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——Pratoline’s Perspective

Rozetta Pratoline had a thought.

Betrayal, jealousy, slander……

Why are so many people obsessed with dragging others down? It’s not hard to see why one would envy others. She wouldn’t deny ever having envy, and she knew she could use such feelings to improve herself. However, many people leaned more towards kicking others down to feel superior instead.

Unsightly, how very unsightly. Aah, why must this world be so ugly?!

Rozetta Pratoline, daughter of the wealthy Rozetta Stole, is a gourmet adventurer. At the age of 17, she is a renowned gourmet and adventurer. Her achievements include the discovery of gachalé, a portable food essential for adventurers, her arrival in Baleia, and the creation of mantisca, to name just a few. She is a genius who has created a revolution in the food industry.

However, behind her glamorous career, there is always a shadow. She is now the heiress of the Rozetta family, but her path has been a thorny one. The Rozetta family is one of the wealthiest families in the country and has a tremendous influence on national politics. When it came to the race for the heir, it was clear that blood would be spilled.

Pratoline had several older brothers and sisters, but no longer. Pratoline, who was outstanding in beauty and talent, stood out from her siblings.

Her father, Stole, took great care of her and doted on her. He found her to be the perfect heir to the Rozetta family…… Thinking so, Stole designated Pratoline as the next heir and placed her above her older brothers and sisters.

Naturally, feeling cheated of their rights, her siblings did not remain silent. They harassed her. Directly insulting her and even physically beating her up was on the rather tender side. There were even those who approached her under the guise of kindness, secretly tricked her behind her back, and even tried to assassinate her. Without the protection of her father, Stole, she would have died at an early age.

Growing up in such an environment gradually took its toll on Pratoline’s mind. If she were left as she was, she would have become a ruthless and inhumane matriarch with no feelings of any kind.

However, a turning point came when Pratoline was nine years old.

After being named the next heir, Pratoline sought guidance from renowned teachers of all genres. An expert on magicology, a professional in the martial arts, and a scholar in the royal family’s service who had mastered imperial studies.

And then……

A cook whom her father, Stole, hired because he was worried that his daughter would be served poison, would also serve as a teacher to teach her how to recognize poison so that she wouldn’t be poisoned when she was by herself.

Fufu. In retrospect, that sure was one unusual personage.

He did not flatter nor condescend her, the heir to the Rozetta family, but rather treated her as a normal person. He was always openhearted, yet passionate when it came to cooking. In that sense, he was just like Tilea.

At that time, Pratoline thought of food as nothing more than a source of nourishment. One of the tasks necessary to survive. That was all.

But……

“Amazing, how delicious. I never thought a cold meal could taste this good……”

Cold meal after the poison tasting, Pratoline always put it in her mouth mechanically without feeling anything whenever she ate it. This time, however, she couldn’t keep her praises to herself.

“A meal is not something you merely eat, young lady. If it doesn’t move you, it’s just food.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just like how you get merry upon admiring a painting or a sculpture, a meal must make you feel excited.”
“Mu! I am no child. I don’t get merry.”
“Haha. I always thought you were a cynical young lady with how sullen you looked, but now I’m glad to see you have a childlike side to you.”
“That’s not a compliment.”
“It is a compliment. Listen, it is a privilege of human beings to be moved. Not cultivating it simply won’t do! Don’t limit yourself to paintings and sculptures, young lady. Expand your world.”

“I can’t say I understand. Paintings and sculptures never betray you. Seeing their beauty is all you need.”
“Beauty exists in every part of life, young lady. As I said before, it is the same with meals. If it doesn’t move you, it’s just food. However, when you put your hands to it and spend time on it, it creates an impression. That is what makes it a gourmet meal.”
“A gourmet……”
“Indeed, gourmet. You were impressed by the food I just cooked for you, weren’t you, young lady?”

“I-, I was. It was merely a slip of words, however……”
“Ha-ha-ha. You’re not being honest.”
“Mu! I remember the taste. I won’t be surprised for the second time.”
“Worry not, young lady. I will thoroughly teach you how to recognize poison. When I give you my seal of approval, you will be able to eat hot meals. Then you’ll be surprised once again.”
“I-, I can eat hot meals?”
“If you work hard, I’ll make you eat my real cooking, not cold meals.”

Even though she told herself to keep her composure, she was utterly shocked by that. Young Patroline thought this world was full of unsightly things. That was one reason she was always courteous with her words, for she wished that at least a part of it could be beautiful.

However, beautiful things existed in the familiar, in the form of food. No, beautiful things must be reached by her own power, that was what she learned.

Because of this eccentric chef, her training to detect poisons became a discipline to master cooking and gourmet cooking.

Her training with him was demanding, but more than that, it was a fulfilling experience for Pratoline.

And then, in the blink of an eye, it was exam day for the assignment.

“The poison in this soup is ‘paison’. The poison on the edge of this dish is ‘peneno.’ Lastly, every part of the dish is sprinkled with a poison named ‘iat’.”
“Brilliant. You were able to distinguish ‘paison’ from the slight sedimentation. If you can detect the tasteless and odorless ‘paison,’ then you’ll be unlikely to be poisoned.
“How nonsensical. More importantly, please tell me how to prepare this soup.”
“Ha-ha. Your father only assigned you to detect poisons, though.”
“Fufu, and I’ve done my assignment, have I not? All that is left is to absorb it voraciously.”

Paison = Poison
Peneno = Penne
Iat = Eat