~Chapter 104~
Yuria and Piaje’s faces were horribly twisted.
But they couldn’t say a word. At this point, they couldn’t suddenly claim they wanted to support the North again.
Yuria pressed on, unwilling to accept it.
“You’re not lying in front of the nobles, are you?”
The Emperor’s annoyed voice ended the meeting.
“Enough, Empress. I have much to say, but since this is the nobles’ meeting, I’ll hold it back. Later, we must speak privately.”
The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned cold. Everyone had expected the Emperor to side with Yuria and Piaje, but instead, he restrained them.
The meeting continued, but Delphina couldn’t concentrate at all.
<Quest Appears – The Foolish Emperor’s Regret>
The Emperor regrets the death of the former Empress. He feels the absence of his political partner. But a corrupt force clouds his eyes!
Awaken his mind with the spiciness of your cooking.
Reward: The Emperor breaks free from the corrupt force.
Failure: Piaje becomes the Empire’s crown prince.
Delphina frowned.
The penalty for failure was worse than she thought.
‘How could Piaje possibly become crown prince?’
That could only happen if the Emperor wasn’t in his right mind.
‘Well, thinking about it… it’s possible. The system says the Emperor is already not in his right mind because of the corrupt power.’
That meant she had only one option left. She had to make the Emperor eat something filled with spiciness.
‘God Frad, isn’t this too much?’
<God Frad protests, saying he’s innocent and makes excuses, insisting this wasn’t his intention!>
She whispered quietly to Elcayan.
“Elcayan, after the meeting, I need to speak with His Majesty. I want to request a private audience.”
“What is it about? Is it related to why His Majesty keeps staring at you?”
“You could say that.”
Elcayan looked at her with a worried face.
“I’m fine. I’m sure it will lead to a good result.”
If not, God Frad wouldn’t have shown her the system window.
“Please trust me, Elcayan. There won’t be any danger.”
Elcayan tilted his head slightly. The Emperor was the only person he couldn’t protect her from.
“But you can’t be certain His Majesty will allow it. A private audience depends on his permission.”
“It will be possible.”
Their conversation ended when the Emperor frowned and announced the meeting’s close.
“This meeting is over. We’ll discuss the remaining issues next time.”
At that moment, Delphina carefully raised her hand.
“Your Majesty, may I request a private audience?”
The nobles stirred in shock.
“A private audience with His Majesty?”
“Does she really think he’ll allow that in this situation?”
Most of the opposition nobles muttered. Yuria and Piaje also shook their heads, certain the Emperor would reject her.
“You want a private audience with me?”
“Yes, I have something important to say.”
“Is it important?”
The Emperor’s face looked stern. Judging by appearance alone, it seemed unlikely he would agree.
The nobles whispered again.
“His Majesty must still be very angry.”
“He’ll never allow this.”
Even Delphina might have thought the same—if not for the system window floating above the Emperor’s head.
<Emperor>
‘I hope she says it’s important. Even if it’s not, she must say it is. That’s the only way a private audience can happen.’
Delphina answered firmly.
“It is very important. Important enough to shock you when you hear it.”
Everyone expected the Emperor to refuse.
But his next words completely shocked them.
“If it’s that important, then it can’t be helped. Follow me.”
His face, however, remained endlessly cold.
The Emperor’s office.
There, the Emperor looked at Delphina with a stiff face.
“Is it fine if the Chief Attendant comes in too?”
In the Empire, the Chief Attendant was always required to be at the Emperor’s side, even during private meetings. Delphina already knew this and nodded.
“Yes, if that is Your Majesty’s wish, I don’t mind.”
She was staring at the system window floating above his head.
<Emperor>
‘As a member of the Northern Cuisine Group, this is an incredible honor. I’d love to get an autograph on a chicken doll, but I can’t possibly ask for that…’
“What is it? If you’ve asked for a private audience with me, it must be something truly important.”
The Emperor’s voice was cold, a sharp contrast to the silly words in the system window.
“I want to cook for Your Majesty.”
“What kind of food?”
“Spicy pork cutlet that makes your mouth tingle, and boneless spicy chicken. These are our new Northern Chicken menu items. I’d like to prepare them as a gift of gratitude for Your Majesty.”
The Chief Attendant’s face froze as he listened.
‘What is she thinking?’
He too was a fan of Northern Chicken. He even knew the Emperor secretly had Northern food brought in. But mixing public duty with private taste? He wasn’t sure how the Emperor would take this.
‘She begged for a private audience, only to say she wants to make pork cutlet and chicken?’
“Pork cutlet and chicken?”
“Yes.”
“And… what if it doesn’t suit my taste?”
“I’ll stake Northern Chicken’s name on it and do my very best.”
“There’s no need for that… No, I want you to do your best. Ahem.”
The Emperor’s voice trembled slightly. The Chief Attendant turned pale.
The Emperor was often mistaken as soft because of his timid nature, but once angered, he exploded like fire. If his voice trembled this much, it meant he was very angry now.
The Chief Attendant grew restless. If the Emperor became angry, he might order Northern Chicken to be shut down completely.
‘He has been holding back since the meeting. What should I do? I hope Lady Delphina doesn’t end up in a bad situation. That would be the end of Northern Chicken.’
But he didn’t know the truth. Delphina had staked Northern Chicken’s name for a reason.
<Emperor>
‘What luck is this? Has God Frad finally blessed me? Still, she shouldn’t casually gamble Northern Chicken like that… What if she says the same to Piaje or the Empress later? That worries me…’
The truth was, no one cared more about protecting Northern Chicken than the Emperor himself.
“Well, I can eat it.”
The Emperor looked at his attendant.
“Take Lady Delphina to the kitchen.”
Cooking wasn’t difficult.
‘Why is everything already prepared here? Convenient, but strange…’
The pork was already tenderized, perfect for cutlets. The chicken had already been neatly deboned for boneless dishes.
The Chief Attendant spoke to Delphina.
“His Highness Piaje ordered us to perfectly recreate Northern Chicken’s dishes.”
His tone almost sounded like tattling. Delphina tilted her head.
“To recreate Northern Chicken’s food? But the patent is registered — they can’t sell it even if they copy it.”
“They probably just wanted to eat it. Going all the way to Northern Chicken is troublesome, and no matter who you are, everyone has to wait in line there.”
“…”
“Food tastes best when it’s eaten warm.”
“That’s true. You really know a thing or two about food.”
At her words, the Chief Attendant’s cheeks turned faintly red. He looked happy, as though proud to be acknowledged.
