Chapter 97

A few weeks later, Duke Hearst, Serea's father, visited the capital on business and stayed at the villa.

With the long-awaited visit of the head of the household, everyone at the villa gathered in the garden for a casual barbecue.

A large grill was set up, charcoal was lit, and a metal plate was placed on top. The head chef grilled meat, sausages, and vegetables one after another. Using a plate, knife, and fork to eat, even at such an occasion, was considered proper etiquette among the nobility, as skewers were deemed vulgar. The servants, including the maids, were overjoyed and the party was lively.

"No... I must be getting old. Steak makes my stomach feel heavy afterward. Everyone, please eat," Duke Hearst said, politely declining the bloody steak.

"Father, there's something I want you to try."

"Serea? Did Serea make something!?"

This surprised Duke Hearst.

"I've been learning to cook recently, and I thought it would be nice to be able to serve something to Lord Shin someday."

"That's wonderful. I often enjoyed sweets made by my late wife. I was so captivated by them that I proposed to her right away. Serea, keep it up. I'm sure Lord Shin will be pleased."

Then, Serea brought out a flower pot.

"A... flower pot?"

"I had the gardener, Edward, modify it into a grill for the barbecue. It's called a 'shichirin.'"

"Shichirin?"

Serea used tongs to place burning charcoal from the chef's grill into the modified flower pot with a wire mesh at the bottom, and then laid another wire mesh on top. She and Edward had worked hard to improve it.

"On this, I'll place beef that has been marinated in barbecue sauce from the market and grill it."

"Hmm."

Serea, her father Hearst, and her brother Servis sat around the shichirin on a low table. She quickly placed thin slices of meat from a bowl onto the wire mesh, flipped them when they were browned, and then placed them on lettuce leaves.

"Serea? What's that long stick?"

"Chopsticks. They're from the East."

"...No, it's simple, but you handle them well. I've never seen them before..."

Everyone was surprised by Serea's skillful use of chopsticks.

"Here, try it!"

Hearst, narrowing his eyes, tried the lettuce-wrapped grilled meat made by his eleven-year-old daughter.

"...It's delicious."

"Really?"

"It's delicious! Servis, try it!"

Serea kept grilling and handing the meat to her brother and father.

"No... I thought I was done with meat, but I can eat this much!"

"The flavor is well-seasoned, and grilling it over charcoal allows the fat to drip off, leaving only the best parts of the meat!"

"The juices dripping onto the charcoal create a smoky aroma that stimulates the appetite... I never knew such a way of eating existed. Did the head chef teach you this?"

The head chef, called over, was shocked by the shichirin and the grilled thin slices of meat.

"Absolutely not! To take such fine, top-quality meat and cut it into small pieces to grill is a waste! I certainly did not teach her this!"

"Then did Serea come up with it?"

"I wouldn't say I came up with it, but I tried to mimic something I read in an Eastern story..."

The head chef was indignant upon hearing this.

"Such a barbaric way of grilling meat is heretical! A steak is the highest form of meat preparation, the only way to enjoy the finest ingredients to the fullest!"

That was the stubborn pride of a top-notch chef.

"However, it is delicious. Try it before you dismiss it as heretical."

Encouraged by the duke and his eldest son, and handed the grilled meat by the duke's daughter, the head chef had no choice but to try it.

"Mmmmmmm..."

The head chef could only groan.

"T-this is heretical. Grilling the meat like this leaves no rare part, which is the most important..."

"Is it? Isn't it a mistake to value rare steaks in the first place? The surface is cooked, but the inside is cold. Is uncooked meat that hasn't been properly cooked really that delicious? Is a night of indigestion on the bed a good meal?"

"That's because you're getting old, sir."

"Don't say that, head chef."

"Ah, I apologize!"

The head chef hastily bowed, realizing his disrespectful comment.

"Hello, it's been a while. Thank you for the invitation, Father-in-law."

Duke Hearst greeted Prince Shin, who had suddenly appeared, with a smile. Serea was the most surprised. Behind Shin stood the intimidating guard, Shriegan. The villa staff were no longer surprised by the prince's visits to the duke's villa, but it seemed the duke had secretly invited Shin to see Serea's reaction.

"S-Shin-sama! Thank you for coming all the way here!"

Serea hurriedly bowed.

"Wow, Serea is grilling meat? Can I have some too?"

Shin pulled up a chair and joined the group around the shichirin without hesitation.

"It's a simple dish..."

"Serea has been researching this. I'm looking forward to it!"

Serea wrapped the grilled meat in lettuce and took a small bite before handing it to Shin.

"Yum! This is good! Grilling like this is great! With steaks, you might think it's done halfway, but this, you can keep eating!"

The duke was delighted to see the two of them, who were still only eleven, getting along so well.

"Shin-sama, what kind of steaks do you eat at the palace..."

"Let me see."

Shin approached the barbecue grill and shook his head at the steak the head chef was grilling. He took a knife and fork, cut the steak on the grill, and examined the cut.

"...This isn't rare."

Shin's criticism left the head chef and the maids stunned.

"The red part is still raw. If you think rare means dripping with blood, you're mistaken. It's not rare unless it's properly cooked and the fat has melted. A cold rare steak is unacceptable. Understand?"

Shin moved the steak to a weaker part of the charcoal with a spatula, removed the lid of a nearby soup pot, and placed it on top.

"You steam it a bit. Our cooks do this. They don't just quickly sear the surface and call it rare."

Fat dripped from the edges of the lid. After a while, Shin removed the lid and cut the steak.

"Try it."

The cut was still 70-80% red. It looked rare, but when Hearst tried it with a fork, he was surprised.

"...It's delicious. The meat is hot despite the redness. It tastes properly cooked, and the rawness is gone... This is the real rare..."

"It's delicious, Your Highness. No... The steaks we've been eating so far..."

"See, this is better, right?"

Shin, still only eleven, smiled. The head chef, after actually tasting it, had to admit that his own cooking was wrong.

The maids and the intimidating Shriegan all gathered around the barbecue grill, chatting and laughing.

"Shin-sama, how do you know all this? Isn't the steak at the palace always well-done?"

Serea glared, and Shin scratched his head, saying, "Sorry, sorry."

"Preparing food for oneself and for guests is different. I learned this by watching our cooks."

"Shin-sama can cook..."

"Ever since I was little, the kitchen was my playground. I'm pretty good at peeling vegetables, too."

Wow!

For Serea, the bar for the dishes she wanted to serve to Shin had just skyrocketed!

Feeling the goal had become impossibly distant, Serea hung her head in despair.

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Interlude: "Serea's Cooking Class" END

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By Nardack, featuring Jack and Silfa at twelve (with editorial permission)

In the story, these characters were often described by their appearances.

What were your impressions of them?!