CH 419

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".

Three Cuisines of Mushrooms Incoming

That night, Mia went to the King of Perujin’s banquet. When she walked into the large gala room of the cake-shaped castle, she saw long tables of delicious food. She gulped.

In the middle of the edible show were the fresh vegetables, which stood out with their bright green color. Floral designs were carefully carved into the leaves, showing how skilled the cooks were with their hands. There were more veggies around them. Some were much bigger than the plant-based container and were used to hold sauces. Others were cooked and placed around the plant-based container. Most likely, the second one was meant to be put into the first one. The smell of cooked food made her stomach rumble.

Even the tahkoes she had the other day were there, but this time there were mushrooms on top of the flatbread.

Those are Perujin mushrooms, huh? Oh, I’m so excited to try them. I’m curious about how they taste…

She swallowed her saliva and her excitement at the same time. Then, she met the king with grace.

“Your Majesty is very kind to have set up such a wonderful feast for me. Please accept my thanks.”

“You flatter me, Princess Mia. It’s just a small way to show how grateful we are. We hope it is satisfactory.”

“Oh, you’re way too humble. Satisfactory? I can hardly keep my heart from racing when I see this beautiful spread of delightful treats.”

Technically, it was probably her stomach that was racing. Since it hadn’t been able to go on a shopping and snacking spree, it was almost hungry for a way to make up for it. Through her glasses of hunger, everything on the tables looked delicious.

The queen consort stood by the king, and Rania and her younger brother stood next to them. He looked even younger than Bel and Tatiana, which means he couldn’t be older than ten. It was cute how his eyes were fixed on the food in front of him and his tiny lips moved like they were trying to stop a wave of saliva from coming out.

So, those are Rania’s mother and brother, huh? They do look a little bit like her.

Mia was an only child, and her mother had died already. Her only family was the emperor, who was her father. She hadn’t felt lonely because of that, but when she saw Rania with so many family members, she couldn’t help but say to herself, “It must be nice.”

But the food was better, so she quickly went to her place, which was next to the king and across from his wife. The seat next to Mia was for Bel, and the spot next to that was for Tatiana. Anne and Ludwig, who were also there, stood behind her and gave her more support. She thought it was a nearly perfect formation and the best way to begint the game that was about to start.

So then. We have everything ready to go. Where does Shalloak seem to be? Isn’t he already here?

Based on how things are now, Shalloak would most likely sit next to Rania’s brother. She looked at the empty chair and waited until…

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Shalloak then showed up. She gave him a small nod to say hello.

“It’s great to see you again, Shalloak. Hasn’t a long time passed? Frankly, I didn’t think we’d meet again.”

“Indeed, indeed. It’s a huge honor to be asked to a party like this. Please accept my deepest thanks, Princess Mia.”

Shalloak Cornrogue lived up to his image as a trader with a lot of experience. His businesslike smile didn’t show the least bit of anger from the last time they had a fight.

“If I may be so bold, though… What made you invite a lowly merchant like myself to an event like this?”

Mia put up her hand to stop him from asking.

“I would rather eat first. Let’s get this party started, shall we?”

It came down to what was most important. First, they stuffed their faces, and then they beat Shalloak. The second could be done at any time, but the first was time-sensitive. Plus, the cooks had worked hard to make all this delicious food, and letting it go cold would be both rude and a waste. The most important thing was that her gut had had enough. It needed to be fixed right away.

“The young prince there looks pretty hungry, after all,” she said, turning her attention to Rania’s little brother.

She wanted to start snorting as soon as possible, but she wasn’t going to say that because she had to keep up appearances. Poor boy, he didn’t know he was Mia’s tool in her plan to save face. He looked down and blushed. The tension between the princess and the trader quickly went away when they heard a gurgling sound.

“That’s a good idea,” said Yuhal. “Let the party start!”

In a stately voice, the king told everyone that the banquet has started.

—

Mia reached for food before Yuhal had even finished his phrase. She started by taking the tahkoes. The yellowish flatbread had been cut into small pieces, each of which had a layer of cooked mushrooms on top. She picked one up and put it in her mouth. When she bit down, the crisp bread gave way with a pleasant crunch. The first thing that touched her mouth was a savory mushroom, then a thick sauce. The three tastes made her tongue dance with joy.

Next, she got a stick with black mushrooms that were bigger than the ones in the tahkoe and put them on it. As she leaned in to take a sniff, an indescribably rich smell tickled her nose. She bit into a cap with her front teeth and liked how springy it was. The meat had a little bounce before it broke. The only thing that seemed to be used as a seasoning was salt, which let the subtle but complex taste of the mushrooms stand out.

She kept going after that. In her fight against eating food she hadn’t tried before, she moved on to a roasted dish with mushrooms in between two pieces of meat. As she ate, juices from the mushrooms that had just been grilled poured out, highlighting how hard and slightly crunchy they were. It wasn’t just food; it was an adventure. She was so focused on chewing that she was only vaguely aware of her own voice.

“What exquisite taste… Please tell the cook my highest regards.”

Her tone was so haughty that you might have thought she was going to make a “mwah” sign with her hand.

By the time she finished everything and came to, she realized she’d eaten three cuisines in three gulps: mushroom, mushroom, and mushroom. She’d followed the old drinking rule that you should drink three drinks to start a party. In this case, there are three mushrooms, but oh well. By doing this, she used the first of her secret methods, called the positive-feedback loop. No matter what reasoning or physiology said, the more mushrooms she ate, the more hungry she got.

“Aaah… It tastes great. All of them are so good… I can’t take it!”

“My goodness, Princess Mia, you look like you’re having a lot of fun,” the queen consort said with a smile.”

“I am for sure, because the food is so good. The veggies are also very fresh, and the mushrooms are to die for.”

Mia said to Shalloak, “I hope to have a long-lasting friendship with a country like Perujin, which has so many good things to offer.”

The merchant didn’t pay her any attention because he was too busy eating the food in front of him. Food that was made up of only meat.

…Tatiana looked at him with a very unhappy frown.