Chapter 22
“An Unwelcome Guest (4)”
Seafood, pork, chicken, beef, mushrooms, bean sprouts…
Japchae was a refined dish that could be enjoyed with any ingredients one wanted, and in the past, officials even exchanged it as a gift.
That noble dish was now placed on the table of the villain Crown Prince in a romance fantasy novel.
“…Th-This is.”
It completely captured the taste of the man known as the pickiest eater in the Empire.
“How is it, Your Highness? Is it to your liking?”
But Vivian didn’t know that at all.
The Crown Prince’s attendants gathered in the banquet hall, Leon, and even the servants attending them—none of them realized what was happening inside his mouth.
The salty and savory taste that spread the moment he chewed.
The chewy texture of the glossy noodles, along with the subtle sweetness coming from the vegetables.
It was truly a feast of flavors.
Michael, completely immersed in it, became fascinated by this food he had never seen before.
Could this be some kind of miracle dish?
A look of ecstasy appeared on his face as he chewed the japchae.
‘Wh-What is this taste? Has a dish like this ever existed?’
The unique aroma filling his mouth drove him mad and stimulated his appetite.
But—
“What are you all doing? Why aren’t you eating?”
He couldn’t bring himself to say that it was delicious.
Not in front of Vivian watching him, nor Leon sitting across from him.
He absolutely couldn’t let them know how much he was enjoying it.
At Michael’s command, the attendants who had been staring at their plates picked up their forks.
And then—
Slurp.
The sound of noodles being eaten filled the banquet hall.
They had expected it to taste terrible and were ready to spit it out immediately—
But their eyes widened all at once.
After taking a bite, they began covering their mouths one by one, as if they had agreed beforehand.
One baron, who had looked bored to death since arriving at the mansion, even had tears in his eyes from emotion.
“I-It’s my first time tasting such a chewy texture. How is this possible?”
Once he spoke, the others followed.
“The balance of flavors is excellent, and the aftertaste is clean. It suits my taste perfectly.”
“Did the Lady really make this herself?”
Praise poured endlessly from their arrogant mouths.
Vivian had been worried they might not like it, but as expected, japchae was a dish that never failed.
“How did you make this? Did you prepare everything by yourself?”
At their question, Vivian bowed her head modestly.
“The maids helped with preparing the ingredients. As you can see, my wrist is injured… But I made the flavor myself. Just as His Highness requested, it’s a dish made by my own hands.”
It was her first time “cooking” only with her mouth. It felt a little strange, like being lazy, but it wasn’t a bad experience.
It even felt like she had become a head chef.
Watching the maids move exactly as she instructed gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.
“Oh… I didn’t know the Lady had such an amazing talent.”
“In your homeland, do even nobles learn cooking? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Unable to endure the endless praise, Michael slammed the table.
It made him uncomfortable, as if they were reading his thoughts.
“Can’t you do something about those buzzing voices? You’re as annoying as flies.”
His face was twisted in irritation, yet both of his cheeks were slightly puffed.
‘It’s delicious. It’s so delicious I can’t even criticize it.’
Michael chewed the japchae irritably, becoming more and more sensitive.
The reason—
Was the taste of the japchae.
He had never expected Vivian’s cooking to be this good.
He had made that unreasonable demand on purpose to humiliate her.
The table should have been filled with something unfit to be called food, made by an incompetent noble lady, and everyone should have rejected it.
That way, he could humiliate Leon, and everything would go as he planned.
That had been his goal.
‘Damn it… there’s already so little left.’
It was so delicious that he regretted the food disappearing from his plate.
Everyone had already admitted that Vivian’s dish was good, and even Michael himself couldn’t stop eating.
All he could do now was bend over his plate and devour it.
As he fell silent, everyone quietly continued eating.
After some time—
The pile of japchae disappeared completely, and satisfied smiles appeared on everyone’s faces.
Watching them, Vivian stepped closer to the table.
“Did everyone enjoy the meal?”
Like a chef greeting her guests, she looked around the banquet hall and greeted everyone.
Inside, she was shouting, This is Joseon’s pasta!
The attendants who received her greeting were rubbing their full stomachs.
Some even scraped their empty plates with their forks.
“This is the most unique and delicious pasta I’ve ever had. I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it.”
“If possible, I would love to taste it again someday. Would that be possible?”
After the excited compliments ended, Michael, who had been resting his chin on his hand with an annoyed expression, finally spoke.
With a face full of displeasure, he said—
“It wasn’t inedible.”
An ambiguous answer.
Vivian was a bit confused by his reaction, but the kitchen maids standing in the corner looked delighted.
In Michael’s way of speaking, that meant it was extremely delicious.
For someone who always criticized everything, it was actually a very positive response.
At last, relief appeared on Leon’s face as well.
His plate was also completely empty.
Everyone looked disappointed they couldn’t eat more, glancing at each other’s empty plates.
It had truly been a successful meal.
Just as the pleasant dinner was ending and the maids were about to clear the plates—
“Wait. Why is your plate empty?”
Michael’s gaze fell on Leon’s clean plate.
The maid who was about to take it quickly pulled her hand back in surprise.
“How did you finish your plate? Leon, you… you…”
Michael, who had been dragging his words, suddenly burst into laughter.
His quiet laugh soon grew loud enough to echo through the hall.
The warm atmosphere froze again.
Everyone looked confused, but not Leon.
He hid his trembling hands under the table.
He knew why Michael was laughing.
Damn Michael Ester.
‘He finds it funny that I, who can’t taste anything, finished my plate.’
For a long time, Michael had made fun of Leon’s condition.
Whenever the royal family talked about food, Leon had to stay silent.
At best, he could only awkwardly describe textures, and he usually left his food unfinished.
People didn’t understand his pain and simply called him a picky and childish eater.
Not being able to taste anything had always been painful for him.
But now—
It was different.
Leon had truly enjoyed Vivian’s japchae.
He felt the rich flavors and aroma from the chewy noodles.
That was why his plate was empty.
It had been a wonderful meal.
Someone like Michael would never understand that feeling.
“What’s so funny, Your Highness?”
“Everything you do is ridiculous. What, were you starving for days? You ate like a beast.”
It was a clear provocation.
“The food was good, so I lost my composure.”
“Good? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”
At Michael’s mocking words, Leon’s already dark eyes sank even deeper.
Watching them, Vivian awkwardly stepped in between.
“Your Highness… then will you forgive today’s offense?”
“Well… it wasn’t bad.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed the meal, Your Highness. So please…”
“Quiet. Let’s do this.”
Michael cut her off and smiled wickedly at Leon.
“Whether I forgive you or not will depend on Leon’s evaluation.”
“…The Grand Duke’s evaluation?”
It was completely unexpected.
“If I like how Leon describes it, I’ll let it go.”
Why?
A question appeared on Vivian’s face.
“Now then, Leon. How was it? Tell me what it tasted like.”
There was a strange anticipation in Michael’s voice.
Vivian felt uneasy about it.
“The noodles were very unique. They were chewy like jelly, and the seasoning was well absorbed, making it delicious.”
Leon’s evaluation, which she thought would be short, continued longer than expected.
Vivian listened carefully with interest.
“Delicious? Explain specifically what was good.”
But Michael’s expression darkened as Leon continued.
“The balance of sweetness and saltiness was good. Especially the natural sweetness and crisp texture of the vegetables stimulated my appetite.”
“That’s something I’ve already heard. Are you just repeating what others said?”
“And there was a unique aroma.”
“A unique aroma?”
“Yes. It was like the scent of grains… or perhaps nuts lightly roasted over fire.”
Michael’s expression completely froze.
It was the same taste he had felt.
That aroma that grew stronger the more he ate—it was why he kept leaning over his plate.
That unique flavor hidden within the light taste.
Neither Leon nor Michael knew what it was, but Vivian immediately recognized it.
It was the scent of sesame oil.
As expected, it was from the ingredients she had taken from the cold storage.
Vivian carefully stepped in between them.
“That’s right. It comes from an ingredient made from plant seeds. Wow… you’re sharper than you look, Your Grace.”
Michael stared at Leon’s calm face as he finished speaking and sat down.
“How did you…?”
He kept repeating the same words, looking like someone possessed.
