The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 48

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

Chapter 48
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“……You’re standing.”
“Yes.”
“On your own two feet, without anyone’s help.”
“……It’s thanks to Aila’s treatment. Luciel’s influence was significant too.”
Bael spoke.
“The treatment progressed slowly over a long time, but I had no certainty, so I didn’t inform you. Whether Luciel’s cooking today was the final catalyst or not, my body seems to have truly recovered now.”
He explained truthfully, yet deliberately omitted any mention of the medicinal herbs or the garden.
The Duke nodded with a vacant expression.
“……Because of cooking, you say.”
He murmured to himself.
Luciel, standing quietly in one corner of the reception room watching all this unfold, felt her mind growing complicated.
Too many things had happened in an instant.
The most important dessert seemed to be a success, at least.
Everyone had spoken well of it, and even amid all this chaos, several people were struggling to tuck away the remaining desserts in their bags.
Osborn and Theo had been chased out for their strange scheming, and Bael had found himself walking before the Duke.
What was the result of all this?
She wasn’t the only one confused.
Everyone gathered there was waiting for the Duke’s reaction.
After a long moment, the Duke leaned back in his chair.
As if confirming it was no dream, his mouth slowly curved upward toward his ears.
“Ha.”
He let out a sound.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha!”
The Duke soon broke into a great laugh.
It was the sound of genuine, heartfelt joy.
“As if I’ve gained the whole world. Now then, who did I say deserves the credit?”
His gaze turned first toward Luciel, then toward the Butler.
“I shall bestow the Belleon Medal upon Aila and Luciel. Right now. Henceforth, that medal shall protect them both from most troubles.”
“Yes, Duke.”
The Butler answered briefly.
“…….”
Luciel’s expression slipped from her control.
A medal!
It was something she was receiving for the first time in her life.
She knew what this medal looked like.
Lukan, one of Cain’s subordinates, had shown her one before.
It gleamed brilliantly, with some sections cut at sharp, impressive angles, and at its center sat an incredibly ornate emblem.
What had her mother said about it?
“Mom was good at her studies from a young age. She always had competition medals and…….”
“Blah blah. Mom’s mom used to find it annoying.”
“Mom doesn’t understand. If our daughter brings home something like that, I’d be so so happy.”
“Last time you said that excessive achievement culture in that country was a social problem…….”
“Oh, did it burden you? Daughter, forget everything Mom said! You’re perfect without winning anything! Our perfect daughter!”
Though honestly, being told that way felt like more pressure.
But Mom.
Luciel murmured under her breath.
I got something like it.
Not gold, but something nice to hang around my neck!
Unable to hold back a smile creeping through, Luciel turned her head toward Melina.
“Then.”
After swallowing dryly, Luciel spoke.
“Do I… pass?”
“……Wait.”
“Pardon?”
“Mm…… just a moment.”
Melina raised her hand, signaling for patience.
Not only Luciel, but even the Duke’s eyes widened in confusion.
Melina’s cheeks were puffed out so full she could barely speak.
While the complex situation was being sorted out, she had finished her entire dessert and struck a silent bargain with a nearby servant, stuffing his portion into her mouth as well.
Melina Belleon.
The coldhearted woman who wouldn’t even glance at mere sweets, claiming they were nothing but sugary.
She had become so entranced by food that she was ignoring one of the family’s most significant events.
“…….”
Feeling everyone’s gaze upon her, she slowly swallowed her mouthful.
“Pass.”
She spoke while wiping crumbs from the corner of her mouth.
At the same time, her blue eyes gleamed sharply.
Just then, a brilliant promotional strategy had occurred to her.
* * *
A few days later.
One of the dessert shops Melina operated in the Imperial City, Maestel, saw an explosion of customers.
There were two reasons.
First was rumor.
Second was taste.
Word spread throughout the Imperial City that the Duke’s grandson, who had been bedridden for two years, had walked the moment he ate this dessert.
Those who came for the first reason became regulars for the second.
Ten days after the dessert was unveiled, the shop was packed inside and out.
“Ooh, this color and fluffiness! Exactly as I heard.”
“This fragrance is new to me. It’s definitely different from Black Tea.”
Some customers savored the dessert with beaming smiles.
“Hmm, a combination of bitterness and sweetness. Never experienced anything like it.”
“I feel the same way. Is this actually supposed to taste good……?”
“Wouldn’t we be able to judge better if we tried the Black Tea Crème Brûlée just one more time?”
“I suppose I’ll have to order another.”
Some noble ladies offered critical assessments while stacking five plates in front of themselves.
“If I don’t buy ten Black Tea Crème Brûlées right now, I’ll lose my position.”
“My lady came first. I’m the head servant of the Merbel Family!”
The counter was a scene of employees fighting fiercely to deliver the newly released dessert to their masters.
There were simply that many nobles who lacked the time to come themselves but despised falling behind on trends.
‘Wow, brutal.’
Luciel, who had visited the shop out of curiosity after it opened, had silently marveled at all of this.
Melina’s eye was precise.
Among the many desserts Luciel created, she had instantly identified which would capture interest, and had launched them in a shop located in an area with a wealthy, elderly demographic.
Those who loved sweetness and softness yet despised excessive sweetness, those who valued novelty—they instantly became regulars.
To taste it, to critique it, and to boast to others about having eaten something new.
Among the three desserts—the Black Tea Crème Brûlée, the Black Sesame Blancmange, and the Green Tea Soufflé—the Green Tea Soufflé garnered the hottest response.
In the Esselred Empire, Black Tea was all there was.
The Black Tea leaves imported via the Imperial merchant fleet through the Eastern Trade Route were rare and expensive.
Because the leaves themselves easily deteriorated in transport, Green Tea—which required fresh leaves processed with precision—did not exist in the Empire.
Few people even knew the name Green Tea.
“This was made from tea? It’s a completely different color from Black Tea.”
“The fragrance is grassy yet nutty. Does such a flavor exist?”
“One bite makes your mouth feel clean, yet the sweetness lingers for so long.”
The reaction began with amazement and ended in addiction.
Several nobles quietly began seeking ways to grow and harvest Green Tea.
Yet Melina, now at the center of Imperial commerce, neither pressed Luciel about the source of the Green Tea nor threw herself directly into related ventures.
“Now I understand.”
She had said this on the day the shop opened.
“Your ambition is simple—it’s satisfied the moment those who eat your cooking enjoy themselves. And there’s the pleasure that comes from having your name known.”
“……That’s right.”
At Melina’s words, Luciel slowly nodded.
Scale of the Empire. Master of calculation.
A woman born with the ability to see through what her business partner truly desires.
Her analysis was indeed accurate.
Until she tried it, she hadn’t known—but Luciel was finding deep satisfaction in the fact that cooking released under her own name was becoming famous.
She was thrilled.
She was electrified.
If she were being honest, her hunger for honor was greater than her hunger for money.
“Gold and power are so worthwhile, yet……tsk.”
Melina’s expression remained bemused, though she didn’t seem to be doubting.
“As for procuring materials, I’ll trust you as you are now. You’re pure to the point of excess, so there’s no illegal smuggling problem, and since you have no business ambitions beyond cooking, you won’t be partnering with me on Green Tea cultivation.”
“That’s true.”
Remarkable insight. Luciel certainly found such things troublesome.
“As long as you keep supplying the materials needed for the desserts without interruption, I won’t press further.”
Hearing that, Bael let out a soft laugh.
“There’s a saying like that in a book Melina wrote.”
He said.
“Knowing when to stop and not overreaching with greed is the secret to not failing in business.”
“I see.”
Luciel nodded.
Mom had said that rule existed in the world she came from originally.
“Mom couldn’t keep to it, so she stopped investing in stocks.”
“Poor Mom’s money.”
“Right. She squandered her first paycheck. But it wasn’t just Mom—the talent to invest with cool reason isn’t something everyone possesses.”
Recalling her mother’s words, Luciel admired Melina once more silently.
The nickname Scale of the Empire, and the tremendous favorability of users—none of it came by chance.
The ability to remain unmoved in any situation and hold her center must have been her innate gift.
Thus, what seemed like a peaceful fortnight passed.
Bael had recovered, the dessert had succeeded, Osborn had lost his authority, and the Empire remained safe.
It was during a luncheon, just as Luciel was finally beginning to taste peace.
That she realized the dessert’s success had brought consequences like an explosion.
* * *
“His Majesty has commanded that whoever created the three desserts of Maestel shall Enter the Palace next month.”
……What?
Luciel’s eyes widened in shock.

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