The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 50

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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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Episode 50
His expression twisted slightly as he looked at her.
“You certainly know how to twist Grandfather around your finger, don’t you?”
He spoke as though blaming her outright.
“One cook—what gives you the right to refuse His Majesty’s request just because you didn’t want to cause yourself trouble? Do you see what you’ve done to Father?”
A sigh escaped her.
‘The Duke’s grandson is rather spoiled, isn’t he.’
Lucielle exhaled and regarded Edwin with a flat expression.
‘I didn’t know before because we rarely spoke, but this one is rather childish.’
Blaming others with such leaps in logic was something you’d expect from a child, not a grown man.
“Listen here, when your superior speaks, you ought to respond—”
“Edwin.”
As Edwin prepared to say more, Debron raised a hand to stop him.
“Say no more.”
“But Father, she’s merely someone we’ve employed—”
“She is one of the people your grandfather holds most dear among his retainers. And now the Imperial Palace itself is taking notice of her.”
Silence fell.
Edwin’s face flushed crimson.
“Don’t invite needless enmity. It will benefit neither you nor me.”
“Yes, Father.”
Lucielle tilted her head as her gaze moved between the two men’s faces.
Curious.
She had heard that all three of Belaon’s children were willing to stake their lives on the Succession Race, yet Debron lacked the aggressive confidence typical of an ambitious man.
His complexion was dark, and his constantly wandering eyes made him seem like someone tormented by anxiety.
He was even watching her for signs of disapproval—
entirely unlike Cain, who was genuinely considerate enough to look after those beneath him.
He truly lacked confidence in his own standing.
As though he believed even a mere hired hand could threaten him.
That was likely what the Duke had been driving at.
Lucielle narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze toward Edwin.
“Forget what I just said.”
His son Edwin seemed much the same.
Before the Duke, he could not hold himself with proper dignity; he could not assert the authority of an older brother even to Theo, who was two years his junior; and just now, after uttering a few words to his subordinate Lucielle, he had immediately bowed his head at a single word from Debron.
Pale skin, a thin, lanky frame.
Hair the color of ash-tinged silver, perhaps a shade darker than Bael’s. Eyes of that peculiar blue the family was known for.
His face was passable enough, but with those round, somewhat frail-looking eyes, he was the very image of his father.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then speak your mind.”
“When I go to the Imperial Palace—”
Lucielle opened her mouth at Debron’s words.
“What should I be doing?”
“You mean to enter Palace service?”
As Lucielle nodded, both Debron and Edwin, who stood beside him, brightened visibly.
“Yes, yes, that’s excellent thinking! Consider it an opportunity for you.”
“Edwin is right. If you can prepare dishes His Majesty desires—”
“But what exactly does he want? What kind of cooking will satisfy him?”
“Ordinary fare certainly won’t do.”
Edwin lifted his chin eagerly.
“All four members of the royal family are renowned for their difficult palates, you see? They love novel ingredients, unfamiliar dishes and cooking methods—things they’ve never encountered. Can you manage something like that?”
‘Unfamiliar cooking, then.’
Lucielle began to worry at her lip.
She’d anticipated as much, but it was damnably daunting.
“Don’t worry yourself too much. Even if you fall short of expectations given your youth, they won’t be greatly angered.”
Debron quickly cut off his son’s words to smooth things over.
“Show sincerity. Choose something delicious from what you’ve already prepared for Father—”
“No.”
Lucielle exhaled deeply and shook her head.
If Edwin spoke truth, Debron’s advice was completely wrong.
What the Imperial family loved and what the Duke loved moved in opposite directions.
The Duke loved taking familiar flavors and making them taste even better, while the royals pursued cuisine they had never encountered in their lives.
If she served him the sort of food calibrated to the Duke’s tastes, they would inevitably dismiss it—calling it something one could find at a market stall, declaring it too familiar to even bother tasting, leveling sharp criticism.
Moreover, according to what her mother had told her, the Emperor and Empress merely pretended to elegance; when annoyed, their language became crude.
As for the Crown Prince—needless to say.
“Fine, then. I’ll give it a try.”
Lucielle spoke, observing the two men before her, who seemed somewhat lacking in other respects.
“Really? I’ll tell Father at once—”
“Really?”
“Yes. I have much to prepare, so I’ll take my leave.”
She gave a brief answer and then walked past them both.
Lingering with these two weaklings would do her no good; she needed to find someone useful.
Someone capable of helping her create a dish the Empire’s Emperor had never seen or tasted before.
Someone who could help ensure the refined cooking succeeded without a single flaw that could invite criticism.
‘I need to find a skilled practitioner of Magic Arts.’
One particular person came naturally to Lucielle’s mind.
* * *
Lucielle encountered the Butler just after stepping into the Garden from the Hallway.
“Oh, Butler!”
“There you are.”
Lucielle was delighted to see him, but the Butler had apparently been searching for her, and he approached her swiftly.
“I thought you’d come looking for me first thing this morning being the first Settlement day, but you were in the Banquet Hall, I see.”
“Settlement day?”
“Melina’s dessert shop, that is. Since the family manages it, the accounting falls to me as well.”
“Oh!”
Right—money!
She’d been earning so much in wages that she’d completely forgotten about the Settlement Melina had promised her.
What had she said?
Something about giving her heaps of Gold Coins?
“Give it to me now.”
Lucielle stretched both hands out toward the Butler’s face.
“In your hands?”
“You don’t have it now? I’m in a hurry.”
The Butler stared at her in bewilderment for several seconds, then cleared his throat twice.
“This settlement is not an amount you can hold in your hands.”
“What?”
The Butler sighed and shook his head slowly.
“Never mind. Since you’re busy, we’ll set it aside for now. Come retrieve it when you need it. The Duke instructed me to place it in your personal Strongbox—he was concerned you might be swindled if given it all at once.”
Lucielle nodded silently.
She did love money, but she had no plan whatsoever for what to do with it once received.
“You’re the type to be easily swindled, that’s certain. With how young you are—”
Having read this about her, the Butler sighed once more.
“Well then, I’m busy myself, so—”
“Wait, just a moment.”
A small sound escaped him.
The instant Lucielle caught hold of the Butler’s sleeve, his balance wavered and he stumbled.
“I’m so sorry—are you alright?”
“It’s not your fault. I’ve simply overexerted myself of late.”
Though he quickly steadied himself, the Butler’s legs still trembled slightly.
This old man…
Looking more carefully, she noticed the Butler’s complexion was poor. His face had no color, and his eyes were deeply sunken.
When his wrist emerged from his sleeve, she could see bone so prominently that it was almost skeletal.
‘Status Window.’
With a soft pop, the miniature Status Window appeared.
‘Diagnose his condition for me.’
[Subject: Duke’s Household Butler]
– Overall dietary intake has fallen below normal levels for an extended period. Protein and fat reserves in the body are significantly depleted, causing rapid muscle loss.
– Iron deficiency is causing repeated fatigue accumulation and dizziness.
– Diminished digestive function is suppressing appetite itself, which is creating a vicious cycle that worsens the deficiency further.
It was Malnutrition.
Lucielle scanned the Butler from top to bottom and reached her conclusion.
No wonder he looked so gaunt.
Yet it was strange.
How could someone in such a fine household, surrounded by such fine food, be suffering from Malnutrition?
She gently caught hold of the Butler’s sleeve again.
“Butler, come with me to the Kitchen right now!”

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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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