The tasting party begins, begins!
"Oh! Every dish is delicious!"
"Yes, some of them look like they might be really spicy, but they're not at all. Instead, they leave a pleasant aftertaste that makes you want another bite. This is really tasty, Tea."
"Thank you very much. I'm so happy to hear it suits your tastes."
As the buffet-style tasting event began, the hungry Sacred Beasts quickly crowded around the table. Following them, Prince Raymond and Oniisama each selected the dishes that caught their interest and started to dig in.
Prince Raymond preferred a style where he piled up his plate with a lot of his favorite foods, while Oniisama neatly arranged small portions of each dish, tasting them carefully, and then going back for seconds of those he particularly liked.
Hmm, their eating styles really reflect their personalities.
I heard that in the Royal palace, the prince’s meals are served course by course after being tested for poison, which means he usually eats cold food. Being able to eat warm dishes as he likes at the academy or our house must be something he really enjoys.
Being a Royal comes with a lot of security measures, like developing a resistance to poison from a young age by ingesting small amounts. Apparently, he can detect if something is poisonous to some extent.
… The life of Royalty sounds really tough.
I’m a bit envious of Appraisal skill holders, but if it’s needed just to live a normal life, or it becomes a matter of life and death, I’d rather not have it.
Anyway, since Kurogane and others have Appraisal, I’m not really in trouble even if I can’t appraise things myself!
Watching Prince Raymond happily munch on various dishes like a boy after sports practice, I felt a bit sorry for him, realizing how tough things must be behind his cheerful and mischievous persona.
Since our household won’t serve him anything poisonous, and there’s no advanced spicy menu today, he can eat without worry...
"Look, Your Highness. Don’t just eat that one dish; you should try the others as well. This is a tasting event, after all."
"I know, but this mashed potato thing fried in oil tastes like curry. It’s really good."
What the prince was eating so happily was a curry croquette.
Even without actual curry, he responded to the aroma of curry powder. As expected of him.
"Especially after sword training, when I'm really hungry, it would be great to have something like this to nibble on before dinner. Sweets don’t really fill you up."
"Hehe, I think I understand how you feel."
Agreeing with His Highness, Oniisama took one of the curry croquettes from his plate and popped it into his mouth.
"Hey! I was saving that one!"
"That’s why you were told that you are eating too much of the same thing."
Haha, they’re acting like boys buying snacks after club activities.
Both of them are still growing, so just having a little snack probably won’t fill them up. Yeah, that makes sense.
"Hahh... everything is so delicious in so many ways..."
Mariel-chan, too, was munching on a curry croquette while gazing dreamily at His Highness and Oniisama.
… Alright, I’ve decided. She needs a curtsy training session.
I’ll teach her the Spartan menu directly from Teacher Retia. Muahaha.
"... Huh!? Why do I have a bad feeling all of a sudden...!?"
Mariel-chan looked around nervously, and when she saw me smiling at her, her face stiffened. Good grief, how rude.
"Everything here has such complex flavors and aromas. It’s marvelous..."
Alicia-sama, like Oniisama, carefully took small portions and tried each one, as if she were judging them.
She might be the most serious about tasting among us, or maybe Sei is.
I wish the others would take a leaf out of Alicia-sama and Sei’s book.
"Which dish do you like best, Alicia-sama?"
"Me? Hmm... If I had to choose, I’d say this one is the most delicious."
Pointing to the dish she liked best, Alicia-sama indicated a brand-new dish.
"Ah, that’s jambalaya."
"Oh, so this dish is called jambalaya."
Yes, the dish Alicia-sama chose was jambalaya made with Cajun spices.
To put it simply, it’s like paella but with Cajun spices. In my previous life, some places would serve what was essentially curry fried rice as jambalaya, but I prefer this style.
Today’s jambalaya is a hearty dish topped with Cajun chicken.
I didn't expect Alicia-sama to choose such a filling rice dish.
"The flavors of the various ingredients are wonderfully harmonized by the spices, creating a perfect balance in your mouth. It has a bit of spice, but it only makes you want more."
Ah, I totally get it~ The lingering deliciousness of Cajun spices is just irresistible.
"However, all the dishes are truly exceptional. Now that I’ve tasted these flavors, I fear that any other food will seem bland by comparison..."
Alicia-sama let out a sigh after saying that.
I understand.
Even though the flavors are rich with spices, it’s not like the greasy, heavy dishes of our country. It just makes you want to eat more!
"Indeed. It’s surprising how much variety you can achieve just by combining different spices. This could greatly impact the culinary scene of our country."
When Prince Raymond said that, Oniisama nodded in agreement as if to say he concurred.
"Yes, Tea’s cooking will change the world."
Oh dear, Oniisama, isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?
Besides, it’s not like I invented these recipes, so when they praise me too much, I feel a bit uncomfortable...
But I don’t think it’s right to keep delicious food to myself.
It’s best when everyone enjoys good food and lives happily and healthily.
"Um... err, Oniisama, you’re exaggerating. Oh, that reminds me! I forgot to serve the dessert!"
It seemed like everyone had tried a good amount of each dish, and since I felt the conversation was going in a direction that made me uneasy, I decided to wrap things up by bringing out the dessert and tea.
What do you think about this chapter?
