At this moment, I was the only one who wanted to ignore her.

“Hello. I am the youngest in this house. My name is……”

“Quiet. His Highness is speaking.”

The Count tried to stop her, but my sister paid no attention.

“I’m sorry, but I also want to introduce myself. My name is Lou. My sister is an excellent cook. Even better than the chef.”

Why drag me into his introduction? She didn’t seem to realize how awkward this would make things for me.

Of course, Lou’s words were true. My cooking skills were outstanding.

Above all, I excelled at this.

Extracting the finest flavors from humble ingredients. Creating saffron-like effects from dried fruits, and the ability to prepare formal dinner courses using only wild herbs.

I created gourmet cuisine in the barren annex.

Bean-based stir-fries that tasted like meat, and mushroom soups with crab-like flavor. Whenever Lou encountered such dishes, she couldn’t close her mouth in amazement.

In Lou’s world, I was a god, and my cooking often became divine grace……

There’s no need to show off in a place like this. My cooking skills are sufficient just to help our family eat well and live comfortably.

“Your sister cooks well? Even better than the chef?”

“Yes. My sister is much better. So please give her a chance, Your Highness.”

“What kind of chance?”

“A chance for a cooking competition between the chef and my sister.”

“A cooking competition?”

“Yes. My sister can compete right now. She’s a prepared talent.”

The Crown Prince’s gaze, which had reluctantly turned away, now fixed on me again. The way he tilted his head and stared only at me seemed to prove his eyes were perfectly normal.

“I apologize, Your Highness. That child is the Viscount’s daughter and hasn’t properly learned etiquette.”

“We brought such a lowly child to this solemn occasion. Please grant us your mercy for our oversight.”

The Count and Countess begged pitifully. Though I felt bad about them disparaging my sister, their attempt to defuse the cooking competition was commendable.

But then.

“No, there’s no need to apologize. This could be fun.”

In an instant, the Crown Prince’s previously genial eyes transformed into those of a mischievous child.

“Isn’t Ruargo the kingdom’s premier culinary family? A cooking competition held in the premier location. It’s been a while. Something this exciting and anticipated. What do you think, Count? Would you like to hold a competition? It won’t be interesting unless something is at stake, so I’ll grant a wish to the winner.”

The Crown Prince’s question seemed directed at the Count, but his gaze remained fixed on me.

It appeared casual on the surface, but in reality, it felt like he was pleading.

“What do you think?”

The Crown Prince’s unwavering gaze made me tense. The pressure was so intense that I couldn’t feel the pain even as I bit down hard on my lower lip.

Then, an unexpected comment from the Crown Prince.

“You keep doing that. Why are you biting your lip so hard? ……It hurts.”

Soon, the Crown Prince’s lips twisted strangely. He smiled as if trying to soothe me.

Following that, he shrugged his shoulders toward me.

Somehow, it felt like a signal I needed to follow.

So my shoulders kept rising upward.

……Upward?

Wait! No!

In the end, my shoulders unconsciously rose as well. It was a gesture that could be misinterpreted as accepting the Crown Prince’s proposal.

People who knew me began to snicker. The Count, Countess, Eloise. Along with sidelong glances of mockery from the butler and servants.

How dare I make such dreamlike boasts before the Crown Prince.

But what they didn’t know was that the past me and the current me were different people.

My soul came from Korea, and I was a chef who had learned cooking from a quite renowned local figure.

The Kim family. A prestigious culinary family that had produced royal court chefs for generations. A culinary pride that created superior food than any other traditional family.

I was a promising chef from such a culinary family that was practically a cultural treasure.

I grew up living next door to this prestigious family, cherished by their grandmother, and graduated top of my class from culinary school.

To others, I merely appeared to be a young head of household living alone with my younger sibling.

My reincarnation into this world happened in an instant.

It was the day an excited news anchor on the radio was reporting movie-like news. Once every three hundred years, they said. A comet passing so close to Earth.

The problem was that the comet shattered upon meeting the atmosphere. Meteorite fragments were falling all over the Earth.

Then a flash.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a new world, in this body.

It seemed I had taken over this empty body while the family was hovering between life and death.

“Yes. We will participate in the competition.”

My sister sealed the deal after seeing my shoulder shrug. Of course, with gold coins and a wish at stake, my sister couldn’t resist.

“Then we will participate as well. This competition will be a battle for the honor of the Count’s family and the Viscount’s family.”

Following that, Eloise answered on behalf of the Count. My lovely cousin wouldn’t miss an opportunity to destroy me.

“However, before the competition, how about establishing a few rules? Competitions without order can create controversy.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea. What rules do we need?”

“First, only ingredients found in the Count’s residence storehouse can be used. Also, since it’s the Count’s storehouse, the Count’s chef will enter first to select ingredients.”

The Count’s storehouse is a place stocked with all kinds of ingredients, so what difference does it make who enters first? Why should this even be considered a rule?

“Second, only cooking utensils in the Count’s residence kitchen can be used. Again, since it’s the Count’s kitchen, the Count’s chef will select cooking utensils first.”

Does she not know the size of the Count’s kitchen? There are dozens of pots alone in the kitchen, so what’s the point of this unnecessary meddling?

“That’s fine. As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. We will select our ingredients and tools afterward.”

My sister quickly accepted. My old-soul-like sister seemed indifferent to everything, while Eloise, unsatisfied, began to propose a third rule.

“Then I’d like to request a final rule. Since Your Highness said you would reward the winner, how about giving a penalty to the loser?”

“A penalty? I hadn’t thought of going that far. I just wanted to have fun……”

“I’m not suggesting a severe penalty. A penalty that adds to the fun would be sufficient. For example, the loser must make saffron tea and present it to Your Highness.”

Saffron tea? An item that requires drying 500 flowers just to produce a fingernail’s worth, and that’s a fun penalty?

But again, I didn’t need to worry. My sister’s enthusiastic acceptance came at lightning speed.

“We accept the penalty as well. Now, please give us the challenge, Your Highness. What food would you like the two competitors to make?”

“A challenge……”

After a moment’s contemplation, the Crown Prince issued his challenge.

“The challenge for this cooking competition is a soup that is both ordinary and special.”

A soup that is both ordinary and special?

“I want you to make food for me. An ordinary dish good enough to eat for lunch every day, yet a special soup that can fill the brief, happy rest period given to me. That is my challenge.”

While watching the Crown Prince sparkle with joy, Eloise quietly added.

“Thank you, Your Highness. You’ve just given us a favorable challenge. I regularly enjoy a certain soup for lunch, which is precisely an ordinary yet special soup. I will prepare a dish with my heart that will satisfy you.”

Eloise sent a mysterious look to the Crown Prince, then signaled something to her maids.

The maids, understanding their mistress’s intention, disappeared somewhere.

***

The chef and I were given baskets when we came down to the first floor. We were told that we could only take as many ingredients as would fit in these baskets when entering the storehouse.

As promised, the chef entered the storehouse first and emerged with a full basket in a very short time.

He muttered to himself with obvious disdain.

“Why go to such lengths? As if I might actually lose?”

The chef, who had filled his basket with vegetables and bacon, glanced at me sideways. He seemed offended by the tricks given to him.

I felt anxious about the chef’s reaction. I had an ominous feeling that the inside of the storehouse would be different from usual.

……Sure enough.

The storehouse was barren. It seemed as if all the abundant ingredients had evaporated.

Eloise’s signal apparently meant to empty the storehouse, leaving only ingredients for the chef to use.

The maids had left only what they deemed unnecessary to remove.

The remaining ingredients were just grains and dried seeds—nothing but preserved foods.

***