CH 1.18

‘Hey, what do you think is the best food?’ The words of the dream woman’s mentor passed through her mind.

‘Isn’t it cooking with good quality ingredients and bringing out the natural flavors of them?’

‘That’s also true. But I think the best cuisine is about cooking with easily accessible ingredients that everyone can enjoy.’

Tak. Tak. Tak.

Her hands continued to move. She ground the meat and mixed it with prepped onions, eggs, milk, bread crumbs, and added wine to give it a unique flavor.

‘The key here is the mixing ratio!’

Salisbury Steak, also known as Hamburg Steak, is a dish that anyone could make. However, depending on how it’s made, the taste can make a huge difference.

The woman in her dream, along with her mentor, had devoted their lives to elevating ordinary dishes to the highest level, and the fruit of their labor was now blossoming in Marie’s hands.

‘Finish it off as grandly as possible.’

She poured the demi-glace sauce mixed with high quality wine for a luxurious touch, and topped it with a runny sunny-side-up egg. Then she added mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables on the side, finishing the dish.

“It’s done, Your Highness.”

Everyone in the kitchen was amazed as they looked at Marie, who seemed like a completely different person.

Even the Crown Prince was stunned. He expected that she’d be good at cooking, but he’d never imagined that she would show such skillful hands. ‘Not only does she look skilled, but the food also looks incredibly delicious.’

On the white plate in her hands were a beautifully arranged minced round steak, roasted vegetables, and a sunny-side-up egg.

It was a sight that stimulated one’s appetite.

“Bring it over here.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince sliced a piece of steak with his knife, dipped it into the sauce, and put it in his mouth.

At that moment, his eyes trembled. ‘This is…?’ It was a surprisingly magnificent taste that he’d never expected. He felt frozen inside, as if he couldn’t believe it. ‘Could ground meat really taste like this?’

The tender texture, which one would’ve never suspected it as a low-grade meat, touched his mouth. As soon as he chewed the meat, juicy flavors burst out—savory and sweet flavors that tantalized his taste buds.

It’s a flavor that could easily become overwhelming, but the wine mixed in just the right amount added to the flavor of the dish, leading to a perfect balance of tastes that took him to a world of exquisite taste he’d never experienced before.

“This…is truly amazing,” he muttered unconsciously. The taste was so remarkable that it captivated him, even though he had no particular interest in cuisine. ‘Of course, it may not be considered a dish superior to a steak made from top-grade ingredients, but this is still an exceptional dish in its own right.’

After reaching this conclusion, he looked at the young maid. Meanwhile, Marie and the kitchen staff waited anxiously for his decision.

“Your name is Marie, and you’re a junior maid, correct?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Can you serve this dish at the banquet tonight?”

“….!”

Upon hearing his question, the people in the kitchen looked at each other in surprise.

Marie bowed her head. “It may not be perfect, but I will do my best.”

“Good. If the banquet is a success, I will personally reward you handsomely.”

Marie immediately shook her head. She didn’t want to accept any reward from the Crown Prince himself, as all she wanted was for Peter to avoid any kind of punishment.

“No, Your Highness. If my meager skills can be of any help to you and the empire, I am satisfied with that.”

“As a ruler, I cannot simply overlook those who have contributed. I’ll call for you separately after the banquet is over.”

‘I messed up! To think that I have to meet the Crown Prince again!’ Marie inwardly screamed.

Regardless of whether she agreed or not, the Crown Prince thought to himself, ‘I need to think about what kind of reward to give Marie.’ He had a clear sense of rewards and punishments. While he might be lenient with unavoidable mistakes, he could not disregard good deeds.

“Then I’ll see you next time.” Having said that, the Crown Prince returned to his residence in the Lion Palace. Marie looked floored at the thought of facing him again.

‘I have to meet the Crown Prince again?’ Marie thought to herself. She wanted to shout and beg him to just forget it, but he’d already left the Lily Palace.

Suddenly, someone called out her name. “Marie!”

“Oh, Chef Peter.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much!” He bowed deeply to her.

Marie was startled and tried to stop him. “W-What are you doing, Chef?”

“I owe my life to you. If it weren’t for you, I would have faced a severe punishment from His Highness.”

Other chefs also came up to her to express their gratitude. “Yes, Marie. Thanks to you, we were able to avoid a big disaster. It would’ve been a big problem if it weren’t for you.”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing…”

“But when did you learn to cook so well? Your skills with the kitchen knife seem even better than mine.”

Marie shook her head in embarrassment. In fact, she’d hardly ever cooked before, so she didn’t know what to say. “Um, I just… Anyway, we have to prepare for the banquet soon.”

And thus, the kitchen at the Lily Palace bustled with activity as the preparations for the banquet began. Marie was given the task of making the Salisbury steak, and she worked diligently at doing so.

Finally, the long-awaited banquet began. Representatives from various nations had taken their seats and exchanged polite conversations.

“How have you been, Count?”

“Ah, it’s been a while, Marquis Drake. I hope you’re well?”

Even if they were from different nations, nobles who held power often had connections with each other.

Count Shobek of the Western Empire and the Marquis Drake of England greeted each other amicably.

“I’ve been doing well. You look as fine as ever, Count.”

“Thank you.”

After scanning the table, Marquis Drake spoke in a low voice, “What about Crown Prince Rael, is he not here yet?”

“It seems like he will arrive just before the banquet starts.”

“Do you know what kind of person the new Crown Prince of the East Empire is?”

“Are you talking about Crown Prince Rael?”

“Yes.”

Count Shobek, a nobleman from the Western Empire, which had hostile relations with the Eastern Empire, sniggered quietly and whispered as if he were sharing a secret. “Well, who knows? There are many rumors about the Crown Prince of Blood, but what’s so special about him? Compared to our Emperor Johannes III, he’s just an inexperienced child.”

Emperor Johannes III of the Western Empire was also around the same age as Crown Prince Rael. Given that both had ascended to the throne at a young age, people often drew comparisons between them.

“I heard that all the meat for tonight’s banquet was not properly managed and had gone bad. I wonder what kind of dish they will serve,” Count Shobek said with a mocking tone. “Even if the Eastern Empire is barbaric, they wouldn’t serve us rotten meat, would they?”

As he was speaking maliciously of others behind their backs, Crown Prince Rael and other officials, including Prime Minister Oren, arrived and the banquet began.

“Thank you for coming all this way. We didn’t prepare anything special, but I hope you enjoy the meal that we prepared with all our hearts.”

Count Shobek of the Western Empire snorted at Crown Prince Rael’s speech. ‘It’s obvious that it’s the food of those Eastern country bumpkins.’

He picked up his fork, intending to roar with laughter if there was even a slight problem with the food. But soon, he frowned. The quality of the food was better than he’d expected. ‘Well, the hors d’oeuvres are not bad. The Easterners have some skill.’

As expected of a banquet, an endless variety of dishes were served as courses, each one difficult to find fault with. Count Shobek looked dissatisfied and thought to himself, ‘But the highlight of the banquet is the grosses pièces. Let’s see what kind of dish they bring out.’

He’d already heard the news that all the meat that had been prepared for the main course had gone bad. In such a situation, there’s no way that the empire could serve proper dishes.

Then came the turn of the grosse pièce, the highlight of the banquet. Apart from Count Shobek, a lot of delegates had also heard that there was a problem with the main course, and so everyone anticipated with interest what kind of dish would come out.

“What’s that?” When the main course was served on their plates, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise. It was a kind of dish they’d never seen before.

“Your Highness, what is this?” someone asked the Crown Prince of the Eastern Empire.

The Crown Prince calmly sliced the meat with a knife and said, “This is a specially prepared steak that we’ve put a lot of effort into.”

“…”

“It should be good, so please taste it.” Everyone hesitantly placed their forks on the meat. Meanwhile, Count Shobek, who had a hostile relationship with the Eastern Empire, smirked inwardly as he took a bite of the steak.

‘Isn’t this minced meat? Serving minced meat as the main course of a banquet! How ridiculous! Those Eastern country bumpkins, I tell you,” Count Shobek thought to himself as he chewed the meat.

“…….?!” He opened his eyes wide and shut his mouth. And it wasn’t just him. Everyone at the banquet had an expression of disbelief. “This is……? How can it taste like this?”

The taste was unexpectedly delicious, with a tender texture and a perfect balance of sweetness and savory flavors. It was a refreshing change from the usual steak that they were accustomed to, its novelty captivating their taste buds.

Someone exclaimed in admiration, “I’ve never seen this style of cooking before. It’s excellent.”

“It’s completely different from a regular steak. Even though they used minced meat, the quality of the taste was not compromised. The tender texture is also delightful.”

“This is truly a new delicacy.”

Delegates from various nations couldn’t stop praising the dish for its unique flavor. Even the skeptical Count Shobek couldn’t deny the dish’s exceptional taste.

Someone asked the Crown Prince, “Your Highness, what is the name of this delicacy?”

The Crown Prince answered bluntly through his iron mask, “Salisbury Steak, or sometimes called Hamburg Steak.”

“Hamburg Steak…” Everyone murmured the name. It was that moment when the name “Hamburg Steak” spread throughout the continent, even becoming a grosse pièce.

The banquet ended with great success. The delegates returned to their respective nations to spread the recipe, and eventually, the Hamburg Steak spread throughout Europe. However, that is a story for another day.

The Crown Prince, who managed to transform a potential disaster of a banquet into a great success, thought of the maid, Marie, the principal savior of the event. ‘I need to think about what reward to give her.’

If it weren’t for her, they would’ve been the subject of ridicule from the representatives of other nations.

The Crown Prince pondered Marie’s reward. ‘It’s my first time rewarding a maid, so I don’t know what kind of reward would be appropriate.’

The image of her doing menial chores came to mind. ‘She seemed too small and frail to handle strenuous work.’

Then he thought, ‘Should I move her to the Lion Palace?’

The Lion Palace!

It’s the place where the Crown Prince resided, where all the maids aspired to work at.