The Feast in the Greenhouse

Fren immediately boarded the carriage with the messenger and headed for the royal palace.

The messenger looked clearly startled, as if he hadn’t expected Fren to insist on leaving the moment their conversation ended.

Fren smiled gracefully and said.

“We can’t keep the Princess waiting.”

“Huh…”

The messenger stared at Fren with a look that seemed to say, “So even the mighty Fren is afraid of the Princess.”

But the messenger’s assumption was wrong.

The Fren Vanessa knew was an elf who feared nothing.

Even when lycanthropes bit his head on the battlefield, even when he plucked out his own right eye after being falsely accused, he didn’t flinch.

There was no way someone like Fren would be afraid of Princess Daphne, who was nothing more than one of his own kind.

It was an arrogant thought for a s*ave, but she couldn’t help it.

It was simply true.

When they arrived at the palace, the messenger led Fren and Vanessa to the Princess’s quarters.

Her quarters were a massive greenhouse.

Vanessa recalled Jenoise, who held fairy-tale-like fantasies about princesses.

‘She would never believe that a royal princess lives in a greenhouse.’

The three of them pushed through dense, jungle-like greenery as they walked inside.

The deeper they went, the thicker the plants grew, making it hard to walk.

But the messenger moved with practiced ease, leading them toward Princess Daphne.

“Princess Daphne.”

—Crack!

Only when they reached the deepest part of the greenhouse were they able to find Daphne.

The moment the messenger called out, a knife sank into a thick piece of meat lying on the floor.

The messenger bowed without panic.

“As you ordered, I have brought Elder Fren.”

“Oh, really?”

Fren bowed his head.

Vanessa, standing at the back, was already on her knees with her forehead pressed to the ground.

As the sound of meat being chopped filled the air, Daphne spoke lazily.

“So you brought the s*ave too.”

“Yes, she’s my masterpiece.”

“Hmm. Forget the formalities and relax. You too, s*ave.”

At her words, Vanessa lifted her head and finally saw Daphne’s appearance.

She wore a thick lion pelt draped over her head, covering every strand of her hair.

But it could not hide her vibrant beauty.

The large eyes she inherited from her grandfather, her smooth forehead, and her sharp nose all gave her a bold and striking look.

Just looking at her was enough to make one excited.

Vanessa glanced at the messenger.

Even though he must see Daphne every day, he stared at her in a daze.

But Vanessa didn’t think he was pathetic.

She understood.

After all, he too had been mesmerized by Fren’s beauty the previous night.

Right at that moment—

“That meat looks delicious.”

“Right?”

Fren showed interest in the meat Daphne was preparing.

Vanessa’s gaze also drifted toward it.

The neatly cut pieces glistened with a deep red sheen.

After confirming the flat stone was sufficiently heated, Daphne spoke.

“A special guest is visiting, so I thought I should prepare something special.”

“Is that so? I’m honored.”

“You may leave now. Fren, come here.”

Daphne dismissed the messenger and beckoned Fren.

Vanessa hurriedly looked for something to lay on the ground, but Daphne’s next words stopped her.

“Just sit. A little dirt on your clothes won’t kill you.”

“Of course I know that.”

With that, Fren calmly sat on the dirt floor.

Vanessa fidgeted anxiously.

For a noble elf like Fren to sit directly on the ground—she couldn’t get used to it.

Even Princess Daphne sat on the ground normally, so Vanessa had no right to object, yet she still felt uneasy.

She wanted to at least lay down a handkerchief.

Her hands twitched as she thought about it.

Then—

“Your name is Vanessa, right?”

Daphne turned her attention to her.

Vanessa quickly bowed her head, trying not to meet a superior’s gaze, but Daphne gave a sharp command.

“Hey. Stay still.”

Her tone was like an adult scolding a child.

Vanessa froze immediately.

Daphne issued another command.

“Don’t blink.”

“Yes.”

“And try not breathing for a bit.”

Vanessa did exactly as she was told without hesitation, no matter how strange the command was.

Daphne examined her carefully, not missing a single strand of hair.

One second felt like a minute, and the pain grew unbearable, but Vanessa stubbornly held her breath and kept her eyes wide open.

Just when her discomfort became visible, Daphne burst into hearty laughter.

“Puhaha! You can breathe now.”

Vanessa inhaled deeply.

Her face was flushed red from holding her breath too long.

Daphne looked extremely satisfied as she praised her.

“Fren, you trained your s*ave well.”

“You flatter me.”

“I was worried you’d end up dragging around a uselessly kind s*ave like your mother used to, but that was a pointless worry.”

Daphne grabbed Vanessa’s chin and shook it lightly.

“And her face—she’s way prettier than the s*ave your mother kept around. Comparing them would be rude.”

“…….”

“But that old s*ave… she still sticks to Sylvia, right? If I remember correctly, she was pretty old. Isn’t it about time your mother replaces her with someone young and fresh like this one? Hey, Fren. Don’t hog all the pretty slaves for yourself. Give your mother a proper one too. That’s filial piety.”

“…Princess.”

“What?”

Fren, who had been silently listening, pointed out something important.

“Excuse me, but the meat seems to be burning.”

“What! Really? I completely forgot because of your beauty.”

Daphne rushed to the fire and flipped the meat.

Thankfully, it was not burnt.

She moved the perfectly browned pieces onto a plate and handed it to Fren.

“Here, eat.”

“Thank you.”

“And… here, you eat too.”

Daphne handed a plate piled high with meat to Vanessa.

Fren’s hand stopped midair.

Vanessa couldn’t believe what was happening.

‘She’s giving meat to a s*ave? A noble elf like the Princess wants to dine with a s*ave? I thought Fren was the only elf capable of that… maybe not.’

Vanessa quickly knelt and accepted the plate with both hands.

“Eat well.”

Daphne even lent her a fork personally.

Holding the fork, Vanessa glanced anxiously at Fren.

‘Should I eat this? Or not?’

She knew very well that when a noble bestowed food, one must accept it without question.

But she also belonged to Fren.

A s*ave must always obey their owner first.

‘Even if a princess gives me food, eating it without Fren’s permission feels wrong.’

As she hesitated, Fren examined the meat closely and asked:

“Princess Daphne, what kind of meat is this?”

Daphne smirked and replied.

“What do you think it is?”

“If my eyes aren’t mistaken… beef?”

“Yes. I slaughtered it myself and skinned it too.”

She answered the question and then looked at Vanessa.

“What are you doing? Eat.”

Her enthusiastic insistence made a bad feeling rise in Vanessa’s chest.

She froze, fork in hand.

Fren asked another question.

“Where did you get it? Was it from the wild, or a farm?”

Instead of answering, Daphne tilted her head and asked:

“What do you think?”

“If I’m not overthinking… I’d say neither.”

Daphne’s smile widened.

Fren set his plate down and spoke.

“This is from the pet cow Elder Eo raised, isn’t it?”

“Correct! The meat of the minotaur he adored so much!”

Laughing loudly, Daphne clutched her stomach.

She laughed for a long time before wiping tears from her eyes and asking:

“So what? Don’t tell me you’re refusing the food your princess offered?”

“I would eat it under normal circumstances, but I can’t help feeling disgusted. That animal belonged to an elf who was once my friend.”

“Then your s*ave can eat your share too. We can’t waste good food.”

At those horrifying words, Vanessa felt her entire body turn cold.

She knew very well how many humans minotaurs had devoured over the years.

So she didn’t move.

Daphne urged her.

“What are you doing? Eat before it gets cold.”

Vanessa still didn’t move.

Daphne smirked, picked up Fren’s plate, and approached Vanessa.

Then she flipped the plate over and poured everything onto Vanessa’s.

The amount of meat doubled instantly.

Daphne tossed aside the empty plate and asked mockingly:

“You’re not saying you can’t eat it, right? It’s beef. The kind you people love so much.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Slaves, who worked endlessly and ate poorly, loved fatty food.

But this was different.

Minotaur meat was practically the flesh of humans.

Only Fren knew how sickening that was to Vanessa.

One thought filled her mind.

‘I don’t want to eat it.’

Even if Fren told her to eat it, she wouldn’t be able to.

The moment she thought that, Fren stepped between them.

“You shouldn’t eat this either.”

With those words, he took the plate away from her.