The Cooking Princess - Chapter 86

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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 86

Shuel was sent to the frontline.

Now she had to pray in her heart for Shuel to lead them to victory while doing what she could.

‘I need to stay here and prevent the Empress from reaching out and causing trouble.’

But what could Chloe, who was merely a duchess, possibly do?

While pondering how to deal with the Empress, she also considered how to expand her food business going forward.

‘No good. I can’t think of anything.’

She couldn’t even muster the will to cook.

Though she had succeeded in cultivating cabbage using highland farming methods, she still hadn’t attempted any cooking.

‘Is this what they call PTSD? No, maybe it’s burnout.’

She didn’t know which of the two was affecting Chloe’s mind and body, but it seemed she wouldn’t be able to stand in the kitchen unless she overcame this.

Her body kept feeling sluggish and she had no motivation.

Just then, surprisingly, Shurya expressed her intention to visit Garnet Manor.

She warmly welcomed Shurya, who had come to visit while she was resting.

“Shurya! What brings you to our manor?”

“I’m really sorry for visiting on such short notice, were you very surprised?”

Shurya looked around and greeted the Count and Countess who had come out to welcome her warmly.

“Hello. I greet the Count and Countess.”

“For the Saint to come directly to our manor. Don’t mind us and rest comfortably.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Shurya lightly greeted Chloe’s parents and approached Chloe closely.

And Chloe was momentarily flustered by a somehow familiar scent coming from Shurya as she drew near.

‘Why does Shurya smell like Korea?’

Just as she was about to ask, thinking it might be a simple mistake, Shurya spoke first.

“I was so eager to bring this to you as soon as I finished it that I hurried over.”

Shurya handed Chloe some red dish sealed in an airtight container.

Chloe’s green eyes widened greatly.

‘What? Is this really happening?’

She momentarily pinched her cheek to confirm this wasn’t a dream.

It stung.

That meant the current situation wasn’t a dream.

Chloe immediately opened the sealed container and tasted a bite of the food. Then she was so shocked she couldn’t even think to close her gaping mouth.

‘Wo- the original female protagonist made kimchi! And she even gave it to me as a gift!’

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t fermented so it was more like fresh kimchi, but still, this was kimchi, what else could be kimchi!

“The cabbage you sent had such a refreshing yet sweet taste. I wanted to try making something delicious with it.”

Chloe hadn’t limited access to her ingredients only to herself, but had also given access to Eshir and Shurya.

The reason was simple. She thought that with their good sense, they could make delicious food even without Chloe.

After obtaining the cabbage, Chloe herself hadn’t tried making anything, but she had sent cabbage along with other ingredients to Shurya.

“I thought about the method and tried salting it and seasoning it, and it was perfect for my taste.”

The Temple aimed for frugality, so they often stored and ate food for long periods,

and Shurya said that preserved foods particularly suited her personal taste.

Shurya smiled shyly as she explained that she had salted it for preservation, and to prevent it from being too salty, she had also added the ingredient called pepper that Chloe had made.

“I think it would be really delicious eaten together with that ‘rice’ you made. It would make a good combination with soybean paste soup too, right?”

Chloe silently picked up Shurya’s fresh kimchi with a fork and put it in her mouth.

A taste she was experiencing for the first time in this life, yet one she had missed so dearly, spread throughout her mouth.

‘…This is it.’

Yes, this was exactly it.

What Chloe had originally pursued was for everyone to make and eat delicious food, and sometimes be treated to it as well.

Reminded once again of that simple fact, Chloe’s nose began to sting.

“Thank you so much, Shurya.”

At Chloe’s tearful response, Shurya was momentarily flustered and comforted her.

“What’s wrong? Is it too spicy?”

“No… Actually, I haven’t been able to cook lately.”

Shurya seemed to intuitively understand the reason and stiffened for a moment, but then gently patted and comforted Chloe.

“I see.”

“Yeah. Even when I tried my best to manage it somehow, it didn’t work well. But Shurya, thanks to you I… I’ve come to realize anew why I cook. Thank you so much, Shurya.”

Chloe stopped sobbing and added resolutely.

“I think I can cook again now. I gained strength thanks to you.”

Chloe shared rice, kimchi, and soybean paste soup with Shurya and regained her energy.

Once she regained her energy, she quickly thought of how she should keep the Empress in check.

‘Just as Shuel isn’t by my side right now, Claude isn’t by the Empress’s side either.’

However, the Empress had higher status than Chloe and was favored by the Emperor.

Unless she became Crown Princess or Empress, it wouldn’t be easy to achieve similar or higher status than the Empress.

Then there was only one answer.

She would have to damage the Empress’s reputation.

‘Fighting fair and square only works when the opponent also plays fair and square.’

The Empress was an exception. She had already crossed the line severely when she tried to kill Shuel.

Chloe planned to use the same methods the Empress had used against her and Shuel.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy for Chloe to damage the Empress’s reputation.

The reason the Empress could spread malicious rumors about Chloe was because she had the power to back it up. She was at the pinnacle of social circles and could use people working in the Imperial Palace like her own limbs.

However, though Chloe had gained fame, she hadn’t been very active in social activities, so her network was narrow, and her followers were only the servants and knights of Garnet Manor.

Of course, they were people who, unlike the Imperial Palace personnel, had never received professional training in gathering and handling information.

So for Chloe to do underground work like the Empress, she would have to either infiltrate Garnet Manor’s servants into the Imperial Palace or win over the Imperial Palace servants. But that level of effort wouldn’t be enough to damage the reputation of someone as powerful as the Empress.

After all, the place where meaningful conversations about royalty took place was in social circles where nobles gathered.

But Chloe lacked influence despite her fame. In a way, it was a natural result. Even before Chloe was born, the Empress had been famous in social circles for her beauty and eloquence, and thanks to that, she had caught the Emperor’s eye and risen to the position of Empress.

From the period of activity in social circles to her skill in manipulating nobles. Even if Chloe had been active in social circles, it would have been difficult to overcome that time and experience.

But Chloe had her own ideas.

‘There’s something I have that the Empress doesn’t.’

If she couldn’t match her with the same methods, she could face her with different weapons.

It was the same principle as when fire meets fire, the bigger fire swallows the smaller one, but when fire meets water, the fire is extinguished.

What Chloe chose as her hand to confront the Empress was precisely.

‘The Temple, and the Merchant Guild.’

Chloe decided that if she couldn’t attack the upper waters, she would attack the lower waters.

If it was impossible to bring down the Empress through nobles anyway, she could use the masses below to topple her.

Of course, if it were just the voices of commoners, the Empress wouldn’t even snort, and the nobles would also treat it as nothing and ignore it.

But if it were the Temple and Merchant Guild, the story would be different.

‘No one can ignore God.’

In this world where believing in God was natural, no matter how weakened the Temple’s influence had become, no one could completely ignore it.

The Pope was still a being with enormous authority who could even excommunicate the Emperor. Without priests performing ceremonies, people couldn’t marry, and newborn babies couldn’t have their births recognized.

How deep and sincere one’s faith was also treated as a noble’s refinement and virtue.

So nobles and even royalty proved their faith by donating to the Temple and participating in events. Respecting and treating priests well was also natural.

‘Money is even more impossible to ignore.’

Though nobles sometimes subtly avoided directly handling money as vulgar, they too had to sell the crops from their family estates somewhere. And that role was entirely handled by merchant guilds.

For example, in estates that produced a lot of fruit but lacked wheat, they had to sell fruit to obtain wheat. If merchant guilds left the estate, it would become difficult even to make and eat bread.

People couldn’t live just by farming and eating, and they also needed clothes and other necessities.

So nobles each had one or two merchant guilds they were friendly with, and tried to maintain the best possible relationships with them.

And Chloe had close connections with both the ‘Temple’ and ‘Merchant Guild.’

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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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