Translator: Nox

Chapter 9

9. Royal Kitchen (2)

“You mean I can taste them one by one and decide which one I like? That sounds fun.”

Yeonsangun moved towards the ten Yugi dishes placed on one side of the Royal Kitchen.

Each dish held a newly completed Royal Cuisine.

“It seems all these dishes were made by the girls brought here this time.”

“Ehehe, I knew His Majesty would like it, so I made sure to prepare it with extra care.”

Nok-su snorted and clung tightly to Yeonsangun’s side.

Her coquettish appearance made it impossible to imagine the cruel face she had worn just moments before.

Yeonsangun first reached for the first dish, picked up the food, and tossed it whole into his mouth.

What was visible in that action was not the dignity of a King, but the innocence of a boy craving sweets.

“Hoo, a delicacy, a delicacy.”

The absolute ruler smacked his lips as he tasted each dish on the small table.

“Oho, this one is delicious too.”

“Hmm, this one is quite good as well…”

With the King tasting the food one by one before their eyes, the women gathered in the Royal Kitchen trembled like aspen trees, unable to even lift their heads.

The only person not trembling in that place was Ji-young.

For Ji-young, curiosity outweighed fear at the moment.

‘The person in front of me right now… is Yeonsangun, Joseon’s worst tyrant and Joseon’s greatest gourmet.’

However, she didn’t dare to stare openly, so she subtly rolled her eyes to steal glances.

The silhouette of a man wearing a red Dragon Robe.

She couldn’t see his features in detail, but his pale skin and tall height were striking.

At that moment.

“Ooh! This, this is… a completely new taste!”

His Majesty suddenly shouted and picked up one of the Yugi bowls.

On it was the dish Ji-young had finished making a little while ago.

Crispy fried chicken coated in glutinous rice flour batter, topped with mayonnaise, her secret weapon.

[Glutinous Rice Fried Chicken with Mayonnaise Sauce]

According to the typical Joseon Dynasty cooking methods, oil was used at most for making pancakes, that is, at the level of ‘pan fry’.

There was a dish called ‘Pogyee’ that was similar to chicken, but it was still just a pan-fried dish where chicken was grilled on an oiled griddle.

So, even the King would not have tasted ‘deep-fried’ food, where the ingredients are completely submerged in a pot of hot oil.

Moreover, this was not just any fried food, but fried chicken coated in glutinous rice batter and deep-fried in hot canola oil.

It would be stranger if someone didn’t react to fried chicken, which even modern people go crazy for, when experiencing it for the first time.

As Yeonsangun bit into the crispy chicken drumstick, the sound of ‘crisp’ echoed thrillingly throughout the Royal Kitchen.

“Keuheueung… this texture… this flavor… this savory taste…”

Yeonsangun made a moaning sound as if he was in ecstasy.

“Oh my, Your Majesty~ Please take your time and try the other dishes as well.”

Nok-su, quick to notice, knew who had made the dish.

That was why she was subtly pulling on his sleeve, trying to divert Yeonsangun’s attention.

However, His Majesty was lost in the taste of the chicken Ji-young had made for a long time.

“This, this is a completely new taste from the root. Is this not a delicacy of the world?”

The savory flavor of the mayonnaise sauce was added to the crispy fried chicken.

It was a cultural shock to Yeonsangun, who was used to only bland and simple Royal Cuisine.

Im Soong-jae’s face was filled with a triumphant smile as he noticed the sign.

“Indeed, Your Majesty’s discerning eye sees even the jade in the mud. To immediately recognize the dish of the child I deliberately brought to present to Your Majesty.”

“So, you are saying you were testing me just now?”

Even at His Majesty’s question, Soong-jae skillfully deflected with a smile on his face.

“How can it be called a test when I knew the result would be like this? Please consider it a gesture of loyalty to give Your Majesty a small pleasure.”

“Indeed, you are the Im Soong-jae of the world. There is no one who knows true pleasure as well as you do.”

“I am honored. Then, may I decide that the Royal Kitchen maid to be selected today will be the child who made this Royal Cuisine?”

“It must be so.”

Yeonsangun took another bite of the chicken drumstick with a satisfied expression.

The face His Majesty made when he was in the best mood.

Nok-su, who served His Majesty most closely, knew that expression well.

Even she didn’t see that face often.

As that thought occurred to her, something deep inside Nok-su felt twisted.

“By the way, where is the one who presented this strange dish? I want to see her.”

His Majesty slowly approached the women kneeling in one corner of the Royal Kitchen.

“Who is it, the one who presented this dish?”

At His Majesty’s words, just as Ji-young, who had been hesitating for a while, was about to answer,

“Oh my, Your Majesty~”

It was Suk-yong Jang Nok-su, who had been watching from the side, who suddenly grabbed Yeonsangun’s arm.

Her heart couldn’t be at ease after watching the situation from the beginning.

Im Soong-jae, and the unknown girl he brought, were not only breaking the plan she had painstakingly laid out, but also shaking His Majesty’s heart.

‘…I can’t let that happen.’

His Majesty’s interest must not fall any further into this new game.

“You have stayed in this humble place for too long. This is not a suitable place for a King to reside, so let us slowly retire to the royal residence.”

“No, it’s fun, why would you say that?”

“Oh, Your Majesty… You must maintain your dignity.”

As Nok-su coquettishly spoke with a nasal voice, Soong-jae also quietly added a word from the side.

“Please do as Suk-yong says. Instead, I will prepare tonight’s Royal Cuisine Table only with the Royal Cuisine made by the child I brought. You must prepare busily from now on to make it in time, so please retire to the royal residence and look forward to the delicacies of the world.”

“Hoo, that’s a good idea. As expected, you have the talent to see through my heart.”

“I am honored.”

“Your Majesty, come quickly~”

As she pulled Yeonsangun’s arm and left the Royal Kitchen, Nok-su glared at Soong-jae with sharp eyes.

He couldn’t fail to grasp the meaning of the threat contained within.

But that gaze didn’t feel as stinging as before.

Because Nok-su’s eyes, which were always as cold and thorough as ice, were showing anxiety for the first time.

‘This must be proof that I have found a clue to move His Majesty’s heart.’

As the King disappeared from sight, Soong-jae suddenly approached Ji-young from the group of women kneeling behind.

Wavy brown hair. It wasn’t difficult to find her.

Soong-jae grabbed her arm roughly and entered the inner Royal Cuisine Chamber, into an empty food storage room.

After checking that there were no prying eyes around, Soong-jae grabbed Ji-young’s chin and lifted her head.

“Hehehe, this is really amazing. I didn’t expect it…”

Soong-jae’s narrow eyes began to shine strangely.

“…It seems I have indeed picked up an unexpected treasure.”

Ji-young felt unpleasant and shook her head away, shaking off his hand.

She hadn’t heard his name properly in the chaotic atmosphere of the Gyeonggi Gamyeong.

But now she seemed to know for sure.

To Ji-young, who had been close to history books thanks to her father, the name Im Soong-jae was not unfamiliar.

Even if she didn’t know in great detail, she knew that he was the infamous villain and sycophant who picked women from commoner families and offered them to Yeonsangun.

No, it wasn’t just knowing.

Wasn’t Ji-young herself in the position of being dragged here like that?

“Your name is… Ji-young, was it?”

“……”

“If I hadn’t brought His Majesty all the way here, you would have been killed by Jang Suk-yong. You know that, right?”

“……”

It wasn’t that Ji-young hadn’t noticed.

When she met Jang Nok-su’s chilling gaze, she could feel it instinctively.

That these women gathered here under the guise of this ridiculous selection, and Ji-young herself, were being targeted for death.

“You may have gotten away with it today, but Suk-yong will surely continue to aim for your life.”

“……”

“Don’t you think you need someone on your side in this palace?”

“…So? What do you want to say? Don’t beat around the bush, just say it straight.”

Soong-jae was momentarily stunned by Ji-young’s sharp reply.

To dare to open her eyes and speak directly to a Senior Third Rank official when she had just entered the palace.

But this kind of temperament might be more suitable.

If he wanted to plant someone by His Majesty’s side.

“Why are you glaring at me like that? I’m just saying that I have a responsibility to protect you since I’m the one who brought you into the palace. So you must follow my words from now on.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever ask you to bring me into the palace?”

“What?”

“I didn’t come here because I wanted to. So why should I follow your words?”

“You’re saying interesting things. But the palace is a place where you can’t come in just because you want to, and you can’t leave just because you want to.”

“……”

“Me too, and you too. Maybe even His Majesty.”

Soong-jae, who was looking at Ji-young with a strange gaze, soon took a thin brush from his pocket and began to scribble something on a palm-sized piece of paper.

As the brush moved across the paper, it was filled with neat Chinese characters.

“These are the dishes that His Majesty likes. I’ve written down what I know, so learn them thoroughly and prepare them. I’ll make arrangements so you can use the Royal Kitchen as you please, so don’t worry about being watched.”

“…Why are you doing this?”

“What?”

“You’ve already captured women and offered them to the King, so your job is done. Why are you going this far?”

Ji-young doesn’t seem to trust Soong-jae at all.

Well, it would be stranger if she did trust him, since she was kidnapped.

Soong-jae had no choice but to reveal a little more of his inner thoughts.

“…Didn’t you see Jang Suk-yong? I was the one who brought that lowly thing who used to be a courtesan into the palace. Looking back now, it’s like I brought in a tiger cub.”

“You brought Jang Nok-su…?”

“Gyeonggi Governor Grandee Hong opposed Jang Suk-yong and earned her resentment. That’s why I, as the Red Envoy, tried to bring his granddaughter under the guise of entertaining guests.”

Gyeonggi Governor Grandee Hong was the father of Hong Eon-guk, who first discovered Ji-young after she fell into this era and had her taken to the Gamyeong.

The Im family visited that place, and as a result, Ji-young was selected instead of the Hong family’s daughter and is now in this place.

That was originally Nok-su’s scheme?

“So, you and your father did as Jang Nok-su told you to?”

“That means Suk-yong’s power has grown that much. Do you know how many things go back and forth between His Majesty and Suk-yong’s pillow?”

Soong-jae smiled bitterly and continued.

“In the end, His Majesty’s eyes and ears are covered by the wall called Jang Suk-yong. But there is a plan to approach His Majesty without being noticed by Suk-yong.”

“A plan to approach His Majesty…?”

“His Majesty is the world’s greatest gourmet who wakes up even in his sleep at the mention of delicacies. If you, Ji-young, serve His Majesty under the pretext of presenting the Royal Cuisine Table, wouldn’t you be able to convey everything you learn there to me? That way, I can help you too.”

He was talking in a complicated way, but Im Soong-jae’s words ultimately meant that he would use Ji-young as an informant.

“…Why should I follow your words?”

“Because you won’t survive here otherwise.”

Whether he knew that Ji-young’s mind was becoming increasingly confused or not, Soong-jae was shining his eyes like a snake.