The Cooking Princess - Chapter 27
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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 27
Shuel and Chloe left the garden and walked for quite a while.
Shuel, who had been silent for a long time, was the first to speak.
“I’m truly sorry, Princess.”
At the sudden apology, Chloe’s green eyes widened in surprise.
“Why is Your Highness the Prince apologizing?”
“If I hadn’t suggested that you take responsibility for the imperial menu, the Duke and the Empress wouldn’t have troubled you like this.”
Well, on the surface, that might be the right thing to say.
With the Empress dead and the maternal relatives’ power weakened, and having not yet received the crown prince investiture, Shuel’s position was indeed extremely precarious.
But Chloe knew the future.
The future where both the Empress and Cloud, Duke would ultimately meet their doom.
She had no intention of being on the same boat as those personality-flawed villains who picked fights from the get-go.
So Chloe spoke to Shuel with utmost composure.
“From our first meeting, you insulted even my mother, saying I resembled the frail Duchess. Actually, I’ve been prepared since then.”
At Chloe’s calm response, Shuel’s beautiful golden eyes wavered.
“That’s not fair.”
…It made Chloe feel a bit sorry for this child who was saying this while being in the most unfair situation in the world.
Before she could respond, Shuel politely bowed his head to Chloe.
“Anyway, since we share the same blood, I’ll apologize on their behalf. Your heart probably hasn’t been appeased, but still, I’m sorry once again. It seems only troublesome things keep happening to you, Princess.”
A prince bowing his head to a mere nobleman was something that generally could never happen.
But he was now voluntarily bowing his head, thinking of the troubles Chloe had experienced.
‘Wow. He’s kind.’
Shuel was so kind that she felt sorry for keeping her distance because of the thought that he would execute her, the original villainess.
At the Prince’s excellent character, which contrasted so greatly with Claude, Chloe hesitated a bit before opening her mouth.
“You don’t need to apologize anymore. Instead.”
After saying that, Chloe folded her green eyes prettily into a smile and added.
“Please tell me what food Your Highness would like to eat. I’ll refer to it as much as possible!”
The Prince, facing that brilliant green light head-on, had a dazed expression for a moment before answering.
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
After chattering with the Prince for quite a while, Chloe returned obediently to the Garnet Estate.
What she discovered during their conversation was that, like Claude who couldn’t find joy in eating, Shuel also couldn’t find much pleasure in eating.
In the midst of this, Shuel’s cheeks, as he expressed gratitude that Chloe’s cooking had stimulated his appetite, were flushed red with genuine excitement, making Chloe feel proud as well.
“I should treat him better…”
Shuel himself had done nothing wrong to Chloe, yet she had been keeping him at a distance simply because he was the one who executed her in the original story.
‘In the original story, I was executed because I treated Shurya so terribly.’
The original Chloe had a nasty disposition and was stupid to boot, not even bothering to hide her malice toward Shurya, so Shuel had more than enough justification to execute Chloe.
Seeing how kind the Prince was, it seemed she could maintain a good relationship with him in the future as long as she didn’t commit evil acts against the original heroine.
And with the Empress and Cloud, Duke having marked her, Shuel was the only shield she had to protect her.
Though it felt a bit uncomfortable to use a child as a shield.
‘There aren’t any other options, so it can’t be helped.’
Thinking this, Chloe entered the Garnet Manor, and the pale-faced Count and Countess Garnet hurriedly welcomed Chloe.
The Count and his wife greeted their daughter while observing her complexion.
Chloe was aware of this as well.
‘But I have no intention of telling them.’
Even if the Garnet Family wanted to formally protest about Claude pressuring her, this was quite ambiguous.
First, there was no evidence, and Claude’s status was higher than Chloe’s, so the Garnet Family’s protest would likely be dismissed.
And the Empress was a woman who would easily manipulate public opinion in social circles, saying that a young princess was being petty over a simple argument.
The Duchess was too weak to be active in social circles, and the Count, being a man, couldn’t easily intervene in disputes between women.
Chloe wasn’t going to live just as a noble family’s daughter – she had many things to do in the future, and she couldn’t let herself be held back by not being able to endure something like this.
But that didn’t mean staying completely still suited her temperament either.
“Dear, was there any trouble at the Imperial Palace?”
“No. Though Cloud, Duke was a bit mischievous.”
“…Did the Duke do something to you?”
The Count quickly hardened his expression and asked back perceptively.
Last time when Claude came to the Garnet Manor saying he would teach Chloe swordsmanship.
Though Chloe said nothing special, the Count thought very poorly of the Duke. Coming rudely in the early dawn and suddenly thrusting a sword at Chloe, who was a beginner. And then having the shamelessness to even get a meal before leaving.
“A little?”
Chloe smiled brightly and deflected.
“But His Highness Prince Shuel helped me, so it was fine.”
“His Highness the Prince, you say?”
The Count looked surprised and fell into thought. He too was aware of the Prince who lived under the Empress’s oppression.
“So I’d like to send a thank-you gift from the Garnet Family, would that be alright?”
“Of course, naturally.”
The Count readily gave permission, then continued with a worried voice.
“If the Duke treats you rudely, tell me. No matter how much he’s His Majesty the Emperor’s son and a Duke, it’s not like we can’t protect you.”
“Yes, I’ll tell you if he crosses the line.”
After speaking spiritedly, Chloe began pondering what thank-you gift to send to Shuel.
‘I received that rabbit doll before. He’d be happy if I prepared various things under the pretext of expressing gratitude.’
A simple and delicious food recipe would be good.
Since she had already given sashimi to Claude first, she was greedy to feed him something more special.
Just then, the Count delivered perfectly fitting news.
“There’s good news for our daughter. The Southern Continent merchants are asking when they can make contact.”
As soon as the Merchant Prince was mentioned, Chloe’s eyes lit up intelligently.
“Could I see the Merchant Prince right away?”
“Since we said we’d match schedules as quickly as possible, even tomorrow would work.”
“Thank you so much, Father! Please arrange it for tomorrow!”
With an excited heart, Chloe finished greeting her parents and quickly headed to her bedroom.
Since so many things had happened today, she planned to rest well and reorganize.
***
And the very next day.
Chloe faced Merchant Prince Panna and Rosettia Trading Guild’s Merchant Prince at one table.
‘What would be good to obtain.’
Chloe planned to obtain ingredients and recipes for food to gift to Shuel from this transaction.
Moreover, no matter how much Chloe was using cooking as a hobby for cover, the Imperial Palace would be keeping an eye on trade with foreign countries.
So Chloe needed to subtly let them know that she was meeting foreign Merchant Princes solely for her hobby of cooking in this transaction.
It would be troublesome if the scope of trade became too large and was treated as commerce, or if she was misunderstood as buying and selling items the Empire was wary of.
Food that Westerners would like, that couldn’t be made in this country but could be made with ingredients brought from the Southern Continent… Huh? Wait.
‘There are no tomatoes here.’
Then, then.
That naturally meant there was no pizza either.
Indeed, Chloe had never seen pizza even once since being born in this place.
With no tomatoes, there was no way pizza could exist.
At best, putting cheese on bread and eating it could be considered somewhat similar.
‘If it’s this…!’
Fortunately, this country’s cheese fermentation level was already at a decent standard. Perhaps because animal husbandry was developed, the quality of cheese and milk was quite good!
Regrettably, she hadn’t learned how to make pizza in her previous life, but she did know how to make bread.
‘Pizza dough has a somewhat similar feel to naan.’
Then if she could learn the recipe for ‘naan’ from these Merchant Princes. If she could create such thin and chewy bread, she could somewhat imitate pizza dough. She could also make the ‘pizza’ that Chloe wanted.
Chloe’s eyes began to shine with unprecedented brightness.
“First, could you show me what items you’ve brought?”
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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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