The Cooking Princess - Chapter 73

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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 73

Eshir sarcastically retorted to Claude’s lackeys, half-annoyed.

“By any chance, is the Merchant Prince also one of the fish in the fishing ground?”

Someone bravely made a sarcastic remark, but Eshir answered simply without changing his expression.

“That’s not it, it’s because she’s my employer.”

“…Excuse me?”

“She’s an employer who handles 20% of the Magic Tower’s income alone, so I should at least help this much.”

At his refreshingly materialistic words, the young nobles froze for a moment, not knowing how to react.

Regardless of their reaction, Eshir added in his still indifferent tone.

“That woman just has an eye for talent. She’s been employing me personally since before I became the Merchant Prince.”

It was a clever statement that could be interpreted as Chloe having a hand in Eshir becoming the Merchant Prince.

Eshir, with an attitude of not caring what others thought, delivered the final blow.

“If you couldn’t get chosen by such a woman, then you’re just incompetent, aren’t you?”

In short, it was a frame that Chloe wasn’t playing the field, but approached only those with talent by her own standards,

and those who didn’t understand this and linked it to fishing were inferior beings who had never been chosen by the talent-obsessed Chloe.

It was area-of-effect aggro itself.

The Orlean Viscount’s Second Son, who was instantly branded as incompetent, trembled as he spoke.

“To prove that, wouldn’t you need to have talented female friends for it to hold up?”

Of course, Chloe had many close female friends, but due to the limitations of the times and perception, none of them bloomed their talents.

“But Princess Chloe’s close talented acquaintances happen to be all men! Don’t you think that’s quite suspicious?”

At this sneer asking why all those who became close for talent’s sake were men, Eshir, being male himself, couldn’t argue further.

Whatever he said back would only demote him to fish number 1 in Chloe’s fishing ground.

But Eshir wasn’t the only one present.

“I’m also very close with Chloe.”

Calmly and gently, the Saint who had only been listening suddenly joined the conversation with a smiling face.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve been close with Chloe in the Service Group since I was a nameless attendant priest.”

When Saint Shurya, who was naturally female, stepped forward like that, public opinion instantly reversed.

Even those who had been looking at Chloe with suspicious eyes began to criticize the Orlean noble’s nitpicking.

“Really disgusting. The Duke didn’t say anything, but he stepped forward on his own to create such public opinion.”

“The young Princess must have suffered quite a bit from rumors.”

Whether the noble heard that murmuring, he looked at Cloud, Duke with a desperate expression.

However, the Duke turned his gaze away. It meant to clean up the mess you made yourself.

He could have just apologized for his slip of tongue, but the Orlean Viscount’s Second Son didn’t give up and began nitpicking disgracefully.

“The Saint is still naive and doesn’t seem to know well, but that’s not true friendship. It’s just a scheme to build connections with priests for networking.”

Even at this random attack, Shurya answered in a calm tone without changing her expression.

“Are you arbitrarily judging the friendship that Chloe and I share as networking?”

Shurya added without bothering to hide her expression that seemed to say ‘Is that something a third party should say?’ as if she was truly puzzled.

“Then you should think that Chloe’s other friends besides me are also networking rather than affectionate relationships.”

Shurya didn’t give the Orlean noble any room to escape and beat him down with words gently.

“Why do you only have such vulgar thoughts just because the gender is different?”

Shurya still had an expression of genuine incomprehension.

“They say people judge others based on their own conduct…”

At Shurya’s attack that subtly implied whether he was making such assumptions about Chloe because he himself only had such vulgar thoughts, the Orlean noble finally began to cross the line.

“What would a Saint who has lived only inside the temple her whole life know about worldly affairs!”

“So according to the noble who knows worldly affairs well, Chloe and I didn’t share true friendship. And Chloe only truly shared friendship with her male friends?”

When laid out like that, it was nonsense not worth reconsidering.

Perhaps because he had been stirring things up on his own trying to sneakily board Claude’s success despite having no ability, the eyes looking at the Orlean noble were not kind.

Shurya shot back, still unshaken.

“It’s really funny that Orlean noble, a third party, is judging this when even the parties who know Chloe say otherwise.”

“But the matching dress colors!”

“So is the dress code of the Marquis’s daughter, who is currently the Duke’s partner, different from the Duke’s?”

Shurya added that why couldn’t he think of the possibility that what they had agreed upon in advance coincidentally matched, and even if someone intentionally made them match, that wasn’t Chloe’s fault.

If someone had intentions, it implied that someone was Claude.

“I don’t understand why Princess Chloe is just listening to the Saint’s words when it’s her own matter. If it’s true friendship, shouldn’t she step forward herself?”

When nothing else worked, the Orlean noble dragged Chloe back into it and threw a tantrum.

And as soon as he dragged her in, Shurya sharply cut off his words.

“Chloe always treats people sincerely, so she’s clumsy at this kind of verbal fighting. That’s why she was being swayed by your nonsensical sophistry.”

‘Really amazing. Shurya’s way with words is no joke.’

As expected of the female protagonist, it felt like drinking not just a bowl of refreshing soda but a whole basin.

“The concept of friendship is better understood by me, who offers harmony, service, and respect to God,”

Shurya continued with an extremely gentle tone and a bright smile.

“and Princess Chloe, who never misses Service Group attendance every weekend, rather than Orlean Viscount’s son who constantly skips mass and says ridiculous things, don’t you think?”

Having said that much, Shurya announced with an extremely cold face.

“I’ll ask House of Erlain, Counts directly about this matter. I’m really curious what the Count and Countess will think.”

This conversation had become a case of a mere noble ‘daring’ to lecture the Saint.

“Whether they’ll have the same thoughts as their son, or different ones.”

The Orlean noble’s face turned pale as he belatedly realized this fact, but it was already too late.

“S-Saint.”

“The Temple will judge how faithful you are.”

At the Saint’s firm response, those who had been subtly gossiping about Chloe instantly shut their mouths.

And in the quiet atmosphere, Eshir laughed without reading the room.

“Ah, sorry. It was just so funny I couldn’t help it.”

“What’s so funny?”

When one of Claude’s gang asked in an angry voice, Eshir answered without even wiping away his smile.

“It’s funny seeing him grovel and tuck his tail between his legs after losing while spreading ridiculous rumors.”

Then he glared at the noble who had talked back to him and added.

“Why, does it upset you when I laugh?”

And he shook his head as if he truly didn’t understand and asked.

“Did you feel good when you were starting up to spread false rumors?”

‘Eshir is really annoying when he’s like that.’

He was like that even when he was a mage employed by the Garnet Family, but now that he had the position of Merchant Prince, it was even worse.

His cold stare looking down was also top-notch.

Just as it was about to continue into a second round, music began to flow announcing the debutante’s first dance.

Shuel, whose complexion had turned deathly dark after hearing something from the Emperor, quietly returned to Chloe’s side and whispered in a small voice only she could hear.

“It seems something happened, I’m sorry I couldn’t help. Princess.”

And as if he wanted to say something, he kept moving his lips before finally managing to speak.

“…Later, His Majesty might tell the Princess some news that won’t be good for you. I’m really sorry.”

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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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