My Lady Chef { La Vita Series } - Volume 1

Chapter 84: In Disguise

My dear wife,

Our army is close to breaking through Guthrie's heavy walls.

Victory is upon us and I will soon depart and come home.

I hope you had a great time at the Prince's Ball. Did you like any of the dresses and jewelries sent by me?

Tell me all about it when we meet.

I'll stop sending letters starting from today because I want to end this all before coming home to you.

-the Duke's last letter to his Duchess

Baristani Mansion
Entrance Gate Area

Lorelei's POV:

The day of delivering rations to the Duke's Army has finally come.

As the one in charge of everything; I was strict when it came to allocation, sorting, and even how the food was packaged.

I really wanted no bandits to make off with the rations this time. War often produces a lot of thieves and bandits who plunder delivery wagons like ours every time. Which was why I made sure we have more than the usual mercenaries and guards on duty.

Speaking of which. The duchess should have been here by now. It should not be hard to spot her since any man would notice her Grace's blonde beauty.

Did...Did she get lost?

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I swirled around to greet Sir Merrick, the head guard in charge of the mercenary team.

"A knight from the Aisenburg House has requested to see you, milady." his words made me nod as he led me to a tree where I recognized the signature red and black colors on the young knight.

A rather handsome one too. A little stoic.

But still pleasing to the eyes.

"Leave us for now. Thank you." I dismissed him and made sure he was far enough before I faced the knight, I was surprised at how young he was but his periwinkle eyes were solemn. "Sir knight, Did you come with Lady Aisenburg?"

He nodded and stepped back, a cloaked figure walked towards me and took off her hood.

She was a rather petite, curvy woman with raven hair tied into a ponytail, her clothes were simple and she had boots on. Compared to the angelic beauty of the Duchess, this woman was more down to earth in her prettiness as her brown eyes remind me of coffee with milk.

"Hello, Lorelei." Her voice shocked me. It was the duchess' voice but her form was different.

"You...Your Grace!" I gasped and covered my mouth quickly hoping no one heard me. "I-I mean...uhm"

"Call me Elena or Ely." She smiled as she turned around gracefully for me. "I had my people purchase a Mirage Stone Pendant so that I can go with you incognito. You can say that I am the duchess' new protege helping out."

Oh! Now I understood. However, she was still beautiful enough that I am afraid the men may not leave her alone.

"I am glad you made it Lady- I mean Miss Elena. We should be heading off now; Come, let us go."

The ration team soon set off.

The Lady and I were placed in the middle wagon along with our knights as protection. The grains, bread, and broth cubes are kept at the 2nd and 3rd wagon while the meat, canned food, fruits, and vegetables are kept at the last three wagons.

The journey to the Warp Crystal Point will take a day and after it creates a gate to the nearest drop site, we should reach the encampment in a day or so.

"It has been so long since I have left my home." Lady Alaina stared outside as the road gave way to the vast plains where wheat and crops were grown. "I heard that Ilios has a huge wall built around this area to protect their crops."

"It is true. Standing at around 25 feet. The Mithril Gates can withstand a siege spanning years. Did you know that it was Lord Ezran's ancestor that built the irrigation system in this area to provide water to the crops?" I provided some fun info.

"Amazing.  With irrigated crops and underwater sewer systems, Dranvelle can withstand an attack for years."

Not a lot of people can easily comprehend this whenever I tell them, I remember the ladies my age rolling their eyes out whenever I discuss topics like these.

I have truly found a kindred spirit in Lady Alaina. No wonder the Duke married someone like her.

My gaze turned to Sir Kain who was silently gazing out the other window. He is a very young man to be appointed as the duchess' knight but I am sure her Grace finds him capable.

Right now, his eyes were sharp and alert as our wagons passed by the Mithril Gates and the green lush forest surrounded us.

The bright tree and relaxing air of nature soon gave way to a vast swath of grasslands where we passed a town and a small village.

"What are those?" she looked in awe when a flock of Emyus ran past the grasslands, their cooing sounds echoing as their home talons dug through the ground as they vanished towards an area full of trees.

"Emyus. They are very fast bird monsters that are often used in place of horses by a few gifted knights. These creatures are so difficult to control that only the best knights can ride one to war." I told her something most people are aware of.

"This is my first time seeing them. They look so beautiful." Her eyes gleamed as she saw a herd of Moomoos chewing on grass. "Are those...cows?"

"What is a cow? Those are Moomoos. They are pale bovine creatures with black or brown fluffy hides that provide milk, fur, and beef meat."

"Oh."

How curious.

I smiled. So there a few things that she is not aware of. How cute.

The journey should not be too dangerous since we are still in the kingdom's territory but after we warp to Guthrie's lands. We need to be very careful.

The war there has affected the people and most have turned to thievery and plundering travelers and their wagons. The monsters there have also run amok because of the negative mana emanating from too much death and destruction.

I pray that the Duke ends this war soon. Guthrie's King was a selfish and extravagant dictator who heavily taxes his people in order to live a lavish life. His reign most end and his lands restored.

But I am sure it will be different....After all, we have the Duchess Aisenburg with us. Her cooking will be sure to boost their spirits and hopefully the duke'a army will be stronger with delicious food in their bellies.