The Kings Mistress Chapter 68

[ … words ]

“My my, how bold of you to come here to ask me,” Cassandra remarked as she glanced over to Sierra with her arms folded.

“I have some lobster here if you need it, Your Highness,” Sierra said with a smile.

This was no time to pick a fight and every minute was worth its weight in gold. A quick glance at Cassandra’s station and Sierra could tell the maid and servant were doing most of the work.

Most of the princesses were likely going to focus their time on the last two challenges to impress the King, Queen, and their court.

“I can’t believe you’re this foolish. Trading lobster for potatoes. But I guess you really can’t have the brains and brawn, now can you?” Cassandra scoffed.

The maid came forward with all the items Sierra had requested and took the lobster from her. Sierra did not say a word in response, she simply kept up the smile on her face.

Finally, once the exchange was over, she thanked Cassandra for her help, “Best of luck to you, Princess Cassandra.”

Cassandra narrowed her eyes, “Hmph, I don’t believe in luck.”

Sierra clenched her jaw. She could not hold herself back any longer, “Well, it’s not too late to start now.”

With all the items she needed, Sierra returned to her station immediately. Looking at all the ingredients she had in front of her, Sierra was brimming with joy. Rolling up her sleeves, she got to work immediately.

Sierra’s skill with a knife was only second to her skill with her twin swords. With Ida’s help, she swiftly processed all of the ingredients she needed. In a matter of minutes, she was ready to move on to the next phase of her cooking process.

Ida was stunned by the speed she moved.

“Princess, how… how did you get everything prepared so quickly?” Ida gasped in amazement.

Sierra looked over, confused by her statement, “Quickly? This is half the usual speed I got at.”

Back in the days when Sierra followed her father to war, she often found herself hungry. Her growing body needed more food than usual, especially with the strenuous training she had to go through.

As such, Sierra spent a good part of her time in the kitchen, helping the chefs and cooks with their duties. That was where she learned most of her cooking skills too. Hence, cooking in large quantities was child’s play for her.

Processing the ingredients brought back fond memories of her childhood. Her life had changed for the better after General Leon adopted her. It was tough having to move from camp to camp during the warring years. But she never complained, not even once.

As she began cooking her dishes, Sierra expertly seasoned the dishes. She even had Ida try some of it, to ensure the flavors were just right.

“This… this is delicious!” Ida exclaimed with delight.

Sierra smiled, “That’s good. Hopefully, the King and Queen would think so too.”

Aromatic fragrances filled the air as the culinary test continued. King Alistair was getting bored having to sit and watch the contest from afar. So he got up from his seat and proceeded down the steps.

“Where are you going, my King?” Queen Roxine asked, she too got up on her feet.

“It’s such a waste to observe from afar, would my Queen like to take a closer look?” He asked her as he reached out his hand.

Together, they walked down the steps and strolled by each of the stations. As soon as they got close, the princesses got nervous. Only Sierra and Cassandra seemed to have kept their calm.

As soon as Alistair and Roxine came near Sierra’s station, they could smell the aromatic fragrance of spices. They had already begun to salivate as they came closer to observe.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness,” Sierra greeted them.

“Princess Sierra, this smells delicious! What are you making?” Roxine asked as she glanced over at what was on the stove.

“I hope it comes out tasting as good as it smells. It’s a surprise,” she gave the Queen a wink.

“A surprise? My my,” Roxine was intrigued, “I look forward to seeing what you’ve in store for us.”

“Perhaps a clue on what it might be would help satisfy our curiosity for the time being?” Alistair suggested.

“A clue?” Sierra pondered for a moment, “One of the dishes can be eaten with just your hands, no cutlery needed.”

“Oh? How intriguing,” Roxine remarked as she lifted her lace fan to cover her face.

Alistair smiled. His eyes had not left Sierra since they came to her station. Though his features were covered by his mask, he was still incredibly handsome. Sierra did not dare meet his gaze. She feared she would not be able to look away once their eyes met.

“It is intriguing indeed. We will leave you to it then, Princess Sierra. We look forward to tasting what you’ll serve,” Alistair said before moving on to the next station.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She bit her lip as she calmed the emotions swirling within her. She had to concentrate on what was before her. But the smile on her face was undeniable. All it took was a simple sentence from Alistair for Sierra to find a new burst of adrenaline coursing through her veins.

“I will do my best,” she muttered to herself.

“Your Highness, I think we might have a problem,” Ida’s words cut through her thoughts.

As it turned out, the oven at their station could only fit two large trays. Sierra had made bread buns that were to be toasted in the oven, but there were so many that it would have to be baked in batches. But with time running thin, they did not have time to bake all of them.

“How many of them are done?” Sierra asked her maid.

“Two batches are done, princess. We’re just left with one more but there isn’t enough time.”

Sierra glanced over to the hourglass, watching the grains of sand pouring down. She gulped as sweat trickled down her forehead. Ida was right, they did not have time to bake another batch.