The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 53

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

Chapter 53
She paused, considering how best to explain.
What had Mother said about how she and Father communicated when they worked together?
“What I mean is, I’d need a tool that can regulate temperature and pressure using Mage Theory—far more precisely than anything on the market.”
Even as she spoke, Luciel wasn’t certain her request was feasible.
That such a thing was possible, and that Father had actually conceived of the solution—both were details from Mother’s diary.
Luciel had embellished the account with her own imaginings, but the prospect of someone actually building it felt like nothing more than hope.
“If there were something that could create a small space and cut off air instantly, lower and raise the temperature in a moment, and maintain it… that would be wonderful. The size would only need to fit in the palm of a hand.”
Whereas Luciel’s voice wavered as she spoke, the Butler listened to her with a surprisingly serious expression.
“You need something like that? For cooking?”
“…Yes.”
So it wasn’t going to work after all.
Luciel sighed quietly.
Implementing such a technique would require a considerable mastery of Mage Theory.
Now that she thought about it, she didn’t really know the Butler’s capabilities, and perhaps she’d asked for something far too difficult.
“It’s not impossible.”
The Butler replied.
“Pardon?”
This time it was Luciel’s eyes that widened.
“You can do something that difficult?”
“For all you see now, I was once a professor of Mage Theory at the Imperial Academy.”
The Butler chuckled softly as he spoke.
The eyes that had seemed sharp moments before had softened as they looked toward her.
“The Imperial Academy… You were a professor there?”
“Did you think a steward of a Duke’s house was just anybody? To root out embezzlement and theft in a vast family, Mage Theory is essential.”
“…”
“In any case, that was long ago. One of my students at the Academy once proposed an idea similar to yours.”
“…?”
“Creating spatial boundaries with Magical Power is difficult to manage, but it’s a known technique—the problem is independently controlling the heat within that boundary. That student devised a method of dual Magical Power circuitry, allowing both boundary generation and temperature control to operate simultaneously.”
He spoke as though summoning old memories.
“At the time, I thought the energy loss was too great compared to its practical use… but I never realized it could be applied to cooking. If you reduce the scale, that much should be possible.”
“…Your student, then.”
Luciel slowly opened her mouth.
She didn’t fully understand everything the Butler had said, but certain key words had caught her ear.
“That student devised the technique of dual Magical Power circuitry?”
A faint, distant memory brushed through her mind—as if she’d heard similar terminology before.
“Yes.”
“That student.”
She swallowed hard and asked again.
“What was his name?”
“Kaellis. Kaellis Siebel.”
“…!”
Clink.
Luciel set down the fork she’d been holding idly.
So that was how it was.
Mother had said that if you lived long enough, you’d realize the world was small.
Even in just fourteen years of living, she’d come to understand it.
“He went missing, but among my disciples, he was the most talented and the most mad.”
The Butler continued, gazing into the distance.
“Days before his final year thesis presentation, that idiot skipped defending his paper to go on a date with some Imperial Palace maid he fancied, so I had to chase him all the way to the Palace to drag him back. I don’t know how much of my lifespan I lost in that pursuit. But now, in this very moment, that reckless student’s idea is proving useful.”
“…”
Luciel clamped her mouth shut and simply nodded.
Beneath the composed expression she was forcing, her mind churned in considerable turmoil.
Mother is a liar.
Father was always supposed to put his studies first.
And Mother was supposed to be the queen of devotion, supporting him in every moment.
She’d told me that even when I grew up, I must never sacrifice my career for romance.
What on earth had those two been doing in their past?
“I’ll have the Magical Device you want ready within a week. Oh, and one more thing.”
The Butler wiped the remaining sweat from his brow and rose, then added as if remembering something.
“Operating the device will require advanced Magical Power. You won’t be able to manage it alone.”
Whether from the spicy chicken stew or the thought of his cherished student, his eyes gleamed with life, and his movements seemed lighter.
“I have a prospect.”
“You do?”
He looked down at her with greater interest, his eyes shining brighter still.
“If this truly succeeds, tell me who it is. If they’re not too old, I might take them on as a student.”
Luciel smiled and nodded.
Having the two of them grow closer was welcome, as far as she was concerned.
“But you can make it in just a week?”
“Chasing after an unruly student for years makes you develop the habit of quick judgment and swift action in urgent situations. My years at the Academy instilled in me a discipline for life itself. I’ve become the sort of man who cannot afford laziness, not even in death.”
The Butler waved his hand to her and turned away.
“I’ll be on my way then. Oh, and one last thing.”
He turned his head back as if struck by sudden remembrance.
The face that had once seemed so stern now held something like affection in its lines.
“From now on, you can call me Grandfather if you like.”
Luciel watched his retreating figure, and her expression grew complicated.
That snow-white hair and that weary face.
The wrinkles etched like traces of years that food could never erase.
The body that seemed fragile, aside from its weight.
‘I thought all of that was from being busy with the Duke’s affairs, but it wasn’t.’
It had all been Father’s doing.
* * *
“Still not ready?”
Devron shouted anxiously at a servant.
“We’re almost done, sir… but we still have thirty minutes before departure.”
“Go downstairs now and wait. Everything must be prepared flawlessly.”
Devron pushed Edwin along beside him as he spoke.
“His Majesty hasn’t expressed any further objections? I heard he still disapproves.”
“After Chef Luciel said she would enter the Palace in person, His Majesty has made no further remarks. And I…”
As the servant hesitated, Devron turned back with an anxious expression.
“What?”
“The Madam has sent another letter from her father’s house.”
“A letter? Must we check it now?”
“She asks that you not forget your promise to fetch her from her father’s house before the flowers wilt.”
“Ah, that matter.”
Devron waved his hand dismissively.
“I’ll answer later—I’m too busy! The Noble Council seat is on the line with today’s audience at the Palace!”
He dragged Edwin by the arm as they descended to the Mansion’s first floor.
He did feel a twinge of guilt, but he quickly shook his head, casting off the useless thought.
His standing at the Imperial Palace.
For Devron now, that was everything.
There could be no setbacks.
Luciel would prepare safe, competent dishes, and the Emperor, taking into account her youth and diligence, would offer praise even if he were not particularly impressed and move on.
While rumors of the Crown Prince were unfavorable, it was merely a matter of tasting food—showing proper respect would prevent any fault-finding.
Yes, Melina’s worries were groundless.
This was Devron’s chance to impress the Emperor, and if he secured his position in the Council through this affair, the title of heir to Bellaon would not be beyond reach.
Nothing must go wrong. Everything must be perfect.
“What—”
But as he rushed down to the first floor, the moment he saw Luciel, he froze.
“What, what is that appearance?”

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