The Cooking Princess - Chapter 57

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

The Princess Who Cooks

 

Episode 57

 

When Chloe was certain that she was a regressor, she had revealed it without hesitation, but now that she knew that wasn’t the case, she had merely exposed one more of her own secrets for nothing.

 

Of course, Chloe knew that Shurya was a fake saint without divine power, but there was no need to tell Shurya about that.

 

“Then what is your ultimate goal as both a saint and a regressor?”

 

Shurya still didn’t completely trust Chloe.

 

Though she didn’t know exactly what Chloe was hiding, her intuition told her that the secret revealed to her today wasn’t everything.

 

However, Shurya had also heard rumors both inside and outside the Temple, and had directly witnessed Chloe’s activities in the Volunteer Service.

 

Even Shurya, who was suspicious of her, could see how sincere Chloe was about cooking.

 

So she didn’t think Chloe’s words about her goal being to improve the Empire’s cuisine and eat delicious food were lies.

 

When she thought Chloe was someone who had traveled back in time just like herself, she had assumed even that was just part of some scheme.

 

‘Rather, hearing Chloe’s words makes me understand why she was so obsessed with cooking.’

 

The parts that seemed suspicious because they didn’t add up were all resolved with just one assumption: ‘Chloe is sincere about cooking.’

 

Eventually, Shurya hesitated before confessing in a small voice.

 

“…P-peace in this world.”

 

Chloe’s expression became subtle at the mention of world peace as a goal, but Shurya had no confidence in expressing her objective any better than this.

 

Chloe, who had ‘reincarnated’ rather than ‘regressed,’ wouldn’t know, but Shurya already knew how this Empire would fall.

 

Cloud, Duke was a dangerous element.

 

The Empress was also planning to exert a demonic influence on the Luzhiere Empire to somehow put her son on the throne.

 

And the ‘previous’ Chloe Garnet had also been a dangerous person in her own foolish way.

 

Chloe had tried to get Shuel under her control, even cooperating with Claude to do so.

 

If Claude and Chloe cooperated again this time, things would become troublesome.

 

From what she could see, the ‘current’ Chloe who remembered her past life didn’t seem hostile toward Shurya herself.

 

‘Should I try to win her over for now?’

 

What could this duchess possibly need? She already had both money and honor.

 

‘Should I promise to help her get together with Shuel?’

 

But for that, Shuel was currently more proactive, while Chloe seemed uninterested in anything other than cooking.

 

Was she really living immersed only in cooking? Then should she help with trade with regions other than the Southern Continent?

 

Just as Shurya was deep in thought, trying to come up with ways to cooperate with Chloe.

 

Chloe spoke to Shurya first.

 

“I’ll help you.”

 

“What?”

 

“The you I know isn’t someone who would lie or be selfish. Your goal of world peace must be sincere too.”

 

While Shurya was momentarily speechless at Chloe’s words, Chloe continued speaking.

 

“Something terrible that could threaten world peace is going to happen, right?”

 

“…Roughly.”

 

“Then I’ll guess that a much bigger war than now will break out. I don’t know the details though.”

 

Chloe seemed to expect that other countries would join hands and launch a coordinated attack on the Luzhiere Empire.

 

‘That’s not entirely wrong either.’

 

Shurya quietly listened to Chloe’s words for now.

 

“I don’t know what the future holds. But if what you say is true, I want to help you.”

 

Only then did Shurya deeply accept the fact that Chloe was completely different from the ‘Chloe Garnet’ she knew.

 

The person before her now was someone who would seriously listen to even the absurd goal of world peace, and who trusted Shurya and wanted to help her.

 

She wasn’t the villainess who had been obsessed with Prince Shuel, caused trouble for Shurya, and ruined things by siding with Claude.

 

“Alright, I’ll trust you.”

 

That’s why Shurya could answer that way.

 

Shurya had merely intended to win Chloe over, but Chloe had offered to help Shurya without any compensation.

 

The result of cooperating with her might be the same, but the process was completely different.

 

While Shurya was relieved that things had gone according to her intentions, she also felt somewhat unsettled.

 

Shurya, who had always lived with anxiety about being a fake saint, felt strange today when Chloe appeared even more altruistic than herself.

 

Especially since that Chloe had been a villainess before her regression.

 

Of course, Chloe hadn’t offered to help with such pure intentions as Shurya misunderstood.

 

‘Once she’s suspected me, if I’m not going to make her a complete enemy, I need to become her friend.’

 

And as Shurya said, great chaos would come to the Empire.

 

If she just stayed cooking alone, the fields for farming would burn due to war and all the animals living in the mountains would starve to death.

 

So she needed to cooperate to some extent with the regressor who knew the future and secure her own safety as well.

 

“Then we’re friends now, right?”

 

At Chloe’s question, Shurya smiled softly.

 

“Yes, let’s go with that.”

 

Though the two had been interacting quite intimately, both felt for the first time that their hearts had truly connected.

 

Then Shurya asked with a mischievous expression.

 

“Should I tell you something as a commemoration of becoming friends?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Chloe’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

 

“The Empress.”

 

“…”

 

“She must be quite anxious right now. You, whom she had marked as a daughter-in-law candidate, seem to have completely sided with Shuel, so she’s probably worried that the Garnet Family’s power will flow to Prince Shuel, and her own son keeps running off to battlefields not knowing when he might die…”

 

“So?”

 

“You don’t think she’ll just sit still, do you?”

 

“…Probably not.”

 

“The Empress will cause trouble soon.”

 

I definitely told you, right? Shurya winked.

 

***

 

The ‘trouble’ Shurya mentioned came sooner than expected.

 

The Empire’s Foundation Festival was the largest and most important celebration among the annual events.

 

Originally overseen by the Empress, but with the Empress dead, the Imperial Consort had been in charge of organizing it every year.

 

“But this time she’s doing something new.”

 

Hearing the news for the first time during tea time with her family, Chloe perked up her ears at the Duchess’s words.

 

At the Foundation Festival, they held ceremonies to commemorate the founding Emperor and previous Emperors, praying to the gods to protect their souls and the Empire, always offering splendid food.

 

Of course, by Chloe’s standards, it was questionable what was so splendid about it.

 

Usually the Imperial Palace and the Temple took turns preparing the food, and this year was the Imperial Palace’s turn.

 

Normally when it was the Imperial Palace’s turn, the Imperial Kitchen would handle all the food under the Empress’s direction.

 

But the Empress had decided to select the person in charge of the ceremonial food in a new way.

 

“A competition?”

 

Chloe asked back in genuine surprise. The Count and Duchess also seemed flustered by the Empress’s sudden action, just shaking their heads.

 

“The final selection will be made by the Emperor and Empress, with two more people from the Temple.”

 

There would be a total of four judges, and for fairness, all food would be submitted anonymously so the judges wouldn’t know who made what when evaluating.

 

“I have no idea what the Empress intends by doing this.”

 

“Exactly. Since it has to be made with limited ingredients and cooking methods anyway, the food will be much the same.”

 

Even though it was called an event, being close to a religious ceremony, the ingredients that could be used for the food were strictly determined. Only native ingredients from the Luzhiere Empire could be used.

 

Naturally, this meant fish and chicken, still classified as monsters, as well as newly discovered ingredients like chestnuts and peppers that Chloe had found, couldn’t be used.

 

The cooking methods were also restricted. Since there couldn’t be any trace of burning, umami couldn’t be developed through Maillard reactions, and since there couldn’t be any moisture, soup dishes were also impossible.

 

Additionally, no raw food should be offered, no red color except wine should be used, only animals and plants born that year should be used…

 

At this point, regardless of why the Empress had organized such a competition, it would be best to simply not participate.

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