NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: Count Theodore Beaumont
The young ladies looked at the plain looking taco, one that they had never really in in their lives. It didn't look like much but Alicia who had already tasted and experienced the food the Lukas made, went first.
She looked around and checked if anyone was watching before she took a large bite. Such an unrestrained action made Lukas happy as the food was something he had made.
Subconsciously, she looked up at him while keeping her head low as she expected the meat juices to drip. And she wasn't wrong as two drops fell onto the plate that she was holding with her left hand.
While he heated up another tortilla, he scooped some gravy with a small ladle and lifted it as he looked at Alicia, "Miss Alicia, I hope you try it with some gravy too."
With her mouth still full, she nodded and brought the plate closer. The gravy was drizzled generously onto the meat which absorbed some of it.
A few seconds later, Winter had a plate of her own and unlike Alicia, she didn't have any plans of taking large barbaric bites. Instead, she bit into the corner and only took a little into her mouth which made Lukas judge her inwardly.
'Even a child will take a bigger bite…' he thought as he saw the small one inch bite on one of the ends of the taco. While he wanted to say a lot, he decided to keep his words to himself.
For a moment, he paused and then looked at the tacos, 'Right… I forgot to check the stat buffs.'
Soon, an opportunity presented itself as he saw the baron walk over with three handsome men right behind him.
"Chef Lukas, this is Count Theodore Beaumont and these two young men are Edward and Edmund Beaumont." he said as he looked at Lukas straight in the eye before slightly tilting his head.
Lukas gave a slight nod before looking at the count, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Beaumont. You too, Mister Edward and Mister Edmund." he said as he gave them a bow that was deeper than the one he gave the two young girls.
One was similar to a nod with a slight bow while the other was a proper one where he had to bend thirty degrees.
After maintaining the posture for less than a seconds he stood straight as he looked at them. He took a deep breath as he calmed his nerves. Unlike before, he wasn't serving young ones. This man looked like he had a lot of experience under his belt.
The count nodded, the corner of his lips curving slightly, "Looks like the rumors were right. You are learning very fast." he said, sounding pretty pleased and also surprised as he gave his two sons a sideways glance.
'Damn… he's comparing me to them. This is not good news.' he thought as he saw one of the brothers shoot him a glare.
"Baron Frascine has been praising you quite a lot so I decided to head over here and take a look. What do you have here?"
Lukas picked up a tortilla and gave it to the count, surprising him and the other three men standing around him.
Before any of them could talk, he began, "Today I wished to show the magic of cooking." he said and paused before pointing at the tortilla, "And that magic starts from this."
The count nodded seriously as he gave Lukas all of his attention.
"There are various dishes and I'm sure that as a count, you have had the chance to come across quite a lot of them. This flatbread is thin yet it's also soft, which makes it pliable. With such a property, there are quite a lot of possibilities and one such possibility is this. Please scoop out as much meat you'd like and put it on the bread, lining it up at the center."
Baron Frascine stood by the side and watched while he began to sweat. He had never seen any chef tell a noble to cook their own food. Even the ones who worked for the King would not do such a thing.
Yet, here he watched as the count actually listened to the instructions.
Lukas looked at the tortilla that had a generous amount of meat and nodded, "That's a very good amount of meat, Lord Beaumont. It seems you have an innate talent for cooking. Your wife is very lucky."
As soon as he said this, he saw the count puff up his chest and nod curtly as he proactively asked, "What next?"
'Wow… he's like a child…' Lukas thought as he pointed at the gravy, "Next, you can either eat it directly or add some gravy on the meat. It'll enhance the flavour by making the meat feel like it's more juicy, spicy and tangy. To eat it, all you have to do is pinch the two sides together. This way, the meat will stay inside and you won't have to use any cutlery to eat this. You can take a bite from one of the ends."
The count nodded and poured a generous amount of gravy before he stuffed the whole taco into his mouth in one single motion. As he chewed with his mouth full of meat, gravy and tortilla, he looked around with a gaze filled with pride.
When he made eye contact with Lukas, he couldn't help but smirk. Seeing this, both the brothers looked away as they suppressed their urge to walk away.
'He either observed me while I reacted to Alicia and her friend…. or he's just built this way. If it's the latter, then he's like a cute little child but if it's the former… that's a little scary. Hmm, yeah there's no need for him to impress someone like me. I'm just a chef who can apply minor stat boosts to the food I make.' he thought as he shifted his attention to he screen in front of him.
[Beef Taco]
A simple dish made from flour, meat, onions, tomatoes, garlic and salt. It's a dish that warms the heart and fills one's stomach. Made using more than two special ingredients, giving it an addictive effect.
Effects: Endurance +6, Dexterity +4, Durability +6
Additional Effects: +1 Rank Mana Breathing, +28 Addiction
Lukas stopped himself from gasping as he looked at the other screen.
[Tangy Tomato Gravy]