The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 68

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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 68
“What… where do you think he is now?”
“According to the Butler, he hasn’t completely left the Imperial Palace yet. There are still things to organize, so he’s staying at a lodge on the outskirts for today… But he’ll leave eventually.”
“So you’re just going to cry until then?”
“What else?”
“You should go and beg him, or at least promise to listen better. You ignored him like he didn’t exist for so long, didn’t you?”
At Luciel’s pointed observation, Edwin swallowed hard with a blank expression.
How could he be so much like his father?
“Will he come back if you do?”
“Is this really the time to be asking that?”
Luciel asked in exasperation.
It wasn’t her concern, but frustration threatened to drive her mad.
“You need a guarantee before you’ll act? You just have to try. Even if it’s uncertain and precarious, if there’s one path forward, you walk it.”
This was something her mother used to say.
Words she’d whispered to herself every day right after the possession, to steel her resolve.
That you don’t think about results—you just do.
She’d done things thoughtlessly and triggered the Crown Prince’s kidnapping incident, becoming a wanted criminal, but her mother said she never regretted it.
Because it was a path she had to walk anyway.
Because she couldn’t abandon the Empire without even trying.
“Y-you’re right.”
Edwin wiped his eyes with a remaining napkin and spoke.
“Your words ring true. Yes, I should have done this long ago.”
His nose was sniffling, but his expression showed he’d made some sort of resolve.
“I need to see Father. Let’s go beg Mother together…”
“Exactly.”
Luciel gave him a satisfied shove toward the Banquet Hall’s exit.
Her chest felt clear.
There was even a modest sense of pride.
After finishing the cleanup and discussing winter desserts with Melina, the moment Luciel stepped into the Kitchen to make snacks, she found two silhouettes standing there and raised her eyebrows.
“What, you two haven’t left yet?”
The two people who jumped up from their chairs at the sight of her were Debron and Edwin.
It looked as though they’d been waiting for her for quite some time.
“I was about to leave, but Father remembered something, so we came back this way.”
Edwin answered carefully.
The respectful way he held his hands together was quite different from how he’d been when they first met.
“You see, the thing about close relationships is that propriety becomes all the more important.”
Debron was also taking a similar posture.
“So… yes?”
A foreboding chill crept over Luciel.
She had a feeling these two idiots wanted something more from her.
“Mother said it’s terribly impolite to approach someone for an important conversation empty-handed.”
“It’s nice that you’re recalling what the Duchess said, but… why did you come here? I’d think the goldsmiths in the Imperial Palace are doing brisk business right now.”
“If I try to solve this with money, she’ll stand up and walk out on me. Come to think of it, she’s always been that way.”
Debron spoke with an expression full of regret.
“She loves sincerity. Something made directly with thought for the other person. So we changed our plan.”
Debron gave Edwin a look, and the two bowed their heads sharply in unison.
“Please, we’re asking a favor of you!”
“Please, help us out!”
“I beg your pardon?”
Luciel stared at the two of them in bewilderment.
“What else could have both sincerity and value? Your food, of course. The things that are born in this place.”
“…You want me to make it? Do it yourself!”
“That’s exactly it!”
Luciel, who’d been hungry and unable to eat her snacks, shot back incredulously, but Debron clapped his hands and continued.
“It’s not that we want you to make it for us. We want you to teach us.”
“Teach you… Cooking?”
“Yes. I’m not exactly all thumbs, you understand. Edwin takes after me, so he should be able to handle prep work without much trouble. He’s also got a good palate and is meticulous about details.”
“W-well, that’s right!”
Edwin seized the opening and nodded vigorously.
“You can be rough with us! You can curse while teaching us—just help us with whatever.”
Two pairs of eyes gleamed toward Luciel.
She’d rarely seen either of them with such intensity in their gaze.
Should she refuse?
Chase these walking disasters out and make herself a hot chocolate in peace?
She had no personal connection with them.
Especially not with Bael still unable to identify the person who’d laced the sword with poison—she wanted to keep her distance.
As for Melina, they’d joined hands for business, money, and prestige, but this was different. This was a personal favor.
Luciel wasn’t close enough to them to exchange such help.
Even as she thought this…
“Um, so you two are…”
She found it hard to pretend she didn’t know them at all.
If the Duchess’s usual principle was that thoughtful gifts mattered, then if these two fools showed up at her door with necklaces or some such thing, they might actually get their faces slapped and sent packing.
“…You’re planning to make food to bring with you?”
“No. As I said, the plan changed. We’ve devised the most epic plan of our lives.”
Debron spoke gravely.
“We did some incredibly difficult lobbying with Mother’s maid, Sofia. We asked her to bring Mother here, no matter what—even if it’s just for a brief visit.”
Edwin was equally determined.
“We’ll handle the fallout afterward, and Mother is scheduled to stop by the Mansion again this evening. Sofia will bring her into the Kitchen.”
“At that moment.”
Debron swallowed, speaking again.
“I must give her the most romantic gift of my entire life.”
“What if that backfires?”
Luciel asked in alarm.
“It won’t! Not if you just teach me how to cook!”
Debron spoke with absolute certainty.
“I thought you were remarkable before, but that Castella that day was astounding.”
“Well, I’m exceptional! And besides, you were hungry!”
“I’m asking you to share some of that excellence. In any case, I won’t leave until you promise to teach us.”
“M-me neither.”
Luciel looked back and forth between the two, their heads bowed deeply again.
Is this my fault?
I told him to walk the path ahead without hesitation, and this is what I get?
She let out a deep sigh and looked at them both.
I’ve lost my mind.
I should refuse.
Even as she thought this, she opened her mouth.
Anyway, Osborn’s going to take everything from me anyway—authority and all. I shouldn’t build any ties with these useless rich boys.
“If you h-help us, I’ll never forget it! Whatever you ask of me later, I’ll do it!”
Edwin cried out desperately.
“…Whatever I ask?”
“Yes.”
Luciel looked at Edwin with suspicion in her eyes.
The grandson of the Duke of Bellaon, looking rather frail.
His face didn’t promise much usefulness, but still, he was one of the family’s heads.
If he was going to grovel this much…
‘…This feels like it might be gratifying.’
“Ahem.”
She crossed her arms.
Now that everything had gone wrong since the Imperial Palace, she needed a way to lift her spirits.
Perhaps ordering someone around ruthlessly was one such method.
Besides, Luciel couldn’t bring herself to refuse an earnest request about cooking.
It was something like a deep-seated nature within her.
“Very well.”
“R-really?”
“Really?”
“But.”
She fixed them both with the fiercest expression she could muster.
Since her face naturally smiled, it wouldn’t look scary anyway, but if she was going to bother teaching them, she wanted to at least maintain some dignity as an instructor.
“Break a single instruction, and you’re dismissed. Understand? Whatever happens, you’re responsible for the results.”
“Of course.”
“Absolutely!”
The two of them shouted in ringing unison.

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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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