"Is the Duke leaving again so soon?" she asked.
Pedro, who had been speaking with a servant, turned to her and relaxed his usually stern expression. "Yes, Master Simon only returned briefly to rest. He'll be heading out again tomorrow."
Although Pedro didn't explicitly state the reason for Simon's return, Maria could easily infer it from his words.
Seeing the understanding on her face, Pedro was pleased that she had grasped the situation.
Knowing that Simon had returned specifically to assist her, Maria felt touched. She asked Pedro, "Does the Duke need any food prepared for his journey?"
"Yes," Pedro replied. "We'll prepare some dried meat and bread, and of course, the pasta you make will be included. We're also adding some spices."
The dried meat Pedro mentioned was essentially meat that had been salted, dried, and cut into strips—ideal for long journeys as it could be boiled in hot water when needed. The bread was a hard, crusty type, sometimes used as a weapon in emergencies. The spices were mainly for grilling meat, as Simon and his knights often hunted and cooked on the spot.
Maria's pasta had been a hit with everyone; it was versatile, easy to store, and could last a year or even longer when dried. It was a popular choice for traveling food, though cooking it required a significant amount of time and fuel. Simon had requested more of it last time, but there hadn't been enough prepared due to time constraints.
Maria decided to prepare something herself. "In that case, I'll go take a look."
Pedro's eyes lit up. "Miss Maria, are you going to prepare food for the Duke?"
"Yes, I want to see what's suitable for the trip."
Simon previously said that Maria's cooking was delicious and he even wanted to hand over the kitchen to her. Feeling grateful for all Simon had done for her, She wanted to do something to repay him.
The kitchen had already prepared the food needed for Simon's journey, but when Maria offered to help, the staff eagerly cooperated. Since Maria often visited the kitchen to prepare fresh dishes, it was well-equipped with various tools.
Given the limited time, Maria couldn't make anything too elaborate, but she decided to make pies and yeast-raised meat buns. The current temperatures were still relatively cool, so even the meat in the buns would remain fresh for a few days. They could be steamed or soaked in hot water before eating, making them a much tastier option compared to the hard, dry bread and meat.
Butler Pedro originally wanted Maria to just prepare food for the Duke, but when Maria heard that the kitchen was also responsible for preparing food for the knights, she felt that she should not be too partial, so she made a lot of bread and meat pies for them.
The meat pie fillings were all prepared by Maria herself. Her hands were steady, and she could intuitively gauge the amount of each ingredient, while Bob, the chef, struggled to understand vague terms like "appropriate amount" or "a little," looking completely lost. In the end, he had to shamelessly ask Maria to add ingredients for him using a spoon to measure.
Once the fillings were ready, they moved on to wrapping the pies. Bob, holding a rolled-out dough, watched intently as Maria expertly folded the dough, creating pies that were as large as a palm with folds as neat as flowers. In contrast, Bob's attempts were clumsy, with dough thicker than necessary, filling sparse, and the folds poorly made—his results were even less attractive than those made by the maids assisting.
Seeing Bob's large, clumsy hands, Maria decided to show him how to make meat pies instead. The pies were simpler to make than the buns as long as the filling didn't leak out, and making them was less demanding than wrapping the buns. After demonstrating, Maria had Bob help with cooking the pies. She couldn't manage all the baking alone, especially with the amount of food needed.
They worked tirelessly until nearly midnight, preparing all the food. The labor left everyone exhausted, with many sneaking yawns. Maria informed Pedro, who was also working late, to let the kitchen staff rest the next morning. As for breakfast, they could make do with the buns and meat pies prepared earlier.
The sandwiches and meat pies Maria made were enough to feed Simon and his party for about ten days. However, because buns wouldn't last that long, a portion was intended for breakfast the next morning.
"Everyone who helped today can have a meat pie or a sandwich," Maria announced. "Other servants will get a bread roll."
To ensure everyone was well-fed, the food was made large enough to satisfy most people's appetites. Even those with bigger appetites would be full with a piece and some soup. Though some buns were made with a mix of peas and flour instead of pure refined flour, giving them a unique flavor, they were still much better than the hard, teeth-damaging black bread usually eaten by the servants.
Butler Pedro, who had smelled the fragrance all night, thought Maria's proposal was a bit extravagant. Such good food was prepared for the Duke, how could the servants eat it? But thinking that the Duke had handed over the kitchen to Maria, and the food smelled so delicious, if he followed Maria's words, he could also eat a sandwich or meat pie tomorrow, and even as a butler, he could give one to his wife.
Swallowing his saliva secretly, Butler Pedro nodded in agreement.
This made the servants who heard Maria's words and looked at him eagerly cheered quietly, and suddenly became excited, and began to look forward to tomorrow's arrival.
Maria woke up later than usual the next day, but still around eight o'clock, while the other residents of the castle were likely still asleep. When she went downstairs after getting ready, she was informed that Simon had already left.
The dutiful butler, Pedro, informed her, "The Duke enjoyed the food you prepared and asked me to thank you on his behalf."
"Did he have breakfast?" Maria asked.
"Yes, the Duke had breakfast before he left," Pedro replied.
Maria nodded and took her usual seat at the dining table, waiting for Eleanor. Since Simon was away, Father Matthew had not been dining with them recently, so it had just been the two young women sharing meals.
For breakfast, they ate the food Maria had prepared the night before. The reheated buns and meat pies were delicious, as were the sandwiches. Paired with warm milk with fruit juice to mask the gamey taste.
As she ate breakfast and pondered these thoughts, Maria was somewhat absent-minded. In contrast, Eleanor seemed happier than usual. She had already heard that Maria was going to become her tutor and had been excited about it ever since.
From the moment Eleanor first met Maria, she had liked her, and this affection only grew with time. So, she was thrilled at the prospect of Maria becoming her teacher, regardless of the subject.
Unfortunately, Maria wouldn't be able to start her teaching duties anytime soon.
After breakfast, Pedro informed Maria, as the servants cleared the table, that the steward of the land she had purchased had come to see her.
Maria felt that the butler seemed even more attentive than usual today—perhaps the food she made were really that good?