Interlude: Abe’s Wedding Reception
After returning to the Lampail territory, I changed clothes in my room and teleported to the kitchen.
Even though help had come from the royal capital's mansion, we were still short-handed—no doubt about it.
Poof. “Sorry to keep you waiting~.”
““““““Whoa.””””””
“Joan! You were told not to teleport directly into the kitchen, weren’t you?”
“Yes… I’m sorry… Alright, let’s get cooking.”
“That was a fast switch!”
“Barry, that’s just how Joan is.”
Hey, Anny. That’s not something you should say proudly…
Are they dissing me?
This time, the reception was set up as a standing buffet. That way, people could enjoy it more freely, and above all, serving was easier. With a course meal, Mr. Abe the chef and Suzy the maid wouldn’t have been able to sit down and enjoy it themselves.
“Let’s see, the main roast beef and the vichyssoise soup are already done, so next is shrimp and clam ajillo, and plum-shiso cutlets?”
“The bread will be ready soon~.
“Young lady, what’s that ajillo? And those plum-shiso cutlets?”
“Yeah, I don’t know either.”
“Ajillo is like a simmered dish in oil. For the plum-shiso one… here, you mash this pickled plum, mix it with shiso, stuff it into pork, bread it, and fry it.”
“Pickled plum? What’s that? Is it edible?”
“Of course it’s edible… Here.”
I handed some to Ben and Delco.
““Huh? Sooo sour!! W-water, water…!””
“That sour, huh?”
“Oh, Ken, Barry, you guys wanna try it too?”
“Sure… Oh, this is pretty sour.”
“Yeah, definitely sour. But I kinda like it.”
“Joan, you’re putting that into pork? Is it okay?”
“It’s fine!”
Ken and Delco took on the ajillo. Barry and Ben got the plum-shiso cutlets. Kelly and Anny were in charge of cakes.
“Ken, Delco, peel the shrimp, cut the bacon into strips, separate the shimeji mushrooms, and take the stems off the cherry tomatoes.
Barry and Ben, season the pork with salt and pepper, take the pits out of the plums, mash them into a paste with a knife.”
““““Got it!””””
Once the prep was done—
“For the ajillo, put minced garlic into olive oil with… this minced anchovy. Once it starts to smell, add the ingredients.”
“Um, what’s anchovy?”
“It’s fermented sardines.”
“… Where’d you even get that?”
“This? At the Phantasmo market.”
“I though so. Never seen it before.”
“Wow, really.”
“Spread the shiso and plum paste over the pork like this… roll it up, bread it, and fry it. Oh, let’s make some cheese rolls too while we’re at it.”
“That definitely sounds tasty!”
““Ahaha.””
Ben clearly didn’t like the pickled plum, so when I mentioned cheese rolls, he lit up, which made Ken laugh too.
The cake wasn’t a multi-tiered wedding cake—it was a single-tier square type. The cake itself was filled and coated with cream and ichiberries, then decorated with ichiberries and plueberries. While Kelly wrote letters on a cookie plate with icing, I cut the ichiberries into heart shapes. I could feel eyes on me, and when I looked up, everyone was watching my hands.
“Whoa! Wh-what?”
“Ah, sorry. You were doing something so skillful, we got mesmerized.”
“Ehehe, it’s cute, right? Also, I’ve got these too… Ta-dah!”
I pulled out star and dove-shaped cookies from my storage.
“What’s this yellow on the star?”
“It’s icing cream mixed with lemon jam.”
““““““I see~.””””””
Just as we finished the cooking, Sarah came to call me.
“Young lady Joan, it’s time to head to the venue.”
“Ah, okay~ I’ll leave the rest to you guys~”
““““““Yes!””””””
At the party room, in one corner stood Arthur, now a bartender for the guests. Nearby, Sera was awkwardly trying to find the right moment to talk to him.
“Sera, are you having fun?”
“Eep! Oh, Young lady Joan. I feel kind of out of place here…”
“That’s not true… But you don’t know many people, right? Just a sec. Mike~!”
Mike, who was serving as a butler instead of gardener today, came over.
“Yes, yes, Joan. What is it?”
“Can you switch with Arthur now? His arm’s about to give out.”
“Oh yeah, you’re right. He’s been mixing cocktails nonstop since we got back. Got it.”
With that, he took Arthur’s place as bartender.
“Arthur, thanks for the hard work… Pain, pain, go away~”
“Thanks, Joan. Seriously, my arm was shot—Mike’s a lifesaver. I’ll just head to the kitchen—”
“Ah, kitchen’s fine. Arthur, come with me.”
I tugged Arthur’s sleeve and led him over to Sera.
““Eh!?””
“You met earlier at the ceremony, and Sera doesn’t know many people here. So Arthur, be her conversation partner.”
“U-umm… Young lady Joan? But…”
“Are you sure someone like me’s okay? I’m just a commoner. I’ve got no interesting stories…”
“U-um… I’m a commoner too…”
“Then I’m counting on you two~”
After I left, the two of them were a little stiff at first, but gradually warmed up and started talking happily.
The reception was well-received by the guests. Everyone kept going back for seconds, surprised by the new flavors and cocktails they’d never had before.
The bride and groom also looked like they were thoroughly enjoying the food and conversations with the guests.
“Congratulations again, you two.”
“Thank you, Miss.y For everything—with Suzy, with the pegasus, and the food.”
“Young lady Joan, I can’t thank you enough. Truly.”
“Today’s dishes were all ones with good fortune in my previous life. The plum in the plum-shiso cutlet, with its wrinkled look, symbolizes living long and well until you wrinkle—it’s a lucky charm for longevity. The curved shrimp tails in the ajillo resemble elderly people, a wish to be happy together until your backs bend. And clam shells—they only pair properly with the one they’re originally matched to.
That makes them a symbol of a harmonious couple. It means you only truly fit with your destined partner—perfect for newlyweds, don’t you think?”
“”……””
Tears welled up in Suzy’s eyes.
“Eh!? Did I say something wrong?”
“No, not at all. It just… means so much that you thought that far… I’m just really happy…”
"Suzy... Thank you, Missy."
"No. Mr. Abe, if you don't make Suzy happy, I'll never forgive you!"
"O-oh, sure. It'll be fine. I'll make her happy for sure!"
The reception continued late into the night.
I was tired from attending the ceremony and cooking, so I quickly returned to my room and drifted off to sleep.
Mr. Abe and Suzy, I wish you both happiness.
What do you think about this chapter?
