The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 55

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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 55
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“…….”
Luciel looked between the Emperor and Empress in discomfort.
This was bad.
Of all things, she had to have inherited her mother’s face.
Both of them were clearly seeing her mother in Luciel’s features.
After the possession, her mother had tried over a dozen tactics to prevent the Crown Prince’s birth.
Among them were both ‘seduce the Emperor and urge him to break the engagement’ and ‘disguise herself as a man, seduce the Emperor’s fiancée, and urge her to break it off’—she’d heard they’d happened at overlapping times.
Even overlapped chronologically at that.
While ultimately unsuccessful, it seemed clear that both had left deep ripples in their hearts.
“Where…… did you come from?”
“Before arriving at the Imperial Capital, I served under Cain, the Baron of Bellaon.”
When Luciel answered based on truth, the two of them shook their heads as if dispelling some misunderstanding, trying to regain focus.
“The Three Desserts at Melina’s shop in Bellaon—was that truly your handiwork?”
“They were made according to Melina’s orders.”
“And the Deer Meat Stew of Bellaon, which symbolizes good fortune—its creator is now you as well?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
The Emperor’s gaze passed over the Empress, moving toward the space beside her.
Two boys about Luciel’s age were seated there.
The Emperor’s gaze lingered longest on the one sitting directly beside the Empress, whose attire was more elaborate.
Following his eyes, Luciel swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry.
The boy with hair darker and redder than blood itself—deeper in hue than the Emperor’s—was gazing down at Luciel with an expressionless face.
His features were coarser than Bael’s, straight and angular without softness.
His lean, not-yet-fully-grown frame looked elegant, and his smile seemed almost kind at first glance.
Yet his wolf-like golden eyes did not smile with his mouth; instead, they fixed intently on Luciel.
Him.
Serion Eselred, Crown Prince of the Eselred Empire.
The villain of the game that her mother had never once managed to prevent.
“Looks young and fragile.”
He murmured, propping his face against one arm.
“This child made food surprising enough to startle the Emperor, you say?”
Listening to his measured voice, Luciel recalled the rumors about him that Selina had shared before she entered the palace.
“Listen, under no circumstances are you to fall for Serion, the Crown Prince, and say anything strange. You absolutely cannot promise to stay there or anything like that.”
“Is he very handsome?”
“Yes. Which is why you need to build immunity by looking at me and Bael, whose faces are even more striking. Now look carefully at my face, and swear to yourself that you won’t regard anyone less beautiful than this as human.”
“…….”
“What? Do you need an even more handsome face? There’s no such person in the Empire.”
“What did the Crown Prince do?”
Of course, she’d heard plenty from her mother as well.
That he’d burned half the Empire in war.
But Luciel wanted to hear about what had happened in her own life, not in the game.
If we’re counting just the game, Cain killed her mother a few times too.
When Luciel, feeling bored, handed Selina a skewer of Whirlwind Potato she’d made, Selina bit into it with a crisp snap and continued.
“That’s a good question. According to Mother, the Crown Prince is a clever bastard.”
“How so?”
“Cold, curious, obsessive when fixated on something, believes himself the center of the world—that sort of thing.”
“…….”
“Last year, he had a quarrel with an elder of the Noble Council, received some rebuke for it, and apparently didn’t like that one bit. He spent months digging into that elder’s family records, found some missing documents they’d submitted thirty years ago, and used that as an excuse to accuse the elder of corruption and exile him to the frontier.”
“And?”
“Earlier this year, a friend of mine gave him a Canary as a gift, which he liked. Later, curious about how the beautiful sound was produced, he had the maidservants kill the bird, examine its insides, and figure out the mechanism by which it sang.”
“…….”
“And things like Baedong, who grew up with him, refusing his command just once and getting beaten nearly to death are commonplace.”
Her explanation matched what her mother had said about the Crown Prince’s nature.
That was what Mother had said.
The reason she’d gone to such lengths to prevent an unborn child from ever being born was that once such a lunatic came into the world, there was no telling what he might do.
“The finest cook in Bellaon, Serion.”
The Emperor spoke as if admonishing.
“Bellaon’s standards are surely high enough. The food wouldn’t be bland, would it? Isn’t that so, Debron?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. That must be so, Your Majesty.”
Debron trembled slightly with sudden tension, and Luciel exhaled a small sigh inwardly.
So that’s why the Duke didn’t want to send me.
Unlike those who had shown interest in her food out of genuine goodwill, the Emperor was different.
He had summoned her out of his own curiosity first, and secondly to show his indifferent son a new plaything.
In other words, Luciel had to perform well as this new plaything by succeeding at her cooking.
If she failed, not only would Bellaon be burdened with the shame of employing a mediocre chef, but there was no guarantee she’d leave unscathed without something happening at the hands of the Crown Prince.
Debron, who accepted imperial orders without hesitation, didn’t have the ability to think through such things and refuse smoothly.
But it couldn’t be helped now.
It was too late to regret, though she harbored no regrets anyway.
Osborn’s threat was closer than the royal family, and she had to prevent him from sitting alone as Bellaon’s representative in the Noble Council’s seat.
“A fellow wearing strange Steel Gauntlets claiming to cook properly—well, we shall see if she’s as good as she claims.”
The Crown Prince smiled slightly mockingly, looking down at Luciel’s arms.
“If she produces commonplace fare, I’m inclined to hold her accountable for wasting the Crown Prince’s palate.”
“……!”
At those last words, not only did Debron and Edwin’s complexions darken, but even Bael’s brow furrowed.
Only Luciel, fidgeting with the gauntlets she wore, stared directly up at the four members of the royal family.
“The cooking counter is on the left, and the pantry is beside it. You should be able to find most ingredients there. Begin at once.”
“Your Majesty, the dish I intend to prepare requires an assistant.”
She indicated Bael as she spoke.
“I’ve brought one along. Would it be acceptable for us to work together?”
“……You’re referring to the Duke’s grandson?”
Both Luciel and Bael nodded simultaneously, and the Emperor looked between them with a bewildered expression.
Even the Crown Prince raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“The Duke consented to this?”
“He told me to assist well and had me practice for it.”
The Emperor’s expression grew even more confused at Bael’s response.
That cantankerous old man had given his grandson over as a cook’s assistant.
Despite what he said, there was no way the Duke’s direct heir would have stepped forward to assist a chef’s cooking.
For all his current obedience, he must have resisted fiercely at first.
Which meant this situation was probably…… Ah, I see.
The Emperor swallowed hard, as if something had just become clear to him.
I understand now.
Though Debron had accepted the Emperor’s request on his own authority, the Duke had disliked the idea of his cook being subjected to the harsh judgment of the imperial family.
By offering his grandson as an assistant, even if the food proved unsatisfactory, they wouldn’t be able to casually demean or punish the chef.
“Heh.”
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh.
So Bael was being forced into the role of assistant.
Was the rumor that the old fox loved this cook like blood true after all?
To think he’d even calculated using an assistant as protection.
But then what about the food? Did that mean he had no confidence in the taste?
The Emperor’s mind spun as he analyzed the Duke’s stratagem.
The Crown Prince seemed to be thinking along similar lines, and his eyes regarding Luciel grew clouded with various suspicions.
“Do as you wish.”
The two of them moved to the cooking counter before them the moment the Emperor’s words fell.
Bael’s blue eyes gleamed sharply.
The instant he heard that Luciel’s cooking required an assistant, he’d volunteered first.
And he’d practiced day and night, asking Jerome all manner of questions, studying books on cooking techniques.
He took a light, deep breath.
For this day alone, he intended to be the finest assistant Luciel could ask for.
A role he would not surrender to anyone.
* * *
‘Status Window.’
Luciel murmured under her breath.
‘Show me the Crown Prince’s preference map.’
Ping—
At Luciel’s command, a miniature Status Window shimmered above the Crown Prince’s head.
[Target: Serion Eselred – Food Preference Analysis]
Dislikes: Flavors already known. Common combinations available anywhere in the Empire. Anything whose result can be predicted from the first bite. Abhors all such predictability.
Prefers: Things made in previously unseen ways. Processes themselves unfamiliar. Dishes that reveal different layers of flavor with each bite.
Special note: Reacts to the process of creation before reacting to the taste itself. Interest vanishes immediately once curiosity is lost.
Just as she’d thought.
That meant all her preparations had been worthwhile.

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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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