Cinderella Black Dress Episode 2 | The Queen Desires a Staff Meal

Since the night she layered the cheap blankets, Cinderella had been able to sleep just a little bit better.

The silk duvet was still as light as ever.
The pillow still sank too much.
The sheets were still as slippery as ever.

However, on top of her body was the old blanket that had come from the servant's quarters.

It was heavy.
It was a little stiff.
It was scratchy.

It was surely not appropriate for something to be placed in the Queen's bedroom.

Even so, just having that one blanket allowed Cinderella to keep from losing track of her own body in the middle of the night.

The bedroom was still too large.
The name 'Queen' still felt far away.

But she could sleep.

Just because of that, the castle felt a little less scary.

Lina was very concerned about that.

Every time she entered the bedroom in the morning, she would glance at Cinderella's face.

"Your Majesty, were you able to sleep last night?"

"Yes. A little."

"A little, you say?"

"Much more than before."

When Cinderella answered that way, Lina looked relieved.

Her expression was so easy to read that Cinderella couldn't help but laugh.

"Lina, your expressions are quite busy, aren't they?"

"Eh?"

"You look worried, then relieved, then worried again."

"I-I'm sorry."

"There is no need to apologize."

Cinderella sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked the old blanket.

"If you hadn't told me, I might not have been able to sleep yet."

Lina lowered her eyes, looking a little embarrassed.

"But I really didn't think Your Majesty would actually use it."

"I didn't think I would actually use it either."

"Please do think about that part."

Lina blurted out.

After saying it, she hurriedly covered her mouth.

Cinderella laughed.

An older lady-in-waiting might have frowned.
But since it was just the two of them that morning, Cinderella just laughed.

It was the first small conversation she had made inside the castle.

Thanks to the blanket, the bedroom had become a place where she could belong, just a little.

However, there were still many things in the castle she wasn't used to.

One of them was the meals.

Royal meals were always luxurious.

The plates were white, the fruit was beautifully cut, and the soup was clear.
The bread was perfectly browned, and the honey was in a small silver container.
The tableware was light, the knives were sharp, and the servers moved without making a sound.

It was, of course, delicious.

It was delicious.
Without a doubt, it was delicious.

But it made her feel uneasy.

Sitting at the end of a wide dining table, keeping her back straight, and reaching for plates in the correct order.

By the time she finished eating, her shoulders were more tired than her stomach.

When she was a cinder-girl, there was no formality to meals.

There were times she gnawed on the end of a piece of bread while standing in the corner of the kitchen.
There were times she hurriedly put the vegetables left at the bottom of the pot into her mouth.

It was by no means a rich meal.

But eating was something a little closer to her body.

The current meals are delicious.
But they feel a little distant.

That sense of discomfort became clear during the first small luncheon she attended as Queen.

It wasn't a grand dinner.

It was a gentle luncheon for Cinderella, now Queen, to have the noblewomen of high society get to know her face little by little.

That was what she had been told.

On the table were soup made with spring vegetables, thinly sliced white fish, a meat dish with herbs, and small baked sweets.

Everything was beautiful.

The food.
The dishes.
The conversation.
The smiles.

It was so beautiful that Cinderella didn't know where to relax.

Was the sound of her placing the knife too loud?
Was the angle at which she drank the soup correct?
Was the way she cut the fish unsightly?
Was her timing for laughing delayed?

Even though she was supposed to be eating, she was more concerned about her posture than the taste.

Someone noticed that state.

It was Lady Isabelle.

She was a beautiful noblewoman, slightly older than Cinderella.
A deep rose-colored dress and hair tied up neatly.
Her smile was elegant, her back was straight, and she was so polished she was almost unapproachable.

Lady Isabelle glanced at Cinderella's plate.

"Your Majesty."

"Yes."

Cinderella smiled immediately.

Lady Isabelle smiled too.

"It seems you haven't been eating much for a while now."

Cinderella looked at the plate in front of her.

Indeed, about half of the fish remained.

"Is it not to your liking?"

"No. It is very delicious."

Cinderella answered immediately.

That was true.

It was delicious.
But it felt distant.

She couldn't say that.

Lady Isabelle looked at Cinderella's face.

"Please don't push yourself. Since you suddenly became Queen, everything must be different from how it was in the past."

The words were polite.

But they caught in Cinderella's chest, just a little.

Everything is different from the past.

The moment she was told that, the whiteness of the dining table became a little dazzling.

"Yes. Truly."

Another noblewoman said, hiding her mouth with a fan.

"Even just the royal dining etiquette must be difficult until you get used to it."

"If your upbringing is different, there must be many things that confuse you at first."

"But, Your Majesty is beautiful. I'm sure you will get used to it soon."

Every time the words piled up, Cinderella's appetite was pushed further and further away.

Lady Isabelle was silent for a moment.

But the conversation at the table had already moved on.

Cinderella smiled.

Like a Queen.
Without being rude.
Without looking hurt.

"Thank you. I will learn little by little."

When she answered that way, the elegant smiles returned to the table.

The soup hadn't gone cold.
The fish was also delicious.
The baked sweets were sweet.

But by the time she finished eating, Cinderella wasn't quite sure what she had eaten.

After the luncheon ended, Cinderella returned to the waiting room.

Lina was waiting.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your hard work."

"Yes."

Cinderella nodded.

Lina immediately furrowed her brows.

"Your Majesty."

"Yes."

"...You look tired."

"It was a luncheon, after all."

"Yes. But."

Lina searched for words for a moment.

"It's not so much that you've finished a meal, but that you still look like you're sitting at the table."

Cinderella was silent.

Lina's way of putting it was a little strange.
But it was strangely accurate.

"Even though I ate."

Cinderella said quietly.

"I don't feel like I've eaten."

Lina pondered for a while.

And then, she made a face like she was about to say something outrageous.

Cinderella had begun to recognize that face.

"Um."

"Yes."

"I think they are preparing the staff meal in the kitchen right about now."

"A staff meal?"

Cinderella asked back.

"Yes. It's the meal that the cooks and servants eat. Unlike Your Majesty's meals, it's more ordinary."

Lina started to say, then hurriedly chose her words again.

"No, well, ordinary, or perhaps simple."

"I would like to see it."

Lina froze.

"Eh?"

"That, the staff meal thing."

"Your Majesty, you would?"

"Yes."

"In the kitchen?"

"Yes."

"...Again?"

"Again?"

"No, the last time was the blanket, so."

Lina said in a troubled voice.

"Your Majesty, you have more interest in the servant side than I thought."

"Rather than interest."

Cinderella remembered the dining table she had been sitting at earlier.

White plates.
Silver containers.
Perfect browning.
Unbroken smiles.

"That side feels a little closer."

Lina was silent for a while.

Then, she nodded slightly.

"Just a little, though."

"Yes."

"The head chef will be surprised."

"I don't intend to surprise him."

"The moment Your Majesty comes to the kitchen, he will be quite surprised."

"Then, I will go as quietly as possible."

"I don't think that's the issue."

Even so, Lina guided her.

A few days after becoming Queen.

Cinderella left the royal dining table for the first time and headed to the kitchen.

The kitchen was completely different from the bedroom or the dining room.

Steam was rising, pots were clanging, and someone was chopping vegetables.
The smell of baking bread and the smell of pots on the fire were mixed together.

There were water marks on the floor, bottles lined up on shelves, and someone called out from behind, 'It's hot!'

It wasn't clean.

It wasn't quiet either.

But it was alive.

The cooks stopped their hands all at once when they saw Cinderella.

"Your Majesty?"

Someone shouted quietly.

Lina hurriedly bowed her head.

"Excuse me. Just a quick visit."

A large man who looked like the head chef hurriedly stepped forward.

"I am terribly sorry."

Cinderella blinked.

"Eh?"

"Was there something in the meal that was not to your liking?"

"No. The food at the luncheon was very delicious."

"Then, was the quantity insufficient? Or perhaps the temperature..."

"That's not it."

Cinderella looked past the steam.

"It's not a lack."

"Yes."

"The smell here is more comforting."

The head chef looked like he didn't know how to react.

Lina cleared her throat quietly beside her.

"Your Majesty would like to see the staff meal."

"The staff meal, you say?"

"Yes."

The head chef looked as if he had received an order more difficult than a royal decree.

A large pot was placed at the edge of the kitchen.

What was boiling inside was barley porridge.

It was different from the clear soup served at the Queen's luncheon.
It was cloudy, looked a bit heavy, and the steam was rising straight up.

Next to it was bread with hardened ends.

Stewed apples made from uneven apples that couldn't be served as perfectly shaped fruit.

Potatoes baked with only salt.

None of these were things that would be placed on the Queen's plate.

But to Cinderella, they looked terribly like food.

The slightly charred apples felt like they had a sweeter smell than the fruit decorated on a white plate.
The bread with hardened ends showed the shape of being torn by hand more than the overly perfect bread.
The steam from the barley porridge felt like it entered her body more than the clear soup.

"Do you eat this every day?"

When Cinderella asked, the head chef answered with a slightly troubled face.

"Not every day, but we use leftovers and ends of things, depending on the day."

"Depending on the day."

"Yes. So as not to waste anything."

Cinderella narrowed her eyes slightly upon hearing that.

Not to waste.

She hadn't heard that phrase much at the Queen's dining table.

"May I have a little?"

The head chef's eyes widened even further.

"This, you say?"

"Yes."

"It is not for the Queen."

"That is why I want to try it."

Lina looked like she had given up on stopping her.

Eventually, the head chef served some barley porridge into a small bowl.

Next to it, he added some pieces of the hard bread broken into small bits, a little of the stewed apples, and one baked potato, modestly.
Cinderella first put the barley porridge in her mouth.

It was hot.

It was a little heavy.

It wasn't as fragrant or clear as the soup at the luncheon.

But it was a taste that settled quietly into the depths of her tense body.
Next, she tore off a little of the hard bread.

It was hard as it was.

But when she soaked it a little in the barley porridge, it became just the right softness.
Cinderella laughed involuntarily.

"So this is how you do it."

The head chef looked a little surprised.

"Yes. Hard bread is a little difficult as it is."

"But it's delicious when you soak it."

"...Yes."

The head chef's face relaxed just a little.

Next, she put the stewed apple in her mouth.

Uneven apples.

Apples that didn't make it onto the white plate.
The shape was a little collapsed, and the edges were charred.
But that part was delicious.

It was sweet.

But it wasn't just sweet.
The charred part was a little bitter, and the tartness of the apple remained.
"I really like this."

When Cinderella said that, someone at the edge of the kitchen laughed quietly.

"I just used the ones with bad shapes."

The head chef said, looking embarrassed.

"Did they come here because their shapes were bad?"

"Yes."

"Then, I get along with these."

Lina almost burst out laughing.

"Your Majesty, you get along with apples?"

"Yes. Because I, too, am not quite shaped well enough to be on the Queen's plate yet."

The kitchen went quiet for a moment.

After saying it, Cinderella thought she had said a bit too much.

But the head chef said slowly,

"Even so, I believe the taste is good."

Cinderella looked up.

The head chef continued with a slightly serious face.

"Even if they are uneven, if you cook them well, they become a good taste."

Lina nodded slightly.

Cinderella looked at the stewed apple once more.

And then she laughed.

"Then, I must be cooked well too."

"I cannot cook the Queen."

The head chef replied seriously, so this time Lina laughed.

As if drawn by that laughter, the atmosphere in the kitchen softened just a little.

Finally, Cinderella put the baked potato in her mouth.

It was a simple potato baked with only salt.

It was hot, fluffy, and a little salty.

Cinderella's eyes went wide.

"It wakes my body up."

"Was the salt too strong?"

The head chef panicked.

"No. That's the good part."

Lina said from the side.

"Your Majesty, you are good at praising the staff meal."

"I'm just saying what I really think."

"That's what's amazing."

That was when it happened.

The entrance to the kitchen suddenly became noisy.

The cooks froze, this time for a different reason than before.

Lina also turned around and almost dropped the cloth she was holding.

Cinderella turned around too.

Standing there was the Prince.

"So this is where you were."

The Prince looked surprised.

But he wasn't angry.

He was just looking back and forth between the kitchen and Cinderella, looking genuinely puzzled.

Cinderella hurriedly stood up, still holding the bowl.

"I'm sorry. I just came on my own."

"No."

The Prince took a step inside.

The entire kitchen became even more tense.

"I heard you returned to the waiting room after the luncheon, but I couldn't see you."

"I apologize."

"You don't need to apologize."

The Prince looked at the bowl in Cinderella's hand.

"What is that?"

"It's a staff meal."

"A staff meal."

The Prince repeated the unfamiliar word as if to confirm it.

Cinderella braced herself just a little.

The Queen is in the kitchen, eating a staff meal.

Surely, this is not the proper behavior.
The Prince might frown.

He might look troubled.
He might gently warn her.
However, after thinking for a moment, the Prince turned to the head chef.

"Can I have some too?"

The kitchen stopped completely.

The head chef looked as if his soul had left his body this time.

"For Your Highness as well?"

"Yes. Because Cinderella looks like she's eating it deliciously."

Cinderella looked at the Prince involuntarily.

The Prince was smiling just a little.

The head chef prepared a small plate with trembling hands.

The Prince first looked at the stewed apple.

"What is this?"

"It's uneven apples that have been stewed and slightly baked."

The head chef answered.

"Uneven..."

The Prince put the slightly charred apple in his mouth.

After being silent for a moment, he said,

"It's not just sweet, is it?"

"That's the good part."

Cinderella said immediately.

"The charred part is a little bitter, and..."

"I see."

The Prince ate another bite.

"Indeed, it's less boring than just being sweet."

The head chef's expression returned just a little.

Next, the Prince picked up the hard bread.

He tried to bite it as it was, so Cinderella hurriedly stopped him.

"It's delicious if you soak it in the porridge."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

The Prince did as he was told and soaked the hard bread a little in the barley porridge.

Then he brought it to his mouth.

"...This is difficult if you don't know how to eat it."

"I just learned it now, too."

"Then, we are the same."

The Prince said that and smiled a little.

Finally, the Prince put one baked potato in his mouth.

After being silent for a moment, he said,

"...It's saltier than I thought."

The head chef's complexion changed.

Lina held her breath.

Cinderella hurriedly said,

"That's the good part."

The Prince looked at Cinderella.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. It wakes my body up."

The Prince ate another bite.

"Indeed, it wakes it up."

The head chef finally exhaled.

Someone at the edge of the kitchen laughed quietly.

Triggered by that laughter, the atmosphere gradually returned.

The Prince stood next to Cinderella, still holding his plate.

"Does this place make you feel at ease?"

Cinderella hesitated for a moment.

But, just like with the blanket, she was able to be a little honest.

"Yes."

"More than the Queen's dining table?"

"...I don't think they are things to be compared."

"But?"

"This side feels a little closer."

The Prince nodded without saying anything.

Then, he looked around the kitchen.

"Then, you should come here sometimes."

The cooks looked up in surprise.

Lina's eyes went wide too.

Cinderella was surprised as well.

"Is that alright?"

"As long as you don't get in the way of the kitchen."

The Prince looked at the head chef.

The head chef hurriedly bowed his head.

"O-of course, Your Highness."

It clearly did not seem like 'of course'.

The Prince smiled a little.

"To the extent that you don't trouble them, that is."

Cinderella smiled softly, holding the bowl with both hands.

This person doesn't understand everything.

Why the Queen feels safe with cheap blankets.

Why she can breathe easier with a staff meal in the kitchen than at the royal dining table.
Surely, he won't understand right away.

But he didn't try to kick her out.

That alone was enough.

That day, Cinderella found another place in the castle where she could breathe.

In the Queen's bedroom, a cheap blanket.

Outside the Queen's dining table, a steaming kitchen.

And to both of those, the Prince, while a little surprised, did not turn his back.

That is why Cinderella thought.

If I am by this person's side, I might be able to remain myself, little by little.

The continuation of 'happily ever after' had only just begun.

Next: Cinderella Black Dress Episode 3 | Prince, Contact Me If You're Coming Home

Previous: Cinderella Black Dress Episode 1 | The Queen Desires a Cheap Blanket

※This story connects from "Episode 0 | The Queen in the Black Dress". If you haven't read the prologue, please start here.