323 - Valentine"s Day Extra Chapter ~~ Lilia & Sieglinde ~~
It was in a room in d.u.c.h.ess Albert’s mansion. Lilia and Sieglinde are in the large kitchen, which is typical of a n.o.ble’s home.
Valentine’s Day is coming tomorrow, and Lilia also wanted to give chocolate to her lover, Kaito.
In the Symphonia Kingdom, or rather, in the Human Realm, Lilia is called a genius, but in fact, she wasn’t very good at cooking alone.
Ever since she failed in cooking in her previous trip with Kaito, she was occasionally being taught by her best friend Sieg how to cook but…… not much growth can be seen.
[……For the time being, I think it would be too difficult for Lili to make it from beans, so I’ve prepared some chocolates here.]
[T- Thank you.]
[Well then, let’s crush the chocolate into smaller bits and boil it in hot water first.]
[Yes!]
When Sieglinde calmly spoke to her, Lilia nodded with a tense expression, “and with a thunderous roar”, she crushed the chocolate as instructed.
[……Ahh.]
[……Lili, who told you to smash the “whole chopping block”? Please remove your Body Strengthening Magic first.]
[Uuuuu, I’m sorry.]
[Anyway, this time, you will follow all my instructions. Is that clear?]
[U- Understood.]
[……Well then, first of all, “these ingredients that Lili prepared”, immediately return them where you got them from.]
[……Eh?]
Sieglinde is well aware of Lilia’s cooking skills. She’s well aware of her lack of sense of taste, to the point that it’s painful for her.
Therefore, she began by putting away the ingredients that Lilia had brought with her.
[I’ve already prepared what you would need here. Please put away what you have brought there.]
[……B- But……]
[Haahhh…… We’re making chocolate here, you know? That “fish and meat”, what do you plan to use it for……]
[F- For arrangement……]
[Listen here, Lili. Today, you are prohibited from doing any arranging.]
[Eh? B- But, what about individuality……]
[Do— you— un— der— stand?]
[Yes! I- I understand!!!]
When Lilia, who was supposed to be making chocolate but for some reason, brought fish and meat, Sieg intimidatingly reminded her.
There are several types of bad cooks.
The type that doesn’t follow a recipe, the type that doesn’t have a sense of taste…… and the type that adds unnecessary arrangement to the recipe. Lilia was the type who adds strange arrangements.
[I’m not going to make Kaito-san eat anything dangerous. I’ll have you follow even the finest detail this time.]
[U- Understood…… By the way, it seems like Sieg’s ingredients look different from mine?]
[Aahhh, I’m making chocolate fondant. Kaito-san said he liked it before.]
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[T- Then, I’ll also make that……]
[Unfortunately…… I don’t have the coaching skill to have Lilia successfully make chocolate fondant in a day. My apologies, please just put up with making a normal chocolate.]
No matter how good Sieg is at cooking, she didn’t have the power to make Lilia, who’s still making the mistake of crushing the chopping board along with the chocolate, make something that’s rather difficult like chocolate fondants.
In the first place, if she needs to focus on giving instructions to her, she wouldn’t have the time to make her own chocolate.
And thus, after she somehow convinced Lilia to make a normal chocolate, she began guiding her.
After some time, the chocolate is finished. When Sieg tasted the chocolate Lilia made, she looked at Lilia while trembling with fear.
[……Lili…… I…… I’m afraid of you. You made it according to the recipe…… How in the world did you make it “taste this miserable”……]
[C- Can’t you be a little gentler on saying that to me!?]
[All you have to do is melt the chocolate and let it solidify in the mold, so how did you manage to do this…… Lili, are you sure you followed the right amount?]
Looking at Lilia’s slightly misshapen chocolate, which is supposed to have no strange ingredients in it, has a strange flavor, Sieglinde asks, suppressing the urge to throw a spoon at her.
Thereupon, Lilia nodded with a serious look on her face and muttered a few words that made Sieglinde’s head hurt.
[Y- Yes…… I added a little too much sugar, but I properly “neutralized” it with salt, so it should be fine.]
[………………….]
[Eh? Arehh? S- Sieg…… Why do you have that scary look on your face……]
Seeing the wondering and feeling troubled Lilia, who just developed a super theory that is a staple thought of bad cooks, a vein popped out of Sieglinde’s forehead.
However, Lilia actually doesn’t seem to understand at all and is puzzled as to why Sieglinde is sharply glaring at her.
[Haahhh…… Lili, for the time being, start over from the beginning. Also, adding salt will never neutralize sugar.]
[R- Really!? T- Then, what do I have to add to neutralize it?]
[……My head is hurting already. For now, please stay away from any neutralizing……]
Holding her head after hearing Lilia’s statement, Sieglinde prepares another set of ingredients again.
Then, she watched Lilia make the chocolate with a serious look on her face, as if to say she won’t miss anything this time.
[……Errr~~ the whipped cream…… needs this much…… so I guess that’s around “three tilts”……]
[Properly measure it!!!]
[Hyiiihhhhh!?]
She immediately scolded Lilia for trying to add whipped cream just by measuring with her eyes, and made her measure it properly before resuming.
[Errr, to warm it up…… I guess I should use Fire-Attribute Magic…… Crimson Flare should do……]
[Use the heating magic tool! The magic tool!!!]
[Y- Y- Y- Yes!?]
Sieglinde hurriedly handed an exclusive magic tool to Lilia, who tried to heat the cream to be added to the chocolate with Fire-Attribute Magic.
[……Stir in a way that prevents air from entering? How do I do that…… I guess I should stir it so fast that there’s no room for air to get in!]
[……You just slowly and gently stir…… Slowly……]
[R- Really……]
While holding her head because of Lilia, who acted so dumb that she wondered if Lilia was doing this on purpose, Sieglinde still patiently taught her how to do it.
And then, after several failed attempts…… Lilia finally finished making a chocolate with a decent taste.
[……Unnn. This should be alright…… Y- You finally did it.]
[I- I’m sorry for all the troubles.]
[Next would be decorating…… I’ve already prepared white chocolate cream over there, so draw any pattern you like on it.]
[I understand!]
After watching Lilia finally making her chocolate, Sieglinde lets out a big sigh and then proceeds to make her own chocolate that had been quite delayed.
As she was skillfully cooking her chocolate fondant, she heard Lilia say “I’m finished.” and turned towards her.
[……Lili, what is that? This picture…… is this a frog?]
[Eh? It’s a dragon though?]
[……Is that so……]
Apparently, the d.u.c.h.ess, who was called a genius in the Human Realm, it seems like not only does she not have culinary talent…… but artistic talent as well.
n.o.ble Lady can’t cook, but still arbitrarily arranges the recipe.