Adelheid 5 : Otherworld Food

A few days had passed since Emperor Wilheim had officially declared Adelheid the third successor to the throne, and now, she was currently having dinner with her father. It was the first dinner between the two since Adelheid had met the emperor. The two were seated at a rectangular table over three meters long with Adelheid and Albrecht sitting on opposite ends. At the center, the most eye-catching dish was no doubt the suckling pig.

The piglet had been rubbed with various herbs and seasonings such as garlic and pepper enhancing its flavor. The skin had been roasted to perfection and spelled positively divine. For garnish, an apple had been stuffed into the piglet's mouth, and various leafy vegetables lined the plate.

Surrounding the main course were numerous smaller dishes, all of them professionally prepared by Head Chef Wolfgang. There was a basket of bread next to the stew composed of peasant meat with various vegetables. Next to that was a plate of steamed fish filet set adjacent to some sliced ham. And those were just some of the dishes.

Rather than a meal for two people, it was a feast that could feed at least eight men. There was even a dedicated slicer for the pig, but Adelheid had long gotten used to it, so she didn't say anything.

"How have your lessons been going?" Albrecht asked, not looking up from his plate of food.

"It has been going well." Adelheid stopped to place a piece of meat she had sliced into her mouth. After chewing and swallowing it, she continued, "Miss Sauer says that I no longer need to take any more mathematics lessons since I already learned everything she knew."

Rather than learning, Adelheid felt like she was excavating knowledge she had already learned.

"Impressive," Prince Albrecht said as he ordered one of the servants to bring him a loaf of bread and a bowl of stew from the center of the table. “Now that His Majesty has named you third-in-line to the throne, more and more people will start to notice you, even if you have yet to make your social debut.

“That was not my social debut? Why would His Majesty name me the third heir then?” Adelheid asked. ‘And how come you’re calling your father His Majesty? It feels a bit too cold, not that I address you as father inside my thoughts either.’

“The emperor’s thoughts are too farsighted for someone like me. Each action taken by His Majesty has a meaning. If he named you the third heir, then there is a reason, even if it is unknown at this time.” Adelheid couldn’t say anything to Albrecht’s faith in Emperor Wilhelm. Rather than a feeling like a son to his father, it felt like Albrecht was venerating a god.

The duo of father and daughter entered a round of silence. Only the noise of cutlery clacking against porcelain plates could be heard in the private dining room.

"Father..." Adelheid started but stopped as if unsure whether to continue or not.

Seeing his daughter's hesitance, Albrecht stopped for a moment before showing a kind smile. Or at least he attempted to. Coupled with his naturally cold, steely eyes, war-hardened face, and beard, Albrecht's smile was akin to a bloodthirsty grin.

Nine out of ten children would definitely cry and flee in terror if they ever saw this brand of smile. However, against all logic, Adelheid showed a slight smile as if she had been comforted by such a smile.

“Father, when will I be able to learn magic?” Adelheid asked. She had already inquired about finding a magic teacher before, but Albrecht just used the reason that Adelheid wasn’t ready for magic lessons to deny her. If she had not seen the throne, Adelheid perhaps would have had some patience, but now, she had a goal.

Adelheid was still but a child, so not many people would take her seriously even if she was third-in-line. First and second in line to the throne were Second Prince Albrecht and Sixth Prince William respectively. Adelheid wanted to build a foundation to gather followers, and what was the best way?

To let others know of her potential and value. If she were to be widely known as a genius, that would speak wonders of her potential, making it easier to gather followers. Still, it would only make her path a bit smoother, not even mentioning her brother, her father was already quite a rival for the throne. Perhaps it was the resonance between similar people, but she could tell that Albrecht also yearned for the throne.

“Adelheid, the time is not right. Focus on your studies for now,” Albrecht said, using almost the exact same excuse he used before.

“Miss Sauer will not be teaching me mathematics anymore, I have more time. Instead of wasting time, I think I should start learning magic. How about some introductory lessons?” Adelheid asked. Although she said introductory lessons, she had confidence in taking more magic lessons after making a breakthrough.

Albrecht paused. He finished chewing his food before speaking once more. “Dear, it’s still too soon. Magic is not something you can learn halfheartedly. Listen to father, okay?”

Adelheid inwardly frowned at the resolute rejection in his voice. Adelheid contemplated her tactics for a moment before opening her mouth once more. ‘Since I can not appeal to logic, I’ll try emotional persuasion.’

Adelheid cringed internally as she began to enact another attempt. In a saccharine tone reminiscent of honey, she said, "But Father! You told me that I could learn magic, so why are you going back on your words? I want to learn magic!" The voice was so sweet, she could already feel the cavities rotting her teeth.

Adelheid pointedly ignored the gaze of shock stabbing into her back from her maids.

"Ah?" Albrecht released a foolish sound that would never occur in public. The change from his daughter's usual obedient attitude to a spoiled princess caught him off guard. "I- I mean, I think it’s still too soon? How about waiting some more?"

"You said that a month ago!" Adelheid pouted and crossed her arms. "Hmpf, you're just a liar, after all."

"C- come on?" Albrecht raised his hands in a placating manner. His usual dignified and stern demeanor was nowhere to be seen, and in its place, nothing more than a confused man. Even before her coma, Adelheid had never acted so spoiled to him. In fact, the Adelheid from three years ago was actually very fearful of Albrecht. "Your body isn't well, so you shouldn't push yourself too much. If you collapse, I will be very sad. You need to have more time to learn magic. How about waiting after you finish all your lessons with the governess?"

"Hmpf, Miss Sauer said that I will finish most of the curriculum and etiquette lessons in a month. Will I not have time then?" Adelheid asked as she crossed her arms and pouted.

"Really? If that is the case..." Albrecht hesitated for a moment and took another glance at his sole daughter. Seeing her still glaring at him with those steel-colored eyes, he verbally relented. "Alright, alright. I'll find a magic tutor for you next month, okay?"

"Yes, you're the best father!" Adelheid said as her frown turned into an adorable smile that could melt any parent's heart. It was a behavior that only a child could accomplish.

After that spectacle, neither of the two spoke again for the rest of dinner as if they forgot about it. When both Adelheid and Albrecht were full, half of the suckling pig was left, but that was a regular occurrence. After Adelheid finished dessert, a slice of bee sting cake, the father and daughter separated.

Adelheid sunk into her bed and released a long sigh without even changing her clothes.

Second Prince Albrecht was the unofficial crown prince of the Vuldar Empire with the death of the previous crown prince, Freidrich von Vuldar. As such, he was encumbered by numerous matters of the empire to the point that Adelheid rarely saw him once a week.

Thinking about family, Adelheid recalled that she had an older brother named William who was ten years older than her. Well, half brother, to be exact, since his mother also died during childbirth.

William was carrying out his official duties as a prince, leading his band of knights to exterminate any monsters and any other hostiles within the border of the Vuldar Empire. According to Albrecht, this was a test and a learning experience for his duty as a member of the imperial family. It was a process that Adelheid would also undergo once she grew up.

As for her grandfather, Wilhelm von Vuldar, aside from meeting him during the audience in front of all nobles and officials, all information she knew of came from Albrecht, who literally talked two hours straight about how great of an emperor Wilheim was. If Adelheid hadn't stopped him, she did not doubt that her father could regale her for the rest of the day.

It was the longest conversation the father and daughter ever had.

She also had two cousins from her deceased uncle, Fourth Princess Antonia and Fifth Prince Alexander, but not much was known about them from her periphery questioning.

"Princess..."

"Hmm?" Adelheid grunted as she flipped onto her back and glanced at Sofia. "What is it?"

The fifteen-year-old maid hesitated for a moment but decided to swallow her words and changed the subject. "Your Highness needs to change into your sleepwear. Your Highness’s day attire is dirty."

"Geez, if you can't spit out, I'll ask Her Highness," Matilda said as she shoved Sofia aside and stood in front of Adelheid. "What was that earlier?"

"What was what?" Adelheid asked, diverting her eyes.

"That!" Matilda flung her arms around like she was playing charades. "Earlier during the dinner between Your Highness and Prince Albrecht."

"I have no clue what you are talking about," Adelheid persisted, her expression showing nothing but the utmost innocent confusion.

"Your words, your tone of voice! It was so sickeningly sweet like you've never said before. In the three months that I served you, you never talked in that tone!" Matilda said.

"Aren't you hungry?" Adelheid asked. "Why don't you help me change and quickly eat dinner? I'm sure you're starving."

"I'm not–" Matilda's grumbling stomach interrupted her words, causing the young maid to redden in shame.

Before Matilda could speak more, Sofia nudged her and gestured for her to be silent. Although unsatisfied, Matilda helped Sofia undress Adelheid and change into her sleepwear, a cotton shirt, and briefs. The sleepwear was actually so comfortable that the two maids had requested their own pair as a reward, to which Adelheid readily agreed. She did more than that and gave the two maids several sets.

-line break-

Once Adelheid drank her tonic and retired for the night, the two maids made way for the kitchen. They greeted the two knights stationed outside the princess's room as they made their way to the cafeteria.

Once out of earshot, Matilda furiously whispered to Sofia. "Why'd you stop me?'

Sofia shot her a look that said she was an idiot. "Couldn't you tell? The princess purposely glossed over it. She didn't want to talk about it. We are maids, and we should never overstep our bounds."

"Oh," Matilda said, her mood low, but that soon changed when she entered the cafeteria and delightful aromas entered her nose. Adelheid was rather lax with the two maids, allowing them to dine with her at the same table but only in the confines of privacy. Events such as dinner with the second prince were not categorized as private.

Walking towards the kitchen, Matilda waved and happily said, "Mister Koch, I hope you have some leftovers for us!"

Jacob Koch, or Mister Koch as he was known to everyone in the palace, was one of the apprentice chefs. He was a man in his mid-thirties with a pair of brawny arms and growing gut dressed in a white apron smeared with stains.

"For you, Matilda? Any and every time," Koch said with a smile as he waved back.

Matilda squealed with delight while Sofia gave a polite thanks.

"You're the best. So what do you have?" Matilda asked as her eyes darted behind the apprentice chef. The tables and cutting boards were lined with bowls and strips of unfinished meats and vegetables.

"You're in luck. Some of them high folks didn’t finish half a suckling pig!" Koch said as he slapped his belly with a laugh and walked away. When he came back, he had a plate of sliced pork meat lined up beautifully. "These enough for you two lasses?"

Honestly, the platter of meat was enough to feed four men, but an aura disciple like Matilda could still eat all of it if she so wished. Sofia thanked Koch and took the platter away, looking for a seat.

Koch smiled. Sofia was just like all the other noble maids, but Matilda was different— must be why he liked her so much. Koch recalled his wife and children and sighed. His boys were almost adults yet he was still stuck in the same position. When would he become a real chef? Or even a senior chef?

He was broken out of his thoughts when he noticed Matilda running towards him. "Is it not enough?"

The first time Koch had seen the girl of twelve— an admittedly tall girl of twelve— devour a whole platter enough for two grown men, he had been stunned. Now, he just rolled with it. Still, it should have taken her longer to eat the whole platter. Five minutes had yet to pass.

Matilda rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Actually, can I ask for some loaves of bread and a knife? Oh, and some greens too."

"Sure." Koch went into the kitchen and retrieved all the items Matilda requested. "What do you need them for?"

When people had meat, they generally ignored vegetables, and he had given her roasted slices of suckling pig. In the entire palace, roasted suckling pig was the most delectable food. When dignitaries from other nations came, suckling pig was served above all else.

Matilda giggled. "I'm making a sandwich."

"Sandwich?" Koch parroted. Was it some sort of food?

Matilda nodded. "It's something the princess came up with."

It took a moment for Koch to recall that the princess Matilda spoke of was Adelheid of the empire. Growing curious, the apprentice chef followed the flaxen-haired maid to the table and, under his keen eyes, watched her construct a sandwich.

It was easy enough to make. Slice the bread in half and fill it with meat and some green vegetables. Adelheid preferred kale or spinach, but Matilda liked the watery-ness of the lettuce much more.

"Too bad there's no sauce," Matilda said with regret, but her mouth and hands never stopped moving.

“Sauce?” Koch asked, wondering what sauce Matilda was talking about. The kitchen had plenty of sauce, but she hadn’t requested any.

“Un-huh! It’s mayonnaise, and it’s super delish!” Matilda praised without holding back.

"You said the princess thought this up?" Koch asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

It was such a simple concept. Anything could be a sandwich as long as it stuck between two pieces of bread, yet no one else thought of it. No, perhaps someone did, but it never caught on. And he wondered what sauce Matilda was talking about. Although Matilda would eat almost anything given to her, she was quite a gourmet.

A gleam entered Koch's eyes.

"Is it umm— would it be possible for me to have an audience with Princess Adelheid?" Koch asked.

Before Matilda could answer, Sofia did. "Impossible. Princess Adelheid is busy. How can she personally descend into the cafeteria?"

"Yeah, sorry?" Matilda apologized to Koch. Even though she was fine with it, she couldn't imagine Adelheid coming to the kitchen or cafeteria at all. Not to mention that Adelheid was planning on learning magic, which would make her even busier.

"Is that right?" Koch asked. "I’m sorry, I asked a stupid question."

Even as he walked away, he continued to mutter the word sandwich over and over again.

Seeing Koch walk away disappointed, Matilda thought about mentioning it to Adelheid, but upon seeing Sofia's glare, Matilda quickly discarded the thought. Focusing once more on her sandwich, the aspiring knight bit into it with gusto. However, neither of them would have thought after a month, Adelheid would request to come to the kitchen out of her own will.

The reason was simple, Adelheid had an abundant amount of time. Albrecht had only verbally agreed, so he could delay under the excuse that he was still searching.

Each week of the calendar has seven days, each one corresponds to the Pillar gods except the seventh day, Voiday.By tradition, Voiday was a day of rest. Adelheid’s lesson with the governess had been reduced so most of her time was spent on aura training or self-study, but not this day. Instead, Adelheid wanted to go to the kitchen.

"Lead me to the kitchen," Adelheid said, causing Sofia to show a surprised expression.

"Your Highness, the kitchen is..." Sofia wanted to say dirty, but how could she say the place where they cooked food was dirty? "The kitchen is unsuitable for a person of your status."

"It's fine. I'm not that delicate," Adelheid said. ‘I have lived in rat and roach-infested apartments before, what is a little blood in the kitchen worth?’

"But..." Sofia's mind sorted through information and rumors she had of the kitchen, trying to find a reason to persuade the princess. She could state the truth that the kitchen was full of grisly scenes from the meat used as ingredients, but Sofia thought better of it. What if she scared Adelheid to the point that she refused to eat the food from the kitchen?

Finally, the black-haired maid recalled a certain rumor concerning the kitchen. "Your Highness, the kitchen is haunted!"

Adelheid tilted her head. "Haunted?"

"Yes, haunted," Sofia said, doing her best not to stare at the princess. "People say that certain noises could be heard in the kitchen. Some even say that it's the ghost of a female chef who was executed for presenting a disgusting cake to the emperor of yore."

Sofia lowered her voice as it took on a ghastly vibe. "The ghost would appear at random without warning in the kitchen. They say it is a hideous screech like a banshee's. And those are the lucky ones. Anyone who tries to see the true face of the ghost would mysteriously faint only to awaken the next day too scarred to remember the visage of the ghost."

At this moment, Matilda spoke up. "Oh! I heard it too! Doesn't the ghost only appear in the middle of the night?"

The corner of Sofia's eyes began to twitch as she whipped her head around and glared at her incompetent teammate. ‘The princess doesn't need to know that! Why are you pulling my leg when I'm trying to stop the princess from going to that foul place?’

"So, there's no problem then," Adelheid said. She didn't really believe the story.

Ghosts did exist in Veles, officially called wights or specters. They were the souls of the departed weighed down by negative emotions from when they were alive, preventing them from returning to the embrace of the gods. And these monsters were challenging to deal with as no normal physical attack, even bolstered by aura, was effective against them.

However, if such a monster roamed the palace kitchens, Adelheid doubted that it would last long. This was the imperial palace of the Vuldar Empire, the core of the nation. How could the emperor be willing to allow a rogue specter to exist within the palace?

Adelheid was firm in her decision. Nothing Sofia said could change her mind.

Matilda just shrugged, wondering why Sofia was so adamant against bringing the princess to the kitchen. The kitchen was a great place, full of food. ‘Maybe I can sneak a bite?’

Inside the kitchen, it was a far cry from the previous night when Sofia and Matilda visited. Senior chefs were shouting orders at chefs. Chefs were shouting at apprentice chefs, and apprentice chefs were shouting at the servants and so on. Unfinished and finished dishes could be seen laying about, the aroma of numerous stews intermixed in the air, and the sound of knives striking the cutting board could be heard.

But most apparent to Adelheid was the scent of blood that wafted into her nose. Adelheid zeroed at the corner of the kitchen where pots of blood could be seen sitting, along with the discarded organs of various livestock. She even saw some blood dishes being prepared such as blood sausage or bloody egg soup.

Seeing Adelheid entranced by the gruesome corner, Sofia suppressed her nausea and whispered into her ear, "Do you want to leave, Your Highness?"

Breaking out of her thoughts, Adelheid shook her head. "No need. I wanted to ask one of the cooks to make something for me, but I guess that's not possible."

‘That's it?’ Sofia thought. Of course, that was it. The black-haired maid wondered what else Her Highness could have come to the kitchen for. It wasn't like her highness would personally cook or something like that, right. Privately, Sofia wondered why Adelheid couldn't just send word of the dish she wanted.

"Oooh, you can ask Mister Koch then," Matilda said. She recalled the night a month ago where the apprentice chef had asked to meet Adelheid. Wasn't this the perfect chance?

"I don't want to disturb his work." Adelheid had personal reasons for coming to the kitchen, but she didn't want to disrupt the operation of the kitchen for petty reasons.

"That's right," Matilda said, realizing that everyone was busy and that it wouldn’t be good to disrupt the chefs. They had to feed almost everyone in the palace, after all.

"I'm sure it won't be a problem. Your Highness, as a princess, the cooks should be delighted to make some time for you," Sofia said. There were only four members of the imperial family in the palace, and their needs should be accommodated as much as possible.

Adelheid stayed silent and considered it a moment before nodding. She really wanted to eat breaded pork cutlet now, but since breaded cutlets wasn’t a dish that existed, she had to find a cook to teach the recipe. Just going by the recipe or written instructions would introduce too many variables since the dish hadn’t been invented yet.

"Great!" Matilda smiled and went to look for Koch, but a hand pulled her back. "What's wrong?"

"You were going to look for Mister Koch, weren't you?" Sofia asked, more of a conclusion than a question.

Matilda nodded, and Sofia sighed. "Before going to Mister Koch, we should inform the head chef first. If Mister Koch suddenly disappeared, it would ruin the order. I'll do it."

Sofia soon disappeared into the sea of peoples. Naturally, the two weren't standing in the middle of the kitchen but by the entrance. Numerous servants could be seen going in and out of the kitchen, careful not to bump in Adelheid or Matilda.

The servants didn't recognize who Adelheid was, but anyone with a maid in the palace was someone undoubtedly of high station, so they made sure not to bump into the doll-like girl accidentally. If they committed some grave mistake, getting fired would be considered the lightest of punishments.

As the servants continuously passed, the fragrance of the dishes entered Matilda's nose and caused her to start drooling. She had already eaten breakfast, but she could not resist the temptation of the freshly finished delicacies passing by her. Soon, her stomach began to grumble, causing Adelheid to shoot her a look. Matilda embarrassedly rubbed the back of her head.

"Your Highness!" Sofia called out as she returned with an elderly chef and Koch in tow.

The elderly man seemed to be in his sixties with gray hair and beard. He had a pristine white uniform without a speck of grime on it, making it stand out in the bustle of the kitchen. "Greetings, Your Highness. This one is Wolfgang, the head chef of the kitchen."

"A pleasure to meet you. I am Seventh Princess Adelheid von Vuldar," Adelheid introduced herself with a nod of her head, although she was sure that Sofia had already explained to Wolfgang her identity. "Do you know why I am here?"

Head Chef Wolfgang’s eyes paused every so slightly when he caught sight of Adelheid, but he quickly lowered his gaze. "Miss Meyer has already explained the matter to me. It would be Apprentice Chef Koch's honor to serve you. Isn’t that right?”

"Yes! It is my honor to serve you, Your Highness." Koch bowed. His face was taut as he tried to reign in his ecstasy. Even so, he couldn’t stop his body from trembling.

Adelheid just raised an eyebrow. ‘I do not look scary, do I? Or is he afraid of making a mistake and being punished for it?’

Adelheid nodded. Before she could say her request, the head chef had given them a private kitchen to use. Although it was called a private kitchen, it was closer to a side kitchen connected to the main kitchen.

Matilda let out a shout of excitement. She turned around to look at Adelheid with shining eyes. "So what are you going to have Mister Koch make, Your Highness?"

Sofia sighed at Matilda's exuberance while Koch had a look of anticipation on his face.

"Breaded pork cutlet," Adelheid said without a moment’s hesitation. Beef wasn't considered upper-class meat but rather something for the lower-class as the meat from the animal was often tough and chewy. Not that she planned to use beef, but it still disappointed her. Many dishes in her brain could not be realized if the beef wasn't high-quality enough. No noble would willingly serve beef. As for chicken? There was no chicken, only peasants or the like, so Adelheid chose the most popular pork.

"Breaded pork cutlet?" Koch and Matilda repeated in confusion. The two couldn’t help but imagine what a dish would look like. Was it cooked pork stuffed in a loaf of bread or a specialized sandwich?

"Please forgive me for not knowing the dish. Can Your Highness explain what type of dish it is?" Koch asked as he bowed in apology, but his eyes contained excitement. This was his ticket to being raised to a real chef and not an apprentice chef!

Adelheid explained how to prepare a pork cutlet. The concept was simple enough, but Koch had to gather the necessary ingredients first, and some of them he didn't have, such as bread crumbs. They weren’t even used or invented yet.

The bread made in the palace was freshly baked every day. The leftovers were extremely popular and given to the cooks to take home to their families since it was made from refined wheat flour, a luxury only the noblest could afford. So the stale bread needed to make bread crumbs didn't exist.

Koch was even prepared to make a trip out of the palace to the bakeries of Midgard to see if they had some stale bread, but Adelheid stopped him. It wasn't like they exactly needed stale bread to make bread crumbs. The process was just a bit more troublesome, though not as troublesome as buying stale bread from a bakery.

Under Adelheid's instructions, Koch sliced some bread and baked them within an oven to dry them out.

The ovens weren’t normal ovens but magic tools constructed by mages, fueled by magic crystals, and resembled the modern ovens from Adelheid's memories. The only difference was that each oven only had one temperature setting, making them less versatile than the one from Earth.

After the bread was brought out of the oven, Koch minced them as much as possible to create breadcrumbs. Compared to the breadcrumbs in Adelheid's mind, they were coarser but still serviceable.

The meat chosen for the breaded cutlet was pork tenderloin. Adelheid instructed Koch to slice it to about two centimelers thick. Since there were four people present and it would feel weird to eat alone, Adelheid had Koch cut the whole tenderloin.

Next, Koch pounded each slice of pork as flat as possible with the bottom end of a skillet. Before thinly coating it with flour, Adelheid had Koch liberally rub salt and pepper, a spice once worth its weight in gold and only available to the wealthy class, into the meat.

To make the bread crumbs adhere to the pork, Koch cracked some eggs and mixed the yolk and white with a wooden whisk. Koch dipped the whole flour-coated pork into the egg mixture and then placed it atop the plate of bread crumbs prepared earlier. Pouring more breadcrumbs atop, Koch covered the meat fully.

Koch had wanted to do the same with the others, but Adelheid stopped him, telling him that the first one was a test run. Nodding his head, Koch brought out a wide steel pot that was about thirty centimelers tall. The apprentice chef poured cooking oil into it and began to heat it up.

Adelheid didn't know what temperature the oil was, so to make sure it was the right temperature, she had Koch drop a few bread crumbs into it. Seeing them rise up, Adelheid had Koch gently drop the breaded cutlet into the oil. From there, it was easy, cooking it for about one to two minutes on each side until it was golden brown.

The breaded pork cutlet was brought out with tongs and laid atop a hastily-built wire rack to cool. The still-hot meat still sizzled and popped from the residual heat.

Matilda "oohed" and "awed" at the finished product. Her body was restless as she observed it from every angle, her gestures all saying that she wanted to eat the unknown dish without waiting. Adelheid considered letting the flaxen-haired maid eat it and burn her tongue to teach her a lesson but thought better of it.

After two minutes, Koch sliced the breaded pork cutlet into two-centimeler pieces. Just as Matilda reached out with her pork to take a piece, Adelheid stopped her. "Mister Koch, prepare some lemon slices as well."

"Lemon?" Koch said, confused. "Your Highness, you don't need to worry about cleaning now. The servants will take care of it."

"Cleaning?" Adelheid asked.

As the seven soon learned, lemon wasn't seen as an edible fruit in the eyes of many. The yellow fruit's flavor was too sour, making it difficult to swallow. Only commoners left with no choice would willingly consume the acidic fruit. Instead, it was used as a cleaning agent because of the same acidic properties.

"Just do it," Adelheid said.

Koch did so. Despite his misgivings, he wasn't about to disobey an imperial princess over a slice of lemon.

With a plate of sliced lemon brought out, Adelheid used her fingers to squeeze the lemon juice atop the breaded pork cutlet, much to the shock of her two maids. Sofia quickly brought out a handkerchief and wiped off the splattered lemon juice on Adelheid's hand.

Matilda, on the other hand, screamed in shock at the princess's actions. As a glutton, Matilda tried everything, and she had bitten a whole lemon as a child. To this day, she still refused to even touch any sort of citrus.

"It's fine," Adelheid said as she waved Sofia's hand away. Without waiting, she used a fork to bring a piece of cutlet onto the plate Koch had prepared for her. "What are you waiting for? Everyone try some."

Without waiting for anyone else and against Sofia's aghast expression, Adelheid took a bite and smiled. The smile was especially dazzling considering how little Adelheid changed her expression and made everyone dazed for a second.

Seeing Adelheid enjoy the meat with lemon juices atop, the remaining three people looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Having been served the finest of dishes, anything she liked should be heavenly, right? Finally, Koch gathered his courage, ate a piece, and was left stunned.

The slice of breaded pork cutlet wasn't ruined by the sourness at all. When Koch first bit in the cutlet, he first experienced the outer coating of the breadcrumbs, crisp and crunchy. Next was the soft and juicy meat. Although it was slightly overcooked, the coating made sure that the juices didn't leak out much. Coupled with salt and pepper, it was positively divine.

The dish was simple and easy to make compared to the other complicated dishes the kitchen made, but despite that, it was as delicious as the other dishes that used far more ingredients and took more time. It only needed a bit of extra care, such as herbs and spices, and the taste would improve even more!

Koch took a few more bites and finally realized what the lemon was used for. The slight sour acidity complemented the heavy taste and oily texture of the breaded pork cutlet perfectly, making it easier to eat. Koch reached for another piece.

Seeing Koch eating with such gusto, Sofia and Matilda shared a look. To Adelheid's surprise, Sofia grabbed a piece before Matilda the Glutton.

Sofia took a bite and then chewed. Suddenly, she took another bite and another. Like a starving wolf, the black-haired maid devoured her piece of cutlet in less than five seconds before immediately reaching for another piece.

Matilda finally couldn't wait any longer upon seeing how the usually stern Sofia was giving rave reviews. Of course, Sofia didn't say anything, but the expression on her face was enough. With only one piece left, Matilda infused aura into her arm and snatched it.

Still looking at it warily, Matilda hesitantly sniffed it and smelled the faint scent of lemon. Biting the bullet, Matilda scrunched her eyes and took a large bite out of the breaded pork cutlet. Her eyes opened in amazement.

Matilda devoured it even faster than Sofia and immediately reached for another piece. Only to realize that in her excitement, she forgot that she had taken the last one. The flaxen-haired maid turned towards Koch with a pitiful look.

Koch, in turn, turned towards Adelheid as if asking for permission. Adelheid nodded. She had initially planned to make mayonnaise or some other easily made sauce such as marinara but, seeing the eager looks, gave the apprentice chef permission to cook more. Not that she minded if he went ahead without it.

Full of enthusiasm, Koch breaded all the prepared slices of pork tenderloin at once. Once they were breaded, he began to cook several at a time. Not long after, there were several plates of steaming breaded pork cutlet with slices of lemon on the side.

"Oof, I can't eat another bite," Matilda said as her body was absorbed into the plush chair as she rubbed her belly. Sofia didn't comment on Matilda's breach of conduct as she, too, was lazily lying on a chair. She had also overeaten to the point that she felt like throwing up.

Adelheid watched all this while trying to suppress the twitch on her face. The two of them had gorged on the breaded pork cutlet to the point of bursting, and after the three returned to the princess's room, they all laid down to digest the food. Not that she had much right to criticize the maids, Adelheid also ate enough to the point of bursting, but her schooled expression revealed nothing.

Seriously, the two maids acted as if they'd been starved by her.

Shaking her head, Adelheid walked towards the window and gazed outside. She had pretty much explored the whole palace except for a few places, such as the forbidden seventh floor, but she had been forbidden from leaving the palace.

Adelheid wondered what the streets of Midgard were like. Adelheid's eyes sharpened. Right now, her daily life was controlled by her father, and even when she wanted to learn magic, she had to get his permission first.

Adelheid began to fiddle with the brooch around her neck. A giant red stone was inlaid atop the ornament and exuded a soft red light. According to her father, the brooch was a magic item used to drain excess mana. If she did not wear it, then the excess mana in her body would gradually destroy her body.

In fact, when Adelheid was asleep for three years, a magic circle had been inscribed under her bed for that very purpose. Just thinking about the possible dangers made Adelheid's heartbeat quicken. Although left unsaid, Adelheid could read between the lines. If not controlled properly, her mana could literally kill her. It was also another reason why she wanted to learn magic.

Her hand clenched over the brooch.