The King's Mistress

Chapter 72: Snake On The Loose

She did not want to give everything away. But she wore her emotions on her sleeve, it was difficult to conceal them. No one else sensed something was amiss. No one knew what to expect.

Moments later, Princess Agnes’ voice rang loud and clear throughout the hall. Something had slithered past her leg, caressing her ankle as it made its way around. She gripped onto King Alistair’s arm tightly, digging her nails into his flesh as she screamed.

"Snake!" Someone yelled.

Princess Agnes leaped where she stood, moving her feet in quick succession as she tried to avoid the snake. She could not see where it had gone, only seeing a sliver of its appearance.

A chain reaction of screams could be heard. Opal completed her mission with great success. She quietly circled back to Sierra through a slightly longer route to avoid detection.

Everyone else was still looking for her when she returned to Sierra’s side. Sierra quickly placed her back in her pocket, whispering promises of treats later for her good work. Ida knew exactly what had transpired after witnessing what Sierra had done.

She could not help but chuckle as they watched Princess Agnes reveal the fact that her ankle was not sprained after all.

"It seems like you can move just fine on your own, Princess Agnes," King Alistair commented as he removed his arm from hers.

"I...I..." she was speechless for a moment, embarrassed and unable to speak coherently.

Alistair did not wait for her reply. He walked away to rejoin Queen Roxine at their seats as the next phase of the contest was about to begin. Princess Agnes gritted her teeth as she walked back to station, pretending to limp as she continued her ruse.

Though she knew it was futile, she still kept up the act. She glanced over to Princess Cassandra as she clenched her fist. She was supposed to be her friend. They were supposed to assist one another in time of need. But Princess Cassandra let her weather through it all on her own.

She was not about to let that go easily.

It was time for the judging to begin. For it to begin, each princess was to present their dishes to King Alistair and Queen Roxine in order. Sierra was amongst the last three princesses to present.

Myra and Taita went before her, each receiving raving reviews for the food they had served. Taita was grateful for Myra and Sierra’s assistance. She continued to thank them profusely for their help, even after she finished serving the King and Queen.

When it was finally Sierra’s turn, she carefully walked up to them with Ida by her side. As Ida placed each dish before them, Sierra began to explain what she had prepared for them.

"For the first challenge, I have prepared charred meat buns. It is a bread dish with minced meat, potatoes, and carrots."

Upon completing her explanation, she implored the judges to pull the bread apart, revealing a mixture of seasoned meat, potatoes, and carrots. The aromatic fragrance of the spices, used in the marination of the meat and the sauce, permeated their senses.

Everyone in close proximity was salivating.

Alistair was impressed by Sierra’s culinary skills. He did not know she could cook, not even Ida knew to. She too was amazed by the dishes Sierra had made and presented.

Queen Roxine was the first to take a bite of the meat bun. As soon as it entered her mouth, she was amazed by the texture of the filling and the burst of flavor. The potatoes were moist and soft, practically melting in her mouth.

"This is genius, Sierra," she commended her without hesitation, "All the ingredients are held within the confines of the bread, making it easy to eat. Suitable for all ages."

"I agree, this is truly genius," Alistair added.

"You both flatter me, Your Highness, Your Majesty."

The ministers were also given a taste of the meat buns she had prepared. Everyone raved about how good it tasted. Sierra beamed with pride. In the past, her father and a few of their close subordinates were the only people who ever got to taste her cooking.

She could never quite know for certain how good her skills were as they would eat anything she made. Whenever she asked them for feedback, they would tell her it was delicious. She had to take their word for it.

But now, she was able to receive unbiased opinions. Her skills were recognized. But Sierra did not let her initial success go to her head. She continued presenting her second dish, a dish from her home Kingdom.

"For my second dish, I present to you honey roast pork with fried rice."

Rice was not commonly eaten in Drakin, furthermore, Sierra had chosen to use ingredients that were easily obtainable to complete her dish. Most of the other princesses chose hard-to-find ingredients that were provided.

Some used lobsters while others used the best cut of beef that was available for use. From the look on the King and Queens’ faces, Sierra knew they were skeptical. She came prepared.

"While this dish may seem simple, I can assure you, it isn’t."

"You’ve taken the words right out of our mouths, Princess Sierra. Would you care to elaborate?" Queen Roxine chuckled behind her lace fan.

"Of course, Your Highness. Preparing this dish is simple, but in order for it to taste good, it takes skill..."

Princess Agnes, who was next in line behind Sierra, rolled her eyes. She did not think highly of the food that Sierra had made, despite how good it smelled. In her mind, nothing could beat high-quality ingredients.

But by the end of Sierra’s explanation of the cooking process, it took to achieve the dish, the look on Queen Roxine’s face said it all. As she took a spoonful of rice along with a slice of meat, she was blown away by the flavors in her mouth.

Everyone ate in quick succession. All of them were in disbelief at how good it tasted. Some even claimed that it was the best dish they have ever tasted.

"Tell us, Princess Sierra, how did you get this meat to be this tender?" Alistair could not help but ask.

"The selection process for it is crucial. For if the wrong proportion is chosen, it would gratefully affect the flavor, cooking time, and texture. Finding the right cut is key."

Moving on to the final dish, Sierra took a deep breath. She did not expect to feel so nervous as she unveiled it. Little did she realize just how much she was trying to impress Alistair with her skills.

Everyone was stunned to see that the final dish Sierra had prepared for them was a dessert, a lemon meringue pie, to round off the meal. Each dish she had prepared was simple but difficult to master. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

"Thank you, Princess Sierra, you’ve done well." Queen Roxine said after she finished tasting Sierra’s final dish.