The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 29
The girl in front of her slowly lowered the bow she had drawn.
Silver hair and cold eyes. A face that could have been Melina’s mirror.
It was Selene Belaon.
Beside her stood a boy who appeared to be around sixteen years old.
He seemed to be one of the Collateral Branch members, but his name didn’t register in Bael’s mind.
All he could recall was the image of the boy’s parents bowing their heads to Melina to maintain their dealings with the main house.
“I was taught that it’s proper etiquette to wait your turn instead of interrupting.”
Bael spoke.
“And it’s also proper not to monopolize the Training Ground all by yourself.”
Selene’s pupils gleamed coldly.
That measuring gaze was identical to her mother’s.
“The Training Ground is plenty large. We can all use it together.”
At that moment, the boy standing beside Selene opened his mouth.
He was more overt and provocative than Selene.
“And… shouldn’t you be practicing walking and running more than archery?”
……
The boy raked his eyes up and down, as if gauging Bael’s reaction, but Bael’s expression remained unchanged.
He simply gave Estel’s reins a gentle tug and whispered something near her ear.
Neigh—
In an instant, Estel reared up, lifting both front hooves and raising her enormous body.
“Eek!”
The boy yelped in surprise and stumbled backward hastily, flailing both arms to keep from falling off.
“It seems you’re the one who needs more practice.”
Watching the boy barely regain his balance, Bael let out a small laugh and spoke.
“If you’re startled by a horse, what will you do when prey charges at you?”
“This, this is….”
The boy’s face flushed crimson.
“Stop spouting nonsense,” Selene said coldly to the boy called Dale.
Dale had been muttering while keeping his resentful gaze fixed on Bael.
“…Hmph. Anyway, the championship will go to either Selene or Theo.”
Then he fell silent.
Bael and Selene’s eyes locked for a moment.
“I’m going to hit all six targets,” Bael said.
Bael spoke.
“Why? To beat me?”
“No.”
“Then? To beat Edwin and Theo? Or is there someone among the Collateral Branch who’s caught your attention?”
“Luciel said she’d make Cranberry Tarts if I hit all of them.”
……
Selene said nothing for a moment.
Cran…… what?
He was training for that? On the eve of the Hunt Festival, when the succession game itself was about to shift?
Nonsense.
It was clearly nonsense.
Creak—
Just then, the Training Ground door swung open, and a small silhouette poked her head inside.
Selene’s eyes narrowed.
Bright golden hair, clear green eyes.
Was this the girl her mother had mentioned—the one who’d collided with the Kitchen staff in the Garden before?
The girl appeared to be holding a large plate in her hands.
The moment Selene identified what lay on the plate, her brows drew together in bewilderment.
……Cranberry Tarts?
“Oh, there are a lot of people here, aren’t there?”
The girl spoke in a flustered tone and walked toward Bael.
“I hit four targets,” Bael said.
His words—as though seeking praise—twisted Selene’s expression.
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
The girl beamed and held out the plate.
“Here, you can hit the last two later.”
Without a word, Bael picked up one tart and popped it into his mouth.
For a moment, a flash of pure happiness crossed his face.
Selene watched him.
‘Does that idiot even know how to smile?’
More than that—was that golden-haired girl really the person she’d seen?
That day, she hadn’t gotten a clear look at her face.
She’d been too focused on Bael, who had mysteriously appeared on horseback when everyone thought he was wasting away in his room, to pay attention to anyone else.
What had her mother said about her again?
That she was ambitious and had even managed to wrap the taciturn Cain around her finger?
The girl before her didn’t seem that way at all.
Her face was excessively bright and cheerful.
The way she held the plate, cradling it carefully—
No, that was all a mask.
Beneath the façade of a mere cook lay someone far more calculated.
In truth, she likely cared nothing for cooking—only for the Duke’s wealth and her own reputation.
Her mother had told her that.
To see beyond the surface.
“You can share these with us too, if you’d like….”
Just then, the girl looked at Selene and Dale in turn with her clear green eyes and spoke.
Bael’s expression flickered with reluctance before he grudgingly pushed the remaining plate toward Selene.
Selene looked down at the plate presented before her.
It was a small, round tart.
Cream rose in a gentle peak atop a thin, golden-baked shell.
What stood out clearly were several bright red cranberries.
The contrast between the scarlet berries and white cream was simple, yet it caught the eye.
She reached out as though entranced.
It wasn’t that she’d lowered her guard.
It was just one bite, after all.
……!
The moment the thin shell crumbled in her mouth, the cream inside burst softly forth.
A sweet, rich flavor of cream enveloped her tongue.
Then came the sharp, tangy bite of cranberry, cutting through the cream’s sweetness with its tart, slightly bitter edge.
The two flavors seemed to clash, then suddenly melded into one harmony.
Deceptively simple—yet long after finishing, the aftertaste lingered on her tongue.
……
Selene blinked several times, unable to recover from the shock.
It was an extraordinary creation.
Simple yet delightful in form, with a flavor that shattered all expectations.
‘Perhaps that’s what mother meant. Looking beyond the surface.’
Selene’s hand moved again.
……?
There was nothing to grab.
When she looked, the plate was empty.
Confused, she looked up to find Dale beside the plate, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, wearing an expression of bliss.
Selene’s eyes widened without thinking, and feeling her stare, Dale tried to wipe the look from his face—but it was already too late.
……Gulp.
He swallowed what remained, his face tense.
Even as fear gripped him, a subtly satisfied smile flickered across his lips.
* * *
The Hunt Festival was now imminent.
The Duchy Castle was in constant turmoil, and the Kitchen was no exception.
Luciel was no longer Bael’s exclusive cook.
Though the Duke had ordered her to focus on Bael’s meals, she was also helping with other tasks and preparing the Duke’s evening refreshments.
Luciel’s primary duty during the Festival preparations was ingredient preparation.
The menu for the Hunt Festival day was to be Renar’s specialty—Venison Stew.
It was a dish famous throughout the Imperial City, coveted by all the Belaon Collateral Branch members.
Jerome had taught her that, beyond its flavor, there was a saying: eating it brought good fortune.
He claimed that every Hunt Festival champion had eaten his stew that very morning.
Renar entrusted all the ingredient preparation to Luciel with what seemed like considerable spite, though he seemed pleased about it. Still, this harassment paled in comparison to what she’d endured at the Lord’s Castle.
She’d finished the first day’s work quickly and begun helping with other tasks, but Jerome had taken on half of it himself, doing it for her instead.
Preparing the assigned ingredients, creating late-night meals according to the Duke’s secret instructions, and cleaning up afterward.
Her routine was packed yet simple. Except for the lost time to look after Bael and Estel, Luciel’s life was regular and suited to her nature.
And then came the morning of the Hunt Festival itself.
Luciel woke in good spirits and entered the Kitchen first.
Once the morning meal for twenty-one participants was finished, she would be freed from the Kitchen’s bustling duties.
She’d even received the Duke’s permission to sit in the spectator stands and watch.
All thanks to a bribe—Sea Salt Brownies she’d once made for Bael!
‘I’m so excited!’
Luciel moved with flushed cheeks and a racing heart.
Creak—
She opened the door with force and surveyed the Kitchen, frowning slightly.
Everything appeared normal on the surface, yet something felt off in the silence.
The Kitchen looked subtly, almost imperceptibly different from how it had been the night before.
Her eyes slowly scanned the room.
Gleaming pots, spices on the shelves, organized dishes, prepared ingredients, and……
Luciel’s gaze fixed on the enormous cauldron sitting in the center of the Kitchen.
Its lid seemed off.
She wasn’t always the most perceptive, but she was highly attuned to subtle changes in the ingredients and tools she saw every day.
Like the cauldron’s lid, which was angled ever so slightly differently from the night before.
Luciel bit her lip hard.
The last person to use the Kitchen the previous night had been none other than herself.
Since she held the key, if someone had entered in the meantime, they were either a thief, or……
Luciel slowly lifted the lid and peered inside the cauldron.

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