raknovel Chapter 160
Chapter 160
Chapter 160. Love and the Culinary Revolution (4)
"The Golden Mermaid is doing a renewal?"
Rumours began to circulate once again through the Nortaris Social Circles.
The news that The Golden Mermaid — which had been the subject of no end of talk and trouble — would be reopening after a renewal.
However, given the succession of short, sharp incidents that had erupted, the Social Circles' eye on The Golden Mermaid was as exacting as could be.
"After all that chaos, a renewal? What a nerve."
"All gilded on the outside and nothing but hollow inside, they say."
"And what are they going to do about those memberships? People paid good money for them, and now they're worth a quarter of what they were. Are they going to compensate anyone?"
There was no way kind words could be going around.
At the height of their patronage, not only had the restaurant failed to be run properly, but it had come to light that guests had been sorted and served according to the size of their investment.
Those who had been treated as lesser were stung by it, and to the local notables of the North who had watched the whole shameful affair unfold, it had the look of something very undignified. That was precisely how they had ended up on the brink of ruin.
"Isn't this just a last-ditch struggle before the whole family gets sold off?"
"Even so, I did hear that Y&P Trading Company invested directly this time and handled the consulting themselves."
At those words let slip by someone, the expressions of the sneering nobles shifted in a strange way.
"What? Y&P?"
Depending on the noble, there were those who were not particularly fond of the upstart Y&P Trading Company. There were also those who kept their political distance, thanks to rumours that Co-Representative Penelope was at odds with Clarisse.
Yet there was one single fact that all of them had no choice but to acknowledge.
That in the domain of food, at least, Y&P Trading Company was the finest in the North.
Cola — the mysterious black drink of unknown origin that had once driven both nobles and commoners to madness. CCC's Seasoned Chicken, which had even received a Royal Warrant and now boasted numerous branches throughout the North. And just recently, had they not shaken up the North's food culture by establishing Royal Kitchen in fine style?
In Fine Dining, Y&P was an unquestionable guarantee.
"Hmm, if Y&P has put their hands to it, that does rather change things……."
"Frankly, getting a reservation at Royal Kitchen is like reaching for the stars, is it not? You have to wait a month just to get your hands on those Ribs."
"The original Golden Mermaid was at least excellent in atmosphere. If Y&P's touch has been added on top of that…… would that not guarantee the flavour?"
"Let's go as a wager, then. If it's a mess again, that's the moment we wash our hands of it — is that not so?"
"Indeed, and there's no sense leaving those memberships to gather dust in a cupboard."
And so, amid a curious mixture of apprehension and curiosity — and a strange, layered anticipation borne of trust in Y&P — the day of The Golden Mermaid's renewal opening arrived.
Magnificent Chandeliers and fragrant floral decorations. The melody of elegant classical music drifted through the air, yet beneath it all, a taut tension simmered.
"Welcome, we have been expecting you. So glad you could come. So glad you could come."
Marianne stood at the entrance, welcoming guests with a dazzling smile.
This was not her first experience of such a thing, and Marianne's hosting was flawless.
Etiquette, manners, and dignity befitting a host — every element was in its place.
But down her back, cold sweat was flowing freely.
The preparations had been thorough. And there was the confidence she had built watching every part of the process.
Brigitte and Jurgen's skill were the real thing, and under the wholehearted cooperation of Gabriel and the rest of the staff — every step had proceeded smoothly.
And yet……
Surely, when a person visits a restaurant, it is normal to arrive in anticipation of what dishes might be coming?
'Let's see what they've got, if Y&P has put their hand to it.'
'You've got it coming. If it's a mess again this time, I'll make absolutely sure you're buried.'
But the eyes of the guests visible at the entrance seemed to be expecting something entirely different.
Barely managing to hold her smile in the face of those piercing stares, Marianne received the guests through sheer effort. She slipped away to the back of the hall as if in flight, and exhaled.
"Huu…… did someone come here to actually kill someone…… this feels like a parliamentary hearing."
"Have no concern. It will go well."
"No, look at those eyes. Those are the faces of people trying to bury someone."
To begin with, Marianne's confidence had come from ignorance. After getting so badly burnt once, her hands and feet were trembling again.
"Then trust in us. Y&P Trading Company has not failed a single time."
"……Is that so?"
As Marianne gradually recovered her composure under Jurgen's reassuring steadiness —
"……."
There was Penelope, lurking behind a pillar and watching the scene with unsettling intent.
"Oh? Miss Penelope? What are you doing here?"
"Hieek?!"
Serena appeared without warning from behind, and Penelope gave a violent start. Serena, who had been at leisure of late, had been invited along to the Golden Mermaid's reopening as a guest.
"I nearly lost my heart! Make some noise when you walk!"
"Wh, why are you so startled? Like a cat that was caught stealing. And I'd been calling you for a while. You weren't answering……."
Penelope tried to play it off with studied composure. But her eyes kept drifting over to the two of them.
Unable to stop herself any longer, she grabbed Serena's sleeve and tugged.
"Hey, Serena."
"Yes?"
"That over there…… what do you make of it?"
"Wh, what do you mean?"
"Over there — Marianne and Jurgen."
The spot Penelope gestured toward with a tilt of her chin, maintaining the pretence of calm.
There, Marianne was hiding the corners of her mouth behind her fan and smiling shyly, while Jurgen spoke warmly to her before it, creating an altogether pleasant atmosphere.
Serena craned her head around beside Penelope and peeked at the two of them.
"Don't look so obvious!"
"All right, budge over a bit."
In truth, Serena had been treating Penelope's anxiety as an overreaction up until now. And not without reason — what of the time and bond Jurgen and Penelope had accumulated together?
Furthermore, unlike Aiden, Jurgen was hardly the sort of shallow individual who threw himself at anyone and everyone.
Aiden and Brigitte alone were staunch supporters of the Ju-Pe pairing.
But.
"Hmm. Quite a cosy scene."
Even to Serena's eyes, that tableau looked rather dangerous.
A capable hero rescuing a heroine who had fallen on hard times…… Was that not exactly the cliché opening of a romance novel?
"Right? I'm not being unreasonable?"
"What's more, looking more carefully……."
Serena stroked her chin and looked Penelope up and down.
"There's even an overlap in positioning……."
"Wh, what! What overlaps in positioning!"
"Well, Penelope, you have a certain vivacious charm, don't you? You say what you think, and you carry yourself with such hauteur. But Miss Marianne's character is rather similar as well."
"No it's not! She's just ill-mannered!"
So they do overlap.
"If, perchance, Lord Jurgen's preference happens to be for a spirited noble lady…… then Marianne would also fall within his strike zone — a terrifying possibili— mmmph!!!"
Penelope's hand reached out and stretched Serena's lips sideways.
"Be quiet. You're completely wrong. You're wrong!"
"Owww, that hurts."
Penelope let go of Serena with a huff. But the anxious look in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
Just then. The lights of the hall shifted to a soft glow, signalling that the banquet was about to begin.
The murmuring died down, and a sharp silence once again took hold of the hall. Now was the time to set aside personal feelings for a moment.
Y&P had invested no small sum for this day.
A parliamentary hearing, with dozens of nobles sharpening their claws. Onto that brutal judgement stand, the first plate prepared by Jurgen and Brigitte was now making its way out.
The decisive banquet had begun.
***
Whatever turmoil she felt was her own concern.
For now, she had a duty to her role as an investor.
Penelope scanned the hall with sharp eyes.
The nobles who had taken their seats were lifting their menus before they had even unfolded their napkins.
And the moment their gaze landed on the main dish section, the reactions she had anticipated erupted.
"Ribs, is it…… patching over the cracks?"
Baron Godfrey clicked his tongue and dropped the menu onto the table with a thud. The sound rang out with a peculiar loudness.
"The rumours were true, then. Supposedly the seafood supply was cut off — even Y&P couldn't find a sharper solution, it seems."
He was one of the victims of the previous tier-sorting incident. His reason for attending this evening was to sour the mood, as stubborn as a horned toad.
"Even so, if it's Royal Kitchen Ribs, isn't the flavour guaranteed?"
"That's true. Honestly, a Royal Kitchen reservation has been nearly impossible to come by lately — it's been a while since I've been able to eat there."
Baron Godfrey continued to rain on the parade undeterred.
"Setting the Ribs aside, look at the other items on the menu. Isn't it simply a fact that the quality has dropped sharply compared to last time?"
"Well, even so, we did come to eat — and there's nothing wrong with having meat too, is there?"
The Baron pointed out the main menu listed alongside the Ribs, pressing his finger pointedly against it.
"And the other main besides that is Duck of all things. Do they think they've brought us to a country farmhouse?"
Duck was an unfamiliar menu item for the Northern nobles as such. It was a dish enjoyed more in the South or in the Bellua Republic, and as such it rarely made an appearance at the table.
"To be sure, this does seem rather out of place."
"It appears Countess Blanchard really was strapped for money. Killing ducks because she couldn't afford to buy fish."
As Baron Godfrey held forth, the other nobles nodded along.
Just then. At Bernard's signal, the first plate was served.
Northern Red Prawn Bisque with Cod Mousse.
"Hmm, Red Prawns, is it……."
"They did at least use Northern seafood."
"Even if the price point has come down, one wonders if there has been too much compromise on ingredients……."
The guests, with all manner of doubts, wore stern expressions as they lifted the spoon to their mouths and — came to a dead stop.
"……?"
"What……?"
What spread through their mouths was not the fishy tang of the shell. An explosive savory taste, as though hundreds of prawns had been condensed whole. And following it, the clean, mild delicacy of the Cod Mousse wrapping around it all softly.
"This is…… Red Prawns? It's richer than Lobster!"
"Not a trace of that shell flavour — nothing but sweetness left. How on earth did they do this?"
"W, well, it's still just prawn soup at the end of the day, is it not?"
Even in the wake of the first plate overturning public opinion in defiance of Baron Godfrey's tirade — the courses continued.
"Surely this cannot be the same oyster I have always eaten?"
"This sauce…… it's sweet and tart and it bursts in the mouth……! And underneath it all, a taste of crab!"
And with each course, the applause and exclamations of praise kept bursting forth.
It was true that the ingredients in the renewed recipes were comparatively affordable. But there was no need for the flavour to be affordable as well.
The pièce de résistance from Jurgen and Brigitte held the delicacies to enchant the tongues of every noble gathered here.
And at last, the main dishes followed. Seasoned Ribs and Duck Confit.
"Ooh, the main dishes at last……."
"What perfect timing, isn't it? I had just been wanting something rich and meaty."
The nobles' eyes lit up with anticipation as they lifted their knives.
"I ordered the Confit for my main."
"So did I. The Ribs I've had at Royal Kitchen, after all……."
Here was where Brigitte's Duck Confit struck.
"What on earth is this? The skin is like a biscuit, and the flesh is like pudding!"
"Not a single trace of gamey smell, and this deep, rich savouriness — where does it even come from……!"
It was a shock. They had spent their entire lives knowing duck only as tough and malodorous. It was only natural that a Confit producing precisely the opposite, a sophisticated and refined flavour, would astonish them.
"Can this truly be duck?"
"This Wild Berry Sauce is absolutely extraordinary. It cuts right through the richness!"
"I cannot believe it. That duck could produce such a refined flavour!"
Gasps of amazement erupted here and there. Not merely an assessment of deliciousness, but astonishment at having tasted something at the very pinnacle of Fine Dining.
"These Ribs are different too! Here, with this sauce made from Welsh Onion and this oil with its rich, nutty flavour…… it feels like a completely new dish……!"
Even the Ribs, ordered without any particular expectation, were anything but ordinary.
"I, it's just…… a perfectly unremarkable dish. All this fuss……."
No matter how much Baron Godfrey grumbled with his wounded pride, there was no one left to lend him an ear.
The parliamentary hearing was over. The verdict: not guilty — or rather, highest praise.
It was the moment Y&P Trading Company was writing yet another chapter of success.