Chapter 2

To begin with, there was a reason I came to the autumn banquet. It was because my stepmother, who didn't think highly of me, had said, "If you don't find a fiancé within a year, you'll have to go to a convent!" Apparently, having a 'leftover' with strange hobbies would have a negative impact on my stepbrother's marriage.

Speaking of my stepbrother, he is just three years old and in the cutest phase of his life. It would be at least ten years before he could get engaged, and by then, I would definitely be out of the house. Even if I couldn't get married, I was confident that I could live a modest life in a corner of the estate. However, if I were to go to a convent, things would be different. If I entered a convent, I wouldn't be able to eat monsters anymore. I would have to live a very frugal life, praying to the spirits every day, and eating meat would be out of the question. I wanted to avoid that situation at all costs. However, my father, who was my last hope, reluctantly agreed after being reminded about my stepbrother. My father is weak when it comes to my stepmother, who gave birth to the heir. Although it's too late to say it now, the main reason I couldn't catch a husband to become the next countess as the eldest daughter is the biggest cause. Still, I was grateful for the one-year grace period and decided to attend the autumn banquet in a hurry.

(Anyone who doesn't interfere with what I do is fine.)

I'm not particularly unattractive, and I think I have a rather charming face. The House of Marshall Raid has a decent status, so I should be a popular candidate for a political marriage. However, I understood that the lack of even internal talks and the lack of response to the marriage proposals my father had desperately spread were due to the rumors about me.

"Eating raw monster meat"

"Drinking live blood instead of fruit wine"

"Driven mad by monster poison"

And so on. The rumors about me are mostly like that. The worst ones even say that "the children I bear will be monsters." I don't eat raw meat (it makes my stomach upset) or drink live blood (it makes my stomach upset). The monsters I eat have had their poison removed and are properly prepared (otherwise, even I would get sick).

But when my father, who felt sorry for me, said, "At this point, even a common knight will do. If he's a decent man, I'll gladly allow the marriage," I had no choice but to find someone. When my stepmother heard this, she confronted my father, saying that a common knight is not suitable for the House of Marshall Raid.

When I arrived at the venue, I slipped through the wall of many guards and quietly became a wallflower, or rather, a forest mushroom. The autumn banquet also serves as a way to evaluate single nobles. As a daughter of the House of Marshall Raid, I was among those being evaluated. I was aware that I was a failed lady who had not found a fiancé even three years after my debut in society, so I kept a low profile.

Since it was impossible to find a marriage partner among the nobles, I decided to look for a common knight wandering around the venue. However, the knights inside the venue were noble knights, and their swords were adorned with jewels. The common knights were apparently stationed outside the venue. After a while, some nobles who were looking at me appeared.

"Hey, look at that."

"Check out that red hair... Isn't she the one who eats monsters?"

"She's the gluttonous lady from the House of Marshall Raid."

"Does she really eat raw meat with that face?"

"Why don't you talk to her?"

"No way. What if she attacks you?"

"Speaking of which, didn't she attack the count's first wife?"

Hearing such talk, I quickly left the area. It was a groundless, particularly nasty rumor that I didn't want to hear.

(I didn't attack my mother!)

I decided that it was impossible to find a marriage partner among the nobles and spent my time enjoying the autumn flavors. I moved a bit further to the edge of the venue to look for a common knight. Just as I was thinking about this, I was suddenly pushed by a crowd and found myself in an unclear situation.

◇

When two blood-covered people walk together, the crowd naturally parts to make way for them. Duke Galbreath, who was much taller than me, took wide steps. I followed him, running a bit to keep up, as people scattered in front of us.

"Um, Duke, where are we going?"

"There should be some clothes in the tent. They won't be women's clothes, but they'll be better than this."

"I'm not that bad. I'm just going back, so it'll be fine once we return to the capital."

The tent must be one set up by the Duke's family for the banquet. I thought I could find an attendant and avoid troubling the Duke, so I gently pulled on his sleeve. I felt a wet sensation on my fingers, and my white fingertips turned red. The blood had already started to dry, but it seemed to have absorbed a lot.

"...Melfiella"

"Yes?"

"You'll get dirty."

I was called by my name unexpectedly again, and my voice cracked. Looking up, I saw the Duke looking down at me. His golden eyes, which had been glowing with magic, had calmed down and now had an amber hue. Our eyes met, and I stopped in my tracks, causing the Duke to stop as well.

"Do you not mind being defiled by blood?"

The Duke placed his hand on my fingers, which were holding his sleeve, and gently applied pressure. I opened my fingers, realizing that he was not wearing gloves and was touching me with his bare hand. It felt like something incredibly embarrassing, and my heart was pounding.

"J-Just a week ago, I handled one!"

"Handled?"

I couldn't look at him anymore and turned my gaze away. The Duke started walking again, and I followed, being pulled along. My heart was still racing. There was no way I could shake off the Duke's hand, being just a daughter of a minor noble family.

Instead, I focused on giving a proper response. How interested was the Duke? If it was just a polite inquiry, it would be rude to explain in detail.

"Yes, I'm used to it! When I eat monsters, I also handle the dissection and cooking."

"So, you mean you're experienced... You have a strong constitution."

Good, it seems he understood. The Duke sounded impressed. Of course, the capable servants in my house help me, so I don't do everything alone. In fact, the servants find me quite creepy. It's understandable since monsters are generally seen that way. Monsters are a general term for all living things that don't have magic, including beasts, fish, and insects. People don't eat monsters. In the past, they were said to be cursed or defiled, but the main reason was that they were not suitable for consumption due to their magic. The reason was that they could cause stomach problems due to magic or monster poison.

I, who wanted to eat such monsters, was considered quite unusual and a troublemaker in the House of Marshall Raid. Even my father probably wanted me to give up this hobby.

Thinking that the Duke's interest had waned and the conversation would end, I was momentarily speechless at his next question.

"So, are they delicious?"

"Excuse me?"

"Monsters. Are they delicious? I assume you've eaten a Backhorn before?"

"Well, um, I have."

"You have?"

"......Yes"

"Then?"

Naturally, the Duke was not satisfied with such a vague answer. Even though I wasn't looking at him, I could feel his intense gaze. Not knowing how to respond, I gave up and explained honestly.

"Backhorns have meat similar to beef and are very delicious. Since they are wild, I pound the meat thoroughly and then grill or stew it."

"Hmm, so they are similar to beef. And as long as they haven't gone mad, eating magic-infused meat won't make you sick?"

This was a slightly different question from what I had been asked before. I looked up at the Duke, who seemed genuinely interested. I had always been looked down upon for my strange hobby, and even my father, who understood my hobby, was always worried about my health.

"The magic in monsters can be easily extracted during the bloodletting process. If you eat them normally, you might only experience a mild magic high. If you do it correctly, they can be excellent ingredients."

"...So, you've already experienced this?"

"Well, it's not something to be proud of, but I have documented the ones I've verified."

I almost said, "If you're interested, would you like to read the documents?" but held back. The Duke was probably just curious about my unusual habit. He was a kind Duke who even cared about someone like me. It was just small talk to pass the time. Feeling embarrassed for talking so much, I tried to pull my hand away, but the Duke only tightened his grip.

"Um... Melfiella. It's a bit awkward to say this on our first meeting."

"Yes, I'm sorry. I talked about embarrassing things."

"Embarrassing? I don't understand, but... what?"

The Duke, who seemed to be choosing his words, glanced down at me.

"Um, next time, I'd like to try eating those monsters myself."