Talent.
They say everyone has at least one outstanding talent.
Whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing.
But for me, it wasn’t like that. There was no word more distant from me than “talent.”
If even incompetence could be considered a type of talent, then maybe the story would be a bit different.
But I never expected to have any abilities, given that my world was just a room with a single mirror.
I’m the kind of person who doesn’t even try. A worthless existence, even shunned by my parents. A weak and useless being who can’t accomplish anything on my own.
There’s no way a god would bestow the gift of talent upon such a lowly human.
So I always believed I was someone far removed from talent.
“Even a slug has its own way of rolling,” Grandma Miranda said after taking her first bite of the food I made.
“Did you learn to cook somewhere?”
“Ah, no. Today is actually my first time trying it.”
“For someone who’s never done it before, the seasoning is surprisingly well-balanced. And the meat is grilled perfectly, keeping all the juices in.”
It was strange. Grandma Miranda wasn’t the type to give compliments so easily.
Could my food really have been that good? I cautiously allowed myself to hope.
“Was it… good?”
I hesitated before asking. But instead of answering, Grandma Miranda pointed to a woman standing outside the kitchen.
“Go and give her some. Then you’ll see.”
I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to serve such humble food, but I had no choice but to step out of the kitchen at Grandma Miranda’s insistence.
I didn’t expect anything good to happen. There was no way my first attempt at cooking could be any good. I thought it would be a miracle if I didn’t get scolded.
But the response I got was beyond my expectations.
“It’s f*ing delicious.”
For a moment, I doubted my ears. It was high praise.
The woman continued to shower me with almost worshipful compliments.
It was the first time I’d ever heard such things.
I stared at her blankly.
Her eyes were fixed on me.
It wasn’t a compliment directed at Tina. It was praise solely for what I had achieved.
A compliment directed at “me,” not Tina. It was the first time in my life I’d received such praise.
Grandma Miranda told me I had a talent for cooking. She insisted that there was no other way I could have made something so delicious.
“What, you like my compliments that much?”
Grandma Miranda chuckled dismissively.
My face burned with unnecessary shame.
I tried to avert my gaze, but my heart was pounding uncontrollably.
What is this?
I always thought that receiving affection was the only source of happiness. It felt like only when someone loved me did my worthless existence gain any meaning.
But now, even though no one was giving me affection, a feeling of joy was slowly blooming inside me.
Honestly, for someone of noble status, a talent for cooking was utterly useless.
I wasn’t going to run a restaurant, and there were plenty of people at the mansion who could cook for me, so what good would being good at cooking do?
But still, someone telling me I had talent. Someone acknowledging that I was useful for something. Those words kept tickling my heart.
“I’ll set up another kitchen space. From now on, you can cook for the customers too.”
My eyes widened in shock.
“R-really?!”
In my excitement, I accidentally raised my voice too much.
Grandma Miranda looked at me with a mischievous smile. It was a teasing, almost mocking laugh.
…This is embarrassing.
—
A month has passed since then.
“…I shouldn’t have let her out of the kitchen.”
Grandma Miranda was glaring at me with her arms crossed. Her sharp gaze piercing the back of my head was unnerving.
“Why, why…! The customers all praised the food!”
“Yeah, I know the food’s good.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
If the food at a restaurant is good, that’s all that matters, right? What could possibly be the issue?
“You should’ve just served the food and left! What the hell did you do to make the customers go so crazy?!”
I felt wronged and tried to argue, but Grandma Miranda only yelled at me louder.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Customers going crazy? That was news to me. There hadn’t been any problems so far.
“Tell me, what the hell did you do to make those guys scream that they can’t even look at my face anymore?”
“How should I know?”
“If you don’t know, then who does?!”
“I really don’t know!”
Thinking about it, I hadn’t even exchanged more than a few words with the customers.
They always complimented my food, and I just thanked them and told them to enjoy their meal.
That was it. A perfectly normal interaction between a server and a customer. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was.
“This won’t do. I’ll watch you. Go serve the customers yourself.”
There was no reason not to, since I hadn’t done anything wrong. I carefully arranged the steamed potatoes from the pot onto a plate and carried the finished dish out of the kitchen.
I glanced back. Grandma Miranda was standing at the kitchen entrance, arms crossed, watching me.
I turned my head sharply to avoid her gaze and placed one of the prepared dishes in front of a customer.
“Here’s your food.”
“Ah, thank you.”
It was the blonde female customer. Her polite tone and manners suggested she was a knight.
Her companion, a well-dressed man, also had a refined air about him.
Most of the customers here were mercenaries, but occasionally knights from the Empire would visit.
The blonde woman mixed the sauce into her chicken salad and took a big bite.
“Oh my, this is really delicious!”
Her wide eyes and warm smile were directed at me. Her gaze wasn’t at Tina, but at me, the person who had made the food.
“I heard the new chef was skilled, and it’s no lie.”
“R-really?”
“Of course. It’s on par with the famous restaurants in the Empire.”
Her kind and grateful words made my heart race and my face heat up.
A feeling of happiness that words couldn’t describe seemed to warmly envelop my entire body.
She said it was delicious.
On par with the Empire’s most renowned restaurants.
She praised the food I made, not Tina.
My body felt hot.
I covered my reddened face with one hand and lightly grasped the hem of my skirt.
‘Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy.’
Happiness welled up inside me, and a smile naturally spread across my face.
Unable to hide my emotions, I looked at the customer with a smile in my eyes.
“Th-thank you. I’m really happy to hear you say that.”
“Uh… really?”
I guess she didn’t expect me to be this happy. The customer looked at me with a somewhat dazed expression.
Maybe my words were a bit overwhelming. But even so, I wanted to sincerely express my gratitude to her.
How could I not express it when my heart was this happy?
“Please come again! I’ll work even harder for you…!”
“Huh?”
“I want to make you happy too, even if just a little.”
The customer was momentarily speechless. I carefully smiled and offered something I had prepared.
“Th-this is on the house! It’s from me, so don’t feel burdened.”
I gently placed a glass of tomato juice on her table.
It was originally meant for another customer, but I could always prepare more.
“……”
The prolonged silence made me feel awkward. Worried that I might have disturbed her meal, I quickly retreated.
“P-please enjoy!”
This is embarrassing.
I got a little too excited in my happiness.
But it wasn’t really a problem.
[Hey, hey! Calm down!]
[Let go, let go! That girl seduced me first-]
[That’s impossible! Casey, snap out of it!]
There was some commotion behind me, but I was too busy calming my flushed face to pay attention. It was just background noise.
When I returned to the kitchen, Grandma Miranda was looking at me with a pitiful expression.
“I have nothing to say. Have you been treating all the customers like that?”
Her voice, filled with disbelief, made me wonder.
“Just… to the ones who complimented my food?”
“Huh, I thought you were just a dull bear, but you’re actually a sly fox.”
What is she talking about?
I had just proven it right in front of her.
There was nothing wrong with my service.
Aside from getting a bit excited and flushed from the customer’s praise, there was nothing to criticize.
“What’s wrong?”
“You don’t even know?”
Grandma Miranda’s tone grew even more incredulous.
I still didn’t understand.
The customer had praised the food I made, and I had honestly expressed my joy and gratitude.
It was just a warm conversation, wasn’t it?
So what could possibly be the problem? I couldn’t understand the strange reproach in Grandma Miranda’s gaze.
“You don’t even realize it? This is serious.”
“From my perspective, it seems like Grandma Miranda is the one being strange.”
“At least now I understand why that princess acts the way she does around you.”
Grandma Miranda continued to scold me with incomprehensible words.
Each word was something I couldn’t make sense of.
But I decided to take it in stride. Considering Grandma Miranda’s age, maybe it was just her time for some hysterics.
‘Yeah, at this point, it’s probably my job to understand and take care of her.’
I figured I should be more attentive to make sure nothing serious happened.
