Interlude:
Behind the Scenes 2
(Lene Aurousseau)
AFTER WE WERE EXILED, a harsh world awaited my brother and me in the Alpes. Our family was able to use their connections to continue doing trade, but my brother and I were disowned, left with no one to rely on.
“We have to hang in there, Lene.”
“I know…”
I understood this was a fitting punishment for what we’d done, but the two of us needed a way to make a living, regardless. After much asking around, we were lucky enough to find an inn willing to let us be live-in staff. The innkeeper was a cranky man, but he was kindhearted. My brother and I would never forget the debt we owed him for taking the two of us in.
At the inn, my brother handled customers and office work, while I cooked. My brother had always been the amicable sort, so he quickly got used to the work. I did my best too.
“…I’ll write you a letter of introduction.”
After some time, the innkeeper referred us to our next place of employment. Our original agreement had only been for us to work at the inn until we saved up enough money, so it was a stroke of fortune to have another opportunity land in our laps. What’s more, he was introducing us to a famous, high-class Alpecian restaurant. I knew this was the time to go all out.
At first, all I did was handle odd jobs. I had to learn how the restaurant and people worked before I tried anything. My chance came soon, however. Once a month, the restaurant held a contest where the employees submitted their own self-made dishes. I took the opportunity to use one of the recipes I’d gotten from Rae.
“What is this flavor?!”
“I’ve never eaten anything like this before!”
What I made was shrimp and broccoli mayonnaise stir fry. Mayonnaise was still rather uncommon—even in Bauer, only Broumet had adopted it—so my dish was well received. The recipe was added to the restaurant’s official menu, and I was put in charge of preparing the core components.
From there on, my streak of good luck continued. The shrimp and broccoli mayonnaise stir fry dish became an overnight sensation, bringing in a flood of customers. One was a wealthy gourmand by the name of Edgar, who was thinking of someday opening his own ideal restaurant. He offered me money multiple times to one day run that restaurant, but I dismissed it for a scam at first, thinking it sounded too good to be true. I had my brother, who was studying clerical work and Alpecian law, investigate Edgar a bit—and it turned out he was indeed a famous gourmand, and had invested in a number of chefs who went on to establish their own restaurants. My brother and I decided to take up Edgar’s offer.
“We did it, Lene. Things are truly beginning for us.”
“Indeed, Brother.”
We named our restaurant Frater, meaning “siblings” in the old Bauer language. We thought of using the word for “lovers” instead but ultimately refrained. Our restaurant’s name signified hope. We would not forget our past mistakes. We would work to grow past them.
Using Rae’s recipes, Frater quickly became famous. Our most popular item by far was a dessert, crème brûlée. So many of my memories of Rae and Claire were bound up in this dish that it felt like fate for it to become our bestseller.
Another big factor in our success was the magic-stone-powered cookware that my brother created. Apparently, he’d gotten the idea from Rae back when we were still in Bauer. The new cookware allowed us to do more with less staff, and even sell our crème brûlée to other restaurants, greatly expanding our business. We also began selling the cookware as well. It was safe to say my brother was a big reason why we were able to make it as far as we did.
One month after we established Frater, my brother and I went to Bauer, which was where we were currently located. We had heard of the eruption of Mt. Sassal, as well as the chaos in the kingdom that followed.
Under normal circumstances, exiles like us would never have been allowed to set foot back in Bauer. However, an organization calling themselves the revolutionary government came to us requesting financial support. We knew something was going down in Bauer, so under the pretense of doing business with them, we returned.
“Well, this is…”
“…Just terrible.”
The royal capital had none of the beauty I remembered it for. Many buildings were visibly damaged by the volcanic eruption, but most harrowing of all was the lifeless look in the people’s eyes. I had to do something to help them.
I ended up offering more financial support than the revolutionary government requested. I planned to make up the difference from my own savings, but my brother insisted otherwise.
“It is by His Majesty King l’Ausseil’s kindness that we are alive right now. He may have departed this world, but I want to show my gratitude to him as well.”
In the end, we decided Frater itself, as a business, would send financial aid. Unsurprisingly, the revolutionary government welcomed us with open arms for our donation. What was surprising, however, was learning more about their operations. Since we were donors, they were willing to give us detailed reports of their activities—which led to us learning Duke François and his daughter had been apprehended.
I thought I would pass out the moment I read the report. The revolutionary government was trying to bring down the nobility-based one. As things stood, Claire’s life was in danger.
Canceling my support would’ve been easy enough, but by that point, the revolutionary government had enough funds to be secure without Frater’s backing. And so, I stayed on the revolutionary government’s side so I might continue to monitor them from within.
The days crawled by at a snail’s pace. Even though I knew Claire might die, all I could do was keep watch and hope nothing happened.
Then one morning, a letter arrived from Manaria.
“Rae!”
“Hey, Lene. It’s been a while… I’m sorry.” The moment we reunited, Rae bowed her head low. She apologized for hiding her true plans and for being unable to stop Claire.
“You have nothing to apologize for. If you couldn’t stop her, then I’m sure nobody could,” I said. “Besides, it’s not like you’ve given up, right?”
“…Right.” I saw determination swell in her. She seemed ready to get Claire back, no matter what.
“Then let’s work together.”
“Yes, let’s. Thank you, Lene.”
And that was how I became Rae’s coconspirator in her plan to save Claire while our restaurant, Frater, remained a supporter of the revolutionary government.
“Miss Claire…” Even now, I adored her. I considered her my mistress, and would always do so, no matter how much time came to pass. I understood very well why she was trying to die in this revolution, but… “I would rather you live.”
As someone who once betrayed her, I might not have had the right to say such a thing. But even so, I meant it.
“Let’s do this, Lene!”
“Yeah!” I wasn’t alone. I had Rae, Manaria, and even my precious brother with me. “Just you wait, Miss Claire.”
My desires thus united with Rae’s, I awaited the arrival of the fated day.