Chapter 3

Food is the source of life...

It's uncertain whether a high-ranking person in the church actually said that. Anyway, the kitchen in the Nortia Church was impressive.

Above the hearth was a large chimney, and there were many hanging candlesticks to illuminate the work area. The preparation table was a long rectangle, as wide as several dining tables, and along the walls, cooking utensils were neatly arranged on shelves. Various shelves for seasonings and storage containers were also well-equipped, and no cook would lack motivation with such facilities.

-- All the cooks are sisters, though.

In short, the church was equipped with a kitchen comparable to that of a nobleman's mansion.

-- I am truly grateful to all the sponsors who have provided us with such a wonderful facility.

Elizabeth entered the kitchen, clasped her hands, and thanked the sponsors rather than God. It was a sinful act, but it should be fine as long as she didn't say it out loud...

"Then, for the children's smiles, please do as usual, Elizabeth."

"Yes! Leave it to me!"

She tried to make a fist and strike a pose, but quickly retracted her hand. Neither a noble lady nor a sister would make such a gesture. Dangerous, dangerous.

"Elizabeth, you do the preparation. I'll get the oven ready."

"Understood."

This time, she answered in a refined manner and began her work. Normally, preparing the fire would be a dirty and troublesome task, so it would be Elizabeth's job as a junior. However, when she whispered suggestions to Hilde about the cooking, such as "a bit more salt would be better" and "overcooking will ruin the flavor," she was reassigned to cooking.

The head sister, Hilde, was a dignified beauty who could be intimidating, but she was not the type to bully or stubbornly adhere to tradition. She was observant, quick-witted, and a reliable senior.

-- When she's angry, she's really scary, though.

-- Let's put aside the respect for the head sister for now...

"Good meat."

She took out the block of pork bought this morning from the storage shelf and checked for mold. Since it had been salted beforehand, it seemed fine. The pork had cuts in the center, stuffed with laurel and garlic. After removing them, Elizabeth cut the meat into sizes suitable for cooking. The garlic, which had been placed between the cuts, was also chopped and placed on the iron plate for the oven.

"Head Sister, I'm ready."

"Then, could you put it in the oven?"

When Elizabeth called out to Hilde, it seemed that her preparations were also complete, and she stepped away from the oven. With oven mitts on, Elizabeth placed the iron plate inside. Her next task was to monitor the cooking process.

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she focused on the oven. Hilde, on the other hand, started sifting flour for other dishes. As expected of the head sister, she didn't waste a moment.

-- It's about time...

After a few minutes, the meat began to sizzle as oil dripped from it. Without hesitation, Elizabeth, with oven mitts on, took out the iron plate with the pork.

"Head Sister! The sear marks are just right, perfect!"

She called out to Hilde and placed the plate on the preparation table. After checking the cooking level again, she covered the pork with a round lid. Elizabeth then flipped over a wooden hourglass placed nearby. Slow cooking with residual heat was the key to a tender roast pork.

"Elizabeth, you're really good at cooking."

Hilde looked at Elizabeth with a meaningful nuance, though she usually kept her hands busy.

-- Something... doesn't feel right...

She couldn't run away in the middle of cooking.

"Thank you..."

"--- Noble ladies don't enter the kitchen."

-- Gulp!

Elizabeth took a step back, trying to obscure her words.

"Huh! E, hehe... well..."

Hilde was right. In the Fontini Duke's household where Elizabeth was born, she had tried to enter the kitchen but never succeeded.

"A lady of a duke's household must not enter the kitchen."

A nasty-looking male chef shook a frying pan while two maids sternly told Elizabeth that it was impossible. At least, she could cook better than the chefs who made the fishy and hard dishes. If she had thrown a tantrum...

"Defeat us first before you enter!"

She had thought of various ways to defeat them, but they all seemed too troublesome, so she gave up. Even if she had defeated the two maids, she wouldn't have been allowed into the kitchen. In this world, nobles were not supposed to go near the kitchen. Entering the kitchen was something commoners did when they couldn't afford servants. Cooking was out of the question for a duke's daughter. Everything was done by servants... or rather, she wasn't supposed to take their jobs.

"Here for a month, you've been able to dress yourself from the start, and you've been enthusiastic about doing laundry... why would a duke's daughter do such things?"

-- Gulp! Gulp!

As the bitter memories of her time in the duke's household faded, Hilde continued to question her. It was a dire situation. It would be troublesome if everything was revealed.

"I've always wanted to... try..."

-- I'm not lying. My voice wavered, but...

"Hmm, that's rare. Wanting to do a servant's job..."

"That's right. I'm rare, it seems."

This was also not a lie.

-- In this world, I added in my mind.

Hilde's eyes, which seemed to see through her, stared at Elizabeth. However, in the next moment, she averted her gaze.

"Isn't it about time?"

"Huh... Oh... Yes!"

At first, she didn't understand what was being said. It seemed to be about the roast pork. Checking the hourglass on the preparation table, the sand had already run out. She removed the lid and tried cutting the pork with a knife. The inside was a beautiful, appetizing pink. It looked perfect.

"Good job."

"Then, please plate it."

Hilde, who had gone to the shelf to get a large platter, turned around as if she had forgotten something. Elizabeth's back stiffened.

"I just asked because I was a bit curious earlier."

Hilde smiled coolly.

"I don't care about your reasons as long as I don't have to take care of you... The fact that your family has made many donations and that you are capable and work diligently for the children is enough for me."

Elizabeth felt relieved at Hilde's words.

-- She's really more practical than she looks.

Where had the self-sufficient, frugal church life gone...? It was a relief for Elizabeth, though.

"The roast pork is ready."

She quickly sliced the roast pork and placed it on the platter Hilde had brought.

"Next, please prepare the soup."

The soup was always served, so the preparation was already done. She added chopped onions, carrots, and herbs to the pot, along with water and salt, and the garlic that had been cooked with the roast pork as a secret ingredient. Ideally, she would add more seasoning, but the vegetables and salt were enough.

-- That's it.

She tasted it with a spoon, made the final adjustments, and then let it simmer. Checking on Hilde, she saw that she was making pancakes.

-- The church's meals have a lot of variety.

There was roast pork, soup, pancakes, and even a salad. It was good that everyone could be satisfied with delicious food. That alone made people happy.

Incidentally, the pancakes Hilde was making were thick. The original pancakes in this area were flat, like crepes. Elizabeth had initially endured with those, but her desire to eat something thicker eventually overcame her, and she started making thick pancakes when she came to the church.

-- Thick pancakes are just better.

The fluffy pancakes were a big hit with the children. Elizabeth was promoting thick pancakes.

-- In a church, after all...

The church was almost entirely on the thick pancake side. The next goal was the people in the nearby village! And someday, the king of Remaizer Kingdom!

"Ah... I'll help."

Raising her arms towards the ceiling, she was burning with a great ambition when Hilde looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"There are only a few more, so it's fine. After you wash the cooking utensils, please go play with the children."

"Understood!"

She quickly washed the iron plate and knife used for the roast pork and left the rest to Hilde.

"I'll come back when it's time to serve! Please take care of it."

Elizabeth bowed to Hilde and left the kitchen.

She headed towards the garden inside the church. The sounds of the children playing energetically could be heard immediately.

-- The head sister... is she really... not good with children?

She had never seen Hilde play with the children, and she was often asked to play with them. Despite being the head sister, she always did the chores until the end.

-- The world doesn't always go as you wish.

Thinking about Hilde, who worked for the children despite not being good with them.

She had experienced something similar in the past. A long, long time ago. It was something she had started out of love, but it didn't go well just because of love... and in the end...

★ New work started on 2021/4/2. Please read it if you like.

【Failed to Reincarnate as the Villainess and Became the Heroine Instead ～Giving up on a Family Ending with the Villainess's Brother, I Aim for a Lover Ending～】

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7332gw/