Bon Appétit

Chapter 97

The story became complicated after going into detail, but the gist was like this.

1. The duke helps the witches settle down properly and reappear in the human world.

2. In return, the witch helps the duke from behind. However, excessive requests may be rejected. The same goes for the duke.

Because of this, the duke swallowed the Rusti Family and warned others while pre-planning for the appearance of the witches. The first step was to create evidence to refute negative stories about witches. It was not impossible because the witch was already slowly forgotten, and there were only a few older people who remembered it.

Sarah sat at the table and grabbed a freshly made egg tart. Although she only ate occasionally, she loved Elanya’s cooking. Especially dessert. So, she frequently visited Luana under the pretext of complaining and ate it.

“Delicious.”

It was sweet enough to relieve fatigue. Sarah eased off her fatigue by nibbling away at the dessert. Then, as if suddenly remembered, she rummaged through her arms, pulled out a small package, and handed it to Luana.

“What is this?”

“I said the snacks at the bakery outside the capital were delicious last time, right? This is that.”

“Wow, did you go and buy it yourself?”

“Of course, I’ve only been eating so much, so I’m giving you this in return.”

Just because Luana was good at cooking doesn’t mean she didn’t like what others made. She thought Luana would like it, too, because Elanya used to enjoy food. And her idea is not wrong. Luana opened the bag with excitement and looked inside.

There were several kinds of beautifully baked cookies inside. She took out the one with the shiny pretty strawberry jam in the center and tried one. The appropriate sweetness and savory combination made her happy.

“Wooow!”

She was so excited that she mumbled strange exclamations and continued to take another cookie. And as soon as she was about to eat, a face popped over her shoulder and he took the cookie away. It was Legion. He must have come down to see her work again; she never knew when he had come. Legion talked as if he had noticed her thought.

“You can’t be alone with a witch.”

“What a prejudiced way of thinking.”

“Because that incident happened recently. By the way, the cookies are delicious.”

Legion licked his lips and said. And when Sarah and Luana heard this, they looked at each other with surprise. He can’t taste except for what Luana made because of the curse, but he just said the cookie was delicious! Their gaze turned to Legion. Feeling the eyes, he asked with a puzzled expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t make this.”

Legion seemed surprised at the remark.

“You didn’t?”

“I bought it from outside.”

Sarah calmly explained, followed by Luana’s eyes twinkling and pushing a new cookie.

“Try more!”

Legion accepted the cookie with a feeling of bewilderment. After a moment’s hesitation, he put the cookie in his mouth. It was delicious, but it wasn’t the taste he was used to. It was unfamiliar because the cookie didn’t have Luana’s touch, yet he could taste it.

“Are you-“

While Legion pondered, Sarah took another food item from her pocket, and Luana handed it back to her. It was a cohesive act.

“This is beef jerky.”

“I bought it at the market.”

“It’s from the market!”

‘Hurry up and try it!’

She didn’t say anything, but he could tell Luana’s urging just by her expression. Legion tasted the jerky. The taste was lacking compared to the beef jerky Luana made recently. However, it was surprising how well it tasted.

“Since when?”

He didn’t know the exact time because he had eaten Luana’s cook all along.

‘No, that’s not important.’

The important thing is that the curse has been lifted! What are the conditions for lifting the curse? Meanwhile, Luana was discussing with Sarah with a serious look.

“So, my guess is because you two have been having more physical touch more frequently, isn’t it?”

“M- more physical touch?”

Luana coughed and gulped down her words.

“Yeah, you said since then, the duke always comes to you whenever. Maybe because of the magic powder, you two stuck together more often! Then it’s simple. Isn’t the way to solve it is to stick with the person you love a lot?”

It was because they were two people who were so grossly stuck together. Sarah had never seen the two separate each time she visited the mansion. Legion made many excuses to stick to Luana on the pretext he wanted to find his feeling again, but even that was too much for Sarah to see.

“That’s possible.”

Luana replied, her cheeks flushed.

“But then why didn’t the previous duke get his curse lifted?”

“Why? He spent his life searching for witches to break the curse with a political marriage. Was there any room for love to intervene?”

It wasn’t wrong. Legion is only an unusual case; the former duchess gave birth to a child through a loveless political marriage with the former duke. Of course, they lived a life with respect and consideration for each other, but that was all. There was no love between them.

“But it’s futile. How can the curse be lifted so easily?”

“Why? When the curse is lifted, do you think something more spectacular will happen?”

“Maybe?”

Luana replied with an awkward smile.

“There is no such effect even when cursing in the first place. So this must be right when it’s released.”

Sarah took the box out of her arms, put the tart in, and stood up. It was a very natural act.

“Then you two should celebrate, so I’ll be on my way.”

“What? Yes!”

Sarah disappeared as quickly as she had come, and all that was left were Legion and Luana, who were still thinking.

“The curse has been lifted?”

Legion still couldn’t believe it. Maybe that’s why, while eating the cookies, he had a questioning expression on his face several times. Luana saw it, and she felt the need to help him.

“Then let’s be more clear!”

Luana, who shouted bravely, led Legion out of the duke’s mansion. She brought him to look at the market.

‘The market is perfect for eating a variety of foods in small portions!’

The two, wearing hoodies, swept the market as they walked side by side. She bought fruits, and he tried them one by one and bought spicy skewers and sticky candies at a small stand.

“This is too spicy, this is too sweet.”

But it was all ‘taste’ too. So, while grumbling, Legion ate it all. Spicy, sweet, bitter, sour, and savory. He tasted a lot of food and realized that the curse had definitely been lifted. The sky he looked up suddenly was blue and clear, and Luana, who led the way by holding his hand, was too lovely.

It felt as if something heavy that had been blocking his chest the whole time had disappeared at once. As soon as he realized once again that the curse had been lifted, the effect of the magic powder seemed to have disappeared.

‘Take good care of Luana.’

Suddenly, a young woman’s voice came to his ears. He looked back in surprise, but all he could see was the busy market people. He didn’t see anyone who could whisper in his ear.

“What’s wrong?”

Luana asked curiously. Looking at Luana, Legion naturally raised the corners of his mouth.

Her mother seemed worried about her daughter even after she died. He didn’t really believe in ghosts, but what he just experienced didn’t feel like a fantasy. So he said,

“Someone said to me to take good care of you.”

“What? Who?”

“Someone who values you beside me.”

Then Luana frowned and said in a serious manner.

“My nanny? Or Gerald?”

“Isn’t your nanny on her way to the Empire now? And why does that guy Gerald name coming out of nowhere?”

To hear Galard whisper in his ear that he would take good care of Luana, would be a horror, not a heartwarming scene. Luana, who brought up his name, seemed to think it was not. She smiled awkwardly and waved her hand.

“No, I just remembered his name and said it. But if not those two, who else?”

At those words, Legion stared at Luana. Is it because she has lived abandoned in the royal palace since she was young, or is it because she lost her mother right after birth? She was strangely unobsessed with her parents and didn’t seem to think that any of her parents would be concerned about her.

“Later, I’ll tell you later.”

So Legion decided to postpone the answer. He can tell her later after Luana realizes it is her mother. Thinking so, he gently grabbed her hand. How could he lose this much of intense emotions before? The power of her witch was terrifying. Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of such existence? He wondered.

But Luana was smiling right in front of him.

A cute and lovely witch.

Because of her, he discovered that witches are not just bad beings. Legion suppressed the growing dark desire. He didn’t want to see Luana suffer or cry.

“I’m hungry.”

“Didn’t you eat a lot?”

“Did I eat anything that can be called a meal? The only things I ate were snacks. Snacks.”

“Then shall we go to the restaurant?”

“No, I prefer to eat what you cook.”

“But, your curse has been lifted.”

“I still prefer yours.”

Legion smiled softly. Cursed or not, the best dish for him was Luana’s. That has always been a fact.

“The food you cook is the best.”

“That’s a given!”

Luana stuck out her chest like a bit of a bird. Then she led Legion and started walking towards the duke’s mansion as it was natural for her to do.

Now her home was no longer an abandoned palace.