Outside the greenhouses, the wind still scraped by like a knife.
Vasha slightly shrank her neck, her eyes somewhat hollow as she looked at that tightly shut wooden door.
Occasionally, a trace of brisk laughter leaked from the crack in the door; it was Irene's clear voice, mixed with the occasional agreement of the Saint, Daphne.
That laughter seemed exceptionally piercing in this cold and clear winter day, yet also exceptionally alluring.
She lowered her head somewhat dejectedly, the tip of her shoe unconsciously drawing circles on the snow.
Even if she had already handed over her pledge of allegiance, even if she was already working for Mason, in that kind of absolutely intimate circle, she was ultimately still an outsider...
Victor, to the side, was calmly gathering his sleeves. His nose tip was frozen red, but he didn't even lift an eyelid.
To him, aside from the interests of Her Majesty and Mason, this Princess of Orr who switched allegiances halfway was not within his scope of concern.
With a click, the door opened.
Sophia was the first to walk out, her black fox fur still stained with the moisture from the greenhouses, which rapidly condensed into tiny ice crystals in the cold wind.
Following closely behind, Delilah held a heavy basket in her arms, while Irene was like a victorious little general, constantly discussing the golden ratio of beef tallow and chili with Willow along the way.
"Vasha."
Sophia's voice was as clear and cold as ever, but it made Vasha, who was currently in a low mood, suddenly raise her head.
"What are you standing there in a daze for? Do you want to stay outside and become an ice sculpture to guard the greenhouses for This Queen?"
Sophia glanced at her, her footsteps not stopping as she headed straight for the side hall.
"Keep up. This meal of Hot Pot that Irene has tossed together, if it's missing a person to taste it, then it would be meaningless."
Vasha was stunned for a long while. Then, in those eyes that always carried a bit of worry, a touch of flattered brightness unexpectedly emerged.
She nodded vigorously, lifting her skirt and quickly following.
Inside the side hall, the air was dry and warm.
In the center of the hall, a giant round table had already been set in place.
The most eye-catching thing was none other than that massive, polished, shiny metal pot right in the center of the table.
The pot's body was designed by Irene into an extremely harmonious S-shaped division. One side had already been poured with a milky-white clear broth boiled from beef bones, while the other side was an empty cavity where Irene was preparing to pour the soup base.
Irene and Willow were still making intense preparations in the kitchen.
At this moment beside the round table, Sophia, Daphne, Vasha, and Delilah sat facing each other. The air was permeated with a subtle sense of anticipation belonging to the eve of a meal.
Daphne rested her chin on her two hands, her sparkling eyes staring at that empty split pot in the center of the table. The shining hair behind her seemed to tremble slightly due to excitement.
"This is truly great... I really miss that steaming hot feeling."
Daphne couldn't help but murmur softly, her voice full of unconcealable longing.
"That moment of fishing out delicious food from the rolling thick soup is simply the most healing magic in the world.
Your Majesty, do you think Lord Irene will cut a lot of meat!"
She really wanted to eat a lot of meat. Although she loved eating other things too, the feeling of eating meat in big mouthfuls was still very nostalgic.
Sophia held a cup of warm fruit juice, shaking it gently, her tone flat but carrying a trace of a smile:
"Irene has always pursued the extreme in doing things; presumably, she will not disappoint you."
Sitting opposite Daphne, Vasha, who had the most elegant etiquette, appeared somewhat cramped at this time.
She looked at this girl before her who smiled so innocently and brightly, yet whose entire body exuded a sacred aura, and the sense of alienation in her heart grew even stronger.
In the power struggles of the Kingdom of Orr, Vasha was accustomed to seeing conspiracies and disguises, but she solely could not see through Daphne.
This young girl, called a Saint by Her Majesty Sophia, was in her eyes more like an indescribable miracle possessing unimaginable power.
It was clearly her who had first wanted to leave with Her Majesty, but for some unknown reason, after coming here, it was actually Daphne who integrated more.
Moreover, it seemed Daphne had already disclosed to Her Majesty the things she had refused to disclose to her Royal Father for many years.
But that was also right. Her Majesty was much kinder than her Royal Father, and also more worthy of trust.
Her gaze fell upon this strangely shaped split pot in front of her.
As for Hot Pot, a way of eating that sounded like soldiers throwing a random stew together, why would this Witch sister be so expectant of it?
Her Majesty was clearly so noble, yet she could allow this kind of etiquette-breaching way of eating to exist.
Mason's core circle, sure enough, revealed oddities everywhere.
"Daphne."
Vasha pursed her lips, speaking tentatively.
"Is that kind of Hot Pot really that delicious?
At the banquets of Orr, we lean more towards exquisite cold dishes and thick soups that have been slow-stewed for a long time."
"Cold dishes have no soul."
Daphne turned her head, smiling purely.
"That kind of moment where everyone gathers around together, watching the smoke swirling, is the true proof of being alive!
Though cold dishes are also very delicious, I love eating them all."
Vasha smiled forcefully, quietly shrinking her body backward.
She felt that Daphne was much more cheerful than at the very beginning, and conversely, the constrained person had become herself.
However, Vasha was not a cowardly person. She believed her value would soon become higher, and when that time came, she could also share more burdens for Her Majesty.
Delilah pressed the hilt of the sword at her waist, her gaze repeatedly sweeping over that S-shaped split pot.
"One pot divided into two, water and fire complementing each other."
Delilah summarized in a low voice, her eyes solemn.
"The design of this pot itself is full of the wisdom of gaming.
Your Majesty, this subject is wondering, if that red soup base later is truly even spicier than pepper as Irene said, does it mean that this meal is actually a trial of willpower?"
Sophia nearly choked on her fruit juice.
"That is just chili, not poison.
However, it is indeed much spicier than pepper. When the time comes, you can prepare yourself mentally."
Actually, Sophia was already secretly swallowing saliva in her heart!
Hairy tripe, beef omasum, fatty beef, bean curd sheets...
Speaking of which, she had never eaten a meal with all of them together before. This time could be considered finally welcoming the first grand reunion.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I am still very capable of enduring spicy flavors."
Vasha said with a smile, "I can eat cream soup with lots and lots of pepper added."
Sophia remained silent, only nodding her head.
Vasha ah, later when you are sweating profusely from the spice and looking for water to drink, definitely do not blame This Queen for not reminding you.
And at this time, inside the kitchen.
Irene stood in front of a specially made large iron pot, placing the fiery red chili and garlic that had just been picked from the greenhouses in front of her.
"Move faster! Beef tallow, has the beef tallow been put in?"
Irene was like a general commanding a battle, loudly shouting while stirring the melted fat in the pot with a large ladle.
The attendant to the side immediately followed suit, executing every step according to Irene's words.
When the large piece of white and moist beef tallow melted with a sizzle at the bottom of the pot, Irene acted with sharp eyes and quick hands, pouring that entire plate of chopped fiery red chili and smashed garlic in all at once.
Sizzle—!
A domineering and rich spicy aroma instantly burst forth. Accompanied by the slight sweetness of the minced onion rolling in the hot oil, that highly aggressive scent rushed straight to the forehead.
The servant responsible for pulling the bellows nearby was so smoked by the spicy flavor that his tears flowed down continuously. Coughing, he thought in horror, Is Lord Irene configuring some new type of chemical weapon here?
Breathing in this kind of smell, it feels like the soul is about to catch fire!
It feels like as long as this kind of thing is thrown at the enemy, the enemy will immediately be unable to resist and will be left entirely at Her Majesty's mercy.
"Don't stop!
Keep pulling!"
Irene was so excited her face was entirely red, and she also followed by coughing a few times.
"This is called foundation! Without this punch of spice, how can it match Her Majesty's appetite?"
Compared to the explosive heat on Irene's side, the scene in front of the cutting board on Willow's side appeared cold and precise.
Several kitchen servants who were temporarily reassigned over were looking at Willow with fear and trepidation.
In their cognition, meat was usually cut into large pieces and stewed haphazardly, or placed on the fire to roast, but Willow's requirements at this time were almost perverted.
"Listen well."
Willow pointed at those few pieces of top-grade Leighton beef that had already frozen slightly hard in the natural cold air.
"Do not chop blindly along the grain.
You must cut across it. Not too thin, and of course, not too thick either.
If it is cut too thick, the meat will become tough after boiling for a long time; that is a desecration of Her Majesty's ingredients."
Willow personally demonstrated. Raising her hand and dropping the knife, a red and white piece of fatty beef slice with beautiful marble-like patterns lightly landed on the plate, rolling into a perfect tubular shape.
This was what Irene had just taught her.
"Sister Willow, this is way too hard..."
A maid muttered softly with a crying tone.
"Even if it's hard, you must learn."
Willow's tone was gentle yet not lacking in majesty.
"This is called Hot Pot; it is the civilized way of eating that Her Majesty wants to promote.
Arrange the meat slices neatly on the plate, like blooming petals.
Understand?"
On the other end of the cutting board, Irene was not idle either. While staring at the soup base in the pot, she commanded the servants to wash the recently picked vegetables:
"That potato, scrape its skin clean for me!
Cut it into round thin slices, and wash it a few more times in clean water to wash away the starch inside, otherwise, the soup will become pasty when boiled in the pot!"
"Hey! Don't scrape it like that, scraping it like that is too wasteful!"
"Cut the onions into large rings! This is the source of umami!"
"Aside from stir-frying the soup base, chop all the remaining garlic into minced bits. That is the soul of the dipping sauce later!"
In the small kitchen, the sound of chopping vegetables, the sound of boiling hot oil, and the volume of Irene's commanding voice intertwined.
Two quarters of an hour later, round plates filled with ingredients were brought out of the kitchen:
Rolls of fatty beef and slices of mutton stacked like mountains, red and white intertwined, flashing an alluring light under the lamps.
The emerald green leaves of the new wheat seedlings looking ready to drip, potato slices like jade, and bright purple, round onion rings.
And in that massive pot, the Hot Pot soup base had also been stir-fried.
Willow wiped the fine sweat from the corner of her forehead and looked towards Irene: "Irene, the heat is about right."
"Perfect!"
Irene sniffed that enticing aroma forcefully, revealing a smile of inevitable victory.
"Let's go! Let's hurry and let those fellows who haven't eaten chili before witness what is called Mason Red!"
Smelling that spiciness, Willow couldn't help but cough a few more times. She suspected, could this kind of thing really be given to Her Majesty to eat?
It always felt like it had even greater lethality than that Black powder; it simply made people's noses and throats too uncomfortable.
"Ta-da!"
Irene, as if performing a magic trick, took out a jar of soup base boiled to a red, bright, and thick consistency and poured it into the pot. Accompanied by this spicy aroma that had never appeared in Mason before, everyone's salivary glands instantly began a frantic uprising.
"Come, come, come, everyone sit first!"
Irene, like a skilled shopping guide, directed everyone to their seats:
Sophia sat steadily in the seat of honor. On her left side was Delilah, sitting upright and still as if facing a formidable enemy.
On her right side was Daphne, who was already impatiently starting to wash her cup.
Willow and Irene shuttled between the dining table and the small kitchen, nimbly handling those treasures that had just been plated.
Vasha sat on the outermost side, somewhat constrained, but upon smelling that aroma, her belly very disappointingly let out a "grumble" sound.
Although it smelled very choking, for some reason, it was still quite fragrant.
"Before the Hot Pot boils, please taste this first."
Daphne, like performing a magic trick, took out a large pitcher of purplish-red, crystal-clear fruit juice.
"This can strengthen your constitution and prevent everyone from being burned by the chili's heat later on."
Daphne poured a cup for everyone. The pale pink juice swayed in the glass cups, emitting a clear and sweet fruity fragrance.
Vasha took the cup and took a sip, only feeling a cool stream of air instantly roaming her entire body; her meridians, originally tense due to the cold, miraculously stretched open.
This kind of thing... if it were taken to an auction, I'm afraid it could be exchanged for a lot of money, right?
Yet Her Majesty actually distributed it so casually to her subordinates.
This kind of luxury that does not distinguish between high and low status is perhaps Mason's most terrifying power.
The Royal House of Orr plots and schemes all day long, yet here, I have unexpectedly felt a warmth named belonging.
It seems the decision to follow to Mason back then was correct.
"The soup base is chili, beef tallow, onion, garlic, and the Leighton spices brought back by Delilah!"
As portions of meat and vegetables were placed on the table, Willow's exquisite plating techniques made the people present unable to hold back exclamations of surprise.
Those originally thick blocks of meat, under Willow's exquisite knife skills, had actually truly become piece after piece of meat rolls with an appropriate thickness and a rosy luster.
"Your Majesty, the pot is boiling."
Sophia looked at that bright red soup base and took a deep breath.
In less than five minutes, everyone who had previously expressed opinions of not daring to eat the Hot Pot or finding it too choking was already unable to speak.
Inside the room of the side hall, only words like Hiss~, "So spicy!", and "Water, water, water!" remained. There was absolutely no other communication throughout the entire process; they were thoroughly conquered by the Hot Pot.
However, just as everyone was eating happily, the door to the side hall was knocked.
Sophia raised her head, looking towards Victor at the door.
"Your Majesty, I am very sorry to interrupt your Hot Pot time with your subordinates, but there is a matter I must speak to you about right now."
Seeing Victor's expression so serious, even Irene, who was constantly hissing from the side, lowered her voice.
"Speak," Sophia said.
There were only this many people in total inside the side hall; aside from Vasha, they could all be considered trusted confidants.
As for Vasha, if she wanted to take away any secrets and leave, Sophia would not permit it either.
Hearing Sophia say so, Victor turned around and closed the door, only then saying:
"There is a report from the border soldiers that yesterday, a worker suddenly fainted.
At first, it was thought to be a normal cold from the wind and chill, but unexpectedly, nearly a hundred people fell ill overnight.
Among these people are soldiers of the border, as well as those workers taken in previously who stayed to work at the border; furthermore, those few households of citizens living at the border were not spared either."
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