My Lady Chef novel Chapter 101

Ely's POV:

A month later......

Maybe I should lay low for a while.

It has been a month since I returned home with my husband.

He left Sir Oswald in charge of dispersing the army and escorted me home.

He had no time to relax though, reports needed to be made to the king, land grants from my husband's senior knights have to be drafted and given to the Royal Secretariat Office along with visiting the King to relay personal reports so he spends most of his time at the Palace.

And I was also kept busy since I received letters from Chef Neo about the new menu additions for the cafe, another proposal from various nobles who wanted to invest in my next business and there are also the plans to expand and open another cafe.

It seems like the appeal of Cafe Terra being open to everyone was going strong. It was the only place where nobles and middle classes can mingle and enjoy good food at affordable prices.

As I sat reading the numerous reports from Pierce and Hubert. I guess it is time to consider opening another food place but I wanted to earn the capital myself.

I was at my study inside the culinary house deep in thoughts when I heard someone knock on the door.

"Enter."

"Milady, there is an unexpected visitor to see you. They are waiting at the main house." Beatrice, one of my culinary housemaids came in and looked nervous.

Linda and I exchanged glances. Something is not right. No one usually pays a visit without informing me in advance.

So it is not a lady or a noble.

Could it be from the Palace?

"Give me their calling card, Beatrice."

The maid handed me a gold foiled card. and bowed while inching away as I looked down.

"Johanne Smythe, Representative of the Kalderosian Culinary Institute for Higher Learning." I read the name.

Raime's alma mater?

What do they want with me?

"Milady, It is rude for a mere representative to come into the ducal state without a visitation letter." Linda frowned.

"I know. Beatrice, please relay that I am not receiving guests without an approved visitation letter and have the knights see them out."

The girl nodded and left as I laid the card on the table as I finished replying to letters before I went down to run some food trials in the second kitchen.

A kitchen exclusively designed for running food trials on dishes I want to create. Ever since the boxes of exotic spices and preserved pots of miso, oils, lye water and other dried ingredient arrived courtesy of Prince Ryu. I have been immersed in recreating my favorite Asian style dishes from my old world.

I mean pastas, steaks and cakes are nice and good but I do miss eating wontons, ramen and even an occasional banh mi sandwich.

They were even seeds that I could use for food or for growing new plants to cultivate.

So far, I have successfully made several dumplings and made noodles that was made using lye water and even made tofu from soybeans.

"So what are we making today, milady?" The excited sparkle in Linda's eyes made me smile.

"Spicy Fried Noodles with Vegetables," I answered as I went to the changing room to put on my cooking gown and apron. "With some pan-fried moon mushroom dumplings."

Linda and I soon got into the groove as she helped prepare the ingredients. I have been very impressed with her because she has truly taken an avid interest in the art of cooking and has been a reliable assistant.

I also noticed that whenever I talk about Chef Neo, my hand maid's face would light up and a rosy blush would grace her cheeks.

And as for my protege, the last time. we came to check the cafe; he nearly tipped over the cake he was supposed to pack when he was sneaking glances at Linda.

Hmmm...I smell love in the air.

I took the wok, a heavy, deep-set pan frequently used in the Exotic Lands. Prince Ryu gifted it to me after I gave him the recipe for the bao buns he loved so much so that his own chef can make them.

He even gave me a few more cooking tools like a knife set, pots, pans, and different steamer baskets.

I was over the moon and they help me retain the heat I need to make Asian style dishes.

Using Igneus and Undine all the time to help control the heat and cold can get rather exhausting and I did not want to become independent on them although they are a great help in speeding certain processes in cooking.

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That night, a visitation letter came to me. This time the representative from the KCIHL has followed protocol.

Usually, visitation letters are enchanted with magic from the seals used to stamp the paper. If I stamp the letter with my own stamp as the duchess then the said letter transforms into a bird and flies back to the sender as a sign that they are granted an audience with me.

But somehow I hesitated and read the letter again for the second time.

But aside from the fact that they wanted to discuss the success behind my cafe. Nothing else was written.

Surely, the Headmaster of an acclaimed food institute would not send a representative just to discuss something as mundane as a cafe's success story.

They want something.

But the question is....what?

As I retired for the night, Linda told me that my husband will be late so I decided to read more on Ryu-style Cooking and the History of Ming-style Cuisine.

The door opened as I was immersed in a certain section that makes soup dumplings.

"Please put the tray here. Thank you, Linda." I murmured absentmindedly turned the page.

The tray was placed in front of me but suddenly the book was taken out of my hands and I was suddenly kissed by my husband when he placed his hand on my chin to lift my face up.

"I'm not Linda...wife."