going to sternly tell him that it’s more detrimental to your health to eat cold food all the time.”

He was blunt, but kind. He must have been dissatisfied that Patroline was always eating in such a sullen mood. That’s why……

“I’m looking forward to it. B-, but, this means it’s time for you to go, right? This will be the last I relish in your cooking, and the last time I, with you……”
“Yeah, my task here is done. I’ll be off for another cuisine journey.”
“O-, of course. However, I still have much more to learn from you. I am unsure if I can do it alone……”
“You have a gift, young lady. You have talent, and above all, you have a heart that is moved by beautiful things. Even without my guidance, you will surely be able to master the art.”
“Will I really……”
“Oh, you look timid. Where’s your usual confidence?”
“I-, I’m not timid. I-, it’s only natural. There is nothing I cannot do.”
“Ha-ha, now that’s the young lady alright.”

He then laughed carefreely. How insolent can he be, goodness! And yet, Pratoline could tell that he was concerned about her. His words and actions dazzled her to no end, torturing her heart. Her feelings for him were growing by the day, and yet she could do nothing about it.

As the feelings in her young heart swelled, the day of their parting came.

“You have saved me. It is no exaggeration to say that you changed my life. I would like to give you something in return, but I have nothing of my own now. The money I have all belongs to my father……”
“As short as it is, young lady, my time with you was fun. The journey of a gourmet is a never-ending one. If you want to pay me back, let’s see…… When you’re a person of your own, I want you to move me with your meal, that’s all I ask.”

He was a man of his own pace from start to finish. And the meal he served at the end was truly a moving experience. Pratoline had never eaten anything like it. No, perhaps, she would never eat something like that again in her life… It was truly a marvelous meal.

Very well, I shan’t lose! I shall become a gourmet adventurer and surpass that meal on my own. I will surely impress you with my cuisine!

The next few years were a time of great excitement. Being the heir to the Rozetta family and a gourmet adventurer, Pratoline continued to push forwards.

The world was still the same ugly place with constant betrayal and strife, but the discovery of new ingredients and the pursuit of delicious food continued to move her.

And while there had been many disappointments in her encounters with people, there had been two encounters that had impressed her in recent years. The first was her encounter with Lady Remilia, who then became the commander of the safety forces. Her proud and beautiful way of life was valuable.

And the other was……

The restaurant Berum. Its owner, Tilea, had the looks of someone unfortunate in the head, but… well, she was, for the most part. Except, of course, for her culinary skills. She was as masterful as Pratoline, and her creativity always left her astonished. Pratoline had never praised her out loud for it, but she could not hide her surprise that someone of her age was so well-versed in cooking.

Tilea loved her younger sister very much and wouldn’t miss a chance to brag about the latter’s enrollment in the magic academy. Having grown up devoid of sibling love, this was a new world for Patroline. She was genuinely happy to find a family that loved each other and took no part in jealousy, envy, or kicking each other down.

However, one day, an absent-minded customer made an outrageous comment to Tilea. “Your sister is such a brilliant girl, attending the magical academy. And yet, you’re working here, pity you” ……it was verbal abuse that would provoke her a sense of inferiority.

Pratoline hated it. She liked it when Tilea was bragging about her sister so proudly.

Subjected to such an insult, perhaps even Tilea would feel the same as Pratoline’s own siblings……

She’d hate to see it. She’d hate to hear jealous words from a person like her.

But then……

“She is, isn’t she!? Brilliant, isn’t she?! Timu is different from me. It’s like a black hen lays a golden egg! Not that I gave birth to her, though. You sure know your stuff.”

Her fears were unfounded. Sarcasm couldn’t penetrate Tilea’s thick hide.

Petroline was stunned.

She wondered why Tilea could think so genuinely of her sister. Even if it wasn’t as big as the family feuds of the nobility, there must be conflicts between sisters among the common people as well.

Especially if one of them was talented enough to do well in the academy. There had to be times when she compared herself to her. Surely there had been times when she had felt that she was less than her sister and had been troubled by it……?

She couldn’t help but ask Tilea.

Tilea then answered with a scowl.

“What are you talking about, milady? ‘Little sisters mustn’t be better than older sisters!’ Is that what you want to say? Things like that only exist in manga— err, fiction. In reality, every big sister wants to see her little sister grow. It’s not about being superior or inferior. Maybe you just don’t understand the heart of a big sister. Ha-ha~ Milady, you must be an only child, huh?”

My head hurts. Does she really understand? She spoke with such ease as if the very thought of it never entered her mind.

Did you really not think of envy and hatred?

Just then, Pratoline blurted out a vivid description of what had happened in her life.

“I see, I see. In short, you’re worried that Timu’s going to forget about me when she becomes someone awesome?”
“Goodness, yes, let us just go with that.”
“Well, of course, I have my own reputation as her sister, and I might get lonely once Timu becomes someone important. But, that’s not going to happen.”
“And why is that?”
“Timu, you see, I’ve always been looking after her since she was little. She’d follow me around, saying “Sis, sis!” Oh, I can’t tell you enough how cute and sweet she was… That’s why, I can’t bring myself to hate her no matter how much she changes, and I’ll forgive her no matter what she does to me.”

Then Tilea proceeded to talk about Timu in a very, very loving way. For her, it might have just been a normal conversation.

But to Pratoline… to me, who had lived my whole life in a world of power and intrigues, her every word sounded beautiful.

Fufu. I have always been arguing with her every time we meet ever since then, haven’t I? I hate how silly and good-natured she is, and how carefree her smile is, all because she doesn’t understand how much it moves my heart.

She always put me on the edge of my seat, worrying that she might be doing something. And now, she finally did it.

Tilea, why, of all things, must you defend a demonkin…..

Don’t you understand? By doing so, you have committed a felony.

In any other case, the correct procedure is to defeat the demon and report it to the proper authorities so that the case is dealt with. But, if I did so, I would also lose this silly but kind girl as well.

She is one of the few beautiful things in this ugly world, and I shan’t go out of my way to lose her. I don’t know why that demon has her eyes on Tilea, and I have no business knowing either. However, I shan’t allow a filthy demon to defile such a beautiful thing!

“We are ready, Lady Pratoline.”
“I see. As soon as I give the signal, we’ll go in.”
““Roger.””

A team of elites clothed in black surrounded the restaurant ‘Berum’. This was the assassination squad of my family, the one-hit wrecking crew. They literally specialized in covert operations, traps, and assassinations against forces hostile to the Rozetta family. Only the head of the family, my father Stole, and his heir are in command of this unit. They are, in many ways, the dark side of the Rozetta family.

Justice cannot be delivered, as it is a matter of my own dear idiotic friend. Thus, I must strike with an underhanded method.

You filthy vampire, you may have fooled Tilea, but not me. I shall put this to an end.

Paison = Poison
Peneno = Penne
Iat = Eat