Chapter 177

Chapter 177

What are we doing? Edlyn asked herself as she sat down in the grand dining hall of the Astra Palace. Normally, she was running around, serving her best dishes to the gathered guests. But today, she was sitting down as a guest herself.

And why was this happening? Why was she taking a seat alongside Captain Rowland Donovan of the [Knights of the Astral Order] and King Jalen at this large round table in the middle of the room? Why were there both [Chefs] and servants seated here with [Knights] and Dukes?

It seemed utterly ridiculous to anyone who was from the outside peering in— in fact, it seemed ridiculous to everyone who was involved— and yet, they had no other choice but to partake in this insanity. After all, they were all doing this to appease a certain brown-haired girl.

Edlyn looked up and watched as Amelia swept across the table, serving a bowl of steaming golden-brown rice to all those gathered. Shrimp fried rice— that was what the dish was called. Even as a [Royal Chef], Edlyn had never heard of such a type of food before. But with her Skills, she could take one look at this so-called ‘shrimp fried rice’ and know that...

It’s not great, Edlyn gulped as a bead of sweat ran down her neck.

Certainly, it could be popular amongst the masses. It wasn’t bad at all, and she could see what Amelia was trying to do. But Edlyn knew the nobles of the Astra Palace. She had learned what each individual one of their tastes were, and she had curated her cooking for each one of them.

And yet, there were many times where even the meals her high-leveled [Chefs] had prepared weren’t enough to satisfy these spoiled nobles. Edlyn’s eyes flickered to a rather rotund man sitting just across from her.

Baron Lyzon. He was one of the pickiest eaters she had ever met. At least once a month, she would have to deal with an incident caused by him. And it was always a big deal because of how massive of a tantrum he’d throw when his meals weren’t cooked to utmost perfection.

Now, if Amelia was serving her shrimp fried rice to a handful of guards, the fact that her cooking wasn’t the best wouldn’t have been a problem. But considering that there were all these stuck-up nobles here, at least one of them would end up insulting their meals.

“And that is going to be a massive problem,” she whispered as she glanced between Amelia and Baron Lyzon. “He’s going to spit in her face, and she’s going to murder him...”

“Did you say something, [Chef] Edlyn?” a voice asked from the side.

Edlyn blinked and faced the source. It was King Jalen himself who was sitting right next to her. He had asked her to be by his side to help him with her expertise. She didn’t quite know what that meant, but she listened anyway.

She shook her head as she replied, “Apologies, your majesty. I was simply thinking aloud.”

“I see,” the King of the Astrad Kingdom said, placing a hand on his chin. He eyed Amelia as she continued serving her fried rice around the table. “That is quite the interesting delicacy. Have you ever seen anything like that before, [Chef] Edlyn?”

“I cannot say I have, your majesty.” Edlyn shook her head. “But it seems almost reminiscent of the cuisine you’d find along the coastal cities.”

Jalen raised a brow. “So it’s seafood, you say?”

She pursed her lips. “I... wouldn’t exactly call it that.”

The [Royal Chef] of the Astra Palace left no further remarks as Amelia approached. The brown-haired girl placed a few more plates down, before taking a step back. Now, everyone sitting at the dining hall had a plate of shrimp fried rice before them.

“Alright,” Amelia said as she clapped her hands together. “It’s time to dig in.”

“Well, if you want to try more of my cooking, you can always visit me at Wolfwater,” Amelia said with a shrug. “I run a restaurant there— it’s called Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant.”

“Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant in... Wolfwater? I’ve never heard of that city before—”

“That’s because it’s not a city. It’s a... farming village? Or a farming town? I’m not exactly sure, honestly.”

“A village? Surely you jest—”

“No, I really am not...”

Edlyn looked on, completely dumbfounded by what she was witnessing. Baron Lyzon— the most troublesome of the nobles she had to deal with— actually liked this shrimp fried rice? Was it all just an act? Or was he actually being serious right now?

She didn’t think that King Jalen was able to inform all those here at this dinner about his plan in time. So Baron Lyzon should have been completely clueless about Amelia’s immense strength and potential as a military asset. That meant he was being genuine in his reaction.

“But how?” Edlyn asked no one in particular.

And she got her answer a moment later as she heard a satisfied grunt come from her left. She looked towards Sir Rowland Donovan as he leant back in his seat, his plate already completely cleaned empty.

“As usual, Amelia’s cooking cannot be topped.” He grinned, looking past Edlyn straight at the King of the Astrad Kingdom. “Do you agree, my liege?”

Jalen took a bite from the shrimp fried rice and nodded approvingly. “This is indeed quite a unique dish. I wouldn’t say it is the best dish I have had, but it is certainly quite delicious.”

Edlyn nearly went cross-eyed. “...what?” she repeated herself.

But as she swept her gaze over the round table, she realized that it wasn’t just Baron Lyzon, Sir Rowland, or King Jalen who was impressed by the dish. It was everyone here. She watched as her [Chefs] gushed over the ingredients of the dish with the servants. She looked on as the normally snobby nobles eagerly whispered amongst each other and sang praises Amelia’s way.

Edlyn slowly lowered her head as she saw this. She stared down at the plate laid before her. This was what everyone was gushing about? It looked so unimpressive— and it wasn’t like she was a layperson judging it for its poor presentation.

Did her Skills somehow fail her? Did she misjudge the quality of the food that had been presented to her? That had to be it.

That was what Edlyn told herself as she dug her spoon into the plate, before raising a spoonful of the shrimp fried rice to her mouth. She took in a deep breath and nodded at herself.

“That’s right,” she said, closing her eyes. “Don’t judge it for how it looks. Judge it for what it is. And it is—”

Edlyn bit into her spoon, and her eyes snapped wide open. Her jaw dropped and hung open as she tasted the eclectic range of flavors washing through her mouth. Slowly, she lowered her spoon as the realization sunk in...

It was very, very, very average.