The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 6

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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 6
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The Duke’s Residence was overwhelming in its grandeur—words alone could scarcely capture it.
Ornately carved marble columns and endless stretches of immaculately tended gardens.
The family had always been wealthy, but the rumor that the current Duke had tripled their fortune over his tenure seemed no exaggeration whatsoever.
After entrusting the carriage to Lucan, Cain led Lucyella directly to the Duke’s Residence Kitchen.
The moment Lucyella stepped inside, she gasped with wonder.
It was several times larger and grander than the Lord’s Castle kitchen.
Gleaming white countertops without a speck of grime, silver utensils arranged in meticulous order, and dozens of cooks working in perfect unison preparing ingredients—even though it wasn’t mealtime.
Despite her anxiety, Lucyella felt a flutter of excitement stir within her.
After seeing only Nigel’s neglected, cluttered kitchen, this place looked like paradise to a cook.
The moment the two entered, dozens of eyes turned toward them in unison.
Cain ignored the surrounding gazes and spoke briefly to Lucyella.
“Can you start cooking right now? Things like that Castella cake from before, or potatoes……”
“Lord Cain.”
A middle-aged man with wavy brown hair stepped into their path.
On the chest of his high-quality chef’s coat, adorned with silver buttons, gleamed an ornate badge denoting his rank as sous chef.
“What brings you here?”
He spoke up.
“And who, pray tell, is this grubby…I mean, who is this child?”
The sous chef narrowed his eyes as he asked, while a handful of cooks behind him crossed their arms and raked their gazes across Lucyella with suspicion.
“I’ll borrow one of the cooking stations. There’s nothing special you need to prepare.”
Cain spoke curtly, but the sous chef did not step aside.
“Forgive me, but have you obtained permission from Lord Osborne to use the kitchen?”
“I have not.”
“Then I’m afraid that won’t do. The Duke’s Residence kitchen is a space reserved for verified cooks. This grubby little child……”
“I have verified her.”
“You have, Lord Cain?”
The sous chef openly furrowed his brow as he challenged him.
“Yes.”
“I’m afraid I cannot accept that.”
Cain paused for a moment and stared down at him. His expression remained largely unchanged.
“Surely you are not a professional, Lord Cain? If she were to pass through my verification as sous chef, that would be different.”
The sharp gaze did not intimidate him; the sous chef held his ground, though his neck retracted slightly.
His disapproving eyes darted between Cain and Lucyella.
He clearly resented acknowledging Cain’s authority, and the thought of permitting this shabby-looking girl to use the Duke’s Residence kitchen was openly offensive to him.
“If you require food, you need only ask. But I cannot permit this child to use the kitchen as she pleases.”
“Your name was Jerome, was it not?”
Cain regarded the sous chef with an expressionless face and spoke in a low voice.
“Are you attempting to obstruct me? Speak plainly.”
Whether because of the directness of his question or the harsh undercurrent in his flat tone, Jerome’s eyes wavered slightly.
“Obstruct, you say—that’s rather a harsh word.”
“Then what?”
“As you know, when the Duke is absent, my young master Osborne oversees the household affairs. Without his permission, I cannot open the kitchen to you.”
“Debron and Melina have brought people into the kitchen before. Do you stop them as well?”
Jerome’s face suddenly drained of color.
“That is……”
“Theo and the other children pass through the kitchen looking for snacks. Do you demand they obtain permission from Lord Osborne?”
Jerome chewed his lip in confusion before he lifted his chin again.
“The young masters and ladies naturally use it without asking. But you are not a blood relative of this household, Lord Cain.”
He spoke with careful precision.
“Even with your Baron Rank, you do not become the master of the Duke’s Residence. As an employee here, I have a duty to……”
“I understand the situation now.”
Cain smiled faintly, as if he had anticipated this, and spoke in a measured tone.
“Lord Osborne has trained you well. Treat me as you would an outsider. Obstruct me, little by little, so that I’ll find it uncomfortable and won’t visit often. That’s his design, isn’t it?”
……
Cain’s words struck home; Jerome’s complexion turned even paler.
Lucyella watched their exchange anxiously, acutely aware of the tension.
She had suspected there might be friction stemming from Cain’s unusual position in the household, but she had not expected the very kitchen staff to oppose him.
“The Duke’s second son, Osborne Bellion, is simply rotten at heart. His pride is easily wounded and he’s petty enough to seek revenge. I pray you never have cause to meet him, our Lucyella……”
Her mother’s words from long ago surfaced in her mind, and suddenly the situation became clearer.
Cain gazed down at Jerome’s face for several seconds, then let out a small sigh.
“You have your reasons, I imagine.”
……
“But that gives me no reason to bear with it.”
Shring—
Something silver flashed brilliantly.
Before Jerome could even register what was happening, a blade gleamed cold and still, stopping just short of his throat.
Jerome’s face turned deathly pale, his eyes wide.
“L-Lord Cain! How can you draw a sword in a kitchen…?”
“You do devise many rules of your own. Now you mean to dictate to me which places I may draw a blade and which I cannot?”
Cain spoke in an expressionless voice.
“Step aside. That is an order.”
At Cain’s cold pronouncement, the air in the kitchen froze solid.
“The master of the Duke’s Residence is the Duke, not Lord Osborne. You know full well that he does not will you to stop me.”
……
“Those who defy the master’s will have no place here. For convenience’s sake, I shall deal with you myself.”
…!
“You will not move. Then I will cut you down.”
Gasp……
Jerome stood frozen in place, his face drained of all color.
With the blade in his hand, Cain’s command carried a weight wholly different from Osborne’s or the head chef’s.
It was not merely the sight of the sword that startled him. The heavy Killing Intent that clung to the blade’s edge pressed down on his entire body.
At that moment, as Jerome trembled,
someone pulled at Cain’s sleeve from behind.
“…Wait, please.”
A small frame appeared in their sight—unkempt but bright golden hair and gleaming green eyes.
It was Lucyella.
All eyes in the kitchen converged on the small girl.
“You…don’t trust the Baron’s verification of me, is that it?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
Jerome gasped as though a noose had loosened around his neck.
“The kitchen is sacred. If we trust unproven ability and admit just anyone, the ingredients could spoil, or…or……”
“Then test me now. You, directly, as sous chef.”
“What?”
At this unexpected proposal, Jerome blinked.
“Think of it as an examination rather than cooking. I’ll make soup right here, right now.”
“That is……”
Lucyella tilted her head slightly and looked up at Cain.
The way this man had brought her straight here made it clear the patient’s condition was dire.
There was no time for pointless debate about proving skill—she needed to prepare food with a Buff immediately.
There was even less time to draw a sword, cut someone down, and clean up afterward.
Whether the verification passed or failed afterward mattered little to her.
If another meal was needed later, she would deal with it then.
What truly mattered was avoiding becoming labeled useless in the Baron’s eyes and meeting a pointless death.
If she died here, her mother would never find her body.
Jerome gulped dryly and nodded repeatedly.
“G-good idea.”
He had no intention of losing his life to Cain’s blade today.
He was simply afraid of the harsh words he would hear later from Osborne, the real power holder, or the head chef when he returned, and besides, the beggar-like appearance of this child distressed him—her potentially wreaking havoc in the kitchen.
With “examination” as a pretext, he had no grounds to refuse.
In fact, if her cooking proved incompetent, it would be an excellent excuse to ban her from the kitchen altogether in the future.
“Let’s conduct the test. If this child produces something substandard, Lord Cain, you must withdraw as well.”
As Jerome stepped aside, managing to save face, Cain sheathed his blade and nodded to Lucyella.
“The menu is of no consequence. Cook something. If the result meets my expectations, your reward will be ample.”
At last having secured permission, Lucyella moved toward the cooking station.

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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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