My Lady Chef { La Vita Series } - Volume 1

Chapter 43: Meeting for the First Time

Belmont's POV:

Once we were both dismissed; I asked Ezran to come to walk with me. I even offered to give him the use of my enchanted papers so that he can write to his duchess.

He was already showing his displeasure but he went with me to my personal space and soon after a few scribbles; the folded letter glowed and vanished, its content will only be read and delivered to the person you wrote to.

"Is there a reason why you do not like my father to meet your wife?" I asked him once the servant laid the coffee tray at the table and left.

"....No reason." he merely sat down at the table and took the coffee cup and sipped. His red eyes scanned the window with a blank stare.

The same window he looked at before he took off like the Hell hounds of Tartarus was upon him two days ago. He must have seen something through one of his heightened abilities but at that time; he seems very distracted.

"So do tell me...Is she as beautiful as the rumours say?" I decided to tease Ez, hoping to find out what the position of his wife was in his list of priorities.

"Why are you so interested, Your Highness." he grimaced as he drained his beverage before setting it down. " Rumors? What rumors is the ton spreading now?"

"Well, there was someone who said that she looks like a fey queen. Another says that she can charm any man she comes across and...there is also one where she is rumored to be kind to servants." I chuckled. " Then there was that weird one where she has two horns and a tail growing from her butt."

A loud cracking sound from him made me look back and I saw that he crushed his teacup, but his face remained uninterested.

"Oh, and I heard some male nobles taking bets on who can succeed in asking her on her first assignation," I told him, this rumor was a lie but he was not reacting as I had hoped.

A heavy dense aura filled the room for a while as Ez stood up, his dark and light mana suddenly burst forth from his body; the two forces tore apart my shelves and study in less than a second.

"That is not a nice rumor to be spreading around, Bel." his eyes were still calm but his mana was still messing up my room like a couple of wild animals.

"Okay okay, That one was a lie but you have to admit it. If your wife is as beautiful as Lady Lorax then there will be men asking her on assignations. It is the way of the married ton here at the capital." I reasoned out but his face turned darker at my words.

He then grabbed the papers from my desk and before I can react; he threw them up in the air and I cried out when the heartless cad burned them to a crisp.

"I spent all morning drawing those up!" I bemoaned hours of work all gone to waste.

"I suggest you start writing to them all again. Your Highness. In the meantime, I'll show myself out. Thank you for that mediocre cup of coffee..." he harrumphed as he strode out and those wild beasts stopped thrashing my study and assimilated back into the duke's shadow.

My eye twitched as a shelf suddenly collapsed before my eyes. Well, the infamous Duke of Tartarus has always been famous for not showing his feelings on his face but the way he let loose his dual mana even in their shadow forms was answer enough.

He is possessive of her, Now...the next question is....whether he is possessive of her because he likes her or merely because he considers the girl his property.

I used a crystal to call in a mage for now. As I watch silently as he used a spatial spell to repair the study as much as he could; I wondered who was spreading the rumors among the nobles.

First seeing him lose his cool over a woman. How surprising.

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I decided to check on the dessert that my beloved Father was craving for his luncheon so I made my way to the royal kitchens and the moment I arrived. The ten chefs and their staff bowed before me.

At the center of the floor was the Royal Chef Pepin, he is a middle-aged man with a double chin and a rotund belly that shows how much he likes eating his creation.

But despite his fatness; Pepin controls a minor mana spirit. A small fire lizard that can control the food's temperatures and infused a bit of mana into his dishes. His expertise in handling it gained him fame and his dishes are delicious due to the mana of his spirit.

He used to be a humble chef when I first met him as a young prince and he did not use to look this....big but years of countless praises from my father and complacency in his cooking have turned him plump and lazy since no one can cook as well as him.

I sighed as he took me to the table where my father's dessert is being plated.

My father once tasted this dessert at Aubergine, a kingdom famous for its cakes. It was called a cheesecake; a decadent dessert made of cream cheese and sugar with a shortbread crust. My father would always demand this cake with whipped cream during luncheon whenever most of his nobles are present at court.

I am not too fond of the cheesecake now as it was too rich for my taste as a grown man.

There are times I wish a cheesecake that is as light as air would be made but when I suggested it to Pepin; he would smile and promise me that he will come up with something but he just follows the same recipe in making cheesecake.

After I made sure that everything is going according to plan. I made my way towards the gardens which led to the throne room as a shortcut.

The royal gardens are famous for their flowers and exotic trees. There are blossoms moved from the exotic lands that grow here but they usually cannot be found elsewhere.

Even now in summer, some of these flowers are in full bloom, their fragrant smell filling the air with its sweetness.

"Oh dear..." a female voice by the pavilion made me curious. No one should be allowed here as this is the place closest to the throne room.

I walked towards the owner of the voice, a woman dressed in an elegant wine red dress, her gloves seem to be made from the best leather and her bonnet hid her face from my eyes. Her hair was striking though; a rich golden color that reminds me of honey and sultry nights.

My boot must have stepped on something because she instantly turned around and I froze when I saw her face.