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Her Secret 1

It was when I was 16.

With the daifuku reproduction being a complete success, as usual I came to the kitchen.

The existence of daifuku surprises and shocks everyone, and it's a recent event that my idea was accepted.
Surprised his daughter has a unusual talent, Father gave me his permission to enter kitchen after this daifuku case.
Perhaps this outcome was also thanks to my habit of peeking inside the kitchen whenever I had spare time.

When I aimlessly dropped by today too, I was welcomed by Head Chef Thomas and the cooks under him, and the talk rapidly turned to whether I'll make some new dish.
As I stood in the kitchen thinking that I don't mind since I was feeling bored anyway, Thomas who would normally question me more zealously than anyone, dropped his eyes and his expression clouded.
Thanks to his depression his plump body became even rounder.

"Thomas? What's the matter?"

The man, who always questions me with sparkling eyes, being quiet worries me. Or rather, it feels unpleasant.
I stopped what I was doing, and when I tried asking for the reason, uncharacteristically for him he evasively said it's nothing.

I wonder if this man knows that such an attitude is most worrying.

"If something happened, could you talk? Of course, I won't insist, however, I will be too worried to even think about cooking"
"I'm sorry, Master…"

Thomas apologetically lowered his head.
When I urged him again, he hesitantly spoke.

"I apologize for making you stop what you were doing, Master. I'm blessed compared to them… I was just thinking that"
"Them?"

I don't understand what he's getting at. Who in the world is he talking about.
As I conveyed my doubt with my eyes alone, with a single nod Thomas began talking.

"The juniors under my teacher. I trained under the previous head chef, my father, but they became father's apprentices after he retired from here"
"… What happened to those juniors?"

When I asked, a little annoyed by his roundabout way of speaking, Thomas started talking bit by bit.

According to Thomas's story, it seems it's not easy for cooks to find a job in this world.

Without connections, you won't be hired by nobles. It's an extremely tough world.
His father being a fulltime head chef for the Vivoir ducal house was more than enough connection for him to be hired by us, but after undergoing the severe training all of his juniors failed to find work.

"Everyone is skilled. But um… how should I say it, they are clumsy…"

Even if they land an interview they fail, without referral they are only turned away at the door.

Going by how at loss Thomas's voice is, I understand he must've considerably cooperated.

"Then, how do they all make a living? Did they find another job?"
"No, everyone has their pride as a cook. They want to have jobs related to cooking somehow, and after running all around, they finally found a temporary job at a small restaurant in town"

What, so didn't they eventually find job.

Then why does Thomas have such a grave face.
When I tilted my head in confusion, Thomas sighed that the problem is from there.

"… The restaurant where my juniors were hired was truly small. But, at noon and in the evening,  it overflowed with people, it was a famous restaurant in that area. Then, it caught a noble's eye…"

He informed the shopkeeper to close the store and come work for him.

"The shopkeeper declined. I opened the restaurant because I wanted people to eat my cooking like this. I don't intend to be employed by a noble, he said"
"… What a resolute person"

I see, I'm convinced.

There are many cooks who want to be hired by nobles.

But, in the same vein, there are cooks who care more about people eating their food.
Such cooks after earning considerable amount of money often open their own businesses in town.
It seems the shopkeeper this time was that type.

"But, that noble didn't understand the shopkeeper's words. Your financial situation will improve compared to running a restaurant in town. Society's evaluation will also increase. Why are you refusing, he flew into a fit of anger"
"… There are idiots everywhere"

He's the type who can't settle down if he doesn't have everything under control. The noble is.
It's truly an absurd story.

"And? I wonder what the shopkeeper did?"
"The shopkeeper didn't nod yes. The noble's pride must've been hurt. As a revenge, he opened the same kind of shop in front of the shopkeeper's. He was thorough, he placed his personal cooks there, moreover set the prices lower than in the shopkeeper's shop"
"Ara, my…"

Although the method is detestable, there's no doubt about its effectiveness. Setting up a superior shop near the shop you want to crush is in a sense the basics. Similar things were often done in my previous life.

"The shopkeeper had been doing his best for a while, but the customers are straightforward. If there's a place where they can eat delicious food at lower prices, the customers will flock there, the shopkeeper was unable to maintain the shop, and had to close it"
"… Perhaps, anticipating that, the flow was that he was asked something like 'Now, come to my mansion'?"
"As expected of Master. It was just like that. But the shopkeeper brushed the proposal aside"
"… It's natural. He was robbed of his treasured shop, there's no way he'd go when told to come"

All the more if he took pride in his shop.

"But, with that the shopkeeper fully provoked the noble's wrath. He pressured the other shops to not hire or help the shopkeeper or people who worked in that shop. Supposing they were discovered, they knew what would await their shops. The people in town who knew the whole story until then couldn't move"
"The worst… For reference, I wonder if you could tell me who that noble is"

There are plenty nobles who have earned reputation of gourmets.
Unfortunately, among them are some who although they roll in money, truly lack dignity, there are quite few such impertinent guys among the nobles.

As I asked while guessing who among them it could be, Thomas timidly spoke.

"It's Baron Wire…"
"Ah, him…"

I knit my brows at the name that came out.
Baron Wire. It's a name I often hear from Brother recently. Of course, not in the good meaning.
He surrounds himself with a large amount of cooks and spares no money to hold weekly gourmet parties at his residence.
He's a man who acquired the title of baron after succeeding in foreign trade, he gathered abundant riches within his lifespan. He should already be close to 70. Even so, he still has bigger ambitions, whenever he has spare time he goes to the royal court, aiming at establishing connections with high-ranking nobles. He has a bad nature of a considerably lustful man. The other day, he surely took a young lady aged 20 as his second wife. He should've married a third daughter of a viscount house in debt on a condition of shouldering their debt.
I recall Brother calling him "Hyena" gloomily.

"I see, if it's him I can see it…"

I've never met him directly, but I check his updated portrait every year.
A small man who grew fat on gourmet diet. I recall feeling uncomfortable with his staring eyes.

"Does Master know of Baron Wire?"

Seeing my displeased grimace, Thomas asked a question.

"I've never met him, but I know what sort of person he is. Unfortunately, his reputation isn't too good. I've heard he's a stereotypical person who solves everything with money"
"It's exactly like that…"

Thomas who let out a large sigh, said so and sat on a nearby chair.
I quickly reconfirmed the current state of his juniors with such him.

"That is to say, even though the store had been crushed, Baron Wire has kept a watchful eye, so it's impossible to rebuild the shop or find a new job… That's the current status, right?"
"Yes… I also wanted to help somehow"

Of course, there's nothing a mere cook like Thomas can do.

Hmm, I put my hand on my chin, and tried thinking of how to complain to the Royal Palace.
How about first of all pressuring the Royal Guard to patrol the town, and then directly complaining to the Royal Palace.

"Have you tried complaining to those above?"
"We thought about it, but the thought of the later retaliation is frightening. Besides, while it's a serious problem for us, I don't think they'll listen to the problems of a single privately owned shop. Unfortunately, such stories are dime a dozen in town. I can't say we'd be granted a preferential treatment at all"
"… Is the current story about Baron Wire common?"
"Yes"

Thomas gravely nodded. The other cooks watching us at distance nodded as if following after him. I felt dizzy that I was unaware of the situation that unfolded in town before my eyes.

I knew there were plenty horrible nobles.
And that there are nobles who do as they please, misusing their authority.
But, I naturally never would have thought one would be so close to me… Somehow, I'm awfully angry.

"… Thomas"
"Yes?"

Before I noticed, I was speaking in a low voice.
As I spoke in a voice so low it made skin crawl while hanging my head, everybody took a step back all at once.

"There are few things I want to ask, okay? I wonder if you could answer"
"Yes"

I fixed my gaze at Thomas who nodded.
Thomas didn't avert his eyes.

"Good. First of all, I'll confirm. You want to help your juniors?"
"Of course I do…!"

His answer in no time gets a passing mark.
As I nodded once, I continued.

"I see, then next. For that sake, I wonder if you could make them obey a 16 year old teenage girl… If you can't do it, there's nothing I can do"

Hearing my words, Thomas suddenly raised his face.

"Master… In other words, Master will help them?"

How, Thomas's eyes questioned.

Right, I came up with a way.
Even if I say that, it's not like I'll be particularly picking the fight with the Baron directly.
I'm only a teenage girl, I understand I can't win squarely.

Of course, the way I'll use is legitimate.

The idea has been brewing in me for a long time. It's a plan I've kept postponing due to the personnel, location, and above all the problem of doing it behind Father's back.

Once again nodding, I continued the talk.

"I can't promise 100% chance of success. If you can't follow me despite that, forget it. Especially the shopkeeper. I wonder if he doesn't despise nobles. If you can do something about that, I do have an idea"
"I'll absolutely, absolutely persuade him!!"

Before I could finish speaking, Thomas shoutingly piled up words.

"Please. Please help them. They're good guys. They're my father's last pupils, I've always wanted to do something to help them!"
"… I promise to do as much as I can"

As he appealed clingily, in my heart I resolved myself.

There's no way I can save everyone. I'm not that arrogant.
I also know there are other people suffering. I have no answer if I'm criticized for helping these people.
I know.
Even if I hate it, there's not much a teenage girl can do alone.

Still, there are people suffering right now in front of me. I have no reason not to help them.
If I have the way to do that, even better. That's why, I'll move. That's all.

Call it hypocrisy if you want.
Screaming hypocrisy doesn't help anyone, but it'll be great if I can help somebody with my actions.

As long as they nod, it's unforgivable to abandon them partway through. It's my responsibility to see it through, once again I focused myself.

"But you're also something. Even if I'm the Duke's daughter, I'm only a teenage girl with no court rank. The usual reaction would be to not believe me when I said I'll help"

I said a little astonished as Thomas kept thanking me in tears.
Thomas shook his head in denial and looked up at me.

"Over these past years, through Master's dishes I've come to understand by heart Master's splendor. That goes for all of us cooks. Age doesn't matter. If Master says you'll help, they'll surely be saved. I believe that"
"I… I see"

In Thomas's eyes firmly fixed on me, was the radiance of faith.
While I looked around flustered, I saw the other cooks who had heard our talk make similar eyes.

… Wha, what is this composition that's like a birth of a new religion.

With everybody's reverent eyes one me, unconsciously I bent back.
I don't want to believe such a frightening thing, but in this situation the founder of the sect would be me.
… Please spare me.

In my inner impatience, I averted my eyes from them, and spoke to shatter the illusion.

"I am grateful you'd say that much, however I'm not such a perfectly virtuous person. I also have a reason, I want to apply a plan I'd had from before to this matter. It's also very beneficial for me. So, don't say too much… It's embarrassing"

Break up, hurry up and break up.

I voicelessly shouted.

It's only a superficial organization anyway. When I inform them I'm not moving out of pure intentions, they'll quickly wake up.
I'm not anything like a saint. It's convenient for me in various ways.
As one would expect, if I had no way to help, I wouldn't say such an ambitious thing. Luckily, there are things I want to test, thus I said it, so I'm troubled being honestly revered.
Since I intend to raise funds from my own pocket, naturally I think about profits.

But, they fully resisted my desperate appeal.
Thomas said with sparkling eyes.

"As expected of Master. Not only will you help them, you'll even benefit from it yourself. I respect you more and more"
"I… I see"
"Please say if there's anything we can do. We're indebted to Head Chef, and it would be an honor to be Master's strength, even if a little!"

Even the cooks who listened to our talk are enthusiastically clenching their fists to say they'll cooperate.

… Somebody, stop them.

While drained of strength, first of all I made the chefs under Thomas, whose gazes looked full of motivation to do something, firmly promise to keep it a secret from Father and Brother.

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