The main menu item at Nine Pieces was aptly named Nine Pieces.
Chopped pork and bok choy are stir-fried in oil, then drizzled with a spicy sauce. The inside of a softly baked morning bread is hollowed out, and the stir-fried food is tucked inside. Put it back in the oven once more, and it’s done!
Nine of such breads are served. Arranged in three rows of three on a white, square plate, each accompanied by a slight floral decoration.
It’s a restaurant I often visited with my parents. It’s a delicious place with fairly high prices, but in truth, it’s not the kind of upscale restaurant that Duke Daira would frequent.
There are separate establishments that the honorable nobility often patronize.
But why did he choose this place?
“Master, I will wait here with the carriage.”
With that, the old coachman disappeared with the carriage.
After sending him off with a brief reply, I stood in front of the restaurant and took a deep breath.
I tucked my short hair behind my ears and checked my reflection in the restaurant’s glass window.
Not knowing how the Duke would dress, I just dressed neatly.
I wore a cherry blossom-colored dress that fell to my knees, tied a wide belt properly around my waist, draped a short coat over my shoulders, and wore flat shoes.
The only jewelry was a magic defense ring on my left pinky finger.
He wouldn’t think it’s a lack of effort, would he?
In fact, I had a lot of trouble choosing what to wear.
It wasn’t a business meeting, so I couldn’t look too formal, nor could I dress up as if it were a date, and I couldn’t be too casual as if meeting a neighborhood friend.
“Ugh, I don’t know.”
The Duke would probably come in his magician’s uniform anyway.
With a complicated heart, I opened the door.
The employee at the counter recognized me, a long-time regular.
He immediately smiled a business smile and bowed his head as he saw me.
“Welcome. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“You have an appointment with Duke Daira, right? I heard about it in advance. I’ll show you to your seat right away.”
The Duke had told them everything.
I replied simply and let out a long breath, feeling unnecessarily nervous.
As I followed the employee, I sneakily glanced at the other tables.
Most of them were occupied by young couples.
The slightly dim interior was lit by candles, the air filled with the scent of fragrant wine and the murmur of conversations. Soft music played, creating a special and sweet atmosphere.
No matter how hard I tried to distract myself, my heart kept pounding.
I wanted to appear comfortable in front of the Duke, but it wasn’t easy.
Why am I so nervous?
I rubbed my palms on my clothes to dry them.
“Countess.”
It was a familiar voice.
Our eyes met.
It felt as if the gentle music stopped abruptly.
The Duke, perfectly dressed to the point of making me feel embarrassed about my own attire, looked up at me while seated.
A well-ironed white shirt with a casual tie, a generously draped coat.
His carefully groomed golden hair was loose and comfortably covered his forehead.
From the front, his face, gentle and kind beyond measure, formed a smile towards me.
I could clearly see the candlelight flickering in his deep blue eyes.
…Did I dress too casually?
“Hello.”
I greeted him and calmly took a seat opposite him.
The Duke continued the conversation as if he had prepared for it.
“I’m glad to see you again. You seemed unwell the other day, and I was worried.”
“Ah, thank you. I’m fine. And you, Duke…?”
“I’m also fine. Shall we order?”
One would think that someone like Duke Daira wouldn’t need to order at all in the upscale restaurants he frequents.
Yet, he took the menu quite ordinarily, asked me what I wanted to eat, and then completed the order.
Watching him, my throat suddenly felt dry, and I drank several glasses of the prepared water.
Duke Daira had come dressed so formally and politely, while I felt I had dressed too casually, which kept bothering me.
I noticed the neat cufflinks on the sleeves of Duke Daira’s shirt.
“Countess, is something troubling you?”
“No, not at all.”
I quickly shook my head and even managed a slight smile.
The Duke smiled back in response.
“I looked at several restaurants, and I heard that you often come here. You used to come alone sometimes, so I chose this place. Do you like it?”
“Uh…”
I was too flustered to answer immediately.
I didn’t expect the Duke to go to such lengths to find out about the restaurant.
Like me, he probably had someone else do it, but the thoughtfulness was unexpected.
“Yes, thank you. It’s actually a place I often visited with my parents.”
After my parents passed away, I would sometimes come here alone out of nostalgia.
I would order the Nine Pieces, which I couldn’t finish by myself, and wistfully reminisce before returning to the mansion.
There’s no need to tell him all this. And now I don’t do such things anymore.
Hesitating for a moment, I added briefly, grateful for the Duke’s thoughtfulness.
“It’s really nice to come here with you, Duke. I’ve been too busy to come here lately.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Yes, isn’t it? Next time, I’ll definitely treat you.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“Yes.”
As we exchanged a few words, the food arrived.
It’s difficult to eat with your hands, so you should use a fork and knife to cut the bread and meat.
I wondered if the Duke knew how to eat it, but he skillfully picked up the fork and knife.
I was ready to help if he seemed confused.
Still, since it’s a restaurant I often visit, let me give him a tip!
“It’s quite tasty here. If it’s too spicy, you can ask for cream sauce to dip it in, and it will be less spicy.”
“Oh, yes. Do you like spicy food, Countess?”
“I love it. That’s why I sometimes ask for extra spicy sauce here…”
Huh?
Behind the Duke, through the glass wall, a familiar face is looking at me.
A wrinkled face, a bent back, white hair.
Above all, that kind face smiling at me.
But behind those eyes and smile, a bizarre contradiction flashes.
“Just a moment, please.”
I stood up abruptly without realizing it.
The grandmother, seeing me stand up, subtly turned her body and tried to disappear among the people.
“Uh… I’ll be right back… I need to use the restroom!”
“Ah, yes. Take your time.”
I left the food untouched and almost ran out.
I went outside the restaurant and rounded the corner.
I went to where the grandmother had been, but no one was there.
I looked around for the shabby figure, and then I saw a black garment slip through an alley gap!
I hurriedly ran into the alley. I turned several corners.
The stench of the sewer and garbage rolling around aimlessly. The figure of the grandmother running ahead.
“Grandmother!”
The sound of running, the fluttering of clothes, it seems I could catch her if I ran a little faster, but the distance just won’t close.
It feels like I’m playing tag with the grandmother.
“Break the curse before you go!”
Was she not a person but a trickster, a real monster?
How can a grandmother run so fast!
How can her joints be so strong!
“Huff, huff…”
Eventually, I stopped, out of breath.
I leaned on my knees and bent over, gasping for air.
I had run so much that my back was soaked with sweat.
I finally caught my breath and looked around.
Damn, it’s eerily quiet.
The grandmother, or trickster, seems to have completely disappeared in this alley.
“Really, this is too much. Are you playing with me?”
I should go back to the Duke.
What if he thinks I have constipation?
With that trivial worry, I took a step.
“…”
A bad feeling made me look down.
My right foot had turned to stone.
Even in the dim alley, I could clearly see my right foot turned into a rock.
No, correction.
Honestly, I couldn’t see it; I just felt it.
…Did I answer the Duke earlier?
Or not?
Crazy, I didn’t!
Suddenly, a sense of injustice and anger surged.
“Grandmother, stop playing around! Come out quickly and break the curse!”
Of course, there was no answer.
Crunch, crunch, the terrible sound of my whole body turning to stone.
“Duke! Duke, help me! Duke! I answered! Count that as an answer!”
Miria Hexen, at the young age of twenty-seven, died because she didn’t answer.
Sigh.