TCP 11

Chapter 11

“I’m really curious about the spices of the Konpa Kingdom. I don’t mind what kind—they use anything as ingredients there—so could I have a look too?”

This wasn’t the time to be picky about hot or cold water. Whether the spices brought in were liked or disliked could be settled later.

“Right now, increasing the variety of ingredients is the priority.”

After saying that, Chloe quickly added,
“Of course, I’m young and have no title, so it might be hard to believe… but if you’d like, I can show you a few more dishes.”

She was already planning several dishes as potential candidates to impress in this country.

“Hmm.”

The guild master seemed to ponder briefly, then spoke something, which the count interpreted.

“He wants to hear, briefly, what kinds of things you might prepare.”

“One of the dishes you served—there was that red vegetable in the bean soup.”

“Do you mean a tomato?”

“Yes. That tomato, together with meat and wine, would go really well. If cooked together, it could make a delicious sauce or stew.”

Tomatoes.

Even with just tomatoes, the number of possible dishes increases ridiculously.

Even if, at the moment, she wasn’t at 21st-century-level culinary sophistication and would need to improve some things.

“To think there’s a tomato on the Eastern Continent that tastes almost like one from the 21st century. That alone is already a huge gain.”

It didn’t matter whether the guild master accepted her suggestion or not. She now knew there was a place to get these ingredients, so she could find other ways to connect with both the Southern and Eastern Continents.

Of course, if this succeeded now, it would make things much easier, so Chloe enthusiastically proposed her ideas.

The count, tilting his head at this cooking method he’d never heard before, translated Chloe’s words to the guild master.

Hearing this, the guild master smiled slightly and nodded.

“That’s an amazing idea. We cook with spices. We make alcohol from barley or wheat.”

The guild master spoke directly to Chloe in imperfect Imperial language, not relying on the interpreter.

“Rugier, the empire’s wine, is very expensive in our Konpa Kingdom.”

He paused on difficult pronunciations, speaking slowly but clearly.

“It’s so expensive, I never considered cooking it with our spices.”

He paused briefly, gathering his thoughts, then looked Chloe directly in the eyes and smiled.

“Miss, you’re young. But you’re very smart.”

“Ah, thank you…”

Chloe smiled awkwardly at the sudden compliment.

“You don’t need to make new dishes. The drink from earlier was already delicious.”

“…!”

“Your smart ideas, our ingredients. Combine them, and wonderful dishes will come out. I look forward to it.”

After saying that, the guild master grinned and added,
“A deal, then. But I don’t know how much we’ll need.”

“Then…”

“I’ll introduce you to the guild. But just two.”

He seemed to be action-oriented; he immediately called someone in the Konpa language.

After a long conversation with the count, the count stood up.

“Haha, this fellow won’t even let me hear. I was curious what a great story he had.”

Chloe, startled, also rose, but the count waved her down.

“Sit. It’s a personal transaction, so nothing major, but I still have to inform Her Majesty the Empress. I’ll explain things delicately.”

“Ah, thank you!”

Indeed, the count seemed to have noticed Chloe’s little trick. Still, his generous handling as a ‘personal transaction’ suggested it wouldn’t be a serious problem.

The guild master, however, seemed to take this deal seriously. He had even sent the count—a foreigner—out, despite the language barrier.

Not long after, two men entered.

The exotic-looking men bowed toward the guild master, who smiled kindly and introduced the man on his right to Chloe.

“Lucefe. Vice Guild Master of the Panna Guild. Our guild is the largest in the Konpa Kingdom. We have many spices.”

The vice guild master Lucefe bowed to Chloe, greeting her in imperfect Rugier.

“Hello, Lady Chloe Garnet.”

“Hello.”

Chloe welcomed the introduction warmly. Bringing someone to introduce immediately—it seemed the guild master had more than just offering a meal in mind.

Then the guild master laughed heartily and introduced the man on the left.

“Casel. Guild Master of the Rosetia Guild. We have many foreign goods.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss.”

The neatly dressed man greeted her. Having done a lot of foreign trade, he spoke Imperial much more fluently than the two from Panna Guild.

“I mainly handle goods from the Eastern Continent. Rugier Empire and the Eastern Continent are far apart, so if you’re interested in Eastern goods, I can introduce them to you.”

“Rosetia Guild has a lot of tomatoes.”

The guild master quickly realized Chloe’s keen interest in tomatoes—a thoughtful gesture.

And it was effective!

Because the Rugier Empire and the Eastern Continent were so far apart, they had little to no exchange.

For Chloe to get tomatoes in this situation would require a truly arduous journey.

It was much easier to import goods from the Southern Continent all at once, even if slightly more expensive.

Chloe promised to trade with the Panna and Rosetia Guilds. Of course, it wasn’t official state trade—it was personal, for her hobby of cooking.

Chloe established ties with the top guilds of the Konpa Kingdom, and the guilds, even with small-scale trades, could explore new channels without imperial involvement. Both sides were satisfied.

“Now I can go home, right?”

Even today, she had met the Empress, the Konpa Kingdom delegation, talked extensively, and cooked in between.

“I wonder if Mother is waiting patiently.”

Thinking of the duchess who would be waiting at the ducal manor after the audience made her anxious.

Before leaving, Chloe went to the Empress’s reception room to pay her last respects.

But instead of the Empress, Shuel was seated there.

“Ah, Lady Garnet.”

Seeing Chloe, Shuel’s face brightened.

“What are you doing here, Your Highness?”

“I was waiting for you.”

“Huh?”

Blinking, Chloe didn’t understand, and Shuel smiled awkwardly, changing the topic.

“The dishes you made today were really delicious. You said you couldn’t make other dishes, but that was modesty. Truly amazing, Lady.”

Chloe, cheered by the childlike goodwill, smiled sheepishly.

“I should be the one thanking His Highness the Prince.”

“To me? Why?”

Shuel tilted his head in genuine confusion. Chloe answered confidently:

“Thanks to you telling the Empress about me, I came to the palace, met the Konpa Kingdom delegation, and got a great opportunity.”

Hearing this, Shuel looked utterly puzzled, tilting his head and pondering for a long while before answering:

“You must be joking, Lady? It’s just that your talent is remarkable. I didn’t do anything, so there’s no need to thank me.”

Shuel thought Chloe was simply being modest.

“I’m serious. But he doesn’t believe me.”

Not only didn’t he believe her, but he seemed to think she was intentionally wrapping herself up in modesty. Shuel’s expression fell.

After all, it was Shuel’s kind words that got her to this point.

Chloe had been the one to butt in when the Empress spoke well of the prince.

“If His Highness the Prince hadn’t spoken kindly of me, it would’ve taken even longer just to get here.”

Chloe took Shuel’s hands in hers firmly.

Looking him straight in the eye, she spoke clearly:

“I should have thanked you sooner, but I’m sorry for being late.”

Chloe’s intelligent, bright green eyes met Shuel’s clear golden eyes directly.

Caught off guard, Shuel’s pupils darted nervously.

“…Uh, right. I’ll try to work as hard as you, Lady.”

He spoke in a timid voice, unable to meet her gaze. His ears were already bright red.