The Cooking Princess - Chapter 62

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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 62

 

If things proceeded according to the Empress’s wishes, victory would naturally fall to Vance.

 

In addition to the usual oversight of all food matters, there would be enormous prize money and honor.

 

‘I hear she’s even considering a medal.’

 

‘No, why go to such lengths for something as simple as serving food…?’

 

‘The Empress’s intentions are not for you to contemplate, Chef. You need only answer whether you’ll comply or not.’

 

Even so, the attendant’s attitude showed he was certain Vance would naturally accept.

 

‘I refuse.’

 

‘…What did you say?’

 

Vance was convinced this proposal was a poisoned chalice from the Empress.

 

The moment he became entangled with the Empress, his peaceful kitchen would become a battlefield.

 

Getting involved in the Imperial Court’s complex power struggles would lead to tiresome and painful days ahead.

 

Having worked in the Imperial Palace for a long time and grown perceptive, Vance firmly declared his refusal to the bewildered attendant.

 

He would not join hands with the Empress, and he would not participate in the competition.

 

He thought that would be the end of it.

 

“I told you so many times not to get swept up by those in high places, but you seem to have forgotten it all.”

 

The Empress didn’t give up and approached Deputy Chef Daniel instead.

 

When Vance heard news of Daniel’s participation in the competition, he was certain Daniel had fallen for the Empress’s proposal.

 

‘I’m the only one who can stop this.’

 

Only Vance himself could prevent the Empress from extending her claws into the kitchen, and only he could find out what exactly she was trying to accomplish through Daniel.

 

“Did you covet the head chef position so much? It would become yours soon anyway!”

 

“So when exactly is that! I have no idea when you’ll retire, Chef! There are plenty of noble families who would give me a head chef position if I just left here!”

 

Vance staggered, unable to hide his shock at Daniel’s true feelings being revealed for the first time.

 

“You… you’ve been thinking this way all along?”

 

“Isn’t that natural? Who wants to rot as a deputy chef for over ten years?”

 

Daniel’s usual taciturn demeanor was nowhere to be seen as his face turned bright red and he raised his voice.

 

“I have no intention of leaving the Imperial Palace either. When the opportunity to reach the highest position is right before my eyes if I just make the right choice, why should I turn back?”

 

Daniel was no longer the young cook full of passion and spirit for cooking.

 

Having lived for over a decade in the quiet battlefield that was the Imperial Palace, he had already tasted and come to crave the sweetness of power.

 

Vance realized he could no longer persuade Daniel and hung his head.

 

“I taught you wrong.”

 

“You’re still mistaken. You weren’t the one who taught and raised me. It was this Imperial Palace.”

 

Only the sound of the two men arguing could be heard in the competition hall, while all the other participants held their breath and watched the spectacle.

 

After all, the most entertaining things in the world are watching fires and watching fights.

 

‘But is it okay to be doing this here?’

 

No matter what, this was the Imperial Palace, and they were in the middle of a competition.

 

The break time was gradually ending, and as the argument grew increasingly hostile, Chloe was wondering if she should intervene.

 

“Now, both of you please calm down.”

 

“If you cause any more disturbance, you’ll both be disqualified.”

 

Right on cue, attendants appeared and separated the two men.

 

“Ah, what a shame.”

 

“It was just getting interesting.”

 

The participants clicked their tongues in disappointment and returned to their stations.

 

It was already amazing to visit the Imperial Palace for the first time, but to witness a fight between the Imperial head chef and deputy chef right in the heart of that palace.

 

For most participants, today would be an unforgettable day in many ways.

 

‘It was helpful for me too.’

 

Thanks to them fighting so openly and loudly, she could immediately tell that the deputy chef was the Empress’s puppet.

 

‘Come to think of it, does the deputy chef not know who I am? Or maybe the Empress didn’t tell him about me at all.’

 

If the Empress had planned to pull some scheme against Chloe through Daniel, Daniel should have normally recognized who Chloe was.

 

And he wouldn’t have blatantly revealed that he was the Empress’s puppet by arguing with the head chef right in front of Chloe.

 

The speculation that the winner of this competition would be someone the Empress had predetermined from the Imperial Kitchen side was just talk circulating among the nobles; it was difficult for the actual participants to know such details. So he probably thought it was fine to speak so openly.

 

‘Then Daniel is completely just a low-level pawn, nothing more than a tail.’

 

Or perhaps there was some other scheme the Empress was plotting separate from Chloe.

 

“Now, the second competition will begin shortly. Everyone please prepare at your stations.”

 

The short but intense break had ended. Chloe decided to put aside complex matters like the Empress and the Imperial Kitchen’s affairs for now.

 

What mattered right now was the cooking before her eyes.

 

The second cooking theme: ‘Food that pairs well with wine.’

 

‘And this theme is practically close to a free theme.’

 

This was because of the rules the attendant had announced along with the theme.

 

“You may freely choose the wine to pair with your dish. As long as it’s a variety kept in the Imperial Palace Wine Cellar.”

 

While they called it the list stored in the Imperial Palace cellar, it was no exaggeration to say that wines from all corners of the continent beyond the entire Empire were stored there.

 

The Empire had a long history, and since wine was a specialty product, the Imperial Court had been steadily collecting them.

 

Accordingly, the variety of wines participants could choose from was very diverse, and the types of food that could be paired with them varied tremendously.

 

Before the competition began, participants who had requested and received their desired wines prepared to showcase their own unique dishes.

 

Someone who chose a red wine high in tannins and prepared a meat dish.

 

Someone who paired a crisp white wine with fruit.

 

Even someone presenting dessert alongside a sweet wine.

 

Since Chloe had presented somewhat unfamiliar food in the previous round, she thought she should take a slightly different strategy this time.

 

‘I need to make food that everyone can intuitively feel is ‘delicious!”

 

Surely there would be some people who understood her intention of serving warm meat dishes for energy recovery in summer.

 

Still, Chloe was aware that the concept of stimulating appetite with hot food when it’s hot might feel unfamiliar.

 

Having taken that risk, this time she needed to score points with food that was obviously well-paired with wine and overwhelmingly delicious.

 

Chloe’s choice for this was precisely:

 

‘Someone once said that fried food would be delicious even if you fried shoes.’

 

Fried food that couldn’t possibly be bad.

 

‘It also pairs well with red wine.’

 

The ingredients Chloe chose this time were flour and butter, lizard eggs, and sweet potatoes.

 

‘Plus frying carbohydrates? Game over.’

 

Chloe recalled a wine snack she had loved in her previous life.

 

It was the signature item of a nationally famous bakery.

 

‘Fried soboro bread.’

 

Usually its combination with milk was famous, but Chloe had eaten it with red wine.

 

The combination of sweet, greasy fried food and bitter yet heavy red wine was truly heavenly harmony.

 

Originally, fried soboro bread has red bean paste inside the bread.

 

But since red beans weren’t even produced in Luzhiere and were red in color, she couldn’t use them.

 

‘Ugh, why are there so many things I can’t use?’

 

So Chloe decided to put sweet potato mousse inside instead.

 

Actually, that bakery also sold fried soboro bread with sweet potato mousse.

 

Chloe’s preference was for red bean paste, but since she couldn’t use it anyway, she decided not to be attached.

 

Sweet potato would probably be less divisive than red beans for the Empire’s people anyway.

 

“This time it’ll be hard to finish quickly.”

 

To preserve the crispy, warm texture of fried food, it was best to eat it immediately, but considering the time for baking bread and frying, it was better to use the full allotted time.

 

And the other participants too seemed to be putting in more effort, perhaps because this round had somewhat higher freedom than the previous one.

 

Imperial head chef Vance and deputy chef Daniel were the same.

 

Even though they were using cooking stations right next to each other, they focused on their cooking without exchanging a single word.

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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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