Chapter 40

The Earl of Norman Highland in the Kingdom of Hagel is a gourmet in his fifties.

"Dave, we must head to Hayden soon."

"Yes, my lord. We must return before the sea gets rough."

Hayden is a port town in the Kingdom of Ashbury. A large amount of timber is transported from the forest via the river and gathered there.

The Earl of Norman's territory is prosperous in woodworking industries, and he ships the high-quality timber produced in the Kingdom of Ashbury to make and sell luxury furniture, doors, and interior building materials.

The Earl of Highland personally travels by ship to Hayden in the Kingdom of Ashbury and values his relationships with local timber merchants. He brings Dave, the cook, to let him enjoy the delicious food and recreate it at the manor.

Dave is the cook of the Norman Highland family.

Previously, he was a cook in a marquis's household. When the marquis was stripped of his title for defrauding the country, Dave lost his job, but the Earl of Norman Highland quickly offered him a position.

The Earl of Highland and Dave landed in the Kingdom of Ashbury after a sea voyage.

The Earl worked energetically and bought a large amount of high-quality timber.

"Ah, Hayden is always a good place to visit."

"We've enjoyed so many delicious meals. I have many dishes I want to recreate when we return."

They were laughing together in a seafood restaurant when a middle-aged man entered the shop and called out.

"Lord Highland! Oh, I'm glad you're here!"

"Oh, Mr. Hild. What's the matter?"

"A messenger from my brother in the capital has arrived. The Marquis of Mills has fallen in love with Highland's furniture and has placed a bulk order. He wants to replace all the furniture in his manor with Highland's."

Replacing all the furniture in a noble's manor would be a huge amount of money.

Norman Highland thought, (I must go to the capital myself to confirm the preferences of the client.) There are several lines of luxury furniture.

"It's been a while since I've been to the capital of Ashbury. There must be many new shops. This will be an enjoyable trip. Dave, why don't you come with me to enjoy the gourmet delights of the capital?"

"Yes, my lord. I would be delighted!"

Thus, the Earl of Norman Highland and the cook Dave postponed their return to the Kingdom of Hagel and set off for the capital of Ashbury by carriage.

Eventually, they arrived in the capital.

"The capital of Ashbury is as vibrant as ever. It's truly a commercial kingdom. The number of people and shops is completely different from Hagel."

"That's true, my lord."

"Well, let's have a meal first. Where should we eat?"

The carriage headed for the bustling area. Inside the carriage, Dave thought he saw a familiar face in the crowd and leaned closer to the window.

He recognized Carol, the female cook.

Carol was Dave's apprentice when he was the head cook in the marquis's household. She was a girl brought by the noble who introduced Dave to the marquis.

"Please take this girl with you to the marquis's household. Her father was a good cook, and her goal is to return home and reopen the family restaurant."

Cooking involves carrying vegetables in wooden boxes and lifting large pots of water and ingredients. Dave was worried if her slim body could handle it, but Carol was surprisingly strong and worked hard. Moreover, she had a good sense of cooking, was dexterous, and never shied away from effort.

Cooks usually start as assistants, but because of the noble's request, Dave allowed her to observe the cooking process as an assistant. This was an exceptional treatment for a young female cook.

Carol's skills improved rapidly over a few months.

The other cooks in the marquis's household, who were already there, envied the specially treated Carol. They often bullied her and gossiped about her, but Carol remained calm. Dave was ready to help if anything happened, but he never had to intervene.

Carol was favored by the young second wife candidate and often talked to her during breaks. Eventually, she was made to talk to the woman every day.

Carol said she preferred being in the kitchen, but no one could refuse when the noble lady said, "Bring Carol to me."

Carol started talking to the second wife candidate every day during lunch breaks.

One day, the marquis suddenly fell from political power, but the young second wife candidate had already fled with her jewels. Carol also disappeared with her. It was like rats leaving a sinking ship. Carol vanished without collecting her monthly salary, and the other cooks gossiped that she might have stolen something from the manor.

(I didn't think she would disappear without saying goodbye.)

The conscientious Dave reported Carol's sudden disappearance to the noble who had helped him. A while later, he received a letter from the noble.

"Carol was apparently forced to accompany the young lady. It's unclear where she is, but she seems to be safe, so there's no need to worry."

It was a rather cold response.

The man with Carol was a tall, silver-haired man who looked like a noble. Another person was a beautiful blonde girl. The three of them were walking and laughing happily.

(She must have married into a noble's family as a second wife. I'm glad she looks happy.)

Dave leaned forward to look, but then he relaxed and leaned back, facing forward.

He wondered what had happened to the young second wife candidate. She used to have several pink dresses made in different shades and wore them.

Eventually, the carriage arrived at a restaurant.

Dave pushed the nostalgic memories to the back of his mind and refocused.

"I must learn the flavors well for my lord."

---

On the main street of the capital.

Victoria, Nonna, and Jeffrey were walking to digest their early dinner. It had been a delicious and enjoyable meal. Victoria walked, reminiscing about the day she arrived in this country.

When Victoria came from the Kingdom of Hagel to Ashbury, she had no intention of staying in one place for long.

She planned to move within the country or to another country after living and working for about six months. She was prepared to move at any time if something happened before the six months were up. She intended to spend about three years this way, changing her place of residence.

She didn't think the special forces of Hagel would search for her for three years. New members would be trained, and the cost of searching for her would exceed the investment in her, she believed.

A few days ago, Victoria decided to move.

She felt something was off about the inside of Mr. Miles' house and confirmed her suspicion during training.

The real resident of that house is left-handed and shorter.

At first, she noticed the discoloration on the brass doorknob, which had been held by the left hand for a long time.

She thought it might be a person who uses both hands, but during the sparring, it became clear that Mr. Miles was a complete right-hander.

Furthermore, the old socks used to clean tools in the corner of the carpentry area were a size that Mr. Miles couldn't wear. The nails were neatly hammered in various places, but their positions were at Mr. Miles' eye level. It was unlikely that the real resident would do that.

"A former agent lives next to the house of a former soldier, who is not the real resident. This person rests on the route I take a few days after I start running."

The probability of such a coincidence is extremely low.

Someone must have placed Mr. Miles in that house to monitor Victoria.

Even if it's a grand misunderstanding, it's fine.

She decided to move soon. Her intuition was urging her.

(Mr. Miles is not the real resident of that house. I should move before he realizes I've noticed.)

Suddenly disappearing would be very painful. She decided to write letters to thank and apologize to everyone who had helped her.

She wrote eight letters in total. Victoria tried to ignore the pain in her heart.