Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 62

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 62
* * *
Set menus available!
I swallowed my bitterness as I passed a dessert shop that had shamelessly copied the set menu concept.
The Master’s words carried a clear implication: the set menu strategy was so easy that anyone could copy it. Since differentiation hadn’t come through taste or quality, and the capital investment wasn’t substantial, competitors could replicate the set menu approach with alarming speed.
‘I underestimated these merchants far too much.’
The dessert shops in the Academy West Gate Plaza were the first to recognize the advantages of the set sales strategy and begin imitating it.
‘All these plagiarists are infuriating, but that place takes the cake.’
The shop that had heavily promoted their set menu composition alongside promotional phrases that left the same subtle aftertaste as my banner.
【Naria】
Naria was the most thriving dessert shop in the Academy West Gate Plaza, blessed with the powerful landmark of the Fountain of the Goddess Naria. Established in this prime location, Naria had earned a reputation as a favorite haunt of the daughters of Imperial Court central bureaucrats.
Just from the shop name—which carried a phonetic and tonal similarity to the Goddess Naria—I could sense the owner possessed genuine business acumen.
I had avoided the West Gate commercial district partly because real estate values were inflated, but also because competition around the Fountain of the Goddess Naria was particularly fierce. As I entered 【Naria】 for market research and studied their menu board, I clicked my tongue softly.
‘They’re offering deeper discounts on set orders than my shop does.’
What was amusing was that another dessert shop near Naria had slashed their prices even further.
‘This is heading in an interesting direction.’
Amid all this, another unexpected development occurred. While conducting market research on the West Gate dessert shops, I happened to overhear a conversation.
“What’s that banner in front of Naria?”
“Oh, that’s a copy of Armand! Armand was the first to hang set menus on a banner for promotion. Like a word puzzle.”
“Armand. I’ve heard of it—isn’t that near the East Gate? How is it? Is the food good?”
“It’s delicious. You absolutely have to try their fresh cream cake there. It’s heavenly.”
Amusingly, an already-established famous shop was doing my marketing for me. Indeed, blatant plagiarism inevitably backfires.
‘You all just keep playing your price-cutting games.’
The better—when they sacrifice taste and quality for price, the better for me.
‘The set menu is just one small card in my hand.’
I was only just beginning.
My first card was the ‘new menu.’ Since opening the shop, I had tested this menu through multiple tasting sessions and thoroughly confirmed its commercial viability.
‘I heard the response was incredibly hot.’
The timing was perfect. The weather was growing increasingly hot. Summer in the Capital of Asteia Empire, with its Mediterranean climate, was scorching and dry. While the low humidity blessed us with pleasant weather, the relentless sun was intense—exactly the right moment for this menu.
【Season-Limited Special Beverage】
Hello, summer.
Welcome summer with the smoothie trio at Armand—sweet, refreshing, and healthy!
* * *
“Bring me the blender.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Move faster!”
A pastry chef of enormous stature commanded the kitchen with charismatic authority, clapping his hands sharply.
Milo—a dessert master who had once worked in the Imperial Palace but was forced to transfer to Maison D after losing out in the fierce political struggles among the palace’s chefs—was now overseeing menu development for Armand, a newly opened shop in the Horun District. The recent whirlwind of changes sweeping through the kitchen had left him utterly bewildered.
“Milo, this is one of the Trading Company heads from Leticia. She wanted to participate directly in menu development for the new dessert shop opening, so she’s come by.”
The suspicious woman who appeared alongside the Shop Manager of Maison D wore a dark robe pulled low over her face, making her identity nearly impossible to discern.
‘Anyway, nobles are all the same. They put on airs of propriety on the surface, but they’re eccentric through and through.’
I was clicking my tongue inwardly when she began pulling out a peculiar magical device.
‘What… what is that strange contraption?’
After that, a new world unfolded before my eyes.
Whirrrrrrr!
With an odd whirring sound, fruits and all manner of ingredients began to be ground into an unrecognizable pulp in an instant. It was both somewhat eerie and utterly astonishing.
“The Trading Company proprietor named this a ‘mixer.’ Since it’s quite valuable, do take care that the blades don’t rust.”
Another device had a whipping attachment suspended from it. Watching cream puff up like clouds in mere moments, I gasped in amazement. Until now, making cream required me to whisk with such desperate vigor that my arms would ache for days afterward, yet this whipping device was rotating at an absurd speed entirely on its own.
“This one was named the ‘Self-Whisking Whipper.'”
These remarkably useful magical devices were provided in sets of three each.
‘An employer who even concerns herself with kitchen facilities.’
Nobles typically have no interest whatsoever in the affairs of their servants. They simply view us as tools meant to obey commands.
An inexplicable wave of emotion washed over me. I couldn’t even begin to fathom how much time these devices would save, or how dramatically they would increase both the production volume and quality of our desserts.
“This is a recipe I created. I would appreciate it if you adjusted the sugar content to suit your customers’ palates.”
The smoothie recipe she left behind—made simply by grinding ice and fruit together using the mixer—had a fresher, cooler taste than ice cream.
Moreover, the proprietor of the Trading Company that shared the recipe with Leticia promised substantial bonuses each time I successfully completed a new menu development.
‘It’s been a while since I felt this motivated.’
I had abandoned my position as Imperial pastry chef precisely because I pursued profit over prestige. I threw myself into perfecting the smoothie recipe, and finally, the triumvirate of smoothies was complete.
I called them the refreshing angels of the dessert world.
* * *
“What could a smoothie be?”
“The picture on the poster was so lovely though.”
The young ladies were conversing with curious expressions when an Employee in neat, tidy attire approached carrying a tray of beverages.
He wore a white shirt and deep purple trousers. A badge shaped like the Armand seal adorned his shirt pocket, making his role as a staff member immediately apparent, and there was something distinctly professional about his bearing.
“Would you care to sample a smoothie, madam?”
The Employee offered the tray with a fresh smile.
“Armand is holding a new menu tasting from four to five o’clock for our guests. This is a summer seasonal beverage called a ‘smoothie,’ made from fruit.”
Three colors—orange, yellow, and pale green—filled small glass cups for sampling.
“My, the colors match the poster illustration perfectly.”
“The colors are truly beautiful.”
“Please taste each variety. It’s a wholesome beverage made from fruit.”
At the Employee’s suggestion, the young ladies picked up the small cups with curious expressions and tasted them carefully.
“This pale green one must be made from green grapes.”
“This orange one is melon.”
“The yellow one has a sweet peach flavor.”
Suddenly, a phrase flashed through their minds.
【Sweet peach and OOO, and melon.】
The banner introducing dessert menu items had suddenly featured text that seemed like it belonged in a fruit shop, and it appeared to be precisely because of these three seasonal fruit beverages.
Though they had originally intended to order a different beverage, the young ladies changed their minds. Their palates were already dancing with sweet, cool flavors. A summer drink that paired perfectly with the season. A mere sample left them wanting more.
“I’ll have the melon smoothie.”
“…I’ll have the peach!”
Soon, a tall glass arrived filled with a vibrant, colorful beverage. The moment I took a sip, an invigorating chill struck through my entire body with electric intensity. The young ladies who had been absorbed in the smoothie rose from their seats with expressions of pure satisfaction.
“It was delicious.”
“I want to come back again. It’s not ice cream, and I’ve never had a menu like this before.”
As they passed by the door, a poster caught their eyes.
Sign up as a regular member of Armand during our new membership period and enjoy exclusive events and benefits! Members number 77, 111, 333, 555, 777, and 1,111 will be blessed with the fortune of the golden star!

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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