Chapter 25: A Frenzied Party
“Director-nim! I’m here!”
“Is it you again?”
Sushia.
A member of Department 3, an 8th Grade civil servant, and the daughter of the duke.
She was the office snack thief.
The amount of snacks she had stolen till now could probably stack up to form a tower.
“Today we have cookies sprinkled with cinnamon, right? I’ll just have one.”
“Oh, fruit drizzled with honey! It’s in season and so delicious. Can I have just one?”
“A tart! How did you know this is my favorite? It looks so good. Can I have just one?”
She was what one would call a ‘One-bite Monster’. These were culprits who claimed to eat just one bite of whatever one was eating but then gobbled up the whole thing and vanished.
To be honest, a ‘One-bite Monster’ was rather endearing. The office snacks were quite plentiful, and there wasn’t much difference even with one more mouth to feed.
That was until Sushia underwent her dark evolution.
“Hmm... The dough seems a bit undercooked today. Not that great.”
“This fruit is a bit sour, isn’t it?”
“Ugh, I shouldn’t have eaten it.”
In the end, Sushia became a ‘One-bite Critic’.
The One-bite Critic.
The dark evolution of the One-bite Monster.
Not only did she come to take just one bite, but she also audaciously critiques someone else’s food after eating it and then disappears nonchalantly.
“Lia, from now on, let’s ban Sushia from entering.”
“Understood.”
.
.
.
The next day:
“Director-nim! Director-nim! I made a mistake! Please let me in! I promise I won’t do it again!”
Sushia desperately knocked on the locked door, but Ascal coldly ignored her.
She shouldn’t have crossed the line.
****
Several days later,
By chance, Ascal ran into Sushia in the corridor.
“Di-Director-nim... I tried baking cookies myself. Would you like to try?”
With a slightly timid look in her eyes, Sushia held out a cookie, resembling a poodle seeking its owner’s approval.
“It’s tasteless.”
Ascal said coldly after taking a bite.
To be precise, the taste was decent.
However, given that the average quality of the snacks in the office was exceedingly high, it tasted relatively bland by comparison.
A slightly offended Sushia raised her eyebrows.
“Then why don’t you try making them yourself, Director-nim?”
“You’re asking me to bake cookies?”
“Yes. I bet the cookies baked by the Director-nim will taste worse than mine.”
Ascal chuckled dryly.
“If the cookies I bake taste better than yours, you’re banned from entering my office indefinitely.”
His words brimmed with confidence. As Sushia hesitated, momentarily stepping back, a scheme popped into her head.
‘Well, we have the best patisserie and ingredients at home, don’t we? I can just ask them to make it for me.’
With her plan in place, Sushia spoke with renewed vigor.
“Alright. If I win, I get to eat all the snacks in your office without any complaints?”
“Do as you please.”
“Then, let’s have the contest in a week, at my house. I’ll invite the judges to ensure fairness.”
Ascal agreed. No matter what Sushia might pull off, he was confident he wouldn’t lose. After all, in his past life, he had experience working in a bakery.
Such novice cookies were something he could easily outdo anytime.
However, what Ascal didn’t know was the direction this cookie showdown would take...
What kind of snowball effect it would have...
.
.
.
.
“I heard there’s a banquet at the Senestia Duke’s residence.”
“That Duke Senestia? It’s undoubtedly a significant opportunity. I must attend.”
****
Sushia was a woman of grand ambitions.
She believed that the more the audience for their cookie showdown, the better. And what better way to get an audience than to throw a lively party?
At first, that was the idea.
Until high-ranking people from all over the empire started expressing their intention to attend...
“Count Teheran has expressed his intention to come!”
“Viscount Yorick says he will be there!”
“Duke Haval has sent word that he’ll attend!”
Holding the guest list, Sushia’s hands trembled.
Count Teheran was a distinguished knight in his own right, commanding the famed Lavender Knight Order, one of the empire’s elites.
Viscount Yorick owned some of the empire’s most fertile lands.
Duke Haval, a close friend of Duke Senestia, had long held a prominent reputation within the empire.
“This… this has to be it, right? I can manage if it’s just these names.”
But rumors spread fast, and, naturally, they reached the ears of the Crown Prince.
Kain, looking over the party attendee list, laughed.
“What are our noble lords up to this time? I might need to send someone to keep an eye on them.”
Being the empire’s Crown Prince kept one busy.
Even if influential figures attended the party, it wasn’t easy to clear his entire day’s schedule to attend.
“I heard Ascal Debrue will be at the party.”
But if there was a compelling reason, it was a different story. Before his confidant could finish speaking, Kain declared,
“Tell the Duke Senestia, I shall attend!”
Crown Prince Kain was now part of the party.
****
The Second Princess, Serena, sat in a plush chair, reading a report sent by a spy.
“Hmm. What could possibly be motivating my elder brother? For such a busy man to attend a mere party? Something smells fishy.”
The names listed as attendees were intriguing indeed.
Each one had the power to sway the empire.
Many would say...
The next emperor would be Kain, of course.
However, Serena hadn’t given up yet. Even the most outstanding individuals have the tendency to show flaws.
And Serena was always ready to seize any slip-up, always listening intently for one.
It would be unthinkable for someone like Serena to miss out on such an event.
After all, actions always lead to results.
“I’ll attend the party. Also, inform the dressing staff. Prepare the most expensive dress.”
And perhaps, at such a grand party, he might come.
She couldn’t deny that such a small glimmer of hope influenced her decision.
And so, the Second Princess Serena joined the party.
****
From early holiday morning, Ascal was bustling about.
What was the most critical ingredient for making cookies?
Obviously, it was the raw materials. For anyone who thought it might be ‘sincerity,’ he’d recommend starting over with basic pastry classes.
“Alright. This much flour should do.”
After selecting flour from several stores in the shopping district, Ascal moved to buy butter and eggs next.
However, the plaza seemed unusually crowded.
Usually, around this time, the plaza would be lively with chattering old ladies, but today it felt twice as noisy.
“Did you hear? The Crown Prince is attending the upcoming party!”
“And even the Second Princess is going. Isn’t this one of the biggest events the empire has seen recently?”
“Of course. Every notable noble seems to be attending. It seems like it’s just a party in name, but in reality...”
'Hmm.'
Ascal nodded to himself, having overheard the conversation.
So, both the Crown Prince and the Second Princess were attending.
It had nothing to do with him.
He should focus on the cookie contest.
As Ascal was about to move on, a hard-to-ignore piece of gossip reached his ears.
“This time, even the Third Princess Yulia is said to be attending.”
She was rarely seen in public gatherings.
The legendary Third Princess Yulia joined the party.
The empire’s nobility was abuzz.
What secrets could possibly be hidden in this party?
What kind of secrets would bring out all these significant figures?
‘Well, Yulia is a princess too. She must be busy.’
It was just a list of big names.
If someone as ordinary as himself were to attend, they would be crushed like a shrimp among whales.
‘Well, it’s none of my business.’
Whistling, Ascal picked out some butter. The sight of his basket filled with ingredients brought satisfaction.
Now, it was time to head home and practice.
****
First, preheat the stone oven.
In the meantime, carefully mix the sugar with butter, and once they were blended, add the eggs and combine everything.
Gradually add in the flour, stirring until it became cookie dough.
Once it reaches the desired consistency, use a tool to cut the dough into small, round shapes.
Place the cut dough on a greased sheet.
Put the dough into the preheated oven.
“Whew.”
Even after some time, his skills hadn’t rusted.
After a while, the cookies began to turn a golden brown.
Ascal took out the sufficiently hardened cookies and placed them outside to cool.
Crunch.
“Using quality ingredients really does make a difference. At this rate, I’ll surely win.”
Ascal chuckled as he savored the perfectly baked cookie.
“I can’t wait to see Sushia’s face fall.”
However, what Ascal didn’t know was that Sushia was already so devastated that she was preparing for the grandest party ever.
In fact, she was so busy that she didn’t even have a moment to inform Ascal about it...
