Chapter 42

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“This dessert is crazy.”

“How can it have such a fancy taste?”

“It’s amazing. Soft fruits, condensed milk, and snowflake ice form a harmonious taste and wrap around your tongue.”

“It melts enchantingly…”

Right in front of me, a noble young lady was blushing and looked as if she would just melt.

I was looking at them with a bored face.

But on the inside, I was quite surprised.

‘Crazy, why are they reacting so well?!’

There was a line over 100m in front of me.

Each of the nobles had a small bowl, and they even lined up around the fountain.

Even the nobles, who were looking at me with a territorial expression, were holding small bowls with excited faces like kids receiving Halloween candy.

While swallowing saliva.

‘Well… There’s nothing like shaved ice in this hot weather.’

In front of me, snowflake ice was piled up in a large and transparent bowl.

I created it with my ability.

Seryl scooped them into a small bowl, Laura topped it with seasonal fruits, and Maribel finished by sprinkling sweet goat milk, condensed milk and chocolate syrup.

Perfect taste harmony. As expected, my choice was not wrong.

“Everyone will be able to taste it. We have plenty of ingredients.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

However, unexpectedly, the ingredients were quickly depleted.

It wasn’t a problem for me to make snowflake ice, but after giving plenty of fruit, I ended up running out.

“Ah. I’ve run out of ingredients. That’s it!”

“!”

When Seryl said it was finished, the nobleman who was next in line right in front of me hardened, his expression was as if the sky was collapsing.

I laughed inwardly because he was an aristocrat who was friendly with the nine nobles.

‘Fufu, it’s refreshing.’

It was sort of a petty and childish revenge, but somehow, it made me feel better.

Usually, it was the saddest when you were just about to be able to eat it.

In this dessert contest, the popularity vote was determined by ‘what the nobles ate the most’, and it was a landslide victory for the shaved ice.

Madam Verdi, who had prepared a cake, took a bite of the shaved ice and slightly widened her eyes.

“Oh my, how could such a unique dessert exist?”

“I’m flattered, Madam Verdi.”

……In terms of originality, there was a clear winner.

Madam Verdi presented a cake using delicious live fish living in the Vibris Sea, known as the sea of ​​spirits.

Fish cake… And the topping was fish head… 

‘No one would want to eat such a fish head cake, Madam Verdi.’

‘I want to try it, but the fish eyes that are facing me are too much…’

She seemed to be bad at cooking.

Count Quokka, who was eating shaved ice right in front of me, moved like a western squirrel who tasted oriental chestnuts for the first time, and excitedly asked,

“Your Majesty, do you always eat this delicious dessert at Spinel…?”

“This is not Spinel’s dessert.”

“Then where did this amazing dessert come from?!”

That was hard to say, Count Quokka.

Originally, shaved ice was created by mixing ice or snow with honey or syrup.

The level of this dessert called shaved ice remained at that level in this world.

Therefore, the ‘proper shaved ice’, which was made with plenty of fruits or red beans to bring out the combination of flavors with condensed milk and other suitable ingredients, was an upgraded version.

Still, I didn’t know that the people of Aktoum would like it this much.

While we enjoyed the desserts, the attendants who helped with tracking the number of times each dessert was selected finished collating the results.

Then the servant opened his mouth.

“The first prize in this contest goes to Her Majesty the Queen, who introduced the ‘new and amazing shaved ice’!”

Everyone smiled and clapped for me. They all seemed happy when something delicious went into their mouths.

I went up to the podium again and waved at the people. I hadn’t felt like eating raw since before, but that made me even happier.(TL/N: ‘eating raw’ means ‘getting something easily without working hard, especially when others have to’. Since no preparation is needed to eat something raw.)

Then, Madam Verdi brought a new trophy.

This time, it was a beautiful crystal trophy decorated with ice-transparent diamonds.

“The trophy will also give a nickname to the first place of the Dessert Day.”

“……Okay?”

Actually, I didn’t expect much for the trophy, and I was only curious about the prize. But when I saw the shiny trophy, I was greedy.

‘The Immortal Archer was cool.’

What nickname would be given to the person who introduced the best dessert?

‘The king of golden desserts? Chef of the century……? I’m so curious.’

While I was thinking and looking forward to it, the crystal trophy was finally engraved with a dazzling light.

“Oh my goodness!”

Madam Verdi checked the letters and presented the trophy with a lively smile.

The trophy read:

“……How annoying.”

I accepted the trophy with a gloomy expression.

‘What is this? It’s not cool.….’

Perhaps it was too obvious that I was disappointed, for Madam Verdi whispered with a burst of laughter.

“Your Majesty, accepting the trophy is always up to you. Don’t be discouraged. But isn’t there still the main prize left?”

“Okay.”

I calmed my expression and waited for Madam Verdi’s exclusive product.

Right. It was because I was curious about this that I participated in this dessert event. Being the only one who could receive it, and the only one who knew what it was.

I thought it would definitely be worth it.

As much worth as a letter of recommendation, or perhaps even more than a letter of recommendation.

It must be a product that was powerful enough that had to be hidden from others.

After a very brief award ceremony compared to the shooting competition, Madam Verdi took me to a quiet place and gently held out a small envelope from her arms.

“Please open it here, Your Majesty.”

“……”

Badump, badump.

I carefully opened the envelope with a fluttering heart. And when I checked the contents, I couldn’t help but be a little surprised.

Inside the envelope, was the seal of the Verdi family.

To be precise, the seal was engraved on the ‘earlobe’ of an ear-shaped brooch.

A brooch engraved with the seal of the family meant to protect one’s trust by risking ‘everything about the family’.

It was also a sign of one’s willingness and a promise to sacrifice one’s life if one violated this trust.

I was well aware of the weight of this seal.

“It’s called ‘Verdi’s Ear’.”

“Verdi’s Ear?”

Madam Verdi’s eyes became serious. Her reddish-blonde hair matched that serious expression well.

“Your Majesty, our Verdi family has existed since the time of the Unified Empire hundreds of years ago.”

I knew.

The Unified Empire split into two continents, Andions and Romnia… 

The history of the establishment of two new countries, Spinel and Aktoum, on the divided continent.

The Verdi family was a rare family that survived throughout the history of this continent.

Nevertheless, they did not have any greed, so they lived quietly, running salons from generation to generation .

“Surviving through that long history, the successive heads of the Verdi family have heard all kinds of secrets.”

“…….”

Her voice became hoarse. Like a witch reciting a cruel fairy tale to a child.

“We documented all of those secrets and put them in one ancient magic stone.”

‘You mean there’s an archive of those secrets?’

“And we planted the essence of that magic stone in the heads of the householders. The essence is passed down from generation to generation when the family head changes.”

“……”

“A secret that will kill a person. A secret that will dry up the bloodline of the family.”

“……”

“Sometimes… even the secret that will decide the fate of a country.”

The expression on Madam Verdi’s face now was not that of the gentle lady I knew.

She was boldly confessing to me, revealing everything.

“All of us ‘Verdi’ know.”

If true, it was a terrifying story.

Why was a ‘secret’ a secret?

Most of them were secrets because they would cause great repercussions when they were revealed.

As she said, it could kill and save a person. It could destroy any family. It could also be something that would shake the country.

Nevertheless, the Verdi family had lived quietly for hundreds of years without ever wielding the secret as a weapon.

Admiration, hostility, excitement about knowing the secret, and a sense of caution arose at the same time… 

I tried to look at her with a straight face.

Madam Verdi soon returned to her original gentle face and spoke with a smile.

“If you want one of those secrets, bring this ‘Verdi’s Ear’.”

“…….”

“If it’s a secret I know… whatever it is, I’ll tell Your Majesty.”

I looked down at the brooch the size of a fingernail on the palm of my hand.

I knew it would be a valuable product, but… I had no idea that it would be a product with such destructive power.

I didn’t even know what secret I would hear from this.

But I knew for sure that it would be of great help to me in the future.

However, why did she give me this? Going so far, to the point of telling the family secret… 

If I had a dangerous heart, the Verdi family could be at risk.

I shifted my gaze from the brooch to her eyes.

“I’ll just ask you one thing.”

“Anything, Your Majesty.”

I asked a sharp question in response to the reply that came back with a bright, kind smile.

“If someone other than me took first place, would you have given that person the same thing?”

This wasn’t something to give as a prize for winning Dessert Day.

At my question, Madam Verdi laughed happily, and then said with a slight wink.

“When you know a lot of the secrets of the world, your ‘eyes’ to see the future open up a little.”

“……”

“I was just… preparing for the new world to come a little bit faster.”

She continued in a whisper.

“That’s the secret of the Verdi family’s longevity.”

When I looked at her in response to the somewhat cryptic answer, Madam Verdi greeted me with a meaningful smile and went outside.

I treasured the brooch in my arms.

Then, I realized it was noisy outside.

‘…What’s going on?’

When I hurriedly went out, I saw all the nobles looking towards the entrance and murmuring like they saw something absurd.

And… When I also turned my gaze there…

I was truly astonished at the scene unfolding at the entrance.

“!”

Oh my gosh. My lips parted slightly.

Ame: End of triple updates! I wonder who it is~ Place your bets!