First Time Cooking
The next day, after passing through the mansion in the capital, everyone from Ania and the Elfa Kingdom who had come to General finished their scheduled greeting at the clinic without incident, returned to our house for lunch, and were having tea until the time came. I was in the kitchen to make lunch.
“So? What exactly are you doing here?”
“Hm? Observing.”
The man answered my question breezily. It was Prince Albert, who had come to General together with the envoys.
“No, no, ‘observing’? A royal walking into a private noble’s kitchen is strange, you know? Brother Aran and Mr. Ryuk are both troubled.”
In the kitchen were me, Prince Albert, the royal castle’s head chef, our team’s cooks, and from the Royal Guard, Brother Aran and Ryuk. The cooks were frozen stiff, and the guards were giving wry smiles.
“And with you here, the cooks are too intimidated to work.”
“You don’t need to mind me. Just start.”
Even though Prince Albert told them that, neither the castle’s head chef nor our cooks could move.
“Aaagh, fine! If you’re going to stand here, then you’re helping. If you don’t like that, hurry up and go to the parlor!!”
““““““!!””””””
Everyone except Prince Albert and Brother Aran went speechless at my words. Depending on how you looked at it, I could’ve been called disrespectful and punished for that.
“Very well. I’ll help. What should I do?”
““““““““Eeeh!?””””””””
The unexpected response surprised even me and Brother Aran.
“What? I just have to help, right?”
“Sigh… fine. First take off your coat and wash your hands.”
He washed his hands just as I told him.
“Uh, Joan? Are you seriously planning to have His Highness help?”
The castle’s head chef asked frantically. I’d known Ashton since I was little—because the queen often asked me to come to the castle kitchen, I’d been in and out of there a lot. This time he had come to General himself as a dispatched chef because we had foreign guests, and because I’d entered the Academy and barely came to the castle anymore, so he wanted to learn my new dishes.
“You know he won’t listen even if we tell him to leave, right?”
“Well… that’s true…”
“Joan, I’m done washing. So, what are we making?”
“Um, today we’re making spaghetti with Burst Territory’s tometto sauce, ruff bird steak, consommé soup, minced-meat cutlets, and pizza.”
“““Spaghetti? Minced-meat cutlets?”””
Prince Albert, Ashton, and Ryuk—who had never eaten pasta or minced-meat cutlets—asked curiously.
“Spaghetti is made by kneading wheat flour and cutting it into long thin strips. Minced-meat cutlets are basically fried hamburg steaks.”
“I see. Then give me instructions.”
“Got it. Then, Prince, please peel the tamaon. Ashton, chop the tamaon and carrogin finely. Ken, do the chicken steak. Arthur, soup. Ben, pizza. Anny, you’re with me for the spaghetti.”
“““““Roger.”””””
Spaghetti was made by mixing strong flour, olive oil, eggs, and salt, dusting the dough, cutting it thin, boiling it, then adding tomett sauce. Since the pasta machine I’d requested from Martin wasn’t finished yet, today’s noodles were fettuccine, a bit thick.
The chicken steak would be seasoned with garlic sauce. The soup would use tamaon and bacon. The pizzas would be mixed pizza and curry-cheese.
“Joan, I’m done.”
Even though he’d only peeled tamaon, Prince Albert somehow had a smug face.
“Okay, then mix these chopped tamaon and carrojin Ashton prepared into this minced meat. Add eggs, grated garlic, cooking wine, salt, and pepper—then mix it more.”
“Oh, this is… this is… interesting.”
Well, royals don’t play in the mud, after all.
He was kneading so seriously—it looked like Hu and Lyla. Well, the twins were way cuter though.
“… Joan, you’re thinking something rude right now, aren’t you?”
“Eh? No, nooo, not at all. Right, Brother Aran?”
“Joan… don’t drag me into this.”
“Then Ryuk?”
“Eh!? Me? …No, no, no.”
“So? What were you thinking?”
Ugh. Couldn’t fool him…
“Well, I was thinking you looked like Hugo and Lyla.”
“Hugo and Lyla are your little brother and sister, right?”
“Yes. They’re entering the Academy this year.”
“You’re saying I’m the same as a ten-year-old?”
“No, no, that’s not it! Not the same—it’s just that you looked like you were having fun cooking for the first time. Hugo and Lyla’s first dish was hamburg steak, and they were kneading just like that.”
“… I see. Complicated, but yes, enjoying something for the first time is true enough.”
“Right? But our kids are cute—”
“Joan!”
Bzzzt—“Ow!!” clang clang
Right in the middle of talking, Brother Aran called my name, and at the same time the ladle I was holding shocked me. I dropped it from the jolt.
“… That hurt, you know.”
“I bet…. Sorry. I’m not very charming.”
“I gave up on that ages ago. But, Prince, do you ever act sweet with Cathy?”
“… Do you want to be shocked again?”
“No thanks. Aaaand, let’s shape these now.”
“Fast switch.”
Ryuk said something, but I ignored him and shaped the minced-meat cutlets. Prince Albert and Ashton followed my example and shaped theirs too. After shaping, we coated them in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, and had them fried.
Ah—Prince… he even had flour on his face.
Would his scheming side disappear if I dusted him in flour all over? … Nah. Not a chance.
What do you think about this chapter?
