Chapter 308
Chapter 308
The encounter with Yanghwa.The surprising passageway to the Suran Empire on the western continent through Acrab. And now, the Suran Emperor’s visit.
Although I was told Jungyeonhae received Julius’s letter, Exchetra also called him. She couldn’t be aiming for just a shallow fight.
So, Jungyeonhae might be a significant supporting character that appears a lot in the chapters I haven’t read.
With that thought, the fear and hesitation finally disappeared. I was even more enthusiastic when I thought he might be helpful in the upcoming battles.
After I bid Yanghwa goodbye and promised to meet later, I faced another dilemma.
I had never been there myself, nor had I properly learned about the Suran Empire, but through Kaichen and Julius, I could imagine how vast and powerful the empire was.
Now, I was burdened with the tremendous task of personally preparing and serving dinner to the emperor of such an empire.
Unfortunately, the emperor, who happened to be the guest, already thinks of me as an undesirable person trying to take advantage of his younger sibling… It felt like I was given a massive handicap before even starting.
‘I didn’t spend a hundred years honing my cooking skills for this….’
Cooking was a skill I developed during my time in Acrab. I burned myself desperately in hot oil so that I would be able to captivate and persuade the picky Kaichen with my cooking.
I learned all the skills from scratch: cooking, woodworking, sewing, craftsmanship, and blacksmithing. At first, I didn’t know I would polish these skills for a hundred years.
At the very least, I could confidently claim that even if you search every nook and cranny, no one in Acrab had more exceptional skills than me.
I started learning by sneakily looking over other people’s shoulders. Later, I learned by stealing, sometimes even enduring curses and getting openly hit. A time came when I could easily steal skills after I learned magic. But before that, it was quite challenging.
Due to my title as an alcoholic and Countess, some couldn’t easily reject me when I approached them… To them, I was just a useless lord and a drunkard. So, even if they looked at me suspiciously, they probably thought of me only as someone trying to seize an opportunity to get a drink rather than someone stealing skills.
That’s how it was. I can’t deny it left a bad taste in my mouth.
I worked hard because if Kaichen didn’t accept me and the research on me as a medium was done, I had to find a way to make a living. The words of my friend from my previous life, saying that I wouldn’t starve to death wherever I went, were right on the mark.
Thinking about the hundred years in Acrab didn’t make my heart pound or my eyes tear up for no reason anymore. It wasn’t exactly refreshing, but it was liberating. The foggy sensation in my head was gone. It felt like I had become the protagonist who awakened after overcoming trials and hardships.
I took out the paper I had hastily crumpled and thrown into a drawer.
I looked at the messy handwriting that even Kaichen’s correction couldn’t fix. I was worried that there might be something I left out or didn’t think about deeply.
I carefully reviewed the things to pay attention to and neatly placed the paper back into the drawer, hoping that no additional information needed to be added.
“Well then… What should I make for dinner?”
First, let’s solve the pressing problem at hand.
* * *
If this were a game, wouldn’t a notification sound and a window be popping up saying:
[Congratulations! You created a dish that would make even the gods drool over it!]
Stats and blessing effects might also be included as additional bonuses.
The completed dish was so mouth-watering that such silly, proud thoughts came to mind. This is where you use the phrase “poured your soul into it.”
I massaged my sore shoulders, ignoring the wide-eyed chefs of the marquis who were gaping.
The only problem was that I sensed someone’s gaze while preparing the dish. Kaichen glared at me from either side of the room or the center with clenched fists.
‘He’s in a bad mood…’
Did the research go horribly? He was irritated even before coming to the kitchen.
I wanted to ease Kaichen’s mood but couldn’t afford to violate the dinner appointment with the neighboring empire’s emperor. Despite feeling like I was being stabbed in the back, I persevered through the cooking.
Was it because I hoped Kaichen would feel better after eating this dish?
Though it wasn’t my intention, it was undoubtedly a good thing that I had cooked such a high-quality dish. However, seeing Kaichen’s expression, more crumpled than before, it was clear that it was not necessarily a good thing.
“Master, is the research not going well?”
“…No problem.”
“Who got on your nerves?”
“….”
Kaichen raised one eyebrow, scrutinizing me with a disgruntled expression. I solemnly nodded.
“Your expression gave it away. Ugh, I wonder who bothered our Master again? You haven’t even slept properly these days because of the research!”
“….”
“I’ll give that someone a piece of my mind. Did you come to see me because you wanted to calm down, Master? I know you find healing in looking at me.”