The Cooking Princess - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Princess Who Cooks

Episode 22

Until now, Chloe had been swinging her sword too honestly with the thought of ‘basics.’

But why would basics be necessary?

In the end, basics exist for the sake of application.

And Claude showed the extreme of application before Chloe’s eyes.

Just by watching Claude’s swordsmanship, which was already one step ahead, Chloe gained hints.

While she needed to perfectly master putting consistent strength into her strikes, Claude’s movements made it difficult to predict the next sword path despite being composed of mere basic swordsmanship.

‘That means the possibilities are endless depending on when you apply strength and how you connect the moves.’

Of course, even knowing this, it was impossible for Chloe to perfectly imitate Claude’s swordsmanship.

‘Crucially, I lack the strength that Claude has.’

So in the end, she couldn’t prevent her sword path from curving.

Realizing and being conscious of this, Chloe tried her best to make it look as if she was deliberately curving her sword path at various angles.

Since it was true that she couldn’t shake off her beginner’s awkwardness, she thought it would be better to at least not look clumsy,

Chloe energetically followed the basic swordsmanship while even breaking a sweat, then said:

“How was that? It’s not exactly the same, but it’s pretty good, right?”

Claude looked at Chloe’s face with a somewhat dazed expression as she finished her sword dance and wiped away sweat with satisfaction, then let out a hollow laugh before saying:

“This is really ridiculous. Is this what they mean when they say even a slug has its rolling skills? Of course, compared to me, it’s pathetic.”

Just when things were going well, he had to diss her like this!

Whether he knew Chloe’s feelings or not, Claude still had an expression of disbelief.

He seemed to think about something for a moment, then asked Chloe:

“How long did you say you’ve been learning swordsmanship?”

“Uh, I don’t know exactly, but it hasn’t been a month yet.”

Chloe had really only recently started learning swordsmanship.

As if those words were truly absurd, Claude snorted.

“Ha!”

Feeling bad about Claude’s snort, Chloe timidly retorted with a complaint:

“Still, for someone who’s only been at it for a month, I’m pretty talented, you know?”

Was he looking down on others because he thought he was more of a genius?

That was certainly likely.

The Claude from the ‘original work’ was always very arrogant, thinking only he was a great person.

After that, Claude began teaching Chloe various applied sword techniques with truly terrifying intensity.

“How about this? Can you follow this too?”

Though Claude always had a confident or arrogant expression, he was serious when it came to swordsmanship, watching her with persistent eyes whenever Chloe tried to follow his movements or postures.

When she somehow managed to master his swordsmanship, Claude would urge her to try more difficult techniques with an unreadable expression.

And when she succeeded, he would say with genuine disbelief:

“You can do this?”

‘Ah, seriously. He makes a fuss even when I succeed.’

Chloe found it even more absurd, but she couldn’t dare talk back to a duke who had personally visited someone else’s home at the crack of dawn, so only her expression soured.

“Then how about this?”

…And so several hours passed.

Chloe was now so hungry that she couldn’t do anything anymore.

The training ground, which had been chilly at dawn, was now quite warm.

Realizing this fact, Chloe put down her sword and said to Duke Claude:

“Let’s at least have a meal! We can’t just swing swords forever in this state.”

Claude pressed his forehead as if finding it absurd and said to Chloe:

“Are you kidding right now? With that talent, how can bread go down your throat?”

At words that sounded almost like criticism, Chloe felt a surge of emotion.

It seemed that since he was a genius himself, Chloe’s level of talent looked like complete trash to him.

‘So he’s trying to improve my skills as quickly as possible?’

Chloe felt slightly emotional but held back as much as possible and spoke to Claude in a gentle tone:

“Even if my sword talent is inferior to Your Grace the Duke’s sword talent, shouldn’t I still eat while training?”

Even if Claude cursed at her here, Chloe was prepared to ignore him and prepare a meal. But the response that came back was a bit strange.

“Are you on drugs? What nonsense are you spouting?”

“What? Nonsense?”

At Chloe’s bewildered reaction, he seemed to realize for the first time that she was speaking sincerely, and he avoided Chloe’s gaze with slight embarrassment.

When Chloe was surprised by Claude’s attitude, which was unlike his usual shameless self, he added in a somewhat embarrassed tone:

“I was surprised because you were too good, okay. Do I have to say this with my own mouth for you to understand?”

At Claude’s following words, Chloe’s mouth gradually fell open stupidly.

“If you had such talent, shouldn’t you develop it as quickly as possible? Why are you letting such talent rot away?”

Chloe never expected praise for the villainess to come from the sub-male lead’s mouth, so she answered reluctantly:

“You’re not Duke Claude, are you?”

“What?”

Even at his sharp retort, Chloe couldn’t hide her reluctance and continued:

“The duke I know wouldn’t say such nice things to me. Who are you?”

At her unfiltered words, Claude opened his eyes triangularly and glared at Chloe.

Seeing Claude’s snake-like glaring eyes, Chloe finally felt a bit of ‘oh no.’

‘Seeing him glare like that, it really is him.’

Then did Claude, the officially recognized sword genius psychopath from the original work, acknowledge Chloe’s sword skills?

“It’s not that… I was just thinking that you were someone who could acknowledge others too.”

This was bad.

No matter how she spoke, the current situation was strange, so Chloe chose silence, and Claude, who had been staring at Chloe’s round crown with an expressionless face as she continued her silence, broke the silence and said:

“You seem to see me as a complete lunatic.”

“Weren’t you? Oh. I said that out loud. Sorry.”

At Chloe’s natural reaction, Claude raised veins on his forehead and said:

“Fine, yes. If you’re so obsessed with eating, you can prepare mine too.”

She wondered why he was unusually complying with Chloe’s words, but sure enough, the duke added one more condition.

“But you know, right? If it’s not tasty, you die by my hand.”

Even at that irritable reaction, Chloe answered with a smooth smile:

“I’ll make it incredibly delicious for you.”

“Are your ears blocked? I said you’ll die.”

Even at those extreme and violent words, Chloe remained completely carefree.

“Look forward to it!”

Because Chloe was confident she could satisfy Claude no matter how picky his taste was.

“What kind of food do you like?”

Claude looked at Chloe, who had suddenly become friendly at the mention of cooking, with suspicious and wary eyes, then answered reluctantly:

“I just eat to survive.”

Regardless of Claude’s reaction, now it was Chloe’s turn to show off her domain and treat Claude.

“I’ve never felt anything was particularly delicious.”

That was certainly understandable.

It wasn’t that people’s taste buds were abnormal, just that the food culture hadn’t developed, so it seemed natural that Claude, who had only eaten the tasteless cuisine of the Luzhiere Empire, had no interest in food.

So Chloe nodded appropriately, then announced to him once more:

“I’ll definitely make you something delicious!”

“Yeah, please do that.”

Chloe thought for a moment, then decided to make Claude the first taster of her ambitious work, ‘flounder sashimi’… Wait a minute.

‘Is this like putting a cockroach on a plate?’

But it was all or nothing.

Anyway, wouldn’t it be good to distance herself from Claude, the sub-male lead from the original work?

Though unintended, she had gotten a bit… too close to Claude.

‘If he gets angry, so be it. I’ll just have to accept it. This is how challenges begin.’

Chloe’s preparation, having made her decision, was swift and precise.

Her knife skills had definitely improved through cooking daily and even learning swordsmanship during this time. Thanks to that, unlike before, she cleanly sliced the flounder into sashimi this time.

And she first tasted a piece.

“Mm, it’s delicious as expected.”

Sashimi can be polarizing, so putting it on Claude’s plate itself could be an adventure.

But oh well.

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