Chapter 8
Chloé, utterly dumbfounded, barely managed to close her mouth and desperately tried to read the expressions of the two of them.
However, Empress Hwang seemed to have developed a taste for mocking Shuel and didn’t pay the slightest attention to Chloé.
“Even in swordsmanship, you fall behind my son.”
Hearing that, Chloé struggled to maintain her composure.
“This is absurd. Why invite the daughter of a duke only to pick on her? It’s so rude.”
Her lips itched to argue, but Chloé pressed them together and thought:
“But I cannot dare step forward in front of the Empress.”
What good would it do for a mere young lady to intervene in the conflict between the Empress and the Crown Prince?
Trying to push aside the Crown Prince’s suffering, Chloé continued:
“How can he be so clumsy in every way? I suppose it must be due to insufficient education from Her Majesty the Empress?”
But as the Empress’s ridiculous nitpicking went on, Chloé, who had tried to stay quiet, suddenly felt a surge of indignation.
“The Crown Prince is not clumsy.”
“…What?”
The sharp gaze of the Empress, who had been glaring at Shuel, turned toward Chloé.
“Oh no.”
She shouldn’t have said anything. Seeing a child being unfairly blamed, a rebuttal had escaped her lips without her noticing.
“…I should have stayed silent, but now that I’ve spoken, there’s no turning back.”
Chloé swallowed hard and continued:
“The Crown Prince was the kind person who personally wrote me a letter when I was ill.”
It might have been a formal letter that the royal family sends to visitors, but since it was sent under Shuel’s own name rather than the palace’s, it could be considered sincere.
“And he carefully told me what he liked about the food I made.”
Anyone can say something is tasty, but analyzing and explaining exactly what is good is not the act of a clumsy person.
The Empress’s expression as she watched Chloé defending Shuel was peculiar.
“…Hmm, is that so?”
“……”
After finishing, Chloé clamped her lips shut and watched the Empress’s reaction.
The Empress stared at Chloé with piercing eyes for a long moment before speaking:
“To think that merely evaluating the taste of food could determine the Crown Prince’s qualifications.”
“……!”
Had she misjudged? Chloé stiffened in tension.
“Then, the young lady’s cooking skills must be of the same level.”
“……”
“Let her try cooking here in the royal palace. I will judge it myself.”
“Um, young lady.”
Shuel called out to Chloé as she was leaving the audience hall.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I… I’m sorry.”
“Pardon?”
Chloé’s eyes went wide at the sudden apology. Shuel looked unusually dejected.
“I feel like I’ve caused you trouble.”
“Oh, no!”
Chloé waved her hand. Strictly speaking, it was her fault for speaking up against the Empress’s words.
‘But how could I just stay silent while she was being scolded…?’
If there was any fault, it was her meddling, but the root cause was clearly the Empress.
“I think Her Majesty the Empress went too far.”
Chloé whispered into Shuel’s ear, careful that any passing servant or courtier wouldn’t hear.
Shuel flinched at the whisper, his ears reddening.
“…Thank you.”
He smiled faintly, saying that Chloé was the first to stand up for him in front of the Empress.
“But I’m worried. Since the Empress said so much, she won’t just let it slide.”
Although they had gained a chance, if Chloé failed to meet the Empress’s standards, she might also face punishment.
“Oh, don’t worry about that.”
Chloé smiled confidently.
“I just need to get to the kitchen first.”
Chloé followed the attendants to the kitchen. Shuel came along, even though he didn’t need to.
“Be careful, the kitchen can be dangerous.”
“…Then aren’t you in danger too?”
“I’m used to it, so it’s fine.”
Chloé stationed Shuel in a corner, then asked the head chef for permission and inspected the ingredients and tools.
Hearing that she would cook under the Empress’s orders, the head chef gladly gave her the space.
“Your Highness has a very discerning palate. Lately, she has a mild cold and little appetite, which makes her even more particular.”
Worried that the young lady might upset the Empress, the chef looked anxious. Chloé smiled cheerfully, reassuring him.
The kitchen was full of ingredients befitting the royal palace.
‘Of course, there’s not much I can actually use.’
Even the finest ingredients didn’t meet Chloé’s standards. The chef might be the one capable of bringing out the best recipes with these ingredients, not her.
Chloé recalled the information that the Empress had a cold.
‘And it’s still hours until dinner.’
It was around 2 PM, just after lunch, with plenty of time before dinner.
‘Let’s avoid anything too filling.’
She planned to make a light drink or snack with flavors that would surprise the Empress.
At that moment, Chloé’s eyes caught a basket in the kitchen.
“…What’s that?”
The chef hesitated before answering:
“It’s a gift brought by a foreign trading delegation from the Southern Continent. We didn’t know how to use it, so we left it aside.”
He looked embarrassed, unsure why someone would give them sticks that looked like branches.
“They said it was for cooking, so we accepted it. But how anyone could cook with this, we have no idea…”
“Then, can I try using it?”
“Eh?”
Chloé’s eyes sparkled, and the chef looked horrified, wondering if the young lady had lost her senses under the pressure of cooking for the Empress.
But Chloé was internally cheering, staring at the basket so intently that she didn’t notice his concerned gaze.
“I think I know how to use this!”
Her confident declaration made the chef half-believe her and hand over the basket.
“We weren’t going to use it anyway, so go ahead.”
He added that she could ask for help if she wanted to make other dishes, likely assuming she would give up after a few tries.
But Chloé had no intention of giving up.
‘It’s cinnamon and cloves!’
She didn’t know much about the Southern Continent, but this could be a treasure trove.
A spice she had almost given up on had arrived as a gift from a delegation.
“What are you planning to make with that, young lady?”
Shuel, who had quietly approached, looked curiously at the basket in Chloé’s hands.
“I’ll make something that will surprise Her Majesty the Empress!”
Royal Chef Vance was deeply troubled.
‘Her Majesty is now troubling even the young lady.’
He had heard the gist of it. This young lady was the daughter of Duke Garnet, and recently made headlines by inventing a new dish and the “refrigerator.”
‘The refrigerator is indeed impressive…’
Since the palace kitchen had acquired a refrigerator and freezer, Vance knew well its power.
He understood why the Empress would summon the young lady separately to commend her, but…
Vance thought the young lady was merely playing with ideas, and that the Duke’s chefs had executed her concepts and adjusted flavors to her taste.
It was hard for him to believe that a twelve-year-old girl had developed a new dish and even invented a magical item.
‘She looks younger than my own daughter. Was it really necessary to be so harsh?’
Watching her wash the sticks from the basket, Vance felt certain of his suspicion: the Empress intended to humiliate her by making her cook.
“No, young lady, what are you doing?”
Unable to contain himself, Vance approached Chloé.
“There’s a wonderful aroma here. I think it will smell even better when boiled.”
At Chloé’s words, Vance frowned.
