"Why would you say that?" I hissed, slapping his shoulder in agitation. "There's no need to be so dramatic, you said so yourself: the curry is perfect!"
Continuing to shake his head, Lau raised his hand in question towards Soma.
"How so, Prince?"
"Do you see what your butler is doing, Adelina?" Soma asked me, pointing towards the stage.
I glanced over and sure enough, Rodric was making some sort of dough, which was certainly not something I was aware that he was going to do.
"That is called naan." Prince Soma said with a hush, "it's made with fermented paste and wheat which is then baked together in a high temperature oven that is called tandoori."
Salvador's breath hitched and Mey-Rin gasped, hands at her lips in worry.
"But since Rodric lacks such equipment, you say the perfect naan cannot be made." Ciel concluded lazily, to which Soma nodded before adding another point.
"It's not only just the naan. Your butler has the heat on the stove set too high; if this continues it will dry out in a matter of minutes. The painstakingly made curry will go to waste!"
Ciel and I deadpanned, exchanging looks of uncertainty at Prince Soma's clear panic. We, however, stayed silent and kept out eyes locked onto both Agni and Rodric.
If the competition was going to be won, it would be by my hand.
"Time is up, ladies and gentlemen!"
I bit into the last cookie and watched apprehensively as the chefs pushed their played curry towards the main table, each one radiating great confidence. My demon only smiled politely as Agni walked past him, eyes closed as he set his dish down.
"Now to invite all the judges to the stage!"
Almost in unison, all servants from each household scurried towards the front of the crowd, pushing and moving everyone out of the way with no concern for the well-being of the others. Mey-Rin and Baldroy used Finny as a type of ram to clear a straight path while the twins maneuvered their way stealthily with Salvador right on their heels. Sebastian kept his head high in order to watch the oncoming critiquing and even Lau opened his eyes to watch.
"First up is... Persian Tabb Company's beef curry!"
Chef Higharm eyed the dish skeptically before dipping his spoon into the curry, eyes closed as he popped it into his mouth to begin savoring it.
"The beef was cooked in large chunks and seasoned well, it goes down nicely... The flavor is plain and ordinary with no fragrance." He said, paralyzing the chef in horror. "You used curry powder."
My memory flashed back to the first time Rodric had tried to make curry with the same mistake, the criticism from Prince Soma from that day satisfying me greatly. If we hadn't had him taste it, then we would also be in the same unfortunate position.
Pleased, I turned and gave Prince Soma a kind, quick and friendly embrace, smile genuine and wide. He seemed to freeze as I wrapped my arms around his neck and his skin began to flush a deep red as I let go, stuttering out a type of question that took me a moment to unscramble.
"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known to not use curry powder!" I explained happily, arms open wide.
Still a hot mess, Soma buried his face into his long head wrap and mumbled himself away, slinking towards Lau and Ran-Mao and away from Ciel and I, leaving me feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Oh dear, I hope I didn't make him uncomfortable." I mumbled, placing a finger on my lips as I watched Soma leave.
Ciel, on the contrary, seemed irked, with arms now crossed.
"You're ridiculous, honestly." He muttered, staring straight ahead. "All he did was taste, I could have easily told you that curry powder was unprofessional."
I smirked at Ciel's annoyance and pinched his cheek lightly, giggling as he swatted my hand away in even more irritation than before. My smile grew and his scowl deepened.
"You're right," I hummed, gently tapping my temple in sarcastic comprehension. "They wereyour guests, so my thanks should be to you."
"I should also then be receiving gratitude." Sebastian added with a bright closed-eye smile.
"As should I." Lau piped in soon after, forefinger in the air.
I laughed slightly at their inputs but Ciel quickly put a stop to their fun, slamming the bottom of his cane down harshly with a bitter growl.
"Stop fooling around, all of you!" He snapped.
I was becoming used to Ciel's sudden angry shouts and vexed changes of mood, so this was nothing new to me. I merely smiled and nodded so I wouldn't aggravate him any further and looked ahead, pleaded to see that Agni's curry was now being placed in front of each judge.
Soma softly cried out his name in anguish before Agni spoke, presenting his dish gravely to the arbiters.
"This is my dish... blue lobster and seven types of curry, an imperial feast."
"A whole homard bleu served with red, yellow and green curries... what delicacy is this?" Chef Higharm gasped with wide eyes.
"I made a variety, each has a different level of spiciness and flavor so you can sample each to your liking. All the curries were made to go perfectly with the lobster."
Sebastian's jaw tensed as the judges stared at the plate in awe, beginning to taste the dish in expectancy. My own lips pursed as we all watched each arbiter bite into the curry only to be blown away by their reaction.
"D-Delicious! The meat is suitably springy, and after chewing the subtle flavor permeates the entire mouth!"
"That sweet and spicy flavor, and rich soup! All this was accomplished without compromising the taste of the lobster!"
"Ooooh! Ahhh!"
Viscount Druitt's unashamed moans made Ciel and I both cringe.
"Like the beautiful lady unexpectedly met, with seven precious stones, wrapping their beauty around you," He fell to his knees and extended an arm as he proceeded to proclaim his love for the dish, "a gold brooch shaped like a dove, a bracelet made of sapphires and pearls, a garnet necklace, a cameo medal... and a diamond and emerald ring on your exquisite fingers... by you my heart has been stolen from me!"
A substantial amount of rose petals began to emanate from the Viscount's hands and Agni bowed politely at his words, unfazed by the oddity of the Viscount's exaggerated compliments.
"Simply amazing, your curry is the absolute best I've ever tasted!"
Lau chuckled.
"Oh, what is this?" The host announced, "A winner already declared?"
I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
Rodric seemed entirely unaffected by the bold praise as he stepped up onto the stage, silver platter in hand as though he was serving any other meal.
"Last to the stage here is the DelMare Industry!"
Black suit and white gloves attracted the attention of not only every woman but every man in the crowd as well, locking their stares at Rodric while he calmly placed his own dish down on the white clothed table. His voice echoed lowly in the now shushed arena as we all awaited whatever was under the silver cover.
"Gentlemen, my curry."
The cover was lifted and Chef Higharm gasped sharply in what seemed to be shock, or even stunned. Despite my great confidence in Rodric, the color was drained from my face as I stood still, brows furrowed in worry.
"This... this is..."
A pin could have dropped and the entire would have been able to hear it. Even I wasn't quite sure what the small, round ball of dough was supposed to be, and nowhere on the plate was there a sign of curry whatsoever.
"What is this white thing?!" Chef Higharm demanded, standing up abruptly to point at Rodric angrily. "Are you trying to make a mockery of us!?"
There was a flicker of smugness that flitted through Rodric's visage, transient I might add, but it had most certainly been there. And that assurance was the only proof I needed to feel relieved once more, trusting him completely enough to know that he had something slithered up his sleeve, like any snake would.
His arm snapped out to take the small ball of dough, taking it between a pair of silver tongs and dropping it into a small pot of boiling oil that seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
"H-HE'S FRYING IT?!"
A collective gasp from each person filled the area, each expressing their own range of puzzlement and disturbance at Rodric's choice of action. Even Prince Soma and Baldroy had something to say.
"Adelina! What in Kali's name is your khansama doing?!"
"Is he trying to make doughnuts or somethin'?"
I merely continued to look ahead in silence and anticipation.
Rodric would never disappoint his Countess.
-
...My Countess orders, I obey; Anyone who dares interfere, will have Hell to pay...