As the sun began to set, casting an orange glow through the overcast clouds of Obsidianberry, smoke gradually began to rise from the chimneys of the harbor and city.
It was the smoke of dinner preparations.
Winter had been harsh on the sea, and the harbor of Obsidianberry, which had been quiet for a while, began to bustle with activity as the weather warmed and outsiders started to arrive. The harbor regained its lost vibrancy.
However, before things could fully kick into gear, a large group led by the Duke entered the city.
Some, who were not adequately prepared, were overwhelmed by the sudden influx of guests.
But no matter the era, there are always those who get the news first.
Conversely, there were those who used this information to draw in a large number of customers.
The luxury inns and taverns of Obsidianberry were prime examples.
Those who had gotten wind of the Duke’s visit in advance and prepared ahead of time competed fiercely to attract these distinguished guests to their establishments.
Bribery was a basic tool for a smooth plan.
Spreading false information, betrayal, backdoor deals with staff, headhunting, sabotage in rival areas, even food theft.
The victors achieved their goals.
The losers could only hope for better luck next time.
There were both big and small victories and defeats, but one undeniable winner emerged among them.
The Iceland Horizon, who bribed the city chairman faster than anyone else, successfully warded off other competitors and secured the Duke himself as their guest.
Securing the Duke didn’t mean that only the Duke would stay.
Along with the Duke came his two sons, as well as the personal attendants of the Duke and his sons.
All of them were equally important guests.
However, they could not neglect the treatment of other guests.
The staff of Obsidianberry put their utmost effort into hospitality.
While the loud voices of guests in the dining hall and rooms echoed through the walls of the inn, only the clattering of dishes could be heard in Catherine’s room.
Of course, it hadn’t been like this from the start.
Godwin, who had come with Catherine, brought a large grilled whole salmon and a basket filled with various breads, as if it were a gift for himself and William.
Mary received it, set the table, and as they each began to serve themselves food and fill their glasses with water, light conversation flowed.
But the mood reversed as soon as they tasted the bouillabaisse, as if a faucet had been shut off.
Victor thought it was only natural.
What kind of dish is bouillabaisse?
A dish whose quality varies greatly depending on the type and quality of ingredients.
It could be a meal for the fishermen of Vercingetor or part of a noble court’s feast.
But a bouillabaisse made with Treasure Crab?
Though he had smelled it, he never imagined an entire crab had been used.
Even Victor, who had more experience than the Duke in such matters, had never seen anything like this in his life, except perhaps at a noble’s party.
He had never imagined seeing something like this in a remote corner of the continent of Europa, even if it was near the sea.
“A whole crab? Karem, how on earth did you get this?”
“The fishmonger called me over in secret. Apparently, a noble had suddenly and unilaterally canceled their contract, leaving the merchant in a bind.”
“Ah, so that’s what happened.”
And with that, Victor understood.
William, who had been poking at the clams and fish submerged in the broth, turned his head.
“Victor, what’s the deal with that?”
“It was probably smuggled. It’s not uncommon for smuggling deals to fall through, but this is the first time I’ve seen Treasure Crab involved.”
“This is smuggled?”
“Of course, young master. If you took this to Vercingetor right now, even a commoner could live without financial worries for the rest of their life.”
Karem, who had been savoring the firm crab meat that held the essence of the sea without any fishy taste, suddenly looked up and asked.
“How expensive does it have to be for you to say ‘for the rest of their life’?”
“I haven’t checked in ten years, but back then, it traded for the same price as gold of the same weight in Servianus.”
An eye-popping price, to say the least.
But the one who had asked the question, William, just pouted.
“I don’t see what’s so great about this fishy stuff.”
“Didn’t you eat the cod too, young master?”
“This smells fishy too, I can’t eat it.”
“If it were during the time of the previous lord, when going hungry was the norm, you’d be in trouble.”
“But Grandpa isn’t here, he’s up there.”
Victor, determined to break William of his picky eating habits this time, scolded him.
“Lady Athanitas, you said going hungry was the norm?”
“It’s nothing. It hasn’t been long since Iceland as a whole became prosperous enough that people don’t go hungry. During bad harvests, even nobles had to eat black bread.”
The employer answered while eating a piece of bread dipped in the bouillabaisse broth that Mary offered.
Before the miracle of nitrogen fertilizers that create abundance from nothing.
Only a few decades ago, it was common for people to go hungry, and that was the case even on modern Earth, which had the technology to feed the world.
But this is a time that’s far removed from the modern era, practically the Middle Ages.
Iceland, in particular, felt the harshness of the land physically and had an environment that wasn’t at all suitable for abundant crop growth.
Unless it was one of the unique crops like Red Witch’s Fingers.
Come to think of it, wasn’t half of the wheat consumed here from Adobis?
So until trade or plunder was established, whether through imports or farming, people here must have suffered from hunger.
But on the way to Colden, I didn’t see any starving people or beggars. Things didn’t seem abundant, but they didn’t seem lacking either.
“That’s how important this contract is. The envoy could arrive as early as tomorrow, so they’re probably rehearsing as much as they can. Even the mayor of Obsidianberry could only have an audience with the lord after all the rehearsals were done.”
Catherine, who was chewing on a large bite of Treasure Crab claw meat, muttered as if it were obvious.
Obsidianberry, functioning as Colden’s outer harbor, was extremely valuable.
But it couldn’t compare to the renewal of a contract with a country that provided half of Iceland’s breadbasket.
To put it bluntly, even if this place disappeared, they could quickly relocate to another Icelandic port. But if there were a disruption in trade with Adobis, Iceland would immediately descend into chaos.
“Anyway, Prince William, are you saying you don’t like the bouillabaisse?”
“Yeah, the crab smell and fishy taste are too strong!”
“Then I’ll have to make something else.”
Of course, Karem wasn’t full yet.
But it wouldn’t do to sit idly by when the guest was dissatisfied.
Karem immediately began preparing the cold salmon that had been neglected while everyone was focused on the bouillabaisse.
At first, the others watched with curious expressions.
The salmon was already dry, yet he was only working with the firm back meat, not even the tender belly.
“I don’t really like salmon either because of the smell.”
“Don’t worry. There shouldn’t be any fishy smell.”
As everyone except one person stared at him as if to ask what he was going to make this time, Karem headed straight for the kitchen.
But Karem wasn’t planning on making anything grand.
The ingredients left in the kitchen were more than enough to make something a child would enjoy.
The only exception was that he needed eggs to make mayonnaise, so he asked a staff member waiting in the hallway to get them for him.
Karem shredded the salmon in the bowl with a fork and added mayonnaise.
He added chopped celery, onion, and pickles, then seasoned it with pickle juice, salt, and pepper.
After mixing it all thoroughly, it was done.
In other words, the salmon mayonnaise salad was complete.
Karem instantly understood why William was a picky eater.
Karem himself had avoided seafood at the same age in his previous life as Garam.
The reason was the same as William’s—because of the smell.
What some people love as the scent of the sea, the fishy smell.
Of course, Karem’s taste had changed as he got older, and he eventually enjoyed it, but even before that, the seafood dishes he could eat were tuna mayo and salmon mayo.
William eyed the completed salmon mayo with suspicion at first, but as soon as he took a bite, his eyes widened in surprise.
“There’s no fishy smell at all? It’s savory.”
“Of course.”
That’s why he used onion, pepper, and mayonnaise.
William had complained about the fishy smell, but since he wasn’t full yet, he immediately grabbed the bowl of salmon mayo and started eating it by the spoonful.
“William, I’m curious. Can’t I just have a little taste?”
“No way. You’ll say just one bite and then eat almost all of it.”
“Oh, come on. You’ve got to trust your family. Don’t be so suspicious.”
“You just want it because of the mayonnaise, right? No way!”
As Godwin, not hiding his greed at all, quarreled with William, who was trying to protect his food, Catherine ate the dish that Mary offered her.
It was bread topped with a bit of salmon belly.
“I wondered what he’d make with just the dry part of the salmon.”
“Well, the belly has a bit more of that fishy taste, after all.”
There are three main reasons why meat, whether good or bad, has a smell.
It’s either blood pooling, the part covering the guts, or the fatty parts that you can’t avoid.
That’s why he completely avoided the skin.
He only used the back meat, which was relatively low in fat, and mixed it with mayonnaise.
“It’s somewhat similar to making potions.”
“Potions? You mean alchemy?”
“Yes. Many animal and plant components dissolve in oil. I never thought you’d apply that to cooking.”
Of course, that made sense.
Oil is the source of all aroma and flavor in cooking.
Not knowing this, there was a bitter experience of skimming all the fat off a spicy beef soup, only to end up with a bland beef and radish soup instead.
The dinner, which had been briefly interrupted, resumed.
The bouillabaisse was a bit lacking compared to the number of people, but thanks to the remaining grilled salmon belly and the basket full of bread, everyone was able to fill their stomachs by the time only empty dishes, clam shells, and the Treasure Crab shell remained in the pot.
After seeing Godwin, William, and Victor off, Karem returned to find that Catherine had already slumped into a chair at the table, her eyes half-closed.
Thinking she might be dozing from a food coma, Karem noticed the parchment in her hand.
“A letter? Or work from Winterham?”
“Not that busy. I never thought the old man would be helpful. This is a schedule for when the Adobis envoy arrives.”
From the first paragraph, it was a mixture of praise for Alfred, the friendship between Adobis and Iceland, places the envoy would visit, the history of those places, and the schedule.
To be honest.
“It seems all over the place.”
“Hmm? Most documents are like this.”
“It must be hard to read.”
“That’s the nature of paperwork. It becomes familiar once you get used to it.”
Paperwork that others must read should always be clear.
But the schedule she had just read, while not technically a document, was full of subjective, unnecessary information, with the only objective part being the schedule itself. It was hard to understand that this was normal.
Catherine, however, took it differently and lightly tapped the head of her personal chef with the rolled-up parchment.
“If you’re sleepy, go to bed.”
“I guess I should.”
“Yeah. You’ve done well.”
Since he was indeed tired, Karem washed up lightly in his room, which was set up in one corner of the lodging, and went straight to bed.
A chef’s morning had to start earlier than others.
Considering the rehearsals for welcoming the Adobis envoy that would follow, Catherine’s advice was spot-on, so Karem closed his eyes immediately.
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