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Chapter 09
The branches had a strange scent to them. But it didn’t seem like the kind of aroma that would be used in cooking. The spicy, sharp smell was almost overpowering.
“Wouldn’t it be better to use this as incense or firewood instead?”
“What? Use this as firewood? …Well, I suppose someone could think that.”
Chloe was horrified at the idea of burning such precious spices, but after recalling the bizarre dishes her own mother used to create, she quickly regained her composure.
Of course, Vance knew none of that and only tilted his head in confusion.
“Just what are you thinking…?”
“What fruits do we have here?”
Cutting off Vance’s question, Chloe asked casually, as if whatever she intended to do would explain itself through the result.
“We have apples, figs, pomegranates, and grapes. There are also some oranges and lemons brought from the Southern Continent.”
“That’s enough!”
After asking for apples, oranges, and lemons, Chloe fetched wine stored in the kitchen.
Then she poured an entire bottle of wine into a pot, chopped up the fruit and added it in, before tossing in more of the strange branches.
Vance sighed at the young lady’s bizarre behavior.
‘At this point, even I have no idea.’
He thought the frightened young lady was simply throwing random ingredients together without any plan.
He could only hope that, considering she was the precious daughter of Duke Garnet, the Empress wouldn’t impose a severe punishment.
Of course, that was only because he had no idea Chloe already had a perfect recipe and menu in mind.
After adding fruit, cinnamon, and cloves to the wine, she boiled it thoroughly. As the alcohol evaporated, a fragrant and sweet aroma filled the air. She also added honey for sweetness.
‘When you have a cold, mulled wine is the best.’
Ginger tea or citron tea would have been nice too, but the ingredients available now were perfect for making mulled wine.
Chloe poured the finished mulled wine into mugs and garnished them with freshly sliced lemon and orange pieces floating prettily on top.
As a side dish, she made simple apple canapés. She placed cheese on crackers, topped them with baked apples sprinkled with sugar, and finished them with powdered cinnamon.
“You’re really planning to serve this to Her Majesty the Empress?”
The head chef’s voice trembled with anxiety. Both the mulled wine and the apple canapés were combinations he had never seen before.
“Try a sip.”
Chloe poured some of the remaining mulled wine into a cup and handed it to the chef. She also poured a cup for Shuel, who was watching with sparkling eyes nearby.
“Your Highness, you should try some too.”
“But I’m not supposed to drink wine yet?”
“It’s fine once it’s boiled. You eat dishes cooked with wine, don’t you?”
At Chloe’s words, Shuel accepted the cup.
“…!”
The chef, who tasted it with his eyes squeezed shut as if expecting poison, suddenly widened them in shock.
“This is really delicious, Lady!”
Unlike the suspicious chef, Shuel drank without hesitation and broke into a bright smile.
“This is delicious too—try it.”
Chloe handed a canapé each to Shuel and the chef.
After tasting the canapé, the chef looked close to fainting.
“How… how can something taste like this?!”
“It’s good, right?”
“Good? Is that all? I’ve never tasted anything like this! Truly… truly incredible!”
The chef looked ready to drop to his knees and beg Chloe to explain how she had thought of boiling wine into a drink, and how she had known those branches would create such a fragrance.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time left.
“I should go see Her Majesty the Empress.”
“With this, even Her Majesty will praise you!”
Escorted by the chef—who had by now placed absolute trust in her—Chloe carried the mulled wine and canapés back to the Empress.
And once again, Shuel trailed after her.
This time, however, there were already guests.
The reception room contained two additional people besides the Empress. One appeared to be an imperial noble, while the other had darker skin and seemed to be a foreigner.
‘Good thing I made extra.’
When Chloe greeted the Empress, the Empress nodded with a tired expression.
The noble glanced at Chloe and asked:
“Your Majesty, why did you summon Lady Garnet?”
“To summarize briefly, I told her to cook something.”
‘That’s too brief a summary!’
Chloe silently opened and closed her mouth in disbelief.
The noble clearly understood nothing, but nodded as though deciding it was safer not to ask further questions and risk angering the Empress.
“Then bring it out.”
At the Empress’s order, Chloe arranged the mulled wine and canapés on the table. The mulled wine remained hot inside a thick ceramic container.
“What is this?”
The noble muttered in confusion while staring at the unfamiliar drink.
The Empress curled one corner of her lips.
“Is this actually edible, Lady?”
“Of course. The head chef tasted it and said it was worthy of being served to Your Majesty.”
“…Really? Vance said that?”
Even as she spoke, the Empress still sounded skeptical.
“Well, since I said I’d judge it, I suppose I should taste it.”
“It’s hot, so please sip it little by little, like tea.”
Following Chloe’s suggestion, the Empress lifted the cup to her lips.
The noble seated across from her did the same, while the silent foreigner reached first for a canapé.
“…Hmm.”
After one sip, the Empress remained expressionless.
‘…Does she not like it? No, that can’t be.’
Without speaking, the Empress took another sip, then picked up a canapé and ate it.
Since the Empress said nothing, the others seemed unable to comment either.
Still, the noble stared at Chloe with surprised eyes, while the foreigner smiled faintly.
After a long silence, the Empress asked:
“Explain what exactly you made.”
Chloe swallowed nervously before answering calmly.
“It’s a drink made by boiling red wine with spices and fruit. I added apples, oranges, and lemons.”
“What spices did you use?”
“I don’t know the name. I’d never seen them before.”
“You’d never seen them?”
“The chef showed them to me. I’d never used them, but after smelling them, I thought they would pair well with wine and fruit.”
Chloe improvised smoothly.
It would have been stranger if she claimed she already knew how to use spices that were rare enough to be gifted only to royalty.
“So… you used unfamiliar ingredients in food served to me…”
The Empress trailed off ambiguously.
Chloe couldn’t tell whether she was pleased or displeased.
‘I’m not going to get punished for being reckless or arrogant, am I?’
While Chloe anxiously rolled her eyes, the Empress turned to the noble.
“Ask the merchant leader what he thinks of the taste.”
Receiving the order, the noble spoke quietly to the foreigner.
Judging by their exchange, they were speaking another language.
‘So he’s acting as a translator.’
Then that foreigner must be the head merchant from the Southern Continent’s delegation—the very person who had gifted the cinnamon and cloves.
Chloe became curious whether spices were commonly used in the Southern Continent.
Was the Empire alone terrible at food culture, or were other countries similar?
“They say these are indeed spices they brought, but they’ve never seen them used in drinks before.”
“Hmm, really?”
“Yes. Normally they use them as seasoning for meat or in soups. They also say the spices pair wonderfully with the apples sprinkled on the canapé. They’ve never encountered such a combination.”
The noble faithfully translated the merchant leader’s praise.
“He says the ideas of such a young lady are astonishing. Once he returns home, he intends to have his own chef try making this.”
After hearing even the merchant leader’s opinion, the Empress fell silent for a moment.
“…Very well. Food like this explains why you were so confident, Lady.”
“!”
At last, praise came from the Empress.
Chloe secretly clenched her fist in triumph.
It wasn’t excessive praise, but considering the Empress’s sour disposition, words like that clearly meant she had enjoyed it.
“What you said about the prince also has some merit. Though I wish that eloquence of his would be displayed in state affairs rather than food criticism, Prince.”
Even until the end, the Empress refused to say anything truly kind to Shuel.
‘Seriously? How much do you expect from a child?’
Chloe thought the Empress’s standards were absurdly harsh, but there was nothing she could do.
The Empress was royalty.
Chloe was merely a duke’s daughter.
‘Talking back earlier was already more than enough.’
Resolving not to overstep further, Chloe kept her mouth firmly shut this time.
When they finally left the Empress’s reception room, every cup of mulled wine and every canapé placed before the guests had been completely emptied.
