episode_0036

Despite the chilly outside temperature, the heat is so hot that sweat drips down your cheeks, the iron cooking utensils and dishes clash sharply, and the ingredients dance and scream over the fire, emitting a mouth-watering smell. This is the kitchen of the Frauenkirche.

“What was I talking about over and over again about appetizers?”

The chef shouted so loudly that the entire spacious kitchen shook.

“Appetizers are the face of the banquet!”

The trainee chefs, who had been moving busily without a moment to breathe, responded in unison to the chef’s shout.

“So, are you guys going out to greet guests without putting on any makeup?”

As the chef shouts at the tray of chilled, shelled and halved boiled poultry eggs, a cook comes running from a distance carrying a bowl of sauce made of egg yolks, cream, salt and various spices.

“Because I had to make the source from scratch⋯⋯.”

“Put your excuses aside! We have to welcome our guests soon, so why should we be so slow? Where the hell is the pickled fish roe?”

The girl who was pouring sauce over the eggs with a spoon looked up at the chef with a dumbfounded face at his words. As the chef’s expression began to turn into anger, another chef hurriedly ran in from afar, holding a sealed glass bottle in both hands.

“I’ll finish it up, go and take care of the meat!”

“Oh, yes⋯!”

A woman who seemed to be the girl’s senior, judging by the two yellow stripes drawn on her apron, took the spoon and poured the rest of the sauce on top. Then, using small tongs, she picked up the pickled fish roe from the glass jar and began to finish it off by placing it lightly on top of the sauce.

“How’s the raw fish going?”

“Just decorate the fruit and you’re done, Chef!”

A chef whose passion for food was evident from his appearance shouted while slicing a round fruit thinly.

The raw fish, delivered from a distant seashore with almost the same level of ceremony as gold bars or royal guests, was neatly arranged on a plate and radiated a luster that was almost tangled. The chef, who was watching from afar the scene of placing dried fruits to match the color of the raw fish, shook the small bell he was holding in his right hand.

“Tell them to open the banquet hall soon! I’ll send out the appetizers.”

The kitchen door opens, and several tall, lanky servants enter, each carrying a large platter of appetizers in one hand, and head toward the banquet hall, performing tricks to avoid bumping into the other servants who are moving bottles, glasses, and buckets of ice in unison.

As the servants placed the plates between the jars of pickled vegetables and the baskets of fruit, the door to the banquet hall connected to the hall opened wide.

The nobles who began to come in one by one were each wearing extravagant clothes adorned with jewels and precious metals.

“It is an honor to meet you, Commander of the Eastern Army. I am honored to have you attend.”

An old man with curly hair tied up in a bun and wrapped in brightly colored silk approached Uriel and spoke.

“Oh, Privsimo-kong. You must be a little nervous. Don’t push yourself too hard, considering your age. ”

“It’s not worth it. Please, enjoy it.”

Evelyn Privsimo. She was also Algaet’s mother, and had been a long-time member of society, so she had no fear of that, but she bowed, covering her wrinkled face with her fan, in case she showed any sign of discomfort. It was understandable that she would do so, since she was a mere frontier soldier and a straggler, and now held the lifeline of her family and herself in her hands.

Lord Perel Dyce, the chamberlain, watched from a distance as Prince Privsimo, who was also a respected adult in the royal court, bowed, a goblet in one hand.

“My stomach is turning.”

Sir Dice was looking closely at the large windows of the banquet hall and the doors leading outside.

“But that also comes to an end today.”

“What are you taking a picture of?”

The crown prince, who was eating the appetizers, said a word.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Sir Dice mumbled.

“Perel, give me a glass of that too.”

“No. You know you can’t drink alcohol yet!”

The prince chided from the side.

“Ugh… But it’s okay in a place like this…⋯⋯. Ah, okay, okay. Anyway.”

Sir Dice unconsciously placed both hands on his sides and trembled at the sight of the prince’s gaze giving the crown prince a look.

“Ahem⋯ Hmm. Your Highness, Your Highness. Today in particular, you must stay by my side. It’s so crowded⋯.”

Sir Dice said, putting down his glass.

“Hmm… It seems like there are fewer people than before. I know what you mean, Perel. Your mom and dad aren’t coming today, are they?”

“⋯I think so. So, please, please, please stay by my side!”

“What⋯⋯. Got it. Huh? It’s sashimi! Ferrel! Let’s go!”

As soon as the Crown Prince saw the kitchen door open and someone come out carrying a plate of sashimi, he excitedly grabbed Lord Dice’s long sleeve and tugged on it.

“Yeah, how do you feel when you see their faces? Are you nervous?”

Uriel asked Christie, who was now escorted by armed soldiers and whose uniform had a few more decorations on it.

“How has this country survived until now⋯. I just wonder a little bit about that.”

“Right? They’re all the same guys. The guys who beheaded at least had a straight mind, but the ones who are left now are… Ah, Lord Segram. This one is my favorite subordinate. Let’s say hello.”

And then, Uriel turned her back on Segram and started shoving appetizers into her mouth.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Christie Juaron.”

“Segram, I came to tell you that we have collected the money needed for new military uniforms⋯.”

“That’s great news. Oh, I’ll be taking on the work of a bookkeeper soon, so I’ll be asking for your help in the future.”

“Yeah⋯. Okay.”

Only after the Seggram ball had walked away with its characteristic limping gait did Uriel take a sip of the high-quality sparkling fruit wine and wipe her lips.

“Ugh. I told you, she’s a very annoying old lady. Just hearing her voice makes my throat choke up.”

Christie smiled dryly, lifting the corners of her lips, and walked through the banquet hall with Uriel.

At that time, the kitchen was busy preparing the three meat dishes that would be the highlight of the banquet. On one side, a large brush that looked like it was used for painting was used to apply sauce to the surface of a large piece of meat that was golden brown, and on the other side, someone was carrying dry firewood from outside the kitchen, sweating profusely as they finely adjusted the fire in the oven until the very end.

“How far along is this dish?”

The chef walked briskly over and asked the cooks in one corner of the kitchen.

“The meat is all spread out, just put it on top of the mushroom paste. Chef.”

“Um, you guys hurry up and prepare the next dish, I’ll finish it up.”

“Yes? Oh, but⋯.”

“If I tell you to do so, there should be no complaints. This is my kitchen.”

“Yes, Chef!”

The chefs all took their hands off the chef’s words and left their seats to go get the fruit soaked in sugar and the cookie dough that had been left to rest.

The chef stirred the meat chunks on a long skewer, and finished them off by sprinkling a white powder on the pool of meat fat and juice at the bottom of the plate. After carefully handing the plate containing the food to the attendant who carried it to the banquet hall while feeling the sound of her heartbeat, she let out a meaningful sigh and watched the food disappear into the distance.

“In order, it’s coming soon…”

Dice Kyung kept glancing at the kitchen with anxious eyes. As soon as the kitchen door opened, the delicious smell of meat dishes began to spread throughout the banquet hall.

Plates containing one, two, and the third dish in question are placed on the banquet table in that order.

“Perel, huh? Perel? What the… You told me to stick together, where did you go?”

The crown prince muttered.

Sir Dice followed the plate containing the third course to the table in the very center of the banquet hall.

“Aren’t you Dice?”

“Huh?”

Just hearing that voice made all the blood in his body rush to him. Sir Dice wondered why his muscles would not move as he would like, like a frightened mouse, whenever he stood in front of that woman with a cat-like face.

“So, what are you doing here?”

“Well, I’m enjoying the banquet just like everyone else here. How have you been, Lord Dice?”

“Ugh… That’s none of your business.”

Sir Dice starts to tilt his heels and start to move around.

“Can’t you reach the top of the table?”

“That’s not it!⋯⋯Where is the Commander?”

Her anxious eyes, the sleeves of Dice’s clothes soaked with sweat. Christie carefully observed the third dish in question and the people in the banquet hall with her restless gaze, and then smiled meaningfully as if she knew something.