Chapter 23
“R-really?”
Rihan, slumped and dejected, suddenly brightened, and the rest of the staff lifted their heads too.
“Just in case, I contacted a merchant guild I know.”
Laura waved toward the door, and workers came in, hauling boxes and setting them down quickly.
Marienne destroying the cold storage? I already accounted for that.
“Would you like to check?”
Rihan rushed over and opened one of the boxes. The rest followed.
“Sea bass! Even higher quality than what we had before!”
“Unbelievable!”
“Get ready to prep! Is the oven hot?”
The kitchen came alive as if it had never been subdued.
But moments later…
“What? Why’s the oven like this? Not preheated at all?”
“Wh-what do we do? Is it broken?”
Another problem emerged.
The equipment for the main dish had failed.
Rihan checked the oven again and sank down in despair.
“…Then it’s over.”
“I’m sorry. This is my fault for not checking properly.”
The youngest staff member, Melda, kept bowing in guilt.
“The responsibility is mine. I should be the one to step down.”
“No, no.” Rihan waved it off.
“I can’t make the youngest take the fall. I’ve started from the very bottom and worked my way up to Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen. I’ve seen and done almost everything a chef can do. I have no regrets.”
“I owe an apology to the lady who delivered the ingredients. This is my fault for not being fully prepared. Let me bear the responsibility for this, and let the rest of the staff…”
“So the only issue is that the cooking equipment is broken, right?”
But Laura calmly refocused the conversation.
“That’s right, but… with such little time left, I don’t know if we can make the main dish.”
The banquet was about to begin. They could delay with appetizers for only about 20 minutes. After that, Rihan had no idea what to serve.
“Hmm… I think I can solve this.”
“Pardon?”
It felt like déjà vu, yet Rihan found himself unable to suppress the growing sense of hope.
“Why don’t you leave it to me?”
He nodded like a man in prayer.
Meanwhile…
“The cold storage was broken?”
At the same moment, Luigi received a report about the banquet from the informant she had placed in the Imperial Palace. Even after marrying into Mortum decades ago, she had kept enough people within the palace to be informed quickly.
“I understand.”
She waved the servant away and clicked her tongue inwardly.
“As expected, she’s not fit to be Crown Princess.”
Of course, it wasn’t Laura who had broken the cold storage. Someone hoping for the banquet to fail had acted. But that itself was a problem.
“If she had the character, things like this wouldn’t happen.”
Even so, the banquet wasn’t over. Luigi decided to wait patiently until the announced time, despite having low expectations.
“If she had enough skill, word would’ve already reached Mortum long ago.”
Then, as she was lost in thought, the kitchen staff appeared carrying dishes. The sight caused furrowed brows across the room.
“What is that pot?”
“Is it a stew? It looks like it has sea bass in it…”
“Wait, it’s still boiling…”
A neat pot of vegetables and sea bass bubbled on the table.
Unable to bear it, Luigi stood up sharply.
“What insolence! What is this? Serving something that’s not fully cooked?!”
But Laura responded calmly.
“The main dish is meant to be enjoyed as it cooks and infuses its flavor into the broth. It is intentionally served this way and is safe to eat as it is.”
“What?”
The dish Laura served was called maeuntang — a spicy fish stew.
Common in her world, but alien here.
Laura had anticipated objections and had already prepared a reply.
“Ha! Always sounding eloquent, aren’t you?”
Luigi sneered coldly.
The atmosphere chilled instantly, but some guests were intrigued.
It was rare for a dish still bubbling to be served at a banquet, and the savory aroma drifting across the room was making mouths water.
“Shall we try a taste?”
“Careful, it’s hot.”
“It’s a bit spicy, but… strangely addictive.”
Reactions were favorable. Guests who normally didn’t touch fish dishes were finding themselves reaching for their spoons, especially as the savory, clean broth drew them in.
Meanwhile, Luigi, arms crossed, watched quietly.
What’s so special about this crude dish?
As she was about to scold Laura at the end of the banquet, the savory, salty, seafood-rich aroma pulled her in. The bubbling sound refused to leave her ears.
Well… just one taste.
If she was going to critique it, she needed to understand how bad it was. So she lifted a spoon.
“What… what is this?”
The first bite hit sharp and spicy, then gave way to a rich, savory depth. The second and third spoons came easily.
Around her, she could hear others praising it:
“Wow, the flavor is deeper now.”
“The longer it cooks, the richer it becomes.”
What? The flavor changed as it boiled down?
Too proud to ask aloud, she kept tasting it herself, hoping to understand.
Soon, Luigi was completely engrossed in the stew, and across from her, Laura watched quietly with a faint smile.
After the banquet…
“Did you enjoy your meal?”
Luigi dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin and gave a dry cough.
“Mm. It was… acceptable.”
Her voice was cold, stiff, and emotionless.
Even though she cleaned the plate.
But that doesn’t matter.
The fact that the guests across from her refused to touch their meals didn’t matter.
All that mattered was one thing:
“You have prevented the poisoning of Princess Luigi.”
“You have succeeded in altering the course of history.”
“Based on your contribution, the curse has been weakened.”
“The ‘Curse of Oblivion’ has been reduced by 16%.”
“A fragment of someone’s memories has returned.”
Exactly as expected, the messages appeared.
But…
“Only 2% for Luigi?”
After all that effort, this was the reward?
A wave of disappointment sank her shoulders.
