Chapter 41

Happy New Year.

It would be a pleasure if you could visit us when you have the time.

The white and black hili that Luka received was delivered to the head chef.

The head chef tasted it and opened his eyes wide at the aroma and sensation he had never experienced before.

"Is this also part of the young lady's work?"

"Yeah. She seems to have found it somewhere in the Southern Union."

"Black for meat and white for fish, right?"

"It seems to go well with both. She said it's a matter of preference, though."

The head chef stared at the hili with his arms crossed. Tonight's main dish was braised beef cheek. Should he use it during the cooking process, or sprinkle it on at the end?

"I'll try a few different things. This will be a test of my skills."

"It might become a popular item like the syrup-cooked fruits."

"Are you going to sell it? I don't want to give it to other chefs just yet. Let's keep it exclusive for a while. How about making it a special treat only for guests staying at this hotel?"

"Hmm."

While considering only the hotel, that would be the right approach, but Luka wanted to increase Berthine's profits. The Rose Hotel exists because of the Marquis. Luka decided to prioritize Berthine.

"Let's wait until hili is recognized to some extent, then divide it into smaller portions, set a high price, and see how it goes."

He needed to get Bell's approval for this plan. He also wanted to inform the Marquis, the hotel's owner, about Bell's achievements. Bell had asked him to forward a letter to the Marquis. Luka slipped two letters into the baked goods sold at the hotel.

Lady Rose would not suspect a package from the capital hotel. He tied a ribbon around it and added a message card with the Rose Hotel's name, addressed to "His Excellency the Marquis," and sent it.

One week after the head chef received the hili, a luncheon for ten nobles, who were particularly trusted by the emperor, was held at the Rose Hotel in the capital. The recent topic among the nobles was the uniform price of wheat from the Southern Union, which had been set at more than seven large silver coins per dedicated cart.

"That's quite a bold price hike. It seems someone has noticed our chronic wheat shortage. Despite the emperor's instructions, we have been buying individually."

"Representative Cecilio must have noticed the food shortage and raised the price. Otherwise, it would be impossible to enforce the lowest price throughout the vast country."

"Cecilio's appearance has advanced the Southern Union by ten, no, twenty years."

"It would have been easier for us if the tribes had continued to bicker with each other."

"Cecilio is like a hawk that suddenly appeared from a flock of doves."

"He's a troublesome man."

Some remembered the hawk on the union's flag, while others nodded with bitter expressions. The nobles continued their conversation while eating the appetizers, drinking the soup, and starting on the buttered sole.

"Hmm? What is this white powder?"

"Adler, try it. It has a wonderful aroma!"

"It seems to be a ground powder. It has a stimulating taste and aroma."

The ten nobles were all surprised when they tasted the part of the sole sprinkled with the powder. The part sprinkled with the powder was overwhelmingly more delicious than the part simply dusted with flour and fried in butter. The aroma burst as they chewed the powder.

"This powder enhances the flavor of the sole."

"After tasting this, the part without the powder seems lacking."

The previous discussion about wheat prices was forgotten, and everyone focused on the buttered sole. When the plates were cleared and the braised veal cheek was served, one of the nobles asked the waiter:

"Did you sprinkle something unfamiliar on the sole? Is it a type of herb?"

"It's a new ingredient, the seeds of an herb called hili."

"Hili?"

"Yes, hili."

Looking at the plate of braised veal, they noticed that a black powder, similar to ground spices, was sprinkled on it. This time, everyone tasted the black powder with the meat.

"Oh! It has a stronger aroma than the white one."

"It's spicy but very fragrant."

"I want to know what it is."

"It will sell. No, I want to take it home and have my chef use it."

The topic had completely shifted from wheat to hili.

As the conversation heated up, cheese with honey and desserts were served. The desserts were accompanied by a yellow, soft fruit syrup and a bright red sauce.

"The sauce is very vivid, but it doesn't smell like berries."

"I've never seen this fruit before. The aroma is rich."

"Maybe the white hili would go well with the honeyed cheese."

Some were already becoming captivated by the hili.

After the meal, when they called for the chef to ask about the hili, the manager appeared.

"Manager, that hili has a wonderful aroma. It really enhances the appetite."

"Thank you. It's a rare item we happened to obtain. We received one bottle each of the white and black hili."

Luka gestured to indicate the size of the bottles.

"One bottle each? Is that all you have?"

"Yes, for now."

"Will you be able to get more eventually?"

"Yes, we are currently negotiating to secure a stable supply."

"So, if we want to taste hili, we have to come here?"

"I'm sorry."

While maintaining a polite demeanor, Luka couldn't help but smile. He had been asked by Bell to be the first to sell hili, so he knew it would definitely be available, but people are weak for "rare" and "limited" items. However, the price must be commensurate with the value, or they would turn away. Determining that line is the skill of a merchant.

The noble luncheon began with the price of wheat and ended with the topic of hili. The nobles were unaware that a single young lady was involved in both.

The rumor of hili quickly spread among the nobles who were always interested in new things. The restaurant at the Rose Hotel was fully booked for three months, and guests who heard the rumor from afar came to dine and stayed at the hotel. The accommodation business was also very busy.

Hili spread not only among the nobles but also among wealthy merchants, and the hili arriving from the Southern Union sold out quickly. A medium bottle of hili was divided into eight small glass bottles, and even at the price of one large silver coin per small bottle, it sold like hotcakes. Some resold it at three to five times the price, and eventually, the rumor reached the emperor's ears.

"I hear that hili is very popular in the capital. It's some kind of herb, and I want to try it."

At the emperor's request, hili was delivered to the palace by Luka. If it was used in the palace, it would quickly spread throughout the empire. Luka met with the palace's food supply manager, hiding his excitement, and delivered three medium bottles of white and black hili, not in small bottles.

"Just six bottles? The emperor himself has requested it."

"Hili loses its aroma when it absorbs moisture, and if it gets damp and molds, you have to throw it all away. It's better to buy it in small quantities."

"Hmm."

The food supply manager, having heard Luka's advice, wrapped the bottles in oil paper to prevent moisture and stored them in a sealed wooden box. The head chef from the hotel, who accompanied Luka, explained the usage precautions. That night, hili was served at the emperor's table and was well-received.

One night, when the emperor visited the palace where Diana resided, he said,

"I'll send hili to the kitchen of the palace. It has a good aroma."

The palace already had hili and fruit preserves sent by Dalila, her mother, as a gift from Berthine. However, Diana didn't want to say, "I already have it."

"Oh, how exciting. Your Majesty, I didn't know about hili, but we have syrup-cooked fruits from the Southern Union. My mother sent them to me. Claudius and I like to eat them as a dessert, but they also go well with spicy drinks."

She signaled to a maid, and a snack of thinly sliced fruit syrup-cooked fruits on buttered soda crackers was served. The emperor, who was not averse to sweets, ate them with interest while drinking.

After that night, every time the emperor visited the palace, different types of fruit preserves from the Southern Union were served. As a result, the palace kitchen began to stock the fruit preserves from the Southern Union. When the news reached the deepest part of the empire, Bruno and Kurt met and drank.

"The emperor of the empire. I understand the wheat, but our village's syrup-cooked fruits are being eaten by the emperor himself."

"A few years ago, it would have been unimaginable."

"Our fathers and their fathers would have fainted if they heard this."

"Ha ha ha ha. I wish they could have heard it."

Bruno and Kurt laughed and finished their star fruit wine.