I went to my room and changed into one of my dresses.
After some time, a knock came at my door, and one of the maids informed me that dinner was ready.
I gave her my usual, distinguished noblewoman’s smile.
But on the inside, I was filled with dread as I followed the maid to the dining room.
…Solemn background music was playing in my mind.
I made my way down the vast halls of my mansion, letting the song continue to play out until we arrived at our destination.
The maid pulled out my chair at the grand dining table. It could easily seat ten people. I lowered myself into the chair, and it was then that the kitchen door opened.
“…!”
An intense smell stung my nose.
It was coming from my dinner, or more specifically, from the extreme amount of spice in my dinner. The food wasn’t even in front of me yet, and the scent was already overwhelming.
…Yep, this is a bad one, folks.
I was resorting to mental commentary to distract myself from reality. More and more dishes of food were being brought into the dining room all the while.
In our kingdom, it was customary to serve every part of a meal, from the main course down to the soups, all at once on the same table.
The potent smell was inescapable. Hesitantly, I reached over and took my fork.
First, I tried the appetizer. It was a salad made from local vegetables harvested just outside the capital city. However…
The problem was the thick layer of glistening dressing on top of said salad.
It oozed over the greens, reminding me a little of the gravy I used to eat in my past life, but only in appearance.
At first bite, the difference was evident. My tongue was bombarded with an intensely spicy, acidic flavor.
The sauce was so strong, I couldn’t even taste the freshness of the vegetables underneath.
To be honest, not one part of this salad appealed to my palate, but I kept my cool and forced each bite down anyway. My training as a noblewoman, as well as my past-life experience as a corporate drone, was being put to the test—determining how much control I could wield over my facial expressions.
To my further disappointment, I spotted the same sauce from the salad covering the meat that was to be my main course. Naturally, the ingredients had been altered to reflect the different dishes underneath…
But once again, the seasoning was so strong that I could barely tell what I was eating. My meal didn’t feel like meat—it felt like a clump of spices that slightly resembled the texture of meat.
Back in Japan, this probably would have been the highest grade of meat you could buy. However, that quality was completely lost in tonight’s dinner. It was an utterly disappointing meal.
…Not that it was inedible or anything so extreme.
From the meat to the vegetables, and even the spices, too, any ingredients on a duke’s table would be the absolute best the kingdom has to offer.
…Yet, it still didn’t actually taste good. Both my heart and stomach were left unsatisfied.
The dinner was a complete waste of spices that never needed to be used so abundantly in the first place.
The words too much of a good thing seemed fitting.
There was an actual reason for the excessive spices used in every dish. Forty years ago, our kingdom of Elltoria discovered a brand-new sea route that stretched all the way to a southern continent.
When travelers returned home with ships full of these new kinds of seasonings, the people of our kingdom took to them immediately.
Compared with Japan, this world doesn’t have much diversity when it comes to its cuisine, nor have we managed to selectively breed many vegetables for consumption. That’s why spices are used in such high quantities to compensate for the flavor and make the foods easier to preserve.
With the people hooked on these new seasonings, noblemen and noblewomen began to build up their own stocks, and soon, an abundant use of spices became a show of one’s status. This display of fortune turned into a fierce competition of its own.
As a result, I was now staring at a table full of dishes that tasted only of spices.
Of course, commoners and less-wealthy noble families didn’t eat such rich meals, but I was a duke’s daughter, after all.
Just about every dish I ate at this table was completely overseasoned.
It was all the more painful now that I had the memories of my past life, where my hobbies were cooking and eating out at various restaurants.
…In this world, the average person’s palate isn’t that different from what it was on Earth.
I still remembered some of the food I ate in town all those years ago. They were simple yet tasty meals.
Additionally, present-day nobles tend to drink wine that’s light and crisp with dinner. We often drink lemon water at the table as well.
…Though, to me, both drinks just feel like a way of getting much-needed relief from those extremely rich meals.
This overseasoned food only served to benefit the reputations of the upper classes. My theory was that it all came from underdeveloped methods of cooking and a culture that didn’t value the raw flavor of the ingredients as something worth relying on.
“Spices are delicious.”
Thus, if you use lots of those spices, it will only make your cooking taste better.
…That logic brought about the use of even more spices in food, little by little, until everyone’s taste buds were completely numbed.
It wasn’t only Elltoria that was seeing such a trend. To different extents, our entire western continent was going to seasoning extremes in their cooking. I could hardly think of any countries that didn’t share this culture among its highest ranks.
One exception that came to mind was a neighboring nation, the kingdom of Raiolbern.
Their borders housed vast stretches of farmland, and because the population thought highly of their locally grown food, their aristocrats ate meals that used a moderate amount of seasoning. I was very jealous of it.
There was more I envied than just their cuisine. Two years ago, the Raiolbern Kingdom experienced a political shake-up, and the new crown prince was said to be an incredibly capable man. As a result, the land had started to earn itself a great reputation for the improvements to public safety.
Light meals, a talented prince, and a peaceful life for its citizens.
After having my mouth accosted by all those spices and being cast out of my home because of Fritz’s idiocy, jealous was practically an understatement.
…If I have to leave, then I hope I get to live in Raiolbern or some other land with delicious food.
Keeping a blank face, I continued to chew my overseasoned dinner, now with the most earnest of desires in mind.