Chapter 108:
Shrimp Doria
THE ALFADE COMPANY had been established in the Kingdom, the largest nation on the Eastern Continent. Its history technically reached back centuries; only in the last few decades, though, had it become the juggernaut it was now. Before then, it’d only been a small business buying and selling flour in a corner of the Kingdom.
The last head of the company, Thomas Alfade, had been a genius. It wasn’t long before he grew the enterprise into one of the largest of its kind in the Kingdom.
Thomas Alfade’s second son and eldest daughter were shrewd individuals who fought to be the family’s next leader. When Alfade decided to retire, he hatched a plan to ensure his children wouldn’t fight over the company when he passed it on to his eldest son. He used his deep pockets to create Alfade Company branches in the capitals of the Duchy and the Empire. By handing the branches off to his eldest daughter and younger son, he diplomatically excised them from the company’s main branch in the Kingdom.
And so, the Alfade Company—which, at one time, had only a single branch in the Kingdom—now had branches in the Duchy, with its long history and strong traditions, and the Empire, which was growing at tremendous speed. Just like that, Thomas Alfade safeguarded the business and decided its future…at the cost of a fierce rivalry between the three branches.
“My Alfade Company is the true Alfade Company,” each sibling declared.
Now, the Alfade Company’s imperial branch approached a major turning point.
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Although aristocrats made up only a small portion of the Empire’s population, this little tale begins in a foreign embassy in the aristocratic quarter, where blue bloods from another nation gathered. The scent of expensive spices wafted through the air of the mansion. The next head of the Alfade Company’s imperial branch, Linda Alfade, had been ordered here by her mother.
“C-cook a rice dish, you say?” Linda couldn’t help repeating the words back to the ambassador.
The ambassador, a brown-skinned visitor from a desert nation far off on the Western Continent, nodded. “Correct. This is one of our nation’s most guarded secrets, but soon Crown Prince Shareef will visit the capital.”
The ambassador’s voice and expression were stiff and serious. Linda couldn’t help straightening up her own posture as she awaited further explanation. Massive talks were going on between the Sand Nation and the Empire, and it was no exaggeration to say the talks would determine both nations’ futures. That was simply too much for a single ambassador to handle.
Thus, the crown prince would come to the Empire, representing the Sand Nation’s king and negotiating directly with the Emperor himself.
“Lord Shareef will stay at the imperial palace, eating imperial cuisine,” the ambassador continued. “However, he’ll likely tire of eating this nation’s food. And it will bother him that it’s cold here in the Empire, even during the day. It would be difficult for anyone from the Sand Nation. Thus…”
“You’d like to prepare meals that remind him of his homeland,” said Linda. It was clear to her what the ambassador was asking. She’d be the next head of this branch of the Alfade Company, and her mother was a confident, powerful merchant, despite being a woman.
“Correct. I heard that you’re familiar with the Ocean Nation’s cuisine, so I imagined that perhaps you could replicate my own nation’s recipes. It’d be fastest if I just brought Sand Nation chefs here, but…” The ambassador trailed off. Then he refocused and rang the bell he carried, shouting, “Aisha! Come here!”
A moment later, a young girl quietly entered with a butler who appeared to be from the Empire. The girl—probably the ambassador’s young daughter—was likely a few years Linda’s junior. She wore an imperial-style white dress, layered to keep her warm during winter. However, her pitch-black hair and eyes, and her brown skin, made it clear that she was a citizen of the Sand Nation.
Hmm, she’s quite stunning, Linda thought.
“Aisha, I’d like you to show our guest the place we discussed. Today’s the day, correct?”
“Yes, today’s the Day of Satur, Father.” After she and her father finished their completely incomprehensible back-and-forth, Aisha turned to Linda. “Would you care to join me for a meal? I’d like to give you an overview of what sort of food we hope you’ll prepare for Lord Shareef.”
Linda sensed something mysterious in the girl’s words. “O-of course. I’d love to.”
“Excellent.” Aisha nodded happily, then told the butler next to her, “Alfred, we’re heading out.”
“Wonderful, My Lady.”
“Please follow me, Linda.”
“All right.”
And so, alongside Aisha, Linda departed the mansion.