The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 49

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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 49
The one who brought the news was Debron, the Duke’s third son.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward him.
The Duke, Melina, Celine, Cain, and Bael all furrowed their brows at once, and Luciel’s expression mirrored theirs.
The Imperial Palace.
In other words, where the Crown Prince was.
The Osborn household had not attended the midday meal, and aside from Edwin, who sat beside Debron and wore an awkward smile, no one seemed pleased by this news.
“Both Luciel and Bael together, sir. After the Nobility Council adjourned, he called me aside to tell me directly.”
“Bael too?”
The Duke’s eyebrows shot upward.
Debron continued, his expression taut.
“Yes. His Majesty expressed curiosity about how Bael has recovered and earnestly requested that both he and the chef come to the Palace without fail.”
Thump.
Luciel’s heart began to race.
The Imperial family—that is, the Emperor and Empress, and the two Princes.
They were names that appeared in her mother’s stories far more often than the House of Belleon itself.
Especially the Emperor and Empress were not merely characters within the game.
They were people her mother had actually met and dealt with after the possession.
And Crown Prince Serion was….
“I forbid it.”
The Duke spoke curtly.
“Pardon?”
Debron was taken aback.
“It’s obvious enough. They’ll claim it’s an honor to cook for the Emperor and demand something extraordinary. How could I burden a child with that?”
“I agree with Father.”
Melina voiced her support.
“Wait—why are you?”
Debron turned to Melina with a bewildered expression.
“If the Imperial family recognized the desserts your shop creates, then you would….”
“If the Palace wanted our shop’s desserts, they would have simply placed an order. As Father said, His Majesty will demand something never before seen or heard of, and if it fails, the risk is far too great.”
She spoke decisively, as though her judgment was already made.
“The publicity is already sufficient. Going would only lose us more than we’d gain.”
“But if you refuse His Majesty’s request….”
“Luciel is House Belleon’s chef. Why should she refuse?”
“The excuse works, but my standing in the Council….”
“Debron.”
The Duke called his name low.
A thin trace of displeasure kindled in his blue eyes.
Debron’s body trembled instinctively.
“How many years have you been representing me in the Council, and you still cower before others’ gazes?”
He continued.
“I entrusted you with Osborn’s work partly because you wished it, but also to help you find the confidence befitting your station—for you had grown timid. If you cannot grasp the weight of your position….”
The Duke paused, then spoke again.
“Hand your duties back to Osborn.”
Debron went rigid, his breath caught.
Luciel felt much the same.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced—something Celine had once told her.
Celine had come to the kitchen pretending not to be hunting for scraps, and she’d launched into a lengthy explanation of House Belleon’s history, claiming she’d come to teach the ignorant Luciel.
After the Duke’s eldest son died, the four duties he’d been meant to assume were distributed evenly among the Duke’s other children and Cain.
The Barony, which everyone had coveted, went to Cain, while Osborn gained complete authority over all affairs of the Duke’s household.
Melina had taken up business ventures without anyone asking, and she’d done so well that even Osborn couldn’t wrest control from her.
The official duty of representing House Belleon in the Council had originally been Osborn’s, until at some point the Duke assigned it to Debron.
“Probably to avoid granting one person… excessive power,” Celine had mused while eating the Cream Cheese Tart Luciel had made.
According to what Celine had said, when Osborn had first attended the Council, several noble houses began calling him Vice Duke, and the Duke had shown his displeasure more than once.
Melina had once considered stealing the post from him but gave up when a business trip got in the way.
…….
Luciel quietly bit her lip.
‘Even if he’s acting as the Duke’s proxy, a single seat in the Nobility Council is not to be taken lightly.’
The prospect of Osborn reclaiming that seat troubled her.
Especially given what her mother had told her of the original story.
“When the Crown Prince turns twenty, you just gather up as much money as you can and run like hell. I’ll try everything to stop that day from coming, but you still need to be ready to escape.”
Her mother had emphasized it many times.
“I know that too. Bael is already dead—he can’t stop the Crown Prince.”
“Right. House Belleon will already be falling apart. Bael’s dead, and Debron and Father are both spiritually worn down and helpless, Cain’s gone off to his Barony, Osborn sits in the Council doing whatever the Crown Prince wants….”
“And Luciel won’t be there. She’s fled with the money.”
“Exactly! You’re smart, our daughter!”
I should have asked for more details then, instead of just accepting the praise with a laugh.
In any case, for reasons unclear, if left alone, Debron ends up spiritually exhausted and unable to function.
When that happens, the Duke—who has already lost his eldest—would suffer another spiritual blow.
‘And so time passes, until the Crown Prince turns twenty and Osborn alone represents House Belleon in the Council.’
Even with Bael alive, it was uncertain whether that would be enough to change the ending of this story.
After all, Osborn, the one most hostile to Bael, gaining power was hardly good for him.
…….
Luciel clenched her fist.
She wanted to help Bael as much as she could.
She hoped he could save the Empire.
Though she didn’t know how far her own strength could reach, she wanted to try for as long as she was able.
It was her mother’s cherished wish, but there was another reason too.
She had something she did not want to lose.
For Luciel, who had wandered all her life, a place she could finally call home had appeared.
She had grown quite fond of life in House Belleon, of these people.
Cain and Bael and Aila went without saying; she’d even grown attached to the Duke, who would be swept into a torrent of shock and emotion whenever he tasted her cakes.
And the kitchen staff under Jerome, and even Celine and Melina, who seemed sharp-edged at first—the thought of losing them suddenly made her quite sad.
Her mother loved the Esselred Empire.
It was there she’d met her father, and later, where she’d met Luciel herself.
That’s why, for her mother, the Esselred Empire was home.
‘When you form attachments to people, the place where they are becomes your home.’
And when you have a home, you want to protect it.
After finishing her thought, Luciel lifted her head.
For now, the conclusion was clear.
She had to help Debron.
Looking around the table, Debron and Edwin had already left the dining hall after hearing the Duke’s rebuke.
Luciel quietly followed the two of them into the corridor.
The pair, now some distance ahead, were conversing with an attendant who had been waiting, both their expressions grave.
“The lady insisted you send her a reply….”
“A reply to a letter of greetings? I’m busy now; I’ll put it off until later.”
To the attendant, who looked flustered while making some request, Debron shook his head with a series of sighs.
“But….”
“I said I’d write it myself later. Right now, I need to deal with this situation. How am I supposed to tell the Palace….”
“Sir Debron, if you avoid answering this time as well, it will be difficult. The lady, who is at her parents’ home, believes your assurance that you would come fetch her herself and continues to wait.”
“Didn’t you hear what Father said? I’ll do it later.”
“…I will convey that, sir.”
When the attendant gave up and withdrew, the two men looked up.
“…Oh.”
It was Edwin, Debron’s son, who first noticed Luciel standing awkwardly in the corridor.
“You.”

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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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