Extra Edition / Mob Perspective: The Troubled Entourage Life of a Certain Viscount's Daughter 5
"The feed for livestock... me...!?"
It was no wonder Trixie-sama was agitated. After all the effort she put into mocking Cristea-sama by calling Lars livestock feed, she never dreamed she would have to eat it herself.
"Yes. To avoid the rebuke of Crown Prince Raymond and the retaliation of Duke Ellisfeed’s family, we must eat Cristea-sama's favorite food and publicly declare that it was our misunderstanding to think of it as bad food."
"So you're telling me to become a repulsive food eater too!?"
Trixie-sama slammed the teacup she was holding onto the table with a loud crash. Her usual composure was nowhere to be seen; she was in utter disarray.
"We can only determine if it's bad food or not by actually eating the Lars from now on."
"If I do that... it could be seen as an act of betrayal against Francine-sama... How am I supposed to explain this to Francine-sama..."
Saying this, Trixie-sama held her head in her hands.
Indeed, publicly declaring that Lars is not bad food and that it is delicious is no different from what she just told her Alicia-sama: "To curry favor with Cristea-sama."
As supporters of Francine-sama, it wouldn't be surprising if we were judged as committing an act of betrayal by praising Cristea-sama.
But if we eat the Lars here, we can maintain the appearance of "We followed the example of the Crown Prince, so we, as his subjects, did the same," while also providing a strained excuse to Cristea-sama that "It was a misunderstanding that Lars was livestock feed!"
If simply eating can avoid the misfortunes that could arise in the future, then we have no choice but to act...
"Even you don’t go, Trixie-sama, I will head to that café now. I can't let my foolishness ruin our family. You may expel me from the circle of Francine-sama's admirers."
The young lady who made the proposal stood up with a clatter, bowed, and moved towards the door to leave the room.
Wow, being expelled from the Francine-sama’s faction... It's like declaring she'll manage without the protection of a high-ranking noble, is she going to be okay!? But if we don't decide now, we might all end up falling together with Trixie-sama.
"I... I'll go too..."
"I will accompany you as well!"
Several young ladies stood up, declaring their intentions, and similarly bowed and started to leave. I also stood up, thinking I couldn't let my Father, Mother, and my adorable younger siblings be left out in the cold.
"Stop right there!"
Trixie-sama shouted, her voice almost a scream. The young ladies who were about to leave stopped for a moment and looked back at Trixie-sama over their shoulders, but quickly turned to face forward again. At this point, no one was willing to listen to Trixie-sama's orders.
"I said stop! I-I will go too!"
Everyone was surprised by Trixie-sama's words and turned their attention to her.
"I-I will also... have the Lars dish!"
She stood up, her hands gripping the table tightly, trembling with anger and humiliation written all over her face.
The remaining young ladies, who were uncertain about which side to choose, secretly showed relieved expressions.
Since we were going to eat, we decided to avoid the busy lunch break and get a private room as soon as possible. The reasoning was that if any young lady fainted from the shock of eating livestock feed, it could become a scandal.
While I thought it might be better to let a third party see us eating Lars, I also understood the desire to avoid accidentally showing any disgraceful behavior. So, we occupied a private room at the café right after it opened.
At the counter, we ordered dishes made with Lars for the number of people present. We placed the plates we received upon ordering on the magic device embedded in the private room's table, and soon enough, the food was delivered. What? Already? Isn't that too fast!?
"Ladies, your orders... here is the Gyudon."
With a clatter, dishes were placed in front of each seat, each one a conveniently sized bowl that fit snugly in both hands, filled with a heap of something that looked like brown meat.
"Um, we ordered Lars dishes, didn't we?"
One of the young ladies hesitantly asked the server, who turned back with a smile and answered.
"Yes! This is one of our popular menu items, with Big Horn Bull tendon meat simmered until tender and served over Lars!"
What? Big Horn Bull... isn't that the one that's delicious but has very little edible part and is very rare, so it's quite expensive?
"Big Horn Bull!?"
"Such a high-class ingredient at this café... oh, excuse me. At this price? There must be some mistake, right?"
"There is no mistake; it is indeed Big Horn Bull. However, we use a different part, which allows us to offer it at a low price."
"I see..."
Apparently, the tendons that used to be discarded have now been carefully prepared to make them edible.
"Since it seems to be your first time, let me explain. The dish contains Lars underneath the meat, so please use the spoon to scoop it up with the meat and enjoy. Miso soup is a complimentary service during lunchtime."
After finishing the explanation, the server promptly left the room.
"Big Horn Bull meat... we hardly ever get to eat this even at home..."
"This is my first time..."
"But, we have to eat it with the Lars underneath, right..."
"......"
While they were excited about the unexpected high-class ingredient, the young ladies were conflicted about having to eat it with Lars, which they still considered livestock feed. None of them could bring themselves to start.
"You there. Since you were the one who suggested this, take responsibility and be the first to eat."
Trixie-sama commanded the young lady who had proposed the idea. Although the young lady hesitated, she steeled herself, took the spoon in hand, and plunged it into the Gyudon.
With everyone watching, she brought the trembling spoon to her mouth, squeezed her eyes shut, and took a bite.
"......!?"
What do you think about this chapter?
