READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 65
The restaurant on the horizon of Iceland, guarded by the soldiers, knights, and warriors from Adobice and Winterhome, was filled with a jovial atmosphere.
Of course, it hadn’t always been this way.
First, there was Godwin.
From the very first meeting, it was clear that there could be no positive feelings towards Nepanek, who was gingerly clawing at his beloved and respected father, and he couldn’t understand why his father remained passive.
Let alone the fact that he looked down upon his hometown!
If the rumors about Adobice’s inferiority were true, then Iceland indeed was a barren and impoverished place.
At that moment, the teachings Godwin had received over time flashed through his mind.
It’s not just about what is said—one must also consider the atmosphere, expressions, and tone of voice.
And then he realized that Nepanek’s words were only provoking and belittling, not genuinely concerned about Alfred and Iceland.
That didn’t mean his mood would improve, however.
William was the same.
At the tender age when one becomes sensitive to others’ emotions, William had sensed Nepanek’s goodwill long ago, yet he found himself perplexed by the disconnect between her goodwill and the words coming from her mouth.
He was still too young to decipher noble-sounding rhetoric.
Whenever he locked eyes with Nepanek or spoke with her, he would blush, unable to hide his embarrassment.
But as Nepanek began to share stories from beyond Iceland, an unexpected shift in atmosphere occurred.
Despite being a child of the Duke’s family, neither of them had ever stepped beyond Coldon, let alone the vastness of Iceland.
One was the heir to the family, while the other was still quite young.
To two such individuals, hearing tales from a dark elf girl from a distant desert land across the sea was undeniably intriguing.
Though, of course, Nepanek was no girl by dark elf standards.
When the speaker paused to wet her throat, Alfred took his chance to speak.
“Do you really have to tease them like that, considering they’re still just little kids?”
“Now that the mood has lifted, does it really matter? Moreover, it seems the older ones have finally caught on.”
“Even I can sometimes snap at remarks like that.”
“Oh my. I’ll be careful not to do so.”
As Nepanek smiled brightly, Alfred couldn’t resist snatching a date fruit as if it were impossible to hold back.
This served as both an appetizer of sorts while the table decorated itself anew after the snacks that had come before.
Ah, yes. The meal was about to start.
Nepanek, holding her cup, quenched her dry throat.
Adobice, where the cultures of East and West converged.
For someone like her, who experienced exquisite royal cuisine every day, there was no doubt that even the most meticulously prepared dishes from the Kingdom of Seophone would fall short.
The rumor that the food from the Kingdom of Seophone was tasteless was a well-known insult, even reaching Adobice, but that was only within commoners’ circles.
Those with wealth had no reason to eat like that.
In the Kingdom of Seophone, there were only two kinds of cooks of decent caliber.
Foreign chefs or those who had learned to cook abroad.
Thus, it wasn’t a matter of skill.
It was about geographic characteristics and the quality of ingredients.
The richest lands in the Kingdom of Seophone could barely hold their own against the entirety of the Europan continent, so it was unavoidable.
Cooking is influenced by a chef’s talent; however, the quality of the ingredients was beyond anyone’s control.
Even if one were to procure food supplies from across the continent, there were issues of distance to consider.
No amount of magic could completely stave off the degradation of quality caused by time.
Yet, some of the snacks presented this time were indeed remarkable. Was there perhaps a new trend from some part of the Europan continent that I was unaware of?
“So, Prince Alfred, what exactly are those?”
“Huh? What are you referring to?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know about it.”
Among the accustomed fruit bowls and various cookies and biscuits, two snacks stood proudly, as if demanding attention.
Merengue cookies that crumbled like frozen clouds in the mouth and a silky-smooth fruit milk pudding that felt like something that did not belong to this world slid down her throat, along with pies.
“The plates holding the pies must surely be pastries, right?”
“Wow, you’re quick to catch on.”
“Well, it’s documented that pastries were passed down from ancient Adobice to Europan cuisine.”
For her, hailing from the home of pastries, the pies served as snacks amid her astonishment were indeed shocking.
Pastries are the very definition of crispiness.
There was no one who would disagree, and since their development, countless chefs had transformed them within the royal and noble circles of Adobice.
Nepanek had also enjoyed the newly developed pastry pie presented to the new king before coming to Iceland.
She couldn’t forget that exquisite sensation from then.
With textures shifting endlessly from the outer to the inner layers.
Crispy yet soft, chewy, and moist filling.
As her teeth met and tore through, the outer layer began to crumble, disaggregating as it fell apart.
Perhaps it was due to the difficulty in managing two contrasting spheres that each layer of pastry felt as thin as a feather, holding onto the moisture of its rich filling, making it tender.
And the sensations, tastes, and impressions she experienced back then were just the same now.
No, perhaps it was even more special now, having encountered them unexpectedly in Iceland than when she had tasted them in the royal palace. Quite the blow to her pride.
It would be practically impossible to spread this to other countries.
At the time she was leaving, the number of people who knew about it was less than twenty.
And those who had actually tasted it, including the great Divine King, probably didn’t reach even ten.
For someone who had always been mocked, this surprise party was somewhat unwelcome.
Alfred, knowing this, felt that his once-stuffed heart was now lightened.
“So, what kind of tricks were used here?”
“Just for reference, I’ve never sponsored anyone myself.”
“So, you’re saying someone with such skills just stumbled in? Isn’t it more absurd than claiming Iceland has reduced its imports of wheat from Adobice due to a great harvest?”
“Of course. I simply hired the best Chief Magic Consultant last winter.”
“Hmm?”
As Olivier sat quietly savoring the Adobice dry wine Nepanek had provided, he shifted his gaze, feeling the attention gravitating toward him.
Whether or not two grand nobles and a grand wizard were watching didn’t matter.
Catherine, nibbling on peppered date fruits like a baby bird as Mary tossed seeds aside, released a small sigh at Olivier’s gesture.
“My lord, are you passing this on to me?”
“But it was you who exclusively hired Karem, was it not?”
“That’s not inaccurate.”
“And it was also your chef who spread various cooking methods and recipes throughout my kitchen.”
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have allowed the kids to have a gathering?”
While the two lords and their vassals exchanged witty banter, Nepanek was rapidly turning her head as if realizing an unexpected fact.
In context, “the kids” isn’t a nickname but meant literally. This meant the chef who developed those three dishes was a boy who hadn’t even undergone a Coming-of-Age Ceremony yet…?
“How could it be that I missed a change in the language of the Kingdom of Seophone while I was away?”
“Nepanek, nothing has changed since your last visit.”
“The kid is now 10 years old—no, with winter gone, he’s now 11.”
There was no way the words spoken at such a gathering could be a lie.
“…By the sun god, could it be that he’s from a family that has held the title of cook for generations?”
“They say he was just an ordinary young serf from a remote serf village in Kingsland. He couldn’t bear the oppression from his village and parents and ran away.”
“Atanitas? Wasn’t that something Karem tried to hide?”
“It seems he doesn’t really care about that anymore.”
Catherine, who had initially been skeptical, had now resigned herself to accepting it. However, for Nepanek, who heard this for the first time, it was hard to believe.
Heritage has power.
While this is not an absolute assertion, it was a rule that held some value in a world where magic exists and monsters roam, unlike modernity.
Many believed in this, but Nepanek was not one of them.
As the closest aide to the current Adobice Divine King, who traveled the world as the King’s treasure keeper, she had witnessed persons falling from the apex of society to the depths of despair, and those who rose from obscurity to become kings through sheer effort.
Thus, she had long realized that it was the environment surrounding a person that mattered far more than bloodline.
But to hear that a child, at such a young age, could create such dishes?
There was no supportive environment to back that talent?
Nepanek shook her head, smiling bitterly.
“Perhaps that cook has received the blessing of the gods.”
Both Alfred and Catherine inadvertently shifted their gazes at her words.
Nepanek was partially correct.
He had indeed received divine attention—no, his sacrifice had been accepted, and thus he had been chosen, right?
Yet speaking of such delicate matters—
“The blessing of the gods. It may not be a baseless assumption.”
“What!?”
Are you just going to say that out loud?
Godwin, contemplating whether to eat a date, put it down with a serious face.
“Who could possibly craft such an amazing sauce from common vinegar, eggs, and oil?”
“Lord Godwin?”
“Indeed. Lady Nepanek, you seemed to take a liking to it, did you not?”
“Me?”
“Yes. That white sauce you dipped your vegetables in.”
Nepanek flinched.
Among the snacks that had once filled the table, there were not just desserts but also light appetizers that had come before lunch.
Because the vegetables were simply cut long and served with the white sauce, she thought to try it, but who could have imagined that it would taste like that?
With just a hint of acidity and greasiness, she had guessed vinegar and oil were there, but to think it had eggs as well? How had she even understood that the nuts were processed in such a way?
“I dare say that the mayonnaise is no different from a miraculous creation that could only be explained by Skadi’s blessing on that child Karem!”
“Brother, the mayonnaise was delicious, but I thought it was a bit fishy.”
“William! How can you say something like that? You really are just a picky little brat!”
“It’s just that you just kept stuffing yourself with mayonnaise until your eyes crossed.”
“This is knowledge, you know!”
As if the two siblings were bickering over trivial matters, Godwin and William began to criticize each other’s shortcomings over something seemingly insignificant.
Fortunately, given the circumstances, it wasn’t escalating into a physical fight.
Seeing the ridiculous display the two brothers had put on, Alfred instinctively facepalmed.
“Nepanek, it seems my sons are still young. I must apologize on their behalf.”
“Oh no, they are merely boys. No, the eldest will be having his Coming-of-Age Ceremony soon, yes? It’s delightful to see their energy.”
Of course, the sentence she spoke did not take its meaning at face value.
With a hint of an accusation masked as a compliment, Nepanek’s words made Alfred’s forehead vein throb with a different meaning.
How dare they make fools of themselves in front of guests…?
For the two brothers, who were showing off their camaraderie, fortunately, no love’s lightning would strike them.
“My lord, the meal is ready to serve. Is it alright to bring it out now?”
“Since our guests are waiting, we must hurry.”
“Oh my. Prince Alfred, I’m in no rush at all?”