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Naturally, Catherine was taken aback.

To outright disregard a warning that considered her background, personality, and etiquette was quite something.

Of course, this could be somewhat excused. In the place she had grown up, Iceland, they didn’t care about noble etiquette if you had skills. Basic manners and minimal etiquette were enough.

Other regions had more complex customs, but compared to those of Bersengzeto or Servianus, it was quite lax.

Carem, even though he used honorifics with Grand Prince Godwin, had no trouble hitting him with the truth.

But this was a bit much.

To suddenly become close with the captain of the Royal Knights, who was practically another duke?

That much was understandable.

Friendships often arise in unexpected circumstances, and they can suddenly develop out of nowhere.

However, the problem lay with the person named Michael Jackson.

Even though he was over fifty years old, his youthful appearance wasn’t particularly important. Even without seeing him in person, such people were abundant in Europa. Excluding elves, of course.

True to his nickname, Bloodstained, whenever he drew his sword, it always came with bloodshed; even if he didn’t draw it, blood was guaranteed to spill. He was one of the strongest candidates in the Kingdom of Seophone.

Yeah, thinking about it, that might be why they got along.

Both were of humble origins compared to their current statuses. And what of their skills? Carem was quite a famous cook even in the Kingdom of Seophone, and it went without saying that Michael was well-known.

The two shared a significant commonality: humble birth contrasted with high status.

The duke’s close aide and the king’s own strongman.

“But a reincarnator, huh?”

No, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Honestly, it was a bit surprising to be shocked about reincarnators now, given that there was one sitting right beside me.

I even exchanged rings with that reincarnator, for heaven’s sake.

What concerned me more was the other part.

God? Who are we considering a god here? It might seem irreverent to most, but there are indeed people like that.

Take Tutatis, for instance; he was revered as a god through Skadi’s feats and finally ascended to become a real god.

Of course, such cases are extremely rare, and most are charlatans who pop up like weeds, making them the primary targets for adventurers and the Temple of Many Gods.

“But to claim they serve a god…?”

A reincarnator from a world with a similar background?

They say the culture is similar and that they’ve eaten foods from their homeland.

Did they suffer from homesickness? But to that extent?

There’s only one conclusion.

I’d have to meet Michael directly to evaluate him.

However, there was no time available right now.

There were plenty of schedules she had to respond to after agreeing to the invitation.

“You’re following my schedule starting tomorrow.”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“Suddenly? After all that happened, do you think I could just sit still!”

“Uh… All day tomorrow?”

And Carem’s response was different from what she expected.

“…You’re not saying you made prior plans with Michael, right?”

“No, no. I did have a prior engagement.”

“What is it then?”

“With Prince William.”

He wants to start cooking lessons from tomorrow. The sheer nonchalance of it, completely disconnected from the captain of the Royal Knights, left Catherine feeling deflated.

*

*

*

The thought of throwing away William’s heir position for her brother became firmer as time went on.

And this thought solidified further as she entered the royal palace and met with Alfred while connecting with various people.

“Today, it’s a meeting with Duke Torpenhau and his daughter-”

“Father, I have a prior engagement for cooking lessons, so that’s it for me!”

In that way, William managed to escape the hell of networking, using the excuse of the cooking lesson.

Anyone quick on the uptake would notice.

He did not set up the cooking lesson with Carem first.

He first used an excuse with Alfred. The promise came afterward.

But William remained composed.

Though he might have skipped a few words in the middle, he certainly had not lied.

The cooking lesson would proceed as planned.

So, brimming with confidence, as William entered the personal kitchen where the lesson would take place, he was shocked.

“Onions? Cabbage?”

“Oh, Prince William. You’re earlier than I expected.”

Of course, he had to be. If he delayed even a little, he felt like he’d be dragged away by Godwin, who would wear a face asking if he would run away alone.

Anyway, what was important right now was not that.

“Why are there so many onions and cabbages?”

If exaggerated, it seemed like the onions and cabbages had sprouted on the table. He couldn’t grasp what to make.

“What are you planning to make with all this? Vegetable soup?”

“Well, I’ll use all of this.”

“What?”

William looked at Carem with a face that asked if he was out of his mind.

“Are you really planning to use all this? I’ll burst! And who’s eating it?”

“Just you and me, my prince. And don’t worry about it.”

“Then why would I not worry?”

“This dish becomes tastier the more onions and cabbages you add.”

Chajangmyeon.

It came up yesterday, and they thought they’d try making it for practice.

But the clueless William recoiled in horror.

“So… what are we doing in today’s lesson then?”

“I learned something after our last cooking lesson.”

Though it had been a few months ago, Carem was convinced after teaching William and tasting the dishes he made.

“First of all, the basics are the most important.”

“So?”

“The foundation of cooking is in chopping.”

“You said I’m good at chopping.”

“Then have you held a chef’s knife recently?”

“No.”

“Then let’s check it out.”

All the ingredients need to be uniform in size to ensure they cook evenly when heat is applied, resulting in consistent flavors.

“So, you want me to chop this mountain of cabbages and onions?”

“Mountain is a bit of an exaggeration.”

Of course, he wouldn’t use all that was piled on the table. That was just brought in to make an impact on William.

Though he might end up using it all if his attempts at making chajangmyeon continuously failed.

“Let’s start with two cabbages and ten onions, then.”

“Just to start? Just to start?”

“Here’s a cutting board and knife.”

William took the cutting board and knife with a visibly skeptical expression, wondering if this was right.

“Dice it to the size of your finger.”

“What will you be doing during that time?”

“Me?”

Carem silently brought over a small wooden barrel and rested his elbows on it. When he lightly tapped it, a hollow sound reverberated.

“I’m going to sauté soybean paste in pig fat.”

“What? Soybean paste?”

“Kongarum. Kongarum.”

“Oh, that.”

With a pop, the small container opened, revealing a brown paste that emitted a unique odor similar to cheese but different.

“Is that the holy kongarum stew that’s particularly effective against demon tribes? No, it wouldn’t exactly be a stew, would it?”

“It’s the paste that becomes the base for it, yes. And it’s not exactly effective either.”

“They say it dissolves entirely and loses form-”

Carem waved his hand dismissively at the exaggeration.

“It’s just that shape-shifters in the demon tribe are particularly sensitive to divine power, causing that result.”

“Yet, I’ve heard from those who tasted it that it was just like holy water.”

“Who told you that?”

“Atanitas and Stark?”

Now that he mentioned it, did he say it had a spicy feeling? While Carem was saying that, William reluctantly dragged the cutting board forward, placing the cabbage before him and cutting it in half with a bang.

Crash!

“What a hassle.”

“Hey, as I mentioned before—”

“Yeah, yeah, checking the basics is important.”

Despite William’s exhausted expression, his hands moved confidently as he cut the cabbage vertically and diced it into even small pieces without any exceptions.

“Is this what it means to have your eyes rolled back?”

mutter-mutter

He also knew about Carem’s occasional outbreaks.

Honestly speaking, making garum from beans, spreading poison like a spice, and trying to put monster reproductive organs into desserts is not sane by any standard.

And that a ten-year-old was doing this. They say geniuses are different from an early age. Truly, the acts of this ten-year-old seemed extraordinary.

Bang bang bang – sizzle sizzle sizzle –

“Carem, how old are you now?”

“Um… My body age? Actual age?”

“Your actual age.”

“Eleven years old.”

See that? How on earth is that an eleven-year-old’s attitude? He looked at least twice that age.

In actuality, counting his previous life, it exceeded three times the age of this life. However, only a very few people knew the fact that he was a reincarnator.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle – Crackle!

“…Huh?”

William, after finishing dicing the cabbage, reflexively turned his head as he went to grab an onion. The smell had changed.

The aroma of sautéing soybean paste. It was nutty, but just that. To be honest, the smell of roasting nuts is much better.

But then, suddenly, the scent changed.

It was completely different from the unique aroma he had caught when he opened the soybean paste earlier. The cheese-like smell was nowhere to be found.

This was like… like…

‘What is this smell?’

William flared his nostrils and suddenly realized. It was pig fat.

Then he quickly set the knife down and covered his nose.

How old am I, fumbling like Alicia? But the smell that hit his nose was so peculiar it could only be described as strange.

“Wow, it roasted perfectly. Your Highness, what about the vegetables?”

“Huh? Huh? What did you say?”

“Why are you spacing out like that?”

“Nothing. Just a moment.”

William hurriedly sped up his knife movements. Meanwhile, Carem began to sauté the ground meat in a big pot and started making noodles.

After dicing the onions, William stealthily placed them beside Carem and peeked into the pot one side had been left unattended.

“You said it was well roasted, but…”

Brown clay submerged lightly in golden pig fat.

That was precisely how it looked.

Nothing more, nothing less.

But the smell.

As he drew closer, the flavor intensified.

It was positively good in a favorable way, yet with a limited vocabulary, William found it incredibly challenging to articulate what kind of smell it was.

“Uh, certainly, I’ve heard my father say this before.”

Look beyond the surface.

That’s what Alfred always said.

It was only natural, so he never thought much of it, but now, he finally understood what it meant.

Wham!

As he started sautéing the cabbage, William naturally turned his head. Then he tossed in the onions. The pot, once packed with vegetables, suddenly appeared to implode inwardly.

“Huh. This is exhausting.”

“I was wondering what you planned, using two turnips and all these onions, but it’s gone down quickly.”

“Because it’s vegetables. They wilt quickly.”

He once tried making chajangmyeon when the prices skyrocketed just as an experiment, and concluded that it was less tiring to just buy it than to try making it again.

Though it was his second attempt, things seemed to be turning out relatively well.

‘After this, I should add the sautéed soybean paste, sugar, garlic, soy sauce, ginger…’

The pot’s contents had sufficiently wilted. Thinking of that, he began tossing in various ingredients and increased the flame on the cooking range, starting to sauté.

As he saw the soybean paste turning a light brown, William revised his thoughts.

“My father always told me to look beyond the surface, you know?”

“And?”

“But right now, this looks like someone chewed it and spat it out.”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“Doesn’t it look like that?”

Carem gazed into the contents of the pot. The sauce’s color was originally pitch black.

He had heard it was due to some kind of dye.

Perhaps if I had caramelized the sugar with the kongarum, it would have turned out similarly.

“It may not look appetizing, but it seems edible enough.”

“Let’s be honest here. It looks like someone vomited.”

“Come on, that’s just—”

And that’s how enticing scents invite beasts.

Knock knock knock – Tap!

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

“Mommy-”

Alicia announces with certainty, “I’m sure that delicious aroma is coming from here!”

And with the familiar babbling sound from outside the door, a well-known voice followed.

 

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