Chapter 92
Chapter 92. There Has Never Been a Taste Like This (3)
She stood before the judging panel composed and dignified, without a thing out of place, but……
'Ugh, my stomach is killing me……'
In truth, Penelope's insides were burning to a crisp.
She had been so desperately nervous that she had overcooked the chicken — which she had fried hundreds upon hundreds of times before — and had been forced to start over.
The frantic worry over whether she would finish in time had left her back soaked through.
She had worked so hard to make it, and yet.
Just like that, Brigitte's Duck Confit scored 30 points and utterly crushed Auguste.
It was hard to feel motivated, to say the least.
Of course, Brigitte's Duck Confit was a dish that deserved that level of evaluation.
Having shared a kitchen with Brigitte for a couple of days, Penelope had also had the opportunity to taste the Duck Confit.
Whether Brigitte was aware they had made a bet or not, she had cheerfully offered, 'Please, have some!'
The verdict?
Identical to Jurgen's.
Without a variable, there was no winning.
The signature of a genius held an essence of flavor that Penelope had not even imagined.
Yet.
"Penelope Rosemore of Y&P. The dish to be submitted is a Half-and-half Chicken served with Gravy Sauce and Mashed Potato. We call it the Chicken Full Spread."
Shamelessly raising her chin and holding her ground in a battle that had already been decided — she was used to that.
Penelope's life had always been defined by the stigma of failure.
Penelope had done her best.
All that remained was to trust in Jurgen's judgment.
"Hmm, Chicken…… And Gravy Sauce at that……"
Minister Cromwell looked at the 'Chicken Full Spread' Penelope had submitted with eyes whose enthusiasm had already cooled.
The outcome of the competition was as good as settled.
With something like Chicken — food that commoners ate — and Gravy Sauce and Mashed Potato, there was nothing one could do to beat the Duck Confit from just moments ago.
He was reluctant to ruin his palate for no reason.
But Princess Luiza showed tremendous interest.
"Seasoned Chicken! You have finally arrived!"
"Have you tried it before, Your Highness?"
"I tasted it during the northern Secret Civilian Inspection."
Though Viscount Renoir had been a traitor who had failed to recognize the princess's dignity and acted with insolence toward her — the Seasoned Chicken that had been presented to her had been so delicious that the memory made her want to forgive even that rudeness.
"You said your name was Penelope? There seem to be a few additions from before. How does one eat this?"
And there was something a little different from that time.
It was not just Seasoned Chicken — there was plain bland chicken, mashed potato, and a brown sauce together.
"Please dip the Fried Chicken deep into the Gravy Sauce. Spoon the sauce over the Mashed Potato as well. You will not be disappointed."
"Oh hooo, I look forward to it."
"The honor is mine."
While Penelope was busy making her appeal to Princess Luiza, who was at least showing interest —
Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Fontaine, who had been quietly staring at the chicken from the side, spoke.
"Lady Rosemore, I have one question before the tasting."
"Yes."
Penelope, who had been rigid with tension, felt her mouth turn utterly arid.
Unlike the other chefs, Penelope had one foot in noble society.
That was precisely why she felt the weight of who stood before her so vividly.
Lily Fontaine.
Hanbin's right hand!
The one who had shattered every record on Britannia's elite bureaucratic career path!
She was not all that much older than Penelope, as far as she knew, yet just looking at her, an aura of sharp intellect radiated effortlessly.
Would Penelope ever become such a magnificent noblewoman someday?
"Miss Penelope?"
"Ah…… I apologize. I did not hear the question."
"Did you make this dish alone?"
"No. Though he is not present here today, I lead Y&P Trading Company together with my co-representative Jurgen."
"I see."
With that exchange of unclear intent, the tasting proceeded.
"Mmmmmm, how I have been thinking of it ever since that day — I was debating whether I ought to set off on another Secret Civilian Inspection. This taste…… this is the taste……!"
Sweet and sour, with just a touch of spice.
Luiza's tongue, like an addict suffering from withdrawal, was busy drooling torrents of saliva and indulging in the Seasoned Chicken.
Was it distinctly more delicious than the Duck Confit?
That would be difficult to answer clearly — but this insane depth of savory flavor kept drawing her hand back again and again.
"And now then, let me see…… Gravy Sauce, was it?"
Luiza immediately grabbed a drumstick and plunged it deep into the Gravy Sauce.
Princess Luiza was slightly taken aback.
A thick brown coating had formed over the drumstick that had been gleaming gold.
"Hmm…… it does not look particularly appetizing……"
She would eat it since it was offered, but visually this one was also rather……
Yet the Seasoned Chicken's appearance had not been much to look at either.
Crrrrrrunch!
The moment Princess Luiza bit into the chicken, she looked up at the ceiling.
Had she not just heard the sound of a building collapsing?
Crrrunch!
No.
This crispy sound was coming from inside her mouth!
"Oh, ohhhh……!"
Lord Cromwell, tasting alongside her, also let out an exclamation.
Honestly, he had expected nothing.
He had never eaten such a lowly food as Chicken, and had thought he would never have occasion to eat it in his life.
"What on earth is this crunch……!"
The just-fried crispiness, preserved even with the rich Gravy Sauce coating it.
Beneath the shattering batter, the juicy succulence of the chicken — as though every bit of its potential had been forcibly unlocked.
And the crowning touch was none other than the Gravy Sauce.
Contrary to its appearance, which suggested it would taste bold and heavy — it had an almost plain, understated quality, like a meat broth from which the meat had been removed.
This flavor paired with the intensely spiced batter to achieve a perfect balance.
"This taste is…… ahhhh……!"
A vision came again.
Once more it was Bellua, where Cromwell had spent his youth.
And beside him, a girl wearing a white headband.
The boy and girl, from entirely different walks of life, walked side by side down a run-down Alley in a neighborhood where the lower classes lived.
'Hurry up, Cromwell.'
'Stop speaking so casually to me — I have told you repeatedly. Do I not outrank you?'
'Goodness, that's why you have no friends — talking like that every day. You'd get scolded if you talked like that in front of your mother, wouldn't you?'
'I said stop speaking so casually to me.'
'Nyeh~'
The girl poking out her tongue and dashing away with a peal of laughter, and Cromwell who, despite himself, did not find her entirely disagreeable.
'My house is here.'
'Very funny. Surely that is a warehouse?'
'Don't you joke with me. What kind of thing is that to say about someone's precious home? I'm hooome!'
'This…… is a house?'
'Oh? Mama isn't here. She must have finished late.'
True to the run-down wooden door, the girl's home was smaller than the bathroom in the embassy residence.
The girl, without any sign of embarrassment, took the hand of the deeply shocked Cromwell and led him inside.
'Alright, I'll have to show you what I'm made of. Sit here. I'll cook for you now.'
'Cook? Cook what?'
'Chicken with Gravy Sauce!'
After a long wait, the Gravy Sauce and Chicken the girl brought out were, honestly, rough around the edges in the way of commoner food.
There was no philosophy of a professional restaurant chef to be felt in it, no specialization.
It was nothing more than a small pleasure found by those living through each day with great difficulty.
And yet.
'This is an unbelievable taste.'
'Really? You're lying.'
'It is the best thing I have ever eaten.'
'Really? Really?'
'But…… the reason this is so delicious must be, after all…… because I am eating it with you.'
'Cromwell……'
Cromwell, steeped in memory, wiped his tears once more.
"Magnificent. Magnificent."
The truth was, Cromwell had never eaten Chicken and Gravy Sauce.
The truth was, he had never gone to a commoner friend's home during his years studying abroad.
The truth was, there had been no friend of the opposite sex with whom warm glances had been exchanged.
Even so, this taste……
"……I give it 10 points!"
It was undeniably a taste that evoked memory.
"Thank you for the meal. I, too, give it 10 points."
Lily, who had been tasting with eyes gone wide and round, also gave it 10 points.
Just as Jurgen had confidently declared — the bold and intuitive taste of the Chicken Full Spread was perfectly suited to capture the palate of Britannian judges.
With things having come to this——
"What, two 10s already?"
"Commoner food is that delicious? More than the Terrine from before? As much as that Duck Confit?"
The audience, half of whom had already lifted themselves 5 centimeters out of their seats in preparation to leave, grew noisy once more.
One upset followed by another.
The situation had become fascinating.
"Then, what will Her Highness the Princess give……"
"If Her Highness also gives 10 points, would that not be a tie?"
"In that case, what happens?"
Princess Luiza, who had already cleaned off the Seasoned Chicken, then the Fried Chicken, and now the Mashed Potato as well.
With all eyes fixed on her——
Luiza, licking the sauce from the corners of her lips with her tongue, declared:
"This one's score is……. Hmmmm, mmmmmm……. That's it! 11 points! It is 11 points!"
Everyone doubted their ears.
"11 points? Did Her Highness the Princess just say 11 points?"
"Is it not 10 points maximum?"
The Court Official rushed over to Princess Luiza and whispered something urgently.
"What? 10 points maximum? Since when is that a rule?"
"Am I not the fifth brightest star of Britannia?"
"This one shall not retract it! This one finds this Duck Confit……? — no, the Chicken more delicious!"
The sound didn't carry far around them, but Princess Luiza's voice was what it was, and the rough gist could be inferred.
"Ahem! I ask for everyone's attention!"
The Court Official, who had been continuously dabbing sweat with a handkerchief, stood at the podium after a long moment of deliberation.
"I will announce the competition rules once more. 'Submitted dishes must be completed within three hours, and the dish receiving the highest combined score from each judge will be awarded the Royal Warrant.' This is the sole rule governing victory and defeat."
"I am of course aware that scoring out of 10 is the general convention. However, there is no rule explicitly stating that '10 points is the maximum' anywhere in the competition's rulebook."
"Scoring is the exclusive prerogative of each judge, and therefore the 11-point score given by Her Highness Fifth Princess is fully recognized in accordance with the regulations."
"Therefore! It is hereby declared that the honor of winning the 1st Royal Culinary Competition goes to CCC Trading Company!"
The Court Official's announcement was met with applause from the distinguished guests.
There was no whistling or roaring cheers.
There had been a small hitch in the scoring process, and the general sentiment was along the lines of 'well, it's not as though it makes no sense'.
Going a little further — 'I am curious about those dishes'.
And so the applause that followed was likewise nothing more than a formality.
But to Penelope, that sound was more beautiful than any heartfelt applause could ever be.
Ahh.
Here it comes again.
The sense of achievement.
The sense of accomplishment.
The hunger for recognition.
This feeling — of the world before her eyes going bright, of the colors of jubilation surging and filling her mind.
She had done it!
She'd done it!
Banking on the premise that Britannian judges had unsophisticated palates, she had successfully targeted Princess Luiza — who had a somewhat 'young' palate — with pinpoint precision!
She had no idea how the time passed after that.
It felt like walking through a dream.
"The Royal Warrant is…… and…… Y&P Trading Company's CCC, for the next three years……"
Throughout the Court Official's long string of remarks, Penelope hunched her shoulders like someone suppressing a cough.
"I would like to propose an investment in CCC Trading Company……"
"Ahem, might I also have a taste of that thing called Chicken?"
"I cannot accept this! A rematch! Losing to Duck Confit would be one thing, but to Chicken……! To Chicken of all things……!!!"
Afterward, she slipped away from the various people approaching her for one purpose or another, and made her way with quick little steps to a secluded spot.
"Fwoooo……"
A quiet garden, tranquil enough to hear the soothing sound of a fountain.
Having confirmed there was no one around, Penelope clenched her fist.
"I DID IT! She did it! She's done it, Penelope!! She did it again!!!!"
She curled her body up like a pill bug and sprang it wide open, letting that momentum carry her cry.
Jurgen watched from a distance, with warm satisfaction, as Penelope bounced and leapt about in her joy.
***
Kaylun, the Royal Guard knight escorting Fifth Princess Luiza.
He turned his back after confirming with his own two eyes the moment Y&P Trading Company claimed the Royal Warrant.
"Far too smooth. This is strange — it really is strange."
Kaylun knew.
How this Royal Culinary Competition had come to be held.
Beginning from the hands of a man named Jurgen of Y&P Trading Company, the Royal Culinary Competition had been organized with a suspiciously seamless ease.
Even granting that all of that had been coincidence — this scene, with Y&P Trading Company as the winner……
"It is too contrived."
And this was not the only suspicious point.
Looking into the records, Y&P Trading Company had appeared barely a year ago, practically springing out of bare earth with a beverage called 'Cola' leading the charge.
Its representatives were Jurgen and Penelope Rosemore.
Penelope Rosemore was a name that floated around the Royal Palace as gossip often enough to be familiar —
But regarding 'Jurgen' — the man who had built this legend — there was absolutely no information.
Even after requesting a records search with the tax bureau under the name 'Jurgen,' only a single year's worth of Y&P Trading Company's corporate tax filings existed.
A conspicuously thorough blank.
And yet this same person was in a close relationship with the second daughter of Rosemore Count Family, the center of the Northern Noble Alliance — and met Branch Manager Belheim of Devon Trust in private — and was also on close terms with Baron Keystone……
At first it had been personal curiosity, but by this point Kaylun too had grown genuinely interested in the true identity of the man named Jurgen.
In that case, there was nothing to do but follow proper procedure.
"……With the above details as grounds, I would like to request authorization for an audit. Your Excellency Fontaine."
And so he went straight to Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Lily Fontaine.
The Royal Guard operated directly under the Queen and held a range of authority, but they were not an intelligence agency.
To investigate Jurgen and Y&P Trading Company in greater detail, authorization from the Ministry of Internal Affairs — which held 'audit authority' — was required.
"So you wish to conduct an audit on Y&P Trading Company and Jurgen."
"That is correct. Now that the Royal Warrant has been awarded to them, I judged it a necessary matter for the protection of Her Highness the Princess's personal safety as well."
Kaylun offered a suitably assembled pretext.
A mid-sized company, wanting to look into a commoner……
It was an unusual request, but it was not a difficult one.
Just then.
Lily snapped her fingertips, and Secretary Bella quietly vacated the room.
"Hmm?"
"I am well acquainted with the loyalty and devotion of Sir Kaylun, who gives his all for the royal family."
Lily — for the first time since Kaylun had entered the office — lifted her eyes from her documents and spoke word by measured word.
"Let us leave it at that."
And then she returned, without inflection, to filling in her documents.
"……"
It had been a brief exchange, yet Kaylun had decades of seasoning in royal circles.
He understood clearly what Acting Minister Fontaine was saying.
'Do not dig any further.'
Kaylun's mind grew complicated.
The reason Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Fontaine was reacting this way was not clear.
It was possible that talks regarding the Northern Alliance and the incident involving Princess Mia had already taken place.
Or there might have been a discreet arrangement between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Y&P Trading Company.
Or Jurgen himself might be a secret informant planted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"I see."
Kaylun was brave.
At a command, he would leap willingly into the jaws of death on a battlefield, and had not retreated a single step even against a ruthless Dark Mage.
"I believe I may have overreacted, Your Excellency. I shall take my leave."
But he was not brave enough to disregard the counsel of the Minister of Internal Affairs — that Lily Fontaine.
Kaylun nodded without a single objection or question.
And within his mind, he cleanly erased the names 'Jurgen' and 'Y&P Trading Company.'