The Sleeping Devil

When it came to studying, Sheriel thought it would be more like a casual hobby.

Never did she imagine that she would be drilled with intensive academic lessons from the age of three...

Her brain, which started thinking from the moment she was born, seemed to have significantly upgraded its specs, allowing her to keep up with complex history and peculiar languages taught in her classes.

Arithmetic was easier than in her past life, and overall, life wasn't as bad as she had anticipated.

As her education began, she found herself leading busy days, and before she knew it, she had turned five.

Her relationship with Didier was also good, with him playing with her... no, she meant, her being played with, every day.

Sometimes, she would come close to death, but surprisingly, her body seemed resilient enough to somehow manage... Or did it?

No, she really wished he would stop. She thought he should relearn the concept of harm. Any genius would be amazed at trying to become friends like this.

"Sheriel, what are you doing here? I've been searching for you."

Here he came, that little lavender-colored demon.

They were currently in the servants' waiting room. Recently, Sheriel had finally been allowed to leave her room as long as she was with Mary, so she took advantage of it and made herself at home here.

The reason? To hide from the aforementioned Didier, of course.

And she had been found. It was all over now.

"Didier, why are you here?"

By the way, not long ago, Didier gave his permission to be called "Didier-oniisama." In fact, if she didn't call him "oniisama," he would pout and increase his strange acts of aggression, so she cutely referred to him as "oniisama."

"Well, it's because you're not in the tower. I asked everyone, and they all said they didn't know. But there's no way the servants would lie to me, right? I could tell from their reactions. Why did you keep it a secret from me?"

"I thought we could play hide-and-seek..."

"Hehe, then that means I win."

Whatever the case may be, Didier is nicer. He has become kind. He persistently pays attention to me. It feels like being played with or experimented on, and there's a somewhat suspicious atmosphere, but overall, he behaves like a good brother.

It's not because I'm desperately trying to convince myself of that due to stress or anything like that. I simply think, "He's kind when it comes to certain things, like dreams or such." ...Yes, it's probably closer to the fact that the point of comparison is just too terrible, and I'm inclined to bond with him.

Anyway, he is trying to be a good brother.

"By the way, what's that?"

It might just be my imagination, but it's incredibly scary. He's smiling with a dark expression, like a shota character from a yandere manga.

What he refers to as "that" with his naturally insane-looking smile is apparently the honey bread on the table.

It's a super sweet snack where the bread is cut into bite-sized pieces and honey is drizzled on top.

"You mean this? Since I've turned five, I'm allowed to eat honey..."

"What? Who? Who gave it to you?"

Jilke, the friendly cooking assistant who gets along well with Mary, is pale-faced and trembling.

Today, as she hid from Didier, she received a snack. It's not like she got it from a stranger, so why is Jilke reacting like this?

Didier quickly targeted Jilke and confronted her with a chilling voice.

"Was it you? Were you, as a servant, the one who deprived me of my enjoyment? Since the first time I gave Sheriel sugar candies, I had decided that I would be the one to give her honey and chocolate for the first time as well. How dare you? I didn't get to see Sheriel's cheeks bulging like a baby squirrel, turning her chubby cheeks pink. Hey, you know, Sheriel's smiles are already so precious. What are you going to do about it? So, how did Sheriel react?"

"She looked absolutely adorable!"

"Well, of course she would. I didn't get to see it though! Hey, why are you grinning like that? Are you feeling confident? Or are you planning to die?"

"Oniisama, please stop! Let's have tea together, oniisama. It should taste even better that way."

Didier sighed and took his seat.

He's just too troublesome, and I really wish he would stop. It's a struggle to have a brother who seems like he's from the end of the world in terms of emotions.

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"Oh well, I was purposely not preparing any sweets lately to tease Sheriel's desires, and now it's all ruined."

Indeed, my craving for something sweet was teased. As a result, I ended up confessing to Mary that I wanted some sweets.

What if it were to be discovered that Jilke had disappeared without a trace?

"I-I have an idea. How about we make some sweets together from now on? I want to eat my first homemade sweets with you, oniisama."

"What? A member of the Marquisate entering the kitchen? And can you even make anything? If Mother finds out, she'll burn you, you know?"

"I can't make them myself, so I'll have them made for me... but let's keep it our secret, just between the two of us."

The word "secret" seemed to have an effect. After some thought, Didier stood up in high spirits.

Being lured, Sheriel also stood up, and Mary lifted her up in her arms.

"That sounds fun. Hey, you, show us the way. Let's have an opportunity to make up for your sins."

Jilke, still pale-faced, guided Sheriel and the others to the kitchen.

While surreptitiously following behind with a cheerful demeanor, Sheriel whispered to Jilke in a low voice.

"Jilke, I'm sorry. Don't worry about oniisama, I'll handle it somehow. And thank you for the honey."

"Oh, young miss... Please don't concern yourself with me. For the sake of the young miss, I would sacrifice a head or two!"

"Please don't offer your head for a mere jar of honey."

Jilke, who had regained some color in her face, had tears welling up in her eyes.

Upon arriving at the kitchen, the five chefs who were preparing dinner hurriedly kneeled down.

...Oh no, I might have caused them trouble.

"Only the head chef may stay. We will be making sweets from now on."

The four of them disappeared like frightened rabbits, leaving behind a man who appeared to be the head chef, who was looking flustered in the kitchen.

"S-Sweets, you say? If it's sugar confections..."

"It's not sugar confections. It's a kind of sweet that Sheriel has never eaten before."

I locked eyes with the head chef. He had a look that seemed to ask how to navigate this tyranny.

Even if it's perceived as the whims of a noble young lady, it couldn't be helped. But I also wanted the head chef to do his best for Jilke's sake.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sheriel. Thank you for always preparing delicious meals."

"N-No, I apologize for the late introduction. I am the head chef here, and my name is Cork. As for the sweet you mentioned... We don't have any chocolate ingredients at the moment."

"Cookies or pancakes would be fine, simple snacks. I just want to try something other than sugar confections."

Not only Cork, but Jilke and Mary who were standing by also tilted their heads in confusion. They had expressions like, "What is this person saying?"

Among them, only Didier had a smile on his face, looking rather delighted.

"Sheriel... Sugar confections, like confiseries, usually require a lot of effort. Besides, the only sweet things we have are chocolate, honey, and fruits. Where did you learn about cookies and pancakes? Even though you say simple snacks, what about you, Cork? Can you manage somehow?"

"To create a new confectionery..."

"Huh? Are you saying that confectioneries are only sugar confections...? And just chocolate?"

"There are various types of sugar confections, but they're mostly similar. It's either sugar molded into shapes or preserved in sugar syrup."

Everyone exchanged puzzled looks, their faces full of question marks.

I thought that anyone would react this way if a sudden quiz show started. But everyone's doubts were directed at me.

No, no, aren't there baked confections or something? There's chocolate, right?

"By the way, chocolate is more like a medicinal delicacy than a confectionery, you know?"

As if reading my thoughts, Didier laughed amusingly.

He seemed to think that I was shocked to learn that there were no sweets. Well, it wasn't entirely wrong, but I have memories from my past life.

Lately, the content of my studies has become more difficult, and I haven't been getting enough sugar. If that's the case, let's have some sweets made for me.

"If there are no sweets, then why not make them, dear brother?"

"Huh?"

"What's about to happen?" Didier's eyes sparkled with anticipation as he entered observation mode.

Ignoring my enthusiastic brother, I turned back to Cork, adopting an attitude of haste.

"Can you make it as I say, Cork? We have an oven, right?"

"Yes, as you wish."

Beriards are geniuses. Even though they are servants, I fully understand that.

For now, since it seems I can have something made, I thought about something simple that could be easily prepared.

"Please prepare a bowl, a whisk, one egg, citrus fruit, and sugar."

"A whisk... What is that?"

If there's no whisk... Since there was a large fork, we tied several of them together. An improvised whisk. It might take some time, but it should work. Probably.

"First, separate the egg white and egg yolk. We won't be using the egg yolk, so you can use it for dinner. And please prepare twice the amount of sugar as the egg white."

Without hesitation, the egg was neatly separated into a white porcelain bowl. Then I squeezed some lemon juice into it to add acidity.

"Now, please just mix the egg white continuously. Keep mixing until it forms peaks and becomes fluffy."

While mixing the egg white, I chatted with Cork. He is the fourth son of the Marquis's family, and it seems that the Cork lineage has many cooks.

"I've never heard of using eggs for sweets before, not even from my father. Can egg whites really turn into a sweet confection?"

"I think it'll be fine, probably."

As the previously transparent egg whites began to turn white, I instructed Cork to gradually add sugar while continuing to mix.

"Sheriel-sama, it's amazing! It's becoming fluffy!"

Jilke and Mary, who were peeking from the side, exclaimed in excitement. Even Didier, who probably hasn't seen the process of cooking before, observed with interest.

"When the peaks stand up straight and it becomes fluffy, transfer it to a piping bag... No, let's use a spoon instead. Drop small portions onto the baking sheet, slightly smaller than sugar confections."

I thought there might not be a piping bag, so I suggested using a spoon instead. As the dollops of meringue were dropped onto the baking sheet, all that was left was to bake them.

"Please bake them at a low temperature. They burn easily."

"Wait, we're baking them? Um, I hesitate to mention this, but sugar melts at high temperatures and becomes runny."

"I think it'll be fine, probably."

Reluctantly, Cork adjusted the oven temperature and placed the baking sheet filled with small white peaks inside.

"Can the oven temperature be adjusted?"

"Yes, it has a magic array and uses magic stones, so it can be adjusted roughly. The skill of the cook lies in determining the right level of heat for each dish."

Proudly puffing out his chest, it seems Cork is confident in his skills. Indeed, the bread and meat I've had in the Marquis's house were always tender and delicious.

"Cork's cooking is always delicious. By the way, why don't we have vegetables? Does the Beriard family dislike vegetables?"

The only vegetable I can recall eating was potatoes. Recently, our meals mainly consist of meat, fish, eggs, and bread, so I've been curious about the absence of vegetables.

"Sheriel, greens and roots are what commoners eat. It's not something nobles would eat."

"Is that so? They're delicious and good for your health, though."

"Sheriel-sama, could it be that you used to eat such things in the past...?"

Seeing Mary's eyes welling up, I quickly try to explain. "Please don't look at me with such pity..."

"W-Well, vegetables are delicious, you know. Didn't big brother Didier give me mashed potatoes before?"

"Oh, please don't mention that. It was just teasing. But I definitely thought you were a weirdo."

Didier is laughing awkwardly, but I can't let him dismiss it as just teasing. "It's true that I might have been a slightly odd three-year-old."

"Cork, do you also not cook vegetables?"

"That's right. If it were a lower-ranking household, they might cook vegetables."

"I see, I see."

Upon closer inspection, it seems that vegetables are perceived with the same level as picking up bread that fell on the ground. Lower-ranking nobles and commoners, who have less concern for hygiene, can eat vegetables without hesitation, but it's not something high-ranking nobles would consume. If one's social status is high, they can afford to eat fruits, which provide sufficient nutrients.

There's also something about impurities. The land contains small amounts of impurities, and during calamities, the land can become contaminated.

From my previous life's perspective, it's like eating a crayfish surviving in a sludge-filled swamp. But if there are people who eat it, it doesn't seem to be harmful. If it's a non-contaminated swamp, it's more like a pond or a lake.

Just wash them, that's all. Wash them.

Well, with that mindset, I decided that next time I'll secretly ask Cork to cook some vegetables for me.

While we were discussing this, the meringues finished baking.

To remove the moisture, they were left inside the oven while preparations were made for tea.

"It doesn't look like anything has changed..."

Ignoring Didier's puzzlement, I lightly touched the meringues with my finger, and they were properly baked and seemed safe to hold.

They had solidified well, with the moisture evaporated and the heat gone. I asked Cork to transfer them to a plate, and everyone's attention was drawn to the rolling meringues.

"Wow! They're firm! How did they set without being compressed?"

As I put a spoonful of the meringue into my mouth, it turned out exactly as I expected. I couldn't help but grin. It was quite sweet, but the acidity made it easy to eat and a perfect snack.

"Didier, please have some too. Everyone else as well."

I tasted it first, partly to check for any poison.

In my mind, I made an excuse to Margot-sensei and fed it to Didier in passing. If Margot-sensei had seen it, she would have scolded me furiously, but Didier didn't seem particularly bothered.

"Oh, this is good. I prefer it over sugar confections. Those can be a bit too sweet."

Even though it was still quite sweet, he seemed to enjoy the texture as well.

Given permission, the servants also reached out one after another. They rolled the meringues with their fingertips, savoring the texture before putting them in their mouths.

"This is amazing! It's crispy, and yet it melts in your mouth!"

"Wow, I can't believe I made this myself. I never imagined it would have this kind of texture."

It seemed like everyone enjoyed them, which was a relief.

Didier's mood had completely improved. Jilke, too, seemed to have completely forgotten about the incident that almost caused her head to be chopped off and was happily making a commotion.

"If you're careful with the humidity, they should keep well. So please make them occasionally from now on."

"Yes, of course. With this, we can use less sugar, and it's a treat that can be served to the Duke and the Lady as well."

"Then maybe we should prepare a piping bag next time."

Then suddenly, Didier began laughing while shaking his shoulders.

What's wrong with this person?

"Hehe... Maybe Sheriel has a talent for cooking? Such an obsession with food... Do you have one?"

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm a glutton?"

It seemed like he had hit a strange nerve as he held his stomach and laughed, as if trying to say something about someone's stubbornness when it comes to food.

"What's so funny?"

"You see, Cork dedicates his whole life to that obsession. Cooking... Haha!"

"Cooking is important, you know? But I just had a little idea, and besides, cooking was your idea, older brother..."

"Sigh... Sorry. It was just too cute."

After laughing for a while, Didier wiped away his tears with an angelic smile.