Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 48

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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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I Don’t Care About Being an Heir—I Just Want to Heal – Episode 48

“By the heavens, meat this tender exists?”
“It’s so delicious! I don’t think I can eat anything else anymore!”

Everyone naturally broke into chorus, unanimous in their praise.
A roaring success!
Alex, who had tasted enough to maintain relative composure until now, felt the flush creep all the way to his scalp.

“Th-thank you. All of you.”

It seemed this was his first time receiving such varied, universal acclaim.
Lion watched the scene with quiet satisfaction, then carved a thick slice of meat—pink with its own juices—dipped it deep into a mahogany-hued sauce, and slipped it into his mouth.

“Mmm.”

Meat was meat, after all.
The satisfaction from the moment it touched his tongue existed on an entirely different plane.
When he bit down on the thick chunk, the juices burst forth and mingled with the sauce, ceaselessly caressing his palate.
The crisp, salty exterior and the tender, chewy interior meshed in perfect harmony.
That a single bite could deliver such rapture—
He almost pitied Rickshel for missing out.
Lion gave Alex a thumbs-up, his expression one of approval.

“…! Thank you, sir!”
“But are you truly certain you wish to share this with us?”

Lion swallowed completely before answering.

“You know the old saying about being wary of those who offer you beef?”
“Sir?”
“I believe I’ve heard it. It means one mustn’t accept rare or expensive food without suspicion, yes?”
“Precisely. And this meat—it is beef.”
“Ah… pardon?”

The servants’ faces went pale.
Even if it were merely grilled meat, they couldn’t have refused the request—but a dish prepared by Alex, the Empire’s finest chef, was something no amount of gold could procure elsewhere.
He was the Kitchen Master of the Asteri Family Estate, after all.
So what on earth could he be asking of them in return…?

“As you all know, Rickshel hardly tends to his own meals.”
“Th-that is so, sir.”

It wasn’t merely that he neglected to eat—even when meals were offered, he often refused.
He hadn’t yet undergone his Coming-of-Age Ceremony and ought to eat well, yet whenever his duties remained unfinished, he wouldn’t so much as touch food. The servants found it a source of endless worry.
Though he wasn’t present now, several servants had grown exasperated by his capricious, finicky habits.

“It may be tedious, and you may not understand—but still, I ask your help with this.”
“Of c-course, sir. We shall do our utmost to care for our younger master. It is the sacred duty of all servants in this household.”
“I know that already. But I don’t think I’ve ever said it aloud before. I’m grateful you’ve looked after him so well without my having asked.”
“Sir… *chokes*…”

The servants’ hearts swelled.
That he should show such understanding, share delicacies of his own hand, all for his brother’s sake—

‘He may have been passed over in the Successor race…’
‘Yet he bears no grudge whatsoever. Truly admirable.’
‘Had it been me, I’d have been most resentful.’

They felt ashamed of their worries from just moments before.

[Those who shared the meal have come to understand the warmth of the food!]
[Cooking Experience Points increase by thirty percent.]
[Culinary Proficiency has reached Apprentice Level 7.]
[A new recipe has been unlocked.]
[You may now prepare Memory Dishes.]

The moment Lion leveled up, countless streams of information flooded his mind.
Yet this was somehow different from the recipes he’d mastered until now.

‘Memory Dish,’ he mused.

This ability allowed him to recreate dishes he had eaten during special moments in his past.
In other words, the prime cut steak platter he’d just enjoyed—eaten alongside Chef Alex and the servants, with all the pleasant memories that came with it—could now be reproduced to some degree.
Of course, he wouldn’t be able to match Alex’s skill on the first try.
It was like how young people living on their own for the first time could never quite replicate the taste their mother or father had created in the kitchen.
But.
If he made it once, understood it, and kept practicing?
The taste would grow more refined with each attempt.
Eventually, he would develop a palate sensitive enough to notice what was missing and which spices had been added in greater measure.

‘Wait—then, couldn’t it be…?’

Wouldn’t this mean he could now recreate the cherished dishes from his memories before possession?
Korean food!

‘If I get good enough, I could even make it for the family.’

While Lion surveyed his new ability with a satisfied smile.
The servants scraped every last trace of sauce from their plates and came to a firm resolve.

“Young Master. It happens that a portion remains for the younger master. I believe it would be better to bring him here rather than have him eat in his room!”
“Quite right! Though it’s cooled somewhat, the oven will warm it through again.”
“I shall fetch him at once!”
“Hm?”

Lion, caught off guard and unable to read their sudden enthusiasm, blinked in confusion.
Where was all this energy coming from?
Oh, the meat—that’s what’s doing it.

“Then I’d appreciate it. I’ll do some preparing on my end as well.”
“Very good!”
“Leave it to us. We shall repay the debt of that beef!”

The servants clenched their fists with fervent expressions.
And catching their spirit, Alex too rose suddenly to his feet.

“Young Master. I shall work even harder from this day forth! Should you ever have need of me, please call at any time. I shall devote myself entirely to—”
“Ah, perfect timing actually. Alex—could I borrow the kitchen for a bit?”
“Pardon? The kitchen, not… me?”
“Yes. I thought I’d make a dessert for Rickshel.”

Alex stared at Lion intently.
The young master clearly possessed deep knowledge of cooking and food, yet he occasionally said things that left Alex bewildered.

‘Surely he understands that dessert doesn’t simply appear out of nowhere?’

In truth, dessert was a dish that required considerable effort to prepare properly.
Take cake, a classic dessert—you have to knead the batter, bake it, and then whip the cream.
You can make things in advance, but it’s difficult to alter the overall composition.
You can swap what goes inside—chocolate or fruit—but the cake’s fundamental structure never changes.
Everything else was the same way.

“Don’t worry. This is a dessert I can make quickly.”

Lion waved his hand dismissively.

“I won’t even need a knife, so it’s perfectly safe.”
“I see. Then shall I assist with—”
“You’ve worked hard enough making the meal. Get some rest.”
“……Very well.”

Thoughtful, yet remarkably firm about it.
Alex had no choice but to withdraw.

“……But what dessert are you actually making?”

* * *

“It’s a new feature. I should test it out.”

The moment the meal ended, Lion commandeered the kitchen.
He tied on an apron with practiced efficiency and retrieved the ingredients he’d mentally prepared.
Flour and rice flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon powder, and nuts.
Oil, to finish.

“This is nearly impossible to dislike.”

The dessert Lion had chosen was…….
Hotteok.
Yes—those piping-hot hotteoks pressed by vendors on winter street corners.
The chewy, sticky-rice kind you’d half-crumple into a paper cup and blow on before eating.
A sweet, satisfying taste that transcends age and preference.
It might be somewhat unfamiliar here, but the boy had taken to sweet potatoes readily enough—he’d enjoy this.
Lion began with the dough at once.
Two and a half cups of flour, half a cup of glutinous rice flour, and yeast.

‘I could skip the yeast, but……’

Still, it tastes better with it, so I’ll add it.
The servants would likely take their time coaxing Rickshel to the dining hall and getting him fed anyway.
Lion’s hands moved without hesitation.
He sifted the flour and glutinous rice flour together, then mixed in yeast dissolved in warm water.
Once the dough had absorbed the moisture, he drizzled in a bit of cooking oil.

‘The hotteok vendor showed me this makes it taste better.’

The dough becomes chewier, somehow.
He remembered making it alone at home once after hearing that tip—it really had turned out well.
Of course, that time he’d had no yeast or glutinous rice flour, so it became more of a sweet flour cake.
Just as Lion was finishing the dough, Alex appeared in the kitchen.

“Young Master Rickshel has arrived and wishes to have his meal reheated.”
“Oh? He came after all?”
“Well… he said the Young Master had asked, so he agreed to come! Ha ha.”
“Did he? Best not to overuse it, or it’ll lose its effect. Use it sparingly.”

The boy was perceptive—keener than one might expect—and if he abused this charm, it would soon fall on deaf ears.

“Yes, understood. But…… hmm?”

Alex stared intently at the dough fermenting on the counter.
It was too sticky to call bread dough, yet not quite anything else either—a peculiar mass of flour suspended in some mysterious state.
Something about it had an odd, elastic quality to it……

‘……Well, this is the man who made cookies, so it should be fine.’
Alex decided to trust Lion.
A man who was so fond of his younger brother would surely never prepare something inedible for him.
In truth, having just eaten the beef had clouded his judgment completely, but Alex noticed none of this and carried the now-warmed food back out of the kitchen.
Lion immediately set about preparing the hotteok filling.
The filling, in fact, was far simpler than the dough.
Brown sugar and cinnamon—and if one wished, a handful of nuts—and that was the whole affair.

“Too much cinnamon overwhelms the taste anyway, depending on preference……”

He measured out roughly six spoonfuls of sugar and half a spoon of cinnamon powder, then gathered a variety of nuts visible around the kitchen and ground them to the right coarseness.
Once all the ingredients were combined and mixed, it had undeniably taken on the character of hotteok filling.

“Good.”

The dough had finished fermenting just in time, so now came the actual work.
Lion pressed the dough firmly to release the air, then tore off a handful.

Stretch—pop!

“The dough looks well made.”

Now it was simply a matter of wrapping the filling carefully and cooking it without bursting.
Lion carefully spooned the prepared filling into the center of the dough.
Too little filling and it would taste bland; too much and it would burst through before the dough could even seal, turning into a disaster.

“Good.”

Still, thanks to all the Cooking Experience Points he’d invested, he could manage filling a hotteok without it rupturing.
He folded the dough carefully, shaped it into a neat round, and formed several portions……

Hiss!

He began frying the hotteok in a pan slicked with generous oil.
Generous oil—almost excessively so—made the hotteok crisp and helped it cook quickly.

Sizzle-sizzle!

Soon the hotteok began to emit that mouthwatering sizzle as it cooked.

‘Once one side is set, I need to press it down.’

If the dough wasn’t cooked through, pressing too hard would split it.
Lion flipped the hotteok and pressed gently with the spatula.
There was a certain charm to using a proper press for this, and he regretted not having one on hand.

‘I should ask Mudu to make one for me later.’

Since he’d already requested the cookie molds, he could place another order when they arrived.

“The shape’s turning out fine, at least.”

Lion continued frying and pressing the hotteok in steady rhythm.
At first they’d looked rather clumsy, but after making three or four of them, they’d baked up beautifully—round and flat.
Just as Lion transferred the hotteok onto a plate……

“Young master. The young master has finished his meal. Is the dessert perhaps not quite ready yet…… Oh.”

Alex, returning to the kitchen, caught sight of the hotteok and tilted his head.

“Ah, perfect timing.”

It was only natural he’d look puzzled—he’d never seen anything like it before.

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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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