Chapter 3
It was a letter that started with an ordinary first sentence and a simple greeting.
[…I heard that you had collapsed, and I wish to extend my sincere regards.
His Majesty is also saddened by the misfortune that has befallen such a talented member of the House of Garnet… (excerpt)
I sincerely hope for your speedy recovery, and it would delight me to see you in good health soon.]
“…It really is a letter of regards.”
The tone and handwriting were surprisingly mature, especially considering Chloe was the same age as the sender, but given the royal education he would have received, it wasn’t all that unusual.
It was truly an ordinary letter of well-wishing. The news that the eldest daughter of a prominent noble family had fallen ill would warrant nothing more than a formal inquiry on behalf of a member of the royal family.
Since Shuel was Chloe’s peer, exchanging pleasantries wouldn’t feel awkward either.
Looking at it logically, it was a mundane situation—but Chloe couldn’t help feeling unsettled.
‘I wanted to stay completely unnoticed.’
Receiving a letter directly from someone whose attention she wished to avoid made her break out in a slight cold sweat.
And there was one part that lingered in her mind.
‘Usually they just send it under the royal name… why send it personally?’
Even recalling her past experiences and the events of her life so far, Chloe had never had any connection with Shuel.
Gripped by inexplicable unease, she clutched the letter and read it over and over.
“Ugh…”
Worrying wouldn’t solve anything. It was better to think positively—assuming this was simply part of the prince’s social duties.
‘The prince isn’t important right now.’
Royal or male lead aside, Chloe had one pressing task: she had to prepare food within the week that would astonish her parents.
Her mind was filled with countless golden recipes, yet most of them couldn’t be used in this place.
‘My specialty is Korean cuisine, after all.’
Without access to soy sauce or chili paste, she was practically handcuffed. She couldn’t even ferment soybean paste here, not immediately.
Of course, she wasn’t completely ignorant of Western recipes. Having worked at a casual restaurant, she often cooked Western dishes herself.
‘Pasta, hamburgers, pizza, curry…’
As she recalled the foods she liked, an idea suddenly flashed through Chloe’s mind.
‘Wait… hamburger? …Hamburg steak!’
It was a dish that could greatly improve the texture of tough, dry meat.
If she poured her homemade sauce over finely minced Hamburg steak, and added cheese and a fried egg on top…
‘This will work!’
As soon as the idea struck, Chloe plunged into cooking. She ignored the anxious head chef, Russo, who feared for the princess’s safety.
“Princess, please! I’ll do it. Let me handle it!”
“Just wait, Russo. I’ll let you help once I’m done with this,” Chloe replied.
Seeing the princess wield a knife with her tiny hands, mercilessly pounding the meat, Russo’s anxiety peaked.
‘Why is she destroying the meat like that?!’
Chloe literally minced the meat with wild abandon. But that wasn’t all—she tore bread into pieces, crushed it into crumbs, and chopped onions to a fine dice, shedding tears in the process.
Once everything was in shambles, she scooped it into a large bowl.
The final ingredient was an egg—but technically, it wasn’t an egg.
There were no chickens or eggs in this place.
Chloe added a large lizard egg instead.
The lizards here were large compared to those on Earth but almost harmless, so they were partially domesticated.
Their skins could be used for clothing or necessities, their meat for the commoner’s table, and their eggs were a common ingredient.
Though slightly different from Earth eggs, they were much larger and tasted fine—an adequate substitute.
Chloe mixed the lizard egg into the meat patties thoroughly.
By the time Russo felt dizzy from the sight of this absurd combination, Chloe, satisfied, divided the mixture into several round patties.
Then she placed them in a pan with oil and began to cook.
The patties sizzled and browned, releasing a wonderful aroma. Russo’s eyes widened in disbelief, convinced that the mashed meat would taste awful.
Chloe ignored his gaze and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
“The sauce is the real problem.”
There was nothing suitable for a sauce here. With only salt available, the food tasted bland overall, with only the saltiness standing out.
The flavor of the dish depended on the sauce—but there was nothing suitable.
The locals didn’t even season their meat properly, so it would probably taste okay to them, but it still lacked depth.
‘No choice.’
The answer was wine.
Chloe poured wine into the pan with the browned meat residue.
Sizzle!
Cold wine hitting the hot pan produced a plume of smoke.
“Ah!”
Russo panicked, thinking the princess was playing with fire, but Chloe’s serious expression left him unable to intervene, helplessly stomping his feet.
As the wine boiled, Chloe scraped the fond off the bottom of the pan. The deep flavors dissolved into the wine, thickening as it simmered.
She added chopped onions for brightness and seasoned with salt and sugar.
Finally, she added a pat of butter and simmered it, creating a sauce where meat juices, wine, and butter harmonized perfectly.
‘It’s a shame there’s no ketchup, but this will do.’
Chloe poured the sauce over the Hamburg steak, topped it with cheese and a fried lizard egg, and took a bite herself.
‘Definitely good. The only question is whether the locals will like it.’
Still unsure of Russo’s reaction, she called him over.
“Russo. I’ll cut a piece for you—want to try?”
Upon hearing this, Russo steeled himself and took a tentative bite.
“!”
His eyes widened instantly at the taste.
“What… what is this flavor?! What magic have you used, Princess?”
Chloe smiled. With Russo’s high praise, anyone should be able to enjoy it. Confident, she prepared another plate.
She planned to present her masterpiece at the duchy’s dinner that evening.
Though it had only been two days since she had collapsed, that made the timing perfect.
She needed to prove that she wasn’t joking about her cooking.
Dinner came, and Chloe nervously presented her dish to her parents.
Hamburg steak made from finely minced beef and onions, topped with a wine-based sauce instead of ketchup, and finished with cheese and a fried lizard egg—her ambitious creation.
“Here is my Hamburg steak! Please try it,” she declared confidently.
Her parents were slightly taken aback by the unfamiliar appearance, but tried to praise her.
“Oh my… it looks rather unique.”
“A daring attempt.”
Still hesitant to taste it, her parents watched as Chloe confidently sliced a portion for herself and ate.
“Mmm~ delicious!”
Seeing her eat boldly, they cut tiny pieces for themselves.
Immediately, the duke’s eyes widened.
“This… this taste…”
He closed his eyes tightly.
“Minced and cooked like this, the meat is so tender and flavorful. The sauce cleverly masks the blandness of minced meat, and the cheese and lizard egg enhance the richness… perfect.”
He devoured it in no time, offering a slightly awkward but earnest review. His wife simply exclaimed, genuinely impressed:
“Oh my. This is really delicious.”
Chloe beamed at their reactions.
“So? Isn’t it good?”
At her triumphant tone, the duke thought blankly:
This… works.
