Chapter 112: Dinner 2

Isadora tried the vegetable version.

At first, she delicately used a fork.

Then she watched Adam and Selene eat their slices with their hands.

She hesitated.

Finally...

She put down her fork.

Picked up the pizza with her fingers.

Took a bite.

Adam smiled immediately.

Isadora gave him a warning look.

"Don’t say anything."

"I didn’t say anything."

"Your face says it all."

Vespera followed a few moments later.

She had tried to cut her slice perfectly evenly.

But the cheese made it unnecessarily complicated.

She watched Adam.

Then her pizza.

Then she simply picked up the slice.

"It’s more efficient."

Adam stifled a laugh.

"Exactly."

Vespera took a bite.

Her eyes opened slightly.

She didn’t comment immediately.

Which, coming from her, was probably the highest compliment possible.

Elaria, for her part, had begun to analyze the dough.

"Short fermentation?"

"Yes."

"Local flour number three?"

Adam blinked.

"How do you know?"

"Texture."

She took a second bite.

"And the sauce is reduced before cooking."

"Exactly."

Adam sighed.

"You really can’t just eat."

"I’m eating. I’m thinking at the same time."

Shiora, however, had already reached another conclusion.

"This could be sold on the street."

Adam closed his eyes.

"Shiora."

"Listen to me."

"No."

"Inexpensive dough. Adaptable filling." Quick cooking. Can be sold whole or by the portion.

Selene nodded vigorously as she ate.

"I support the project."

Adam raised his hands.

"Eat first. Conquer the food economy tomorrow."

Lyriana remained more silent.

She tasted the seafood pizza.

Then she took a second bite.

And finally a third.

"I had my doubts."

Adam smiled.

"About the seafood?"

"About the cheese and fish combination."

"And?"

She took another slice.

"I take back my doubts."

Then came the paella.

This time, Lyriana was the first to be truly won over.

The combination of rice, broth, smoky spices, and seafood seemed to particularly appeal to her.

She tasted a shrimp.

Then a piece of squid.

Then the rice.

"All the flavors are in the rice."

Adam nodded.

"That’s the idea. The cooking liquid carries some of the flavors throughout the dish."

Vespera tasted it in turn.

"So the rice almost acts as a storage medium for the flavors."

Adam paused.

"That’s a very Vespera-esque way of describing cooking."

"Is it incorrect?"

"No. That’s the worst part."

Elaria immediately came to the dragon’s defense.

"The description is technically accurate."

Adam gave up.

Elena, meanwhile, was discovering the squid.

She chewed.

Paused.

"That’s strange."

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Bad?"

"No." The texture is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted.

She took more.

"But I like it."

Isadora preferred the shrimp.

After a few bites, Shiora asked a much more troubling question.

"How much did you pay for the seafood?"

Adam gave her an estimate.

She froze.

"That little?"

"They’re not very popular here."

Shiora slowly put down her spoon.

Her gaze became distant.

Adam immediately recognized the symptom.

"No."

"Adam..."

"No."

"But—"

"Eat."

The crab soup had a different effect.

The rich, yet milder aroma slightly calmed the atmosphere.

Isadora was the first to truly savor it.

"This one..."

She tasted it again.

"I could eat this regularly."

"You prefer this to pizza?"

She thought for a moment.

"It’s not comparable."

The cream softened the taste of the crab, while the vegetables and herbs made the soup far more complex than the simple broths usually served in Valoria.

Vespera even closed her eyes briefly after a spoonful.

"The different flavors arrive at different times."

Adam smiled.

"Exactly."

Elaria took another helping.

"The garlic comes after the crab."

"And the pepper at the end," Isadora added.

Adam watched them.

"You’re analyzing a soup like it’s some kind of magical artifact."

"It’s interesting," Vespera replied, as if that explained everything.

Then came the burgers.

Selene had been waiting for this one.

She took the biggest one.

Two hands.

A huge mouthful.

Silence.

Her ears perked up.

Adam knew immediately that he had won.

"So?"

Selene chewed.

Swallowed.

Then she looked at the burger.

"Why is ground beef better this way?"

Adam laughed.

"Because it’s not alone. Bun, cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, sauce. It’s all eaten together."

She took another huge bite.

"Make some more tomorrow." "

"Tomorrow morning is breakfast."

"The day after tomorrow."

"We’re traveling."

"During the trip."

"Selene."

"I’m negotiating."

Shiora burst out laughing.

"She’s learning."

Elena then tried a burger with ketchup and mayonnaise.

At the first bite, she immediately looked at the two sauces.

"That’s what makes all the difference."

Adam nodded.

"A sauce can completely transform a dish."

She added more ketchup.

"This one’s dangerous."

"Why?"

"I want to put it everywhere."

Isadora, who had tried to maintain a modicum of dignity until then, also ended up picking up her burger with both hands.

A drop of sauce fell on her finger.

She looked at it.

Then he licked it mechanically.

Adam stared at her.

Isadora immediately looked up.

"Not a word."

"Still nothing."

Vespera also gave up trying to use cutlery.

After a few bites, even her perfectly controlled expression began to relax.

"I understand why it works."

"Explain," Elena asked.

"Each bite contains roughly all the components of the dish."

Adam sighed.

"Another scientific analysis of the burger."

"She’s right," Elaria replied.

Obviously.

Then Selene found the sauce very strong.

Adam watched her take it.

Dip a piece of burger generously.

Then eat.

He waited.

One second.

Two.

Selene stopped.

Her eyes widened.

Her tail became perfectly still.

"Adam."

He smiled innocently.

"Yes?"

"Which one is that?"

"Very strong."

"You didn’t say there was a very strong one."

"You didn’t ask."

Selene took her glass of juice and drank a large amount.

Then, to everyone’s surprise...

She took more sauce.

Adam stared at her.

"Seriously?"

His eyes were shining.

"It hurts. But I like it."

Lyriana shook her head.

"Obviously."

The stuffed chicken was probably the most familiar dish.

And yet...

He received just as many compliments.

The meat had absorbed the herbs and butter.

The stuffing had soaked up the chicken’s juices during cooking.

Elena took a bite.

Then some more filling.

"Even the bread inside tastes better than regular bread."

"Because it absorbed the juices, the butter, and the herbs."

Isadora seemed particularly pleased with this dish.

"This would be easy to incorporate into the manor’s cuisine."

Adam smiled.

"I can give the recipe to the cooks."

"Go ahead."

Shiora immediately added:

"And the others too."

Adam looked at her.

"We’ll see."

As the meal progressed, something became clear.

Good manners gradually disappeared.

Even Isadora and Vespera ended up eating pizza and burgers with their hands.

Elaria took bites from several plates simply to compare.

Lyriana tasted everything with growing curiosity.

Elena mixed different sauces.

Shiora ate while discussing pricing, distribution, and commercial potential.

And Selene...

Selene ate as if Adam had just revealed to her that her entire previous life had been preparation for this dinner.

"Did you really need to prepare so much?" Elena asked.

Adam looked at Selene.

Then the dishes disappeared at an alarming rate.

"Yes."

An hour later...

There was nothing left.

Absolutely nothing.

The last slice of pizza vanished onto Selene’s plate.

The last piece of chicken was shared between Elena and Lyriana.

The bottom of the paella had been cleaned up.

The burgers had been devoured.

Even the soup had completely disappeared.

Adam stared at the empty plates.

"I think this is the first time I’ve ever cooked so much for one meal."

Selene slumped back against the chair.

"It was worth it."

Her hand rested on her stomach.

"I can’t move."

The table reacted.

The empty dishes vanished.

The surface cleaned itself.

Selene closed her eyes.

"Perfect."

Then...

The desserts appeared.

Her eyes immediately snapped open.

She sat up.

Adam burst out laughing.

"I thought you couldn’t move."

"I recovered."

"In two seconds?"

"Yes."

Elena examined the new dishes.

"Wait... wasn’t that it?"

Adam looked almost offended.

"Of course not."

Caramel flan.

Tiramisu.

Macarons.

Cheesecake.

Apple pie.

Then the drinks appeared.

A variety of juices.

Tea.

Coffee.

And hot chocolate.

The aroma of hot cocoa was enough to immediately attract Elaria and Vespera’s attention.

Shiora stared at everything.

"Adam."

"No."

"I haven’t said anything yet."

"I already know what you’re going to say."

"You have no idea."

"We could sell this."

Shiora remained silent.

Then she crossed her arms.

"I hate it when you do that."

The first dessert Elena chose was the caramel flan.

She took a small spoonful.

The flan trembled slightly.

"Is it supposed to move like that?"

Adam smiled.

"Yes."

She tasted it.

And then froze.

Her second spoonful was much larger.

"Elena?"

She didn’t answer immediately.

Then:

"Dinner was delicious."

Another spoonful.

"But this..."

She looked at Adam as if she had just discovered something profoundly unfair.

"It’s divine."

Selene immediately grabbed a portion.

"Give it here."

She tasted it.

Her expression changed.

"Why is it so sweet?"

"Milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and caramel."

Selene examined the flan.

"You turned eggs into this?"

"Yes."

"Witchcraft."

Vespera replied very seriously:

"Technically, no magic is required."

Selene looked at her.

"It was an expression."

"Ah."

Adam laughed.