I Think My Fiancé Has Regressed

Chapter 94: Side story – Lonely Gourmet Young Lady (2)

The first thing I noticed was the aroma of garlic.

The roasted garlic’s savory yet subtle flavor fills my mouth as soon as I take a bite.

A special flavor that doesn’t disappear easily even after brushing my teeth.

It was a roasted garlic flavor that made me happy as soon as I put it in my mouth.

Although this aroma makes this alio olio pasta a challenge for even the most experienced diners.

This violent garlic scent is not for the faint of heart.

Needless to say, it’s never been a problem for me.

For me, as a former Korean, it’s just an appetizing aroma.

Of course, the flavor of the alio olio pasta is not simply explained by the garlic flavor alone.

There’s also the aroma of fresh, tangy olive oil and the pleasantly spicy peperoncino.

The combination of oil, garlic, and red pepper proved to be a winning formula that works everywhere in the world.

I’m glad I included this alio olio pasta item when setting up the restaurant menu in my previous life, because without this simple pleasure, I would have burned out long ago.

Every time I scooped the pasta into my mouth, the savory flavor of the egg pasta mingled with the other ingredients in harmony.

Seriously, this dish alone could be described as ‘perfect’!

…Of course, that’s when I’m just an ordinary aristocrat and don’t remember my past life.

In fact, there’s only one thing missing from this alio olio pasta.

For a dish named “alio” (garlic), the percentage of garlic is quite low.

Of course, the chef had no choice, as any more garlic than this would have resulted in the dish going completely uneaten.

So I’m sorry, but I guess I have to live with it.

Because if I ate anything with more garlic in it, I would inevitably be silent for the rest of the afternoon because of the smell….would probably be my behavior up until now.

Today’s me is different. I’m no longer going to satisfy my desires in a half-hearted way.

With that thought, I pulled out the glass jar I’d brought along and squirted its contents onto the pasta.

A sound emanated from the jar as dozens of brown flakes began to fall mercilessly onto the pasta.

The jar’s contents were none other than garlic flakes.

Cleaned, washed garlic cloves, sliced into cloves and roasted in olive oil.

I had borrowed the student cafeteria for a weekend to make them.

“Hoo hoo, hoo hoo….”

I sprinkled enough garlic flakes on the plate that I thought it might be a bit much, and used a fork and spoon to mix it all together evenly.

Once I take a bite of pasta with this much garlic in it, I’m off limits for the afternoon tea.

Unless I really want to see my fellow tablemates hold their noses and make uncomfortable faces but that’s okay, because it’s not a problem for me.

Because my afternoon tea schedule hasn’t had a spot since September of this year!

In other words, I can indulge in the aroma of this alio olio pasta to my heart’s content without having to worry about my fiancé or any of my other young ladies looking on.

…Which, on reflection, is obviously not the best news, but I guess I’ll take solace in that for now.

Besides that, it’s time to focus on the pasta.

“…I think that’s enough.”

I finally get a spoonful of the garlicky pasta that deserves to be called ‘alio’ and roll it up with my fork.

I took a big bite and stuffed it in my mouth with my mouth wide open.

As soon as I took a bite, the garlic flavor became much stronger and filled my mouth.

Whereas the previous dish was a dish that benefited from the right combination of garlic and olive oil, this dish was a destructive dish where only garlic was allowed to attack.

It could be said to be a food only for Koreans, the nation of garlic.

Even though my body is that of the villainous Young Lady Ariana, at least my soul remembers the flavor of my homeland.

“Mmmmm~”

Just as I was enjoying my meal, savoring the garlic flavor that spread through my mouth.

“…Ugh.”

I heard someone’s voice nearby that seemed to interrupt my peaceful day.

“Hello, Ariana Anastasia.”

“…Yes, I hope you’re well.”

The original protagonist of the 『Academy Light Romance』and the one who stole Prince Alexandros from me, Miss Sierra with light blue hair entered the dining room.

“…….”

With my fiancé, Prince Alexandros, by her side.

…It’s weird to use the title fiancé now, because after this semester, we’ll probably never see each other again.

I’m already dreading the thought of the words coming out of his mouth in the next two months to break off our engagement and expel me from the Academy.

No matter how many times I imagine this, I never get used to it.

“Why are you eating alone in a place like this, Lady Ariana?”

“…I just felt like eating alone today.”

“Oh, I see, I thought it was because you didn’t have any friends to dine with~.”

“…….”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”

“…No.”

I silently shook my head as Ms. Sierra mocked me in front of me with such nonchalance.

I had already lost both the strength and the will to stand up to her.

Realistically, with the power and connections I have at my disposal as the Duke’s Young Lady, it shouldn’t be too difficult to make her disappear from the Academy without a sound.

Of course, that’s in the real world, not the game world, where it would be impossible.

What happens if I try to fight back, and the ‘game system’ comes in and wraps Ms. Sierra up like it did last time.

Would I become like Alex, or Prince Alexandros, or some other emotionless NPC in the game?

I couldn’t know, so for now, I just had to hide my emotions and play the villainess Arianna Anastasia as best I could.

Because the only resistance I could muster would be to quietly withdraw from the Academy after this semester and spend the rest of my life as a backwoods maiden.

“…Look at that, again?”

“I thought we hadn’t run into each other for a while….”

“I know it was Ariana’s fault for what happened back then, but that’s still….”

Soon after, I could hear the voices of the girls around me saying something to each other as they watched me and Ms. Sierra’s conversation.

They were muttering in low voices, so it was hard to hear, but they were probably agreeing with Ms. Sierra, just like in the game.

That’s okay, I’m used to it now.

It didn’t take me long to realize that Miss Sierra was a possessor, just like me.

I’m not sure if she’s been Sierra since she was a child, like me, or if her personality took over her body at some point.

Either way, it probably doesn’t really matter.

What matters is that the main character of the game is the girl with the light blue hair in front of me, not me.

And, for Alex’s sake…for Prince Alexandros’ sake, it would be much better to have her by his side.

For my dark magic could not cure Alex of his illness, and only Miss Sierra’s light magic could perform that miracle.

For his sake, it was right for me to stay away from him now.

“I’m going to go with Prince Alex to the royal common room to eat, please enjoy your meal alone, Lady Ariana ~.”

“…Yes, bye.”

In truth, I hadn’t minded Miss Sierra’s mockery from the beginning.

However, there’s something about the way she always brings Prince Alexandros with her whenever she shows up that makes me a little sad.

That was supposed to be my place.

The place I gave up my old identity and swore to live for him.

I can’t help but feel depressed whenever I think about that sanctuary being taken away from me.

“…….”

And the coldness in his eyes, even when he doesn’t say a word, is like a knife digging into my heart.

I stare blankly at their backs as they walk away from me, then pull myself together and place my fork on my plate of pasta once again.

I decided to eat, because when you’re feeling sad, eating good food usually makes you feel better.

I put the pasta on the spoon like a darling and slowly turned the fork around to shape it.

Time and time again, my hand slipped and I couldn’t get the pasta to shape properly.

“Hmph…. Hmph….”

The feeling of being disappointed again and again was more than I could handle.

All I could do was hurriedly try to hide my tears in the lonely restaurant.