Chapter 21

As I returned from the snowy mountain to the search headquarters, I was called to gather as the nobleman, the Count of Altenburg, wanted to speak to us.

I thought it might be something important, but he said he wanted to express his gratitude in person.

However, it seemed that most of the knights had already returned to the capital, and only about twenty of us, including the Second Squadron, were in the hall.

"This time, my foolish son has caused you a great deal of trouble—"

I wanted to shout, "Exactly!" The Count of Altenburg explained the detailed circumstances. It turned out that the young master had eloped with a maid. Their marriage had been opposed for a long time. When they tried to arrange a suitable match, the young master eloped with the maid instead.

This place was the Altenburg family's summer retreat, and this was the servants' house. The main house where the family lived was just a few minutes' ride away. They came here every summer, so the young master was familiar with the location of the mountain hut.

To avoid the pursuers, the young master and the maid decided to act separately and meet at the mountain hut. However, this was a mistake. The young master, in a rash move, headed for the mountain hut and climbed the snowy mountain. On the other hand, due to the strong wind and snow, the maid decided not to enter the mountain and waited inside the house. She judged that it was too dangerous to climb given the depth of the snow.

She waited bravely for the young master, but he never came. She never imagined that he had entered the mountain first. Thinking that he might have been caught in some trouble, she reported it to the knights.

The young master, wearing a fur coat, had reached the mountain hut halfway up the mountain, but his lover never came. Worried, he started to descend and fell off a cliff on the way down. The knights had also searched the mountain hut, but they missed each other.

Well, he was found safely, and his injuries were minor. It was a good outcome, and the expedition's search wasn't in vain.

In the end, the marriage to the maid was recognized. Fortunately, she was the daughter of a baron. Though there was a difference in status, she wasn't completely ignorant of the noble society.

I hoped they would try their best. However, the story was so long that I gradually felt sleepy. The captain noticed my drowsiness and told me to go outside to wake up. I thought it was better to leave the room rather than fall asleep standing, so I left.

Outside, I stretched. It was cold, but I felt refreshed because I was so sleepy. I remembered that I had left a pot outside to dry from yesterday and went to retrieve it. I thought it was clean, but there was burnt butter stuck to it. I must have missed it in the dark.

To wake myself up, I decided to clean the pot. I borrowed a scrub brush from the kitchen. Recently, it seemed to stick more easily. The pot was old, so it couldn't be helped.

I filled the pot with snow and scrubbed it vigorously. The burnt residue was stubborn and wouldn't come off easily. It was getting colder, so I pulled my hood deeper over my head. My hands were also getting numb.

The burnt residue still wouldn't come off completely. I was so focused that I didn't notice someone approaching from behind.

"Are you the nobleman's daughter?"

"Huh!?"

In that instant, my body floated, and my mouth was covered with a cloth. I immediately thought it was a kidnapping and tried to scream, but I inhaled something from the cloth and quickly lost consciousness.

What a shame...

In my fading consciousness, I felt myself being wrapped in a sack. The last thing I saw was a large, bearded, real bandit.

◇◇◇

I woke up to the noisy voices. Opening my eyes slightly, I saw the bandits laughing. The noise was coming from the captain... I wondered who had placed the pot on my stomach like a blanket. It was heavy.

I tried to close my eyes again, but I noticed that their laughter was different from usual and suddenly woke up. I tried to get up, but I was wrapped in a sack and couldn't move.

I was in an unfamiliar room. The floor was covered with bear fur. The walls were lined with animal skins. In front of me, three bandit-like men were drinking. In the center was a roasted wild boar. The room was filled with a gamey smell, probably because it wasn't properly prepared.

Then I remembered. I had been kidnapped. I was so preoccupied with washing the pot that I didn't notice the bandits approaching from behind. What should I do now? There was no way I could escape from three bandits. The pot was heavy, and when I moved slightly, it slid off my stomach and made a loud noise.

The bandits turned to look at me. They were bearded and fierce, wearing bear fur and holding large swords. They looked like real bandits, completely different from the captain. I was genuinely scared. From now on, I decided to call the captain a "refined bandit" in my heart.

"Hey, you're awake?"

"!?"

The bandits were grinning at me. I was so startled that I rolled backward but immediately hit the wall.

"Are you the Count of Altenburg's daughter?"

No, but if I told the truth, I didn't know what they would do. So, I nodded.

"You don't seem like a noble lady."

I'm sorry, I'm from the countryside. I almost said it but swallowed the words.

What time was it? I had no idea how long I had been kidnapped. It was pitch dark outside, and moonlight was shining through the window. I sighed, and my stomach growled. The bandits laughed. It was a physiological reaction, but it was embarrassing.

"Hey, you're hungry. Batos, give her some meat."

What, are you being kind...? No, that's not it. They kindly tore off a piece of the unappetizing roasted wild boar and brought it to my mouth. The hand holding the meat was clean! The knife was blackened. Was the meat properly prepared!?

I didn't want to get sick. I wanted to say I was delicate, but I didn't know what would happen if I resisted, so I remained silent. The meat was forced into my mouth.

"..."

"How is it?"

To be honest, it was simply terrible. It was gamey, gamey, and gamey. It was the worst.

I swallowed it with tears in my eyes.

"You must have been very hungry. Poor thing. Give her more meat."

"No, thank you."

"Don't be shy."

I didn't want to eat more, but the bandits made me eat a lot of meat. Thank you very much.

After the meal, the bandits got to the point.

"We sent a message earlier. Your release will be in exchange for the Count's acceptance of our conditions."

"..."

The knights would likely negotiate. What should I do? If they abandoned me, it would be terrifying.

"By the way—"

"Yes?"

"Why were you holding a pot?"

"Um, well—"

"Isn't it strange for a noble lady to be washing pots?"

"It's not strange."

I said that serving guests with my own hands was a noble lady's duty. I thought they wouldn't believe such a weak excuse, but—

"Really? Can you cook?"

"I can, to some extent."

"Then make something now. If it's not delicious, you're a fake noble lady."

"..."

The bandits easily believed my fake noble lady's duty. I was untied and ordered to cook. I kept my hood on to hide my long ears and gripped the front of my coat. The fur-lined leather coat was a valuable gift from the Count of Altenburg for the snow mountain search. As long as I wore it, I wouldn't look like a simple country girl.

I was led to the kitchen with a sword pointed at me. The kitchen was disgustingly dirty.

The stone stove was covered in soot, and the washing area was piled with dishes and cups. The dirt was stuck to the dishes. Fortunately, there were no bugs because it was winter, but it was not a place to cook.

"Can I make a simple stove outside?"

"No, cook here."

"..."

A deep sigh. I decided to ignore the state of the kitchen and asked to see the ingredients. The food was stored in a shed outside. It seemed they lived by hunting, and there was a lot of game meat. The meat was left unprocessed, and the storage conditions were terrible. It was very smelly.

"Which is the freshest meat here?"

"That snowbird. It was hunted this morning."

When I picked it up, it had a shiny coat and no smell. It should still be edible. I had heard that snowbirds were delicious. They were hard to hunt because they were cautious, and I had never tasted one. Perhaps they had a skilled bandit.

There were also flour and spices, which they might have stolen. With the fresh bird, potatoes, flour, and spices, the ingredients seemed manageable.

"What about these eggs?"

"They were taken from a snowbird's nest today."

True bandits. They didn't think about preserving the species. Snowbirds were rare birds that bred in winter. The eggs were fresh, so they should be fine.

With these ingredients, I might be able to make something delicious, but—

Would it suit the bandits' taste? If they found out I wasn't from the Count of Altenburg's family, I didn't know what would happen. I had to prove I was a noble lady.

First, I had to clean the kitchen. I remembered the state of the kitchen and almost fainted.