HGOS – Chapter 43

Zester was stunned. So much so that he couldn’t recall ever being this surprised in his life.

He had somewhat expected it after seeing Ruberno Castle, considering it was five times the size of the Greze Castle, but the scale of everything here was simply on another level. The dining hall where they were now seated was no exception.

There were only six people dining: the Count and Countess of Ruberno, Estella, Allen, Cassia, and himself. Yet the massive solid wood table, so wide it would take five grown men linking arms to span it, was filled from end to end with food, with barely a gap in between.

Was this an overly elaborate spread to welcome guests? Or was this simply how the Rubernos always dined, with such an unnecessarily large amount of food?

In Greze, where every plate of food felt precious, meals were only prepared as much as were needed so he had never seen or even imagined such an extravagant display.

As if sensing Zester’s confusion, Allen, who was seated across from him, spoke up.

“In Ruberno, we always put this much effort into our meal. Unlike the north, our warm climate has fostered a more diverse food culture. Here, providing abundant and plentiful hospitality is considered a noble virtue. We also believe that consuming a hearty, nutritious diet is part of happiness. Unlike Greze.”

“Ah, I-I see.”

Zester swallowed dryly as he scanned the table.

Even the soup before him didn’t look simple. Made thick with ground pork and eggs in a rich broth, it looked filling enough to be a meal on its own. Compared to the grain-based soups of Greze, this didn’t even seem like the same food.

And that wasn’t all. Thin corn bread was stuffed generously with slices of beef. There was another dish, some kind of braised brisket with a deep red, unknown sauce that made his mouth water.

Then there were things like fruit fritters, turkey stuffed with black beans and vegetables, and even meats ground up and reformed onto bones before being roasted whole…

Frankly, Zester couldn’t identify most of the dishes. All he could say for sure was that almost every plate contained meat. As expected from the southern region, known for enjoying meat at every meal, and from one of the wealthiest territories, no less.

While Zester’s eyes darted back and forth over the overwhelming spread, Allen gave him a disapproving glance, then clapped twice. Recognizing the gesture, one of the attendants immediately rushed forward to stand beside Allen. Judging by their attire, they were the head chef.

“Perhaps you’re feeling out of sorts, Baron Greze? I doubt you’ve had food made from such expense ingredients so you may not know how to eat it. Considering that, I purposefully called the head chef ahead of time. Chef May, do explain.”

“Yes, young master.”

The middle-aged chef, wearing a neat white work dress beneath her chef’s apron, bowed politely.

At this point, Cassia was glaring at Allen. She could see right through his intentions in every word, and he didn’t dare to make eye contact with her.

Zester looked genuinely touched as he watched Allen deliberately summon even the head chef, seemingly oblivious to the subtle, or rather, blatant disregard he was receiving.

‘Is this man actually that foolish?!’

Cassia looked at Zester’s glowing profile and pursed her lips in disbelief.

“Today’s main dish is meat pocca. It’s a traditional Ruberno dish made with tender cuts of beef and pork, marinated in a southern fruit sauce, then served appetizingly on firm pork bone. Eleen, Viola.”

“Yes, Chef.”

Two apprentice maids, clearly familiar with the task, moved to carve and plate the meat pocca at the center of the table, placing a generous portion in front of each guest.

“Please begin with the soup. It’s a traditional southern soup made with boiled milk, seasoned with salt, and blended with ground pork and eggs. It’s perfect for soothing the stomach.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Zester hesitantly picked up a spoon, following the Ruberno family, who were already soothing their appetites with the soup.

“Also, plated in front of you, Baron, from left to right, you’ll find: Getia (a Southern dish made of thin corn bread filled with marinated beef and a sweet glaze), Rezzo Baiha (brisket steak with a special southern ‘Rezzo’ sauce), and Fried Livana (a southern fruit known for its soft, sweet flesh). Oh, and Getia is meant to be eaten with your hands, so please use the cloth gloves provided over there.”

“Ah, I see.”

Watching the Ruberno family, each busy eating, Zester slowly slipped the gloves onto his hands.

Cassia, who had been watching him struggle to eat, hesitant to even lift a spoon, suddenly noticed Allen and Estella covering their mouths, as if trying to hold back their laughter.

These two have completely lost their minds. There was no other explanation. They were being absurdly childish. Yes, they were still young and immature, but they were never this cheeky.

She also didn’t appreciate the Count and Countess sitting there quietly, allowing the rudeness to happen without so much as a word.

Cassia glanced at her parents who were engrossed in their meal and pretending not to notice and let out a slow, exasperated sigh.

“Lord Baron? For the turkey dish, our staff will serve that for you…”

“Ah! Is that so? Ha ha…”

Zester had just moved his fork toward what looked like the most familiar dish when he froze, smiling awkwardly.

“Baron, when food is served whole like that, we wait for the attendants to serve them then we can eat.”

“Sister Estella, the Baron has likely never had a meal with attendants at the table. Naturally, he wouldn’t know.”

“Oh my, is that so?”

The two were coordinating so well together that Cassia was about to explode. Watching Zester smile sheepishly and say, ‘Right, it’s my first time’, she was so annoyed that her face turned black. Cassia coldly waved off the maids who came to her side to serve the turkey.

“Leave it.”

“Pardon?”

“This is my husband’s first meal in the South. I’d like to serve him myself.”

Cassia dismissed the two flustered maids and swiftly picked up her fork and knife. Rolling up her sleeves, she began roughly carving the turkey leg and placed slices onto Zester’s plate.

Zester looked at her in surprise.

“There’s no special way to eat. Everyone eats the same. Even that Getia…”

She gently slipped off the slightly small cloth glove from his hand.

“…You can just cut it with a knife and eat it. Just eat comfortably.”

Though the food traditionally started as a finger dish, most nobles rarely ate with their hands, so they didn’t eat Getia in that manner. In fact, even when Cassia lived in Ruberno, they had never brought out gloves for Getia. This was clearly a setup to make Zester look foolish.

Cassia sliced the turkey herself, placed it on his plate and even removed her gloves, then shot a deadly glare at her younger siblings.

Caught by her fierce eyes, Estella and Allen quickly feigned ignorance and looked away.

“Thank you, my wife.”

Meanwhile, Zester’s ears flushed red as he dabbed at his nose, and Cassia felt her heart clench with a strange mix of frustration and affection. Forcing a smile, she aggressively sliced up her beef and brought it straight to his mouth.

“H-Huh?”

She wasn’t the type to feed her husband but watching him get so blatantly mocked by her younger siblings made her want to lift him up a little.

“My arm is going to fall off.”

Looking at her with dazed eyes, Zester quickly opened his mouth at her urging and took the bite.

Watching this unfold, Allen, clenched his teeth. Cassia was slicing the meat herself and stuffing the mouth of a mere country bumpkin. It was truly blood-boiling scene.

“Right, Cassia.”

At that moment, the Count, who had been buried in his meal and acting like nothing was happening, finally opened his mouth.

“Yes?”

“Ian is scheduled to arrive this evening. He’ll be staying at the castle for about four days.”

“Sorry? What do you mean?”

Cassia replied and immediately frowned.

“I was also contacted on short notice. There is a matter concerning magic stones that we need to discuss.”

“How urgent can it be? I made plans to visit well in advance, and for you to suddenly say Viscount Havelyn is on the way…”

This was an absurd situation indeed. The degree to which a guest was valued at a noble’s estate could be seen in their treatment. In addition to providing fine accommodation during their stay, the castle owner showed respect to their guest by sharing every meal with them, which must also be prepared lavishly.

It was reasonable for invited nobles to become angry if they were invited only to dine separately from the host or if the host didn’t spend leisure time with them, such as for tea. It was a clear sign of disrespect.

And of all signs of disrespect, this was the one that should provoke the most anger. Not only did a host not provide the utmost hospitality during a stay, but they also invited another guest to the castle at the same time.

Of course, Zester, who had never hosted nor been hosted by nobles, not at all displeased to hear that Drian was coming to visit while he was at the castle.

“I heard that the heir of a philosopher family, who is said to have studied the use of high-grade magic stones, has been brought to Havelyn Viscounty. I extended an invitation because I had to seem them anyway.”

“Since you say they’ve been ‘brought’ to Havelyn, they will likely be staying there for a good while. Was it really necessary to invite them while we’re here? You could always see them later…”

“It’s a headache not being able to use the high-grade magic stones at all right now. This is an issue I’ve been urgently wanting to deal with, so what could I do? I hope you can understand.”

From their first meeting to this dinner, if he had just treated them normally, she wouldn’t be this angry. She wasn’t even asking for special treatment. What was this? Did he invited them here and deliberately decide to be rude? Cassia let out a long, hot breath, trying to calm her temper.

Just as she was about to say another word—.

“Baron, I heard you’ve met Viscount Havelln once before. It shouldn’t be awkward, I assume? I hope you’re not offended.”

Her fox-like father seemed to decide to smooth over the situation by coaxing his foolish son-in-law instead of his hawk-like eldest daughter.

The Count asked it directly, and Zester was certainly not the type of person to utter a single word of displeasure. Holding zero expectation, Cassia shifted her gaze to Zester, and sure enough, he gave a small nod without the slightest trace of displeasure.

“Of course not. If it’s an urgent matter, there’s no reason for me to be offended. Please don’t mind me.”

“Ha ha… You are as magnanimous as the rumors say. Thank you for understanding.”

“Not at all.”

Zester, perhaps taking that as another compliment, blushed and smiled. Cassia closed her eyes and tried to swallow her anger.

A few seconds later, she felt a small tap on her arm and turned to see Zester hesitantly offering a piece of bite-sized beef on a fork to her.

Was this because she fed him earlier?

“Have some, wife.”

He gave a beaming smile.

Gosh, what am I supposed to do about this dummy?

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