The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 91

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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 91
“……Mmm.”
“Yum.”
The Emperor and Empress said nothing at all.
They were too busy devouring Luciel’s cooking.
Etiquette demanded praise, yet they’d forgotten it entirely—their forks moved faster than light as they attacked the steaks before them.
Of everyone present, only Arnen retained any semblance of composure.
“Wow, when I faced it in person, I just thought it was a monster, you know?”
He murmured, his eyes shining with pure wonder.
“I never knew a Magical Beast could taste this good. The concentrated Magical Power turns into umami…….”
He turned his gaze sharply toward Serion.
“What do you think—who will win?”
Serion’s face twisted for an instant.
Whether it was genuine innocence or simple stupidity, he couldn’t say.
Arnen surely hadn’t meant anything by it, yet his words grated.
As if he’d somehow known of Serion’s desire to crown Melric the victor.
“Well, there’s nothing left to debate.”
Serion opened his mouth slowly, and the Emperor and Empress nodded as if they already knew what he would say.
“There’s only one dish worth eating here.”
“……!”
Every chef present, Melric included, frowned at his words—but Serion paid them no mind.
“The chef of the Bellaon ducal household. Who else could there be?”
He spoke it as near-murmuring, but the Emperor and Empress beside him nodded emphatically, transforming his words into an official proclamation of the winner.
“Ohhh! The creator of Fortune-Bringing Stew, indeed!”
“The one who made Maestel the jewel of desserts!”
“Ahhh…… if only I could have a taste of that food myself.”
Exclamations erupted from the onlookers, spreading wider and wider.
Envy, admiration, jealousy, awe.
Luciel received all manner of gazes and smiled faintly.
Victory was always sweet.
And if someone who wished for her failure was watching, that sweetness would taste all the richer.
Luciel did not look away—she met Serion’s eyes directly.
Their gazes collided for an instant, then parted again.
“…….”
Looking down at those glittering green eyes, Serion exhaled deeply.
Yes. He had lost. He admitted it.
His eyes blazed more fiercely than ever before.
‘It matters not.’
If her name shone, that too was fine.
If her value increased tenfold, that too was acceptable.
When he finally held her in his hands, that triumph would be all the sweeter.
“Speak.”
The Emperor summoned Luciel and demanded to hear her wish.
“Whatever it may be, I shall grant it.”
“Well.”
Luciel took the stage and cleared her throat.
She knew well that while the Emperor had made the offer, she had to ask with tact.
Something the Emperor could grant without burden, something that wouldn’t bring particular dishonor to the ducal house.
In that moment, Luciel’s gaze drifted toward Serion, seated beside the Emperor.
He rested his head against one hand, looking down at her with an air of ‘go ahead, try me.’
As if he alone could wound her, while she could never retaliate.
As if it had always been that way, and always would be.
A small smile played at her lips.
Now that Bael and Arnen had returned, everything before meant nothing anyway.
“I wish for…….”
“……!”
Serion’s eyes widened in shock.
He was not alone.
Every eye in the hall opened wide.
“Say it again.”
The Emperor himself commanded her with confusion written across his face.
“I wish for the position of Commander of the 7th Imperial Knight Order.”
“Hm.”
The Emperor shook his head as if the notion were absurd.
“Chef Luciel, do you know how to wield a sword?”
“A kitchen knife is still a knife…….”
“You cannot.”
The Emperor clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
“And do you know anything of tactics?”
“A little from novels…….”
“You know nothing. Then why ask for a commander’s post?”
“I do not wish to perform their duties alongside them. Rather, I seek an Honorary Commander Position.”
She explained herself.
“I understand the late Emperor often granted honorary posts—allowing one to bear the title of commander without commuting to the palace or attending training.”
“That much is true…….”
The Emperor stroked his chin, seeming to grasp her meaning at last.
As Luciel had said, there was indeed precedent for honorary commander positions within the Imperial Knight Order.
These were typically held by members of the royal family—incompetent, yet beloved by the Emperor.
Those who did nothing yet needed a respectable title.
Occasionally, wealthy nobles granted treasures to the crown in exchange for such positions, and sometimes the Emperor bestowed them on those who had distinguished themselves in important tasks.
There were even records of the Emperor gifting such rank to his favored mistresses.
It seemed like a mere name, but it was not quite so—Eselred’s knights placed great emphasis on name and legitimacy.
Once an honorary commander was designated, the knights under that commander bore the duty to protect and follow them.
For better or worse, they were bound as one; no other commander could exist, and none could show disrespect to the commander.
A power that could easily be misused, one might say.
“……Well, in a sense, it is fitting.”
At the Emperor’s words, Luciel’s eyes sparkled.
“A commoner with no notable rank and good judgment—she doesn’t seem the type to run about wielding authority recklessly elsewhere.”
He studied Luciel as he spoke.
It would be risky to grant such a post to someone of high birth, but someone like Luciel, who knew only cooking, would enjoy the honor itself without abusing the position.
“You have brought the Empress and me much joy over the years, so one cannot say you lack merit. Since I promised to grant your wish, there is precedent as well.”
Watching the Emperor weigh the matter, Luciel smiled slightly.
She could see straight through his mind.
What calculation he was making.
For years now, the Emperor had seized every excuse to eat Luciel’s cooking.
He desired some bond, desperately, that would tie her to the palace.
In the span of these years, he had become a man who could not live without her dishes.
Until now, her position as a member of the ducal house, and the Duke’s persistent hints, had prevented him from summoning her as he pleased. But as a commander, that would change.
An honorary commander of the Imperial Knight Order was, in essence, one who served the Emperor.
What did it mean to serve the Emperor?
Did it not mean that when the Emperor called, one came swiftly and did as commanded?
“I permit it.”
“Your Majesty, I must object.”
Serion intervened abruptly.
His face seemed calm at first glance, but upon closer inspection, his eyebrows trembled with discomfort.
“The 7th Knight Order is a matter of great pride. Though the post of commander is vacant, to give it to a common cook who has never even held a sword……!”
“Is that girl an ordinary commoner? Besides, there have been commanders of common birth before.”
“But……!”
“Do you not understand what an honorary post is? Little will change. It will be pleasant to have her escort me when I go about.”
‘Oh, that suits me perfectly.’
Watching Serion bite his lip, Luciel smiled once more, softly.
The intelligence Melina had gathered through her merchants was accurate, as always.
Serion, who controlled the 1st and 2nd Knight Orders, was currently eyeing the 7th Order.
Specifically, he had planned to install a particular man as its commander.
Luciel’s gaze turned toward the man who had been considered for the 7th’s commander post.
Teo Bellaon, sitting near Bael and observing the unfolding scene.
His face, flushed and pale by turns, glared at her.
Unlike Serion, who forced his emotions under control, Teo’s excitement was impossible to hide.
“I promised to grant one wish. She has not asked for rank or lands—there is no cause to question Luciel’s station.”
At the Emperor’s final judgment, Serion fell silent.
Though he had turned twenty, he was no more restrained than before. Yet he had grown more skilled at concealing that restlessness.
He settled back into his seat, watching Luciel receive her commander’s appointment, his mouth curled in displeasure.
‘An attack.’
This was an attack on him from Luciel.
For the first time, she had struck—not defended, not countered, but struck.
Annoyingly. Intriguingly.
‘I should have killed Bael Bellaon.’
The thought crossed Serion’s mind unbidden.
Then, seeing her face when the news reached her would have been a pleasure.
Perhaps a fitting punishment for such insolence.
His eyes gazed into the void with regret.
“…….”
From a distance, watching it all unfold, a small smile played at Bael’s lips.
Luciel had done it. Truly.
Impossibly easily.
‘Her accomplishment is remarkable.’
Thinking so, he shook his head in wonder.

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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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