Part One, Section Three: “And Then, the Sisters Sprang Into Action”
Chapter Thirty
“Philia… Lady Philia… umm, Lady Philia!”
“…Lina? When did you get here?”
“Well, about thirty minutes ago… I guess?”
As I was meticulously reading through ancient texts, before I knew it, the sun had set… and Lina called out to me from behind.
It was a bad habit of mine. When I concentrate, I lose sight of my surroundings… Especially when I was reading for research. I had ended up losing track of time and even read straight through the night several times…
“I heard at tonight’s dinner Mr. Arnold from Lady Grace’s side and Mr. Leonardo will have a cooking battle.”
“A… cooking battle? What does that mean? A cooking duel?”
“Yes, sort of. It’s a competition to see whether Mr. Arnold or Mr. Leonardo can make the more delicious dish.”
I understood, but I was still a bit confused. What was the point of determining superiority in who could cook better…? Neither of them was a professional chef…
“It’s like a sideshow, or more like entertainment… Anyway, you seemed a bit down, so we thought of cheering you up and bringing some liveliness.”
“U-um… I see… So you enjoy things like that.”
Prompted by Lina, I headed to the dining table. There’s a pleasant aroma. A delightful scent that arouses the appetite… And standing side by side in their cooking attire with hats on were Leonardo and Arnold. Grace was already seated at the table.
“Arnold’s cooking skills are on par with the top chefs of Bolmern’s finest restaurants. I’m sorry for Mr. Leonardo, but it looks like the winner is evident.”
“Is that so? I believe Mr. Leonardo is quite skilled as well…”
Grace enthusiastically talked about Arnold’s culinary skills. It appeared she was enjoying this entertainment.
“Mr. Leonardo, would you like to start with my serve first?”
“Sure, please go ahead. Let me see what you have cooked up.”
It seemed we would start with a taste of Arnold’s dish first…
I wonder what kind of dish it is… This, um… I believe it’s…
“It’s a Bolmern-style marinated white liver. I was fortunate to come across this rare cut while shopping. I hope it suits your palate.”
So it was indeed white liver… It was part of the chicken liver with a particularly high fat content. I never tasted it myself, but I had read about it in books. I wonder how it tastes…
“Oh, it’s delicious. It has that characteristic liver flavor without any strong odor… and the tender, substantial texture adds a satisfying sensation to it. The seasoning is very elegant.”
“Impressive, Lady Philia. Your comments on the dish are always so well-organized. This deliciousness… it looks like Arnold is the winner.”
Grace proudly declared Arnold’s victory. Indeed, his cooking skills were undoubtedly on a professional level. His dish was on par with the menus served at the royal palace parties…
“Lady Grace, I suggest you wait until you see Mr. Leonardo’s dish before being so confident in Mr. Arnold’s victory.”
Leonardo, looking more spirited than ever, brought out a dish before us.
“I’ve prepared mi-cuit salmon caught off the coast of Parnacota, accompanied by a rillettes. Now, please enjoy!”
“Mi-cuit” was a term for a dish that was cooked medium rare and required delicate heat control, if I remember right. And “rillettes” was a dish that had been blended into a paste-like texture, resembling pâté. So he skillfully combined these two dishes…?
“The unique texture of this mi-cuit can only be enjoyed because it is cooked just right. And the rillettes further enhances the salmon’s deliciousness, elevating the dish’s flavor to a higher level.”
“My, Mr. Leonardo is also… quite skillful.”
Having tasted Leonardo’s skillfully prepared dish, Grace relaxed her expression and praised him with words of admiration.
But now I’m in trouble. Lina asks me to judge which of their dishes is better… I have no experience with things like this, so I don’t know how to decide…
“Lady Philia… Umm, excuse me, Lady Philia?”
“…Yes. I-I’m sorry. Which one is more delicious, well… I still can’t decide…”
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t determine if Arnold’s or Leonardo’s dish would win. I was at a complete loss… This might be the first time I have encountered such a challenging task. I wish I could see a model answer.
“Well, in that case, wouldn’t a tie be acceptable? If it were up to me, that’s what I would suggest.”
“A tie? But isn’t a competition imply determining a winner and loser?”
“Of course, in formal competitions that’s true, but this is just for fun. The main goal is for you to enjoy yourself, Lady Philia. Sometimes there is merit in ambiguity as well, you know.”
Merit in ambiguity? I’d never considered that before.
When tackling a problem, I always strive to find the right answer. Because I believed that was good…
Grace’s opinion that there were issues where it was okay not to reach an answer felt very novel to me. Some questions did not have an absolutely correct answer… I hadn’t realized such an obvious thing…
After Arnold and Leonardo’s cooking competition ended in a tie, we finished our meal and enjoyed the tea brewed by Lina.
“By the way, do you ever cook, Lady Philia?”
Grace asked about my cooking skills.
M-my cooking…? Th-that’s…
“O-Oh, it’s embarrassing, but… w-well, when it comes to cooking… for some reason, I always fail. I usually end up with charred masses…”
I was not good at cooking. Even when I follow a recipe, the result often ends up with a completely unexpected taste.
“I-It’s surprising. I always thought you were capable of anything…”
“But, in a way, it’s comforting, isn’t it? The fact that Lady Philia isn’t perfect makes her more approachable, I suppose…”
For some reason, Grace and Lina seemed strangely delighted as they listened to my story about being bad at cooking.
Thus refreshed, I returned to my research on ancient texts… and finally, I made a discovery. The way to save Girtonia… to help Mia… I was not sure if it was feasible, but… I found a glimmer of hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment