Chapter 80
Even after the Northern Grand Duke's meal was over, I kept working to improve the Flame Course.
Of course, the Northern Grand Duke had reacted well and was satisfied, saying it was worth the price. But if I wasn't satisfied, it wasn't over yet.
But high society had no interest in my shortcomings.
“Congratulations, Baronet Kyle.”
Count Kleber said that as soon as he entered Maison Monbel.
The moment I saw him, I had an ominous feeling.
“I'm not officially a baronet yet. Anyway, what is it this time?”
“The Northern Grand Duke lavished praise on the Flame Course at a social gathering in the capital.”
My hand stopped.
“The Northern Grand Duke attended a social gathering?”
“That is the bigger event. He rarely even comes down from the North, yet he attended a social gathering in the capital, where he spoke at some length about Maison Monbel's new course.”
Count Kleber looked extremely pleased.
“When he praises something like that, the ripple effect is huge. The Northern Grand Duke isn't someone who easily speaks up in high society. Since someone like that personally said it was good, everyone will be curious now.”
“It's still in the trial phase.”
“That's even better.”
“Why is that?”
“It's good to eat something finished, but something unfinished, tasted first by select people, can be sold for more.”
This man really was wickedly clever.
Count Kleber laughed as if nothing were wrong.
“So I want to try it too.”
“You can make a reservation. We've been taking more tables per seating lately, so shouldn't reservations be easier to get?”
“Even so, it isn't easy. I'll be checking out the Flame Course in my capacity as an investor.”
“You'd still have to make a reservation.”
“Couldn't I ask for priority booking? Consider how devoted I've been to Maison Monbel's business expansion.”
“Rather than devotion, didn't you smell profit and jump in?”
“That's a businessperson's devotion.”
It was irritating because it sounded both wrong and right.
Elysia was flipping through a ledger beside us.
Kleber began whining again.
“They say Count Rosenhart gets a private table opened up once a month.”
“That was possible because it was included in his contract from the beginning. You bought in at the bottom.”
For the record, Count Rosenhart holds a meeting here once a month, without fail, to entertain distinguished guests.
Elysia, who had been listening quietly, spoke with a slightly exasperated look.
“The Flame Course will only be offered on a limited basis for the time being. Kyle has to be there himself, so I don't think we should accept too many reservations.”
“Are you raising the price too?”
“Yes. By a lot.”
“I expected as much.”
Elysia answered matter-of-factly.
“We'll also call it a trial offering. But it would be good to phrase it as something like ‘The Flame Course is still evolving.’ Rather than giving the impression that it's lacking, make it feel like it can be different every time.”
Count Kleber clapped.
“Excellent. Just what I'd expect from a future countess.”
Elysia accepted the compliment with perfect composure.
Just then, Count Kleber changed the subject.
“And the cooking competition we were preparing is almost taking shape.”
Only then did I look at him properly.
“Already?”
“What do you mean, already? We've been preparing for quite some time. In the meantime, the Maison Monbel consulting videos have been circulating, and tension has been building among provincial restaurants. The time has come.”
“How many have you gathered?”
Count Kleber answered as if he'd been waiting for the question.
“One hundred.”
The kitchen fell silent for a moment.
Marie's eyes widened.
“One hundred chefs?”
“Yes. Of course, they aren't all chefs with spectacular careers. They include people who work in aristocratic-house kitchens, inn cooks, masters of regional cuisine, street bakers known for their bread, discharged army cooks, and even people who used to handle ingredients at slaughterhouses and markets but know how to cook.”
I found myself taking this more seriously than I'd expected.
The lineup was good.
Cooking doesn't belong only in noble households' kitchens.
If anything, the roots of flavor are more often found in markets, inns, farmhouses, military camps, and on the streets.
They simply hadn't had a chance to be organized and presented.
“What's the format?”
“First, in the preliminaries, I plan to give them a limited selection of ingredients and have them make a dish. After that, we can narrow the field through categories like regional ingredients, noble-house banquets, popular restaurant menus, and improvisational challenges. Of course, we'll need Baronet Kyle's opinion on the details.”
“I'm not a baronet yet.”
“Won't you be soon?”
Why did everyone keep treating me like a noble?
After thinking for a moment, I said,
“One judge won't be enough.”
Count Kleber nodded immediately.
“I agree. Of course, Baronet Kyle's name alone would be enough to draw attention, but multiple perspectives are necessary for the authority and fairness of the judging.”
“Would it be all right to invite Chef Olgren?”
Elysia raised her head slightly.
“That man from last time? Is there a reason you want to invite him?”
“His style differs from mine. I'll look more at new formats and combinations of ingredients, while Chef Olgren will examine classical cooking and fundamentals more sharply.”
Count Kleber's face grew interested.
“Good idea. A former rival joining as a fellow judge. It makes for a good picture too.”
“I'm not inviting him for the image.”
“The image matters too.”
I wanted to deny it, but this man was always half right.
“Then, in exchange for arranging a spot for me, perhaps we could make the competition's proceeds more favorable to Montbel-”
Elysia's eyes lit up at once.
“Would you care to propose your terms, Your Excellency?”
I left them to their business discussion and contacted Olgren that very day.
The answer came sooner than expected.
He said he'd come in two days.
Count Kleber took his leave too, saying he'd return in two days.
Two days later, Olgren came to Maison Monbel in person.
His face looked a little brighter than before.
Running his own restaurant had left him looking tired, but he no longer looked like a chef living in someone else's shadow as he had before.
“Being asked to judge a cooking competition is an interesting proposal.”
He thought for a moment after hearing my explanation.
“However, Chef Kyle and I alone may not be enough.”
“I agree. Do you happen to know anyone you'd recommend?”
Olgren didn't hesitate.
“There is someone. He was once the imperial head chef.”
The atmosphere in the kitchen shifted.
The title of imperial head chef carried weight.
Olgren continued with a slightly cautious expression.
“The chef is Albert Lanang, and he's retired now, living quietly on the outskirts of the capital. He was also the one who taught me the basics when I was young. He's like a mentor to me. He's strict and not exactly gentle with his words, but no one is more precise about the fundamentals of cooking and imperial court etiquette.”
“Would someone like that come out for this?”
“I don't know. To be honest, he's a little frightening to meet again. I learned under him while taking quite a beating in my younger days.”
Olgren was honest.
“But if it's about food, he might be willing to come. Especially if you're gathering one hundred chefs and letting them compete properly, he may take an interest. You must be careful, though.”
“About what?”
“He hates the exaggerated decorations and all-talk cooking popular these days. If he sees Chef Kyle's cooking for the first time, he may start by cursing you out.”
Marie said softly,
“Then you'll get along with Kyle.”
“Why?”
“You don't like all-talk cooking either.”
That was true.
Still, a retired imperial head chef who might start by cursing me out sounded a little exhausting.
Count Kleber already looked like he was drafting promotional copy in his head.
“Maison Monbel's Kyle Prat, Olgren, and former imperial head chef Albert Lanang. Excellent. Three judges from different generations and culinary traditions.”
“He hasn't even agreed yet.”
“Then get him to agree.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Baronet Kyle and Chef Olgren will handle the difficult parts.”
This man was truly consistent.
Olgren nodded.
“I'll contact him. But if my mentor comes, the judging will be quite severe.”
“That's good.”
I answered immediately.
“If one hundred chefs are gathering, we can't just hand out polite compliments. We need to see who is truly a chef.”
Olgren's gaze changed slightly.
“I like the sound of that.”
Elysia quietly set down her tea.
“Then let's prepare the competition in earnest. Count Kleber, please organize the venue, audience flow, and recording arrangements. Kyle, draft the judging criteria and challenges, and Chef Olgren, please contact former Head Chef Lanang.”
She paused briefly, then added,
“And this is an event held under Maison Monbel's name. It mustn't turn into a ridiculous spectacle.”
Kleber placed a hand on his chest.
“I'll make it a dignified spectacle.”
That was even more frightening.
I sighed.
The Flame Course had only just begun spreading by word of mouth; I still had an imperial palace banquet to prepare, the matter of my title remained unresolved, and I hadn't even begun dealing with the issues involving Marie and Elysia.
And in the middle of all that, a survival competition for one hundred chefs.
Having dealt with the bastards at a TV station in my previous life, I knew instinctively.
This was hell.
But at the same time, I was a little excited.
One hundred chefs.
What strange, rough, and dazzling dishes would emerge from all those individual knives and flames?