Chapter: 02
I looked at the pot with a proud feeling.
‘They scraped it clean.’
There wasn’t even a drop left. It was almost as if someone had washed the pot by eating everything.
Well, in this world, this kind of taste must be rare.
I recalled the memories from my past life and realized something.
The cooking methods in this world weren’t very developed.
Cutting ingredients and boiling or grilling them was about the extent of what they considered cooking.
‘The great nobles do make more luxurious dishes, though.’
But even the food of the great nobles was extremely simple compared to Earth.
They would even consider making broth a waste of ingredients.
Anyway, I benefited from that.
The sharp atmosphere among the members of the Irregulars had softened considerably.
They even allowed me to move around freely without keeping someone beside me.
Thanks to that, I was able to wash the pot alone by the river.
‘Good, it’s clean.’
By the time I washed the pot and cooking utensils and returned to the cave, the member who had gone to check on the Imperial Army’s movements arrived.
“The Imperial Army was in chaos. It seems there really is some problem with the soldiers’ condition.”
The members nodded while saying, “Ohhh.”
“We can move during this opening, then.”
“But what do we do with that kid?”
The members looked at the leader.
As if asking him to decide what to do with me.
I quickly shouted.
“Galbi-jjim!”
“Gal… what?”
“I’ll make galbi-jjim for you next time. It’s meat braised in a sweet soy sauce. I’ll add chestnuts and potatoes too. The meat is delicious, but if you mix the thick sauce into rice and eat it, it’s unbelievably good.”
So please, take me with you.
While I clasped my hands together with a desperate expression, the members’ expressions changed.
“Galbi-jjim?”
“Is it really that good? Better than soup?”
I quickly nodded.
“Better than soup.”
The members who had been completely captivated by the soup looked shocked.
They muttered, “That good?” and looked back at their leader.
As their sparkling eyes shot toward him like arrows, the leader let out a sigh.
“She will accompany us to Bonji as a servant.”
‘I did it!’
I was so happy I felt like I could jump.
Now I would properly earn their favor and definitely join them.
As I said before, this man was truly my only option.
The Irregulars were terrifyingly powerful.
Rumors said they were beings capable of shaking the fate of a nation.
That was how incredible their strength was.
‘Besides, I know information that only I know.’
The leader of the Irregulars, Aslan.
He was the hidden son of Duke Escarotte.
‘So he’s the man who will become the duke.’
In a few years, the Escarotte Duchy would become a powerful family rivaling the Imperial Palace itself.
And I would win over the future Duke Escarotte’s favor and protect my life at all costs.
The Irregulars and I decided to split into three groups and move separately toward Bonji.
Because even if one group was captured, the other two groups could cause a distraction and escape.
However, there was a problem.
“That kid is coming with us.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. We’re taking her.”
“We also want galbi-jjim… no, we can’t give up that child.”
A fight broke out over me.
“You have the most people!”
“Exactly! That means we need a porter!”
“She can’t carry anything with those arms!”
The members, who had survived on dried food for three months, were fighting like they were about to bite each other.
Eventually, the oldest-looking man stepped forward.
He asked me.
“You decide. Which group will you go with?”
Of course, the answer was obvious.
I quickly stood beside the leader.
The other members started shouting.
“You’ll regret it. The leader’s group takes a different route from the others.”
“That’s right. Sir Antonio is there too.”
They listed all the disadvantages and urged me to change my decision, but I firmly shook my head.
“Even so, I like staying near the leader.”
“Why?!”
“Well, that is…”
I couldn’t say that I needed to impress the future duke.
While rolling my eyes trying to think of an excuse, I said,
“Because he’s handsome?”
“Damn this extreme obsession with appearance…”
The members stepped back with sad expressions.
I gently comforted them.
“We’re going to meet again near Bonji anyway. I’ll make delicious galbi-jjim for you then.”
“Really…?”
“You won’t use all the meat, right…?”
Only after I nodded about ten times did the members finally leave the cave.
Our group was extremely small.
It only consisted of the leader, me, and Antonio.
Antonio narrowed his eyes and asked,
“You’re really not the leader’s daughter, are you…?”
“Ah!”
…Now I understood why the others said having Antonio in the elite group was a disadvantage.
We soon departed.
Leaving the cave at the mountain foot, we passed through the valley and headed north toward the mountain keeper’s hut.
‘North?’
North meant the area near the marketplace.
I asked in confusion.
“Um, the marketplace is crowded with people. Why are we going this way?”
Shouldn’t assassins move through deserted paths?
Antonio answered.
“Because we need to go to the marketplace.”
“Why?”
“To find something. An ancient artifact—”
Just as Antonio was about to explain further,
the leader looked at him. His gaze was sharp.
It meant not to give me any more information.
‘He doesn’t trust me at all.’
My role was only a servant.
When I became quiet, Antonio shrugged.
“There’s no point in getting upset.”
“Excuse me?”
“You weren’t upset?”
“I was just thinking about where to cook dinner today.”
I blinked at him as if I didn’t understand what he meant, and Antonio looked dumbfounded.
“Normally, wouldn’t someone become discouraged in this situation?”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if they immediately trusted a kid who suddenly appeared out of nowhere?”
“That’s true, but…”
Antonio let out a dry laugh.
“You’re a strange one.”
He said that, but I truly wasn’t upset about not earning their trust.
After all, the word trust was something far removed from my life.
I couldn’t even gain the trust of my own family and was falsely accused of arranging my half-sibling’s poisoning.
So why would I become depressed just because someone I met today doubted me?
‘It’s better to think about how to gain their trust.’
While thinking that, we arrived near the marketplace.
We passed through the inspection using the fake identity documents the two of them carried.
As for me, I had worked in the marketplace often, so the guards let me pass as soon as they saw my face.
The place we headed to was an antique shop deep inside the marketplace.
In front of the shop, Antonio said,
“You wait outside.”
“If it takes long, can I buy some things we need?”
“Do that.”
The leader and Antonio entered the antique shop.
I folded the robe Antonio left with me and put it into the bag.
‘Good. Let’s hurry.’
Even if we used a gate midway, they said it would take more than four days to reach Bonji.
I needed to buy ingredients to feed the Irregulars during that time.
‘Judging by how much they ate in the cave, what they have now is nowhere near enough.’
They probably hunted for meat and gathered supplies locally.
Then they needed seasonings and vegetables.
I immediately headed toward the market inside the marketplace.
“Hello, ma’am.”
“Well, look who it is. Isn’t this Yustea?”
The market was a place I often visited to buy ingredients when I worked at a restaurant.
Because they recognized me, the people there were kind.
“I’d like to buy dried vegetables.”
They tasted worse than fresh vegetables, but dried vegetables were lighter and took up less space.
They also lasted longer.
The vegetable seller said, “I happen to have some good ones,” and brought out dried vegetables.
I firmly said,
“Ma’am, those seem like they weren’t dried enough.”
“I was just going to move those aside. The ones I want to show you are…”
“Ma’am?”
“These too were going to be moved aside, but my hand slipped. Here, this one…”
“Ma’am?”
“There’s so much to move aside.”
If I gave her even a little opening, she tried to sell me these things.
“You’re so picky.”
I bought the vegetable seller’s prized dried vegetables from her.
Next was the seasoning shop.
“Sir?”
“This is Naja salt.”
“Sir?”
“You’re saying you’ll take Naja salt for 20 copper? Where’s a thief like you come from?”
“Sir…”
“Damn it! Take it! Take everything!”
I also managed to buy the seasonings I wanted cheaply.
‘Now all that’s left is general supplies.’
A knife, a bottle opener, a small hammer, even a screwdriver—having one multi-tool would make things much easier.
And I should get thread and needles too.
The Irregulars’ hoods were all worn out.
I needed to repair them.
Just as I was walking toward the general store carrying a bundle of cooking ingredients—
Thud.
I bumped into someone.
“Ah, I’m sorry—”
“Oh my, young lady.”
I froze.
It was a familiar voice.
When I raised my head, I saw the faces I had always tried to avoid.
They were servants of the Andres Marquis household.
“What happened to you? It breaks my heart to see you like this.”
The maid smiled as she looked at me.
Her words said one thing, but her expression showed nothing like concern.
They were servants who adored Stella, the heroine of this game and the daughter born from my father’s first love.
The other servants of the Andres family also despised me after I was kicked out, but these ones especially hated me.
Because they believed the beloved Stella poisoned herself because of me.
‘They were also the reason I kept changing jobs.’
They always found out where I worked and tormented me.
When I worked at a restaurant, they wrote on the door: “A place employing the criminal who harmed her younger sister.”
When I worked on a tuna fishing boat, they bribed the captain to fire me.
At the knights’ barracks, they spread rumors among the workers and isolated me.
‘It’ll be troublesome if there’s a scene.’
I immediately turned around and tried to run.
Or rather, I tried to.
The moment I moved, I tripped over the servant’s foot.
“Ugh!”
I fell, and my nose hit a bottle of seasoning I was carrying.
The bottle shattered, and my nose started bleeding from the cuts.
Stella’s guards laughed.
Being bullied and beaten like this had become a daily routine.
No matter how cruel they were, there was no one who would help me.
Because everyone feared the Andres Marquis family.
“Your manners are still so poor.”
The head maid of Stella’s guards crouched in front of me.
Then she grabbed my cheek.
“How pitiful.”
“Let go.”
“You still have such a nasty temper. Isn’t that why your mother was punished in your place?”
My jaw tightened.
Even though I knew staying still would make it end faster, I couldn’t endure it.
Because they always brought up my mother.
I slapped the maid’s cheek.
“Ah!”
The maid’s eyes flashed.
“You…”
She kicked me hard, and the things I was holding spilled everywhere.
The maid shouted.
“Even after your name was erased from the family register, you still act proud.”
“…”
“You’re nothing but a useless stray now.”
Bang!
Another kick sent me rolling.
Then the bag’s clasp caught on my clothes and popped open.
‘No!’
The bag almost opened.
Inside was Antonio’s robe.
I had seen it in the cave.
The Irregulars’ symbol was embroidered inside the robe.
If it was revealed, it would be a disaster.
I desperately hugged the bag.
“Look at this.”
Seeing that, the guards’ expressions changed.
“Looks like something very valuable is inside.”
“There’s no way a filthy girl thrown out by her family owns something precious.”
“Then she must have stolen it.”
They approached me with disgusting smiles.
The servant roughly grabbed my arm.
Without thinking, I bit his forearm.
“Ah! You little—!”
Not only the maid, but even the strong adult men started kicking me.
I felt pain as if my bones were breaking, but I desperately held onto the bag.
‘This can’t happen.’
Absolutely not.
If I lost the hood, I could never join the Irregulars.
“Oh, you’re really unlucky today.”
The servant I bit looked around angrily.
Then he picked up a laundry paddle from the general store display and approached.
Just as he was about to swing it—
Crack.
A strange sound rang out.
I flinched and looked up.
The servant’s arm was bent in an unnatural way.
“Aaaagh!”
I stared blankly behind him while hugging the bag.
It was the leader.
A chain of magic extending from his hand had twisted the servant’s arm.
“What are you people?”
The maid asked in confusion.
The leader’s magic was so overwhelmingly powerful that even ordinary people who had never learned magic could feel it.
Even without that, his instinctive pressure caused fear.
While the guards were frozen, Antonio approached.
“You…”
A small part of Antonio’s hood was sticking out from the bag I was holding.
His gaze moved from the hood to my battered face.
Then finally to the scattered vegetables and seasonings.
I hurriedly explained.
“I-I bought them with my own money.”
“What?”
“So I didn’t waste your resources. And I protected the hood too.”
“…”
“I’m sorry for causing trouble. I’ll never let this happen again. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”
The leader and Antonio silently watched me desperately apologize.
The maid watching the situation smiled.
“Ah.”
She laughed.
“You must be the new employer of this thing.”
“…”
“As you can see, this thing is useless. You know about the Andres Marquis family’s discarded daughter, right?”
“…”
“This is the criminal who caused the famous Stella poisoning incident.”
The maid looked at me triumphantly.
She thought I would be abandoned now.
That statement had always been enough to make people throw me away.
It was a belief based on experience.
I lowered my head.
‘Will I be abandoned again…?’
I had told them from the beginning that I was an Andres.
But I was still anxious.
The Irregulars needed to move secretly, and they must have realized I was useless.
But then—
“Huh…?”
The maid muttered in confusion as she touched her cheek.
A strange mark appeared on her face.
And along the mark, blood started flowing.
“Ahhh!”
“…”
“!!”
It wasn’t only her.
The two servants who had kicked me also had the same marks appear on their faces.
A shape like an upside-down cross.
No citizen of the Empire could fail to recognize that famous symbol.
“T-The inverted cross!”
“It’s the Irregulars’ mark!”
Some of the onlookers shouted.
Yes.
It was the inverted cross, the symbol of the Irregulars.
The leader walked toward me.
“If you wish, I will kill them.”
The moment he said that, the guards of Stella who had been screaming turned pale.
I stared blankly at the leader.
‘Why…?’
No, after thinking about it, I understood.
The reason he did this for someone like me.
It was because…
“The leader was also looking forward to galbi-jjim…”
“…What?”
“Don’t worry. A few bottles of seasoning broke, but everything else is fine. I can still make it tonight.”
“…”
If it wasn’t about galbi-jjim, there was no reason for him to step in for someone like me.
‘But still, thank you.’
Three years since I was kicked out of the family.
I had never imagined that someone would protect me.
“I’ll make delicious galbi-jjim for you.”
The leader sighed as if he had a headache.
“Just get up.”
He reached out his hand toward me.
The leader was truly a good eater.
