There was a reason why the chefs of the royal palace back in Fralia enjoyed such wealth and influence.
A little more than thirty years ago, Fralia saw the end of a large war. Once peace was declared, the nation welcomed an era of tranquility.
Well, on the surface, at least.
For Fralia’s citizens, the end of hostilities could not simply translate to an end of their worries. When would another war start? When would their fields be burned and famine strike again?
The fears of the population impeded the return to normalcy, stagnating Fralia’s economy and development, so the monarchy set a secret plan in motion. First, they started a heavy propaganda campaign to ingrain in the citizen’s minds that Fralia was a nation of gourmet with the best cuisine in the world. Next, the propaganda effort was supplemented by a reform of the tax system to elevate the status of the dairy and food service industries. Lastly, the most exceptional chefs of the country were invited to work for the palace and given a peerage.
Many years passed following these changes, and on the thirtieth anniversary of the end of the war, a cooking competition was organized in the royal palace—with the prize for the winning chef stated to be anything they wanted, be it tremendous wealth, a prestigious title, or even the hand of the princess in marriage.
During the semifinals of that tournament, the queen of Fralia was so amazed that she stood up and shouted, “It’s delicious! I’ve never had such a delicious éclair before! The multi-layered dough is as crisp as a croissant, it’s topped with just the right amount of chocolate icing, and the inside is filled with a rich chocolate cream that melts on the tongue! And the slight bitterness hidden beyond the sweetness of the cream… Ah… I feel like the chocolate of this dessert loves me and only me. This is true bliss!”
After the queen’s speech, there was no need to wait for her and the rest of the judges to cast their vote. The first to realize that was my opponent, whose creation the queen had already sampled a moment prior, and he threw his toque to the ground in frustration.
One of the judges raised his hand in the air, before bringing it down and pointing at me. “The winner is Bartolomeo Reggiano!”
Cheers echoed across the royal palace of Fralia. Everyone in the hall—including the servants, judges, civil officials, military officers, nobles, and even the queen—stood up and clapped for me.
From his throne, the king looked down at me with a smile and praised me. I kneeled at the bottom of the stairs of the throne platform and bowed to him respectfully.
“You may raise your head,” he said.
“Thank you.”
I followed his order…and the queen let out a sweet gasp and suddenly cried out, “What a beautiful man you are!”
The king laughed. “That’s no way to speak before your husband, my queen. Although I do concur with that sentiment.” Even as he admonished his wife, he was in high spirits.
“Your name was…Bartolomeo, if memory serves,” the king continued. “Your creation for the sweets showdown of the semifinals was splendid.”
“You honor me, Your Majesty.”
“I suppose fortune smiled upon you too,” he added. “To think you’d choose to serve the queen’s favorite dessert out of the countless list of Fralian desserts. You must be loved by the God of Cooking.”
I bowed once more and replied, “I’m afraid that isn’t exactly correct, Your Majesty. I’ve been a chef of this palace for ten years now. I’m but one of many, so you must not remember me, but in my eyes, Your Majesties are of unmatched significance. When I heard that Her Majesty would be one of the judges, I had to make sure the dessert I served suited her tastes.”
“You know what I like?” the queen asked. “I don’t believe I’ve ever informed you of my tastes.”
“I asked your ladies-in-waiting, and I’ve pored over every women’s journal and pamphlet that mentions you. I concluded you like long and narrow sweets with crispy textures, as well as chocolate filling. Am I correct?”
“I-indeed, you are! You’ve certainly done your research…”
“That is because cooking is loving.”
“My!” She seemed deeply impressed.
The king smiled before beckoning me closer. “If you triumph in the finals, you’ll obtain glory and riches. To be honest, I’m quite certain the final victory will be yours, and…” He cleared his throat and beckoned me closer still before whispering in my ear, “I’m personally rooting for you. The reason this tournament’s prize is so extravagant is so that you will be able to marry the princess when you win.”
“Wh-what?! Why would you—”
“Ha ha ha!” The king interrupted me with boisterous laughter before once again whispering, “Don’t play dumb. I know you and my daughter are on quite familiar terms. She’s told us all about you. You swore to marry one another, did you not?”
Astonished, I looked around in a panic. My eyes met with the princess of Fralia, who was sitting at the edge of the judges’ panel. She hid her face with her folding fan and squirmed in her seat.
I shook my head. “Th-that does not make any sense. I’ve only ever talked to Her Highness while serving food to her, and I’ve never said a word about marriage.”
“Oh. Is that so?” The king, as well as the queen, seemed genuinely disappointed. Nevertheless, he hummed and nodded before saying loud and clear, “Hmm, I wonder where the information got mixed up. Well, it matters not. You can still marry our daughter. Bartolomeo, from this moment onward, consider yourself officially engaged to her. I trust you’ll take good care of our nation’s princess after winning the tournament.”
I couldn’t find the words to protest and turned around to look at the young lady I was suddenly set to marry. I was hoping she’d say something along the lines of “Father! You cannot make this decision for me,” but the words that came out of her mouth were actually, “If that is His Majesty’s will, then we must accept it.”
“Y-Your Highness?!”
“Ah, speaking of which,” the king said. “I will be the sole judge for the finals. Worry not, Bartolomeo, your future is assured.”
“Heh heh heh… So, Bartolomeo is to be our son-in-law… How I look forward to that,” the queen said with a smile.
I was astonished, but I finally managed to speak up, “I-I did not participate in this tournament hoping for such a thing!”
“‘Such a thing?!’” the princess repeated shrilly. Her enraged screech echoed throughout the hall.