Chapter 124

Chapter 124:  The Greatest Feast (7)

The course meal had begun.

True to an imperial luncheon, the long table was covered in a lavish spread of delicacies from land and sea.

There was Ortrang, a top-tier dish made by braising wild pigeon for a full week.

And even a steak generously topped with the roe of freshwater sharks.

Every time one of the finest dishes, found only on the continent, was served, King Doku of the United Kingdoms grew more and more sullen.

After all, none of the seafood or produce they had exported could be seen on the table.

Do they really just use the imported goods as animal feed?

As that suspicion solidified into certainty, even the finest cuisine no longer went down smoothly.

「No appetite, Lord Doku? Your expression doesn’t look too good.」

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I’ve got a bit of an upset stomach today.”

He responded as politely as he could to the Emperor’s inquiry.

At this, Leonidas shook his head with a sympathetic look in his eyes.

「Still, eating a little something should help settle that stomach of yours.」

“I’ll try my best.”

With no other choice, Doku scooped up some soup to calm his churning gut.

This was, after all, a formal diplomatic meeting between two nations—showing such discomfort for long wouldn’t reflect well.

Still, even the most saintly ruler must eventually show his true self before food and drink.

He was already struggling with the array of aromas tickling his nose.

But then—

He suddenly raised the head that had been slowly drooping.

A golden cart was approaching.

And from it came a scent he knew all too well.

「Hmm? That’s a new scent.」

The Emperor furrowed his brow slightly at the flavor he had never encountered before.

Fitting for the continent’s apex lion, his sense of smell was exceptionally keen.

「It smells faintly like the sea. Don’t they know I don’t eat fish?」

At Leonidas’ indifferent comment, the attendants wheeling in the dish turned pale.

But the one who wore the worst expression of all was King Doku.

Now it was confirmed—even the Emperor disliked seafood.

“It should be fine, Your Majesty. There’s no fish in this dish,”

The Grand Duke of the North said calmly after inspecting it first.

“This dish contains only shellfish such as shrimp, and a broth made from clams.”

Duke Luton’s sharp eyes bore down on the crimson stew.

And it didn’t seem like he found its appearance particularly offensive.

“……”

However—

The Western Grand Duke’s expression was noticeably unpleasant.

The stew before him looked all too familiar.

While the ingredients were quite different from what he expected, the foundational base of the dish was a recipe he knew.

「If the Grand Duke of the North says so, I suppose it’s fine.」

The Emperor accepted the advice of the Grand Duke of the North.

Then, like a true ruler of the continent, he took the lead and picked up his spoon.

Scooping up a spoonful of the stew with shrimp meat and bringing it to his lips—

「…….」

His brows instantly furrowed, as though he had just tasted something for the first time in his life.

The Emperor’s contorted expression chilled the atmosphere of the dining hall in an instant.

The escort knights, waiting in the distance, exchanged uneasy glances—unsure whether they should rush to seize the head chef.

Just then, one of the veteran swordmasters raised a hand, signaling that it was fine, stopping them.

Because, in truth, the reason the Emperor had furrowed his brow…

…was not because the dish tasted bad.

「It’s an unusual flavor.」

Until now, the Imperial Palace had rarely served anything made from long-simmered broths or slow-cooked ingredients.

There was simply no need to extract flavor from good-quality ingredients when they already tasted fine on their own.

And yet, here was a seafood stew—an even rarer offering.

Leonidas set his spoon down for a moment and rinsed his mouth.

Watching that scene, King Doku of the United Kingdoms let out a short, anxious breath.

He believed the Emperor merely found the dish strange and distasteful.

He thought Leonidas was drinking water to reset his tongue and forget the flavor as quickly as possible.

But what the Emperor said next completely overturned the King's assumptions.

「I need to try it again.」

Rather, the Emperor looked like he wanted to experience that strange taste once more.

「Hmm.」

The two Grand Dukes and the King held their breath as they awaited his next reaction.

And when he opened his eyes again—

The supreme ruler of the continent, rarely one to show his inner thoughts, spoke with an unexpectedly serene expression.

「It feels like my stomach is finally at ease after a long time.」

As if he had spent days drinking heavily, only to be refreshed by a comforting hangover soup the next morning.

「Unlike the heavy meats and fried dishes, this sits in the stomach very gently. I don’t know who came up with this, but they chose well.」

“Seafood tends to be less greasy and leaves a cleaner taste,”

The Grand Duke of the North replied, his tone and eyes showing that he had a decent understanding of seafood cuisine.

Unlike the Emperor, who usually ate meat-heavy meals, he had often followed Debier’s recommendations and leaned toward healthier eating.

「That’s true. If I had eaten more dishes like this, maybe I wouldn’t have needed to pair every greasy meal with alcohol.」

He continued tasting the stew repeatedly as he spoke.

However, his interest wasn’t solely in the food itself.

As the ruler who oversaw the entire continent, his gaze held a sharp, intellectual insight as well.

「Judging by the ingredients, it doesn’t seem like an expensive dish. It wouldn’t be burdensome for the general populace to eat.」

“That’s right. If seafood imports increase, the pricing could easily remain reasonable.”

King Doku, who had been looking dejected, began to relax at their serious conversation.

The ones he had believed to be the world’s loftiest and most arrogant were now giving high praise to one of their nation’s main exports.

Encouraged by that sight, he too picked up his spoon.

And when he finally brought a big spoonful into his mouth—

“……”

My lips parted at the taste—so familiar and comforting.

「Lord Doku, what do you think of it?」

“This… it tastes almost exactly like what I used to eat back home.”

Because in this faraway land, the flavor of his favorite restaurant in the North Sea region had been faithfully recreated.

“It has a more refined and deeper flavor than usual, but without a doubt, it's the same taste I knew from my country.”

「So it seems we have a chef from the United Kingdoms in our kitchen.」

The Emperor looked on in satisfaction as the King repeatedly brought his spoon to his mouth.

As if believing that his Empire had finally bested the proud culinary heritage of the famed gourmet nation of the North Sea.

「It’s a good thing. It’s about time Imperial cuisine pursued more diversity.」

“Yes, I think it’s a very positive development.”

After the tension-filled teatime, the atmosphere of the luncheon gradually began to lift.

Even so, the Western Grand Duke wore an unreadable expression alone.

Still, he couldn’t be the one to sour the newly brightened mood, so he silently continued to taste the stew by himself.

――――――

Time passed, and dessert was nearly over.

The Imperial Head Chef cautiously approached the Emperor, who had sampled every course.

“Your Majesty, I came to ask whether there were any issues with today’s luncheon. Were the dishes to your liking?”

The middle-aged man, his hair completely covered by a white chef’s hat, asked respectfully.

The Emperor wiped his lips with a napkin and nodded calmly.

「Yes, everything tasted as it always does. I could feel the care and effort behind it, which was very pleasing.」

“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

The head chef closed his eyes slowly, as though this was the expected outcome.

However, at the Emperor’s follow-up question, his expression stiffened and he quickly straightened up.

「That being said… what was the intention behind that seafood stew today? I’ve never tasted anything like it.」

“Ah, that…”

The head chef looked troubled, as if the question was difficult to answer.

Then, turning to Leonidas in a rush, he began to explain himself.

“My apologies. I had clearly ordered all seafood-based dishes to be excluded, but…”

「No, I’m not reprimanding you. I’m genuinely curious.」

The Emperor waved his hand, signaling it was fine.

「Never mind, I’d rather hear it directly. Bring that person here.」

“Ah… Yes, Your Majesty.”

The head chef quickly left the banquet hall with several escort knights in tow.

And then—

Someone entirely unexpected stepped into the Imperial Palace.

「……?」

“……!!”

Both the Emperor and the Grand Duke of the North recognized him instantly.

He was the Western Grand Duke’s eldest son—someone whose whereabouts had long remained unknown.

He was Harris Yekaterina.

“I greet His Majesty the Emperor. I am Harris Yekaterina, the one responsible for today’s dish.”

「You’re… the eldest son of Grand Duke Harriet, are you not?」

The Emperor furrowed his brows as he asked.

At that, the Western Grand Duke’s son bowed respectfully and answered.

“That’s correct. I am currently working as a chef.”

The son of one of the Empire’s most prestigious noble families—its eldest son, no less—had become a chef.

Only now did Leonidas and Luton understand why Harriet had kept all news of him tightly under wraps.

「…….」

“……”

The two most powerful men in the Empire did not bother asking Harris why he had become a chef.

Instead, they chose to focus on the present moment.

That was the respect due to the Western Grand Duke, who had remained silent all this time.

「I summoned you because I found your dish today quite impressive. May I ask what your intent was in serving it?」

At the Emperor’s question, Harris swallowed deeply.

He had only ever seen the Emperor during a few audiences in his childhood, back when he was undergoing successor training at his father’s side.

It had been fifteen years since he last stood before the ruler of the Empire.

“Speak,”

The Western Grand Duke commanded his son in an icy voice.

At that, the eldest son began to speak, his expression earnest.

“This dish I served today was the first meal I had when I went to the North Sea to learn cooking.”

A member of the Yekaterina royal lineage had traveled all the way to the distant North Sea.

The Emperor and Luton now understood why they had been unable to obtain any information about him.

“I had no capital, so I went alone. I even haggled with the restaurant owner and managed to get two gold off the price just to afford a single meal.”

Because Harriet hadn’t supported his overseas studies with a single coin.

With no ties or intermediaries, even spies couldn’t uncover his whereabouts.

But the truly remarkable part lay elsewhere.

Harris was no longer clinging to memories of the dishes his father had once made for him.

“The taste of that stew was completely different from the luxurious delicacies I’d eaten growing up.”

Instead, he now spoke of a single bowl of stew he had barely managed to afford as the foundation of his growth.

“From that moment, I realized that expensive ingredients aren’t the only path to delicious food.”

The Grand Duke’s son kept his posture upright and formal.

And without sparing his father a glance, he looked only to the Emperor as he continued.

“That any ingredient—through effort and research—can be transformed into something delicious and healthy.”

The Emperor folded his arms as if to say, Go on.

“I wanted the people of our Empire to know this too.”

Harris’s eyes gleamed with the same wisdom he had once shown when learning the family trade.

In his blue eyes shone the positive influence he had inherited from his father.

“That’s why I studied not only North Sea seafood but also various neglected ingredients, and at last, I created this dish.”

The eldest son looked quietly toward his father.

And he proudly declared the intention and purpose behind the meal he had served.

“It’s true that the dish I presented is considered a staple in the North Sea. But that doesn’t mean it’s a low-tier dish.”

He raised his index finger.

Then, with impressive eloquence, he continued his explanation.

“When something is called a staple, it means it’s nutritionally balanced and flavorful enough to be eaten every day while still supporting a healthy life.”

The eldest son turned his gaze to the oldest person present— the Grand Duke of the North.

To someone who already understood the health benefits of seafood, he spoke with shared understanding.

“The one thing the United Kingdoms of the North Sea have bested the Empire in—‘average life expectancy’—that too is thanks to seafood.”

Doku, moved by the young man’s words, let a faint smile creep across his face.

But it wasn’t just him—the Emperor’s expression was also growing noticeably more pleased.

“The Empire is currently in its golden age. From now on, prosperity will come not through war, but through agriculture and fisheries.”

With those words, he was no longer just some minor chef—he had become a model citizen of the Empire.

“I wanted to humbly present this to Your Majesty: that with the right approach, even modestly priced imported seafood and ingredients can be turned into something this healthy and refined.”

At last, Harris the Grand Duke’s son finished explaining the reason for his presence here.

For a moment, a heavy silence settled over the banquet hall.

The Emperor, arms folded, quietly enjoyed that stillness.

But the two Grand Dukes wore different expressions.

They were skeptical.

Could Harris really have crafted this entire plan on his own, after storming out of his house?

If not him… was there another advisor behind it all?

The two Grand Dukes narrowed their eyes, the gleam of regional predators sizing up their prey flashing in their gaze.

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