Chapter 8

“Lord Kaitooooooo!!” Kaito was cleaning the oven the next morning when Lilia burst in, throwing the door open so hard that it slammed against the wall. She had clearly been running full tilt; her hair was a mess. “What’s going on, Lilia?” The elf girl’s green eyes were shining. “We got an order!!” “What?!” “Someone wants a pizza delivered!!” “All right!” Their first delivery customer. Kaito’s heart raced. “Who is it? What kind of person are they? What kind of pizza do they want?” “Calm down, Lord Kaito,” Lilia said, smiling at his excitement. “The order is from a person named Belinda.” “A woman, huh?” “Yes! She’s extremely smart. She even studied in another country once, and now she works as the queen’s tutor at the castle.” “Woooow, amazing!” So a career woman, huh? “Her house is about five minutes away by carriage.” “Carriage?!” Now that he thought about it, Kaito realized he’d neglected to figure out how he would make deliveries. Doing them on foot around here didn’t seem feasible. He wanted the pizza to be as fresh as possible when it got to the customers. “You mean carriage, like…” “Oh, you can use the family’s carriage. Though it’s more of a cart… It doesn’t have a roof.” “That would be great!” It felt like he had to rely on the headman’s family for everything. I’ve got to make sure I get this place up and running and stand on my own two feet. “Uh, by the way, I don’t know how to…drive?…pilot?…a carriage…” “Oh, I can drive it.” “Thank you so much…!!” Lilia was turning out to be a huge help. She could knead dough and clean the oven, and now it turned out she could drive a carriage. She’s really a good girl…and pretty cute, too. Kaito hurriedly dismissed the thought. He had a delivery to focus on. “So what kind of pizza does she want? All I can really do right now are margherita and marinara…” “She said she wants to try them both… But there’s only one of her, and she can’t eat two whole pizzas. Whatever shall we do?” Lilia asked, confused. “We put them both on one pie…half and half!!” “Half and half…?” Lilia’s eyes were wide. “It’s very popular for deliveries. Good for people who get bored with just one flavor or who want to try two different things. Half of it will be margherita, and half will be marinara!” “Can you do that?!” Lilia gasped in shock. “You have to keep a close eye on the cooking time, but sure.” “Amazing! That’s incredible, Lord Kaito!” Lilia was so full of praise that Kaito found himself getting a bit embarrassed. Anybody in my country could have told you about that… “Okay, let’s get started!!” “I’ll get the carriage ready!!” Lilia left the restaurant, and Kaito set about making the pizza. Both flavors used tomato sauce as a base, so the first step was the same. Kaito put a spiral of tomato sauce on the shaped crust. Now it was time to show what he could do. First, he put mozzarella cheese and parjee on exactly half of the pizza. The other half got a dash of salt and some hanahakka, along with some sliced garlic. Finally, he drizzled olive oil over the whole thing. “Perfect!” He slid the finished pizza onto the peel and put it in the oven. Because both halves had different ingredients, careful cooking time would be essential. Kaito diligently rotated the pie, making sure both sides got cooked thoroughly. “That ought to just about do it…” The pizza came out perfect. Kaito put it on a dish and set a silver lid over it. That would help keep it warm. “Liliaaaa!! It’s all set!!” Outside, Lilia was already aboard the carriage. The vehicle was pulled by a single white horse. The animal seemed to be from the elf village, a beautiful thoroughbred. The “carriage” was a simple construct of wooden boards, made for carrying cargo. Lilia waved, the reins in her hands. “I’m ready!” Kaito jumped up next to her. “Now, off we go!!” “Sure thing!” Then the carriage was off. Lilia’s speed was perfect, not too fast and not too slow. They weren’t going much faster than a bicycle, so Kaito wasn’t worried about sitting out in the open. “You’re really good at this, Lilia.” “I’ve been around horses and carriages my entire life!” “Wow. Is that so…?” Come to think of it, I’ve only ever seen them on television. It’s a little wobbly, but the breeze sure is nice. This isn’t bad at all. “Are you a rider, Lord Kaito?” “I’ve never been on a horse. Well, once, I guess. I did this pony ride once when I was a kid.” He had been at some amusement park. His memories of the ride were hazy. It had involved one of the staff members leading the horse around; Kaito had literally just been along for the ride. “I wonder if I could learn…” “I’m sure you could!! If you want, I could teach you.” “Thanks. I’d like that.” The carriage rattled along, and before they knew it, they were at Belinda’s house. It was a small place, but the garden was well tended. “Hello! Pizza delivery!” The door opened immediately to reveal a woman in her late twenties (Kaito thought; he wasn’t very good at guessing elf ages yet) wearing glasses. Her long chestnut-colored hair was tied back in a single bunch. Her almond-shaped eyes were olive green. She cut a rather stern-looking figure. “Please come in.” She ushered Kaito and Lilia into the parlor. It was covered in a subdued but girlish flowery pattern. “I’d like to chat with you a bit, so I’ll put some tea on.” “Uh, sure.” Kaito was a bit surprised. He’d expected to make the delivery and go right back home, but this was his first delivery customer. If possible, he wanted to observe her reaction and hear what she thought. “Here you go.” She offered him a cup with a cute golden flower on it. She even brought out a plate of cookies. “Thank y—” “Bon appétit!” Before Kaito could even express his gratitude, Lilia had shoved the cookies into her mouth. “Wow! Delicious! These have cornmeal in them, right?” “Yes, that’s right.” A cornmeal cookie… I would’ve liked to try that… But the plate, previously home to four cookies, was empty. Lilia… You and your monster appetite… Lilia sipped her tea, completely oblivious to Kaito’s dirty look. “Well then, I’ll help myself. Do you cut this before you eat it?” Belinda was holding a knife and fork. “Oh, it’s already cut into slices. Just pick one up.” She looked at Kaito in surprise. “Really? Pick it up?” “Your hands might get a little dirty, but it’s the easiest way to eat a pizza. Plus, it’s delicious.” “…Well, all right.” She sounded determined. She picked up a slice of margherita. I guess she probably comes from a good background. She’s a little hesitant to eat with her hands. Belinda took a bite of the margherita, and her eyes went wide. “……!!” “How is it?” “It’s wonderful!! The cheese is so rich, and the crust is so fluffy!!” When she had finished the slice, Belinda took a piece of the marinara. “Ah! The sourness of the tomato sauce is perfect!! It goes so well with the garlic!!” Kaito felt a rush of relief to see Belinda enjoying the food so much. Mission accomplished. Belinda readily finished the entire pie, then wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. “What did you think? Did you like it?” “Well…” Belinda cocked her head in thought. “The margherita is extremely rich. It has an aggressive strength, like a wild animal that wants to drag you off. It’s like being pulled by a big, muscular arm you just can’t resist…” “……” Kaito stared at Belinda, dumbstruck. She is talking about pizza, right…? “The marinara is more like a cheerful man. Open and honest, but somehow cynical. He has a passionate heart and leads you gently along.” “……” Belinda was rapturous. A man? Did she just compare a pizza to a man? That was when his eye wandered over to Belinda’s bookshelf. Among the scores of difficult specialist tomes, several books with purple dust jackets stood out. A series of some type, it appeared. “……!” Kaito’s eyes went wide as he happened to notice the titles. Dragged Away by a Beast in the Desert Night. The Kidnapped Fake Bride. The Secret of the Handsome Duke. In the Mansion of Delights… Unmistakably novels in the vein of Harlequin romances. Belinda, it seemed, enjoyed love stories, which influenced the way she described her pizza. “Is something wrong?”