As they were chefs of the second prince’s manor, everyone was well aware of how picky the second prince was with his food. Even the most renowned chefs in Rodu couldn’t ensure that the second prince would finish the entirety of their dishes. In fact, it often proved to be the case that their food would be left completely untouched by the second prince.

  As such, the image of the second prince basking in the delicious braised chicken and rice had all of them completely flabbergasted.

  Is that braised chicken really that delicious?

  The same question popped up in everyone’s mind.

  Matthew’s expression had darkened significantly. It was quite apparent that Mag’s braised chicken and rice was very much to the second prince’s liking. In that case, even if the fish he made was borderline inedible, there was still a very good chance that the second prince would hire him as a chef in the manor. After all, most of the chefs here were only responsible for cooking one dish each anyway. As long as they could make one dish that the second prince enjoyed, all of the other dishes would be taken care of by the other chefs.

  He was trying to show off his professional knowledge in front of his student chefs by insulting Mag’s cooking, but he hadn’t thought that Mag would have such a sharp tongue. It now appeared that Mag’s cooking skills were also at least on par with that sharp tongue of his, which was naturally quite an unpleasant discovery for Matthew.

  The kitchen of the second prince’s manor wasn’t an easy place to work at. If there was a more exceptional chef out there, any of the chefs here could easily be replaced. It was a very simple yet very cruel system. However, working in this kitchen was a great honor, and it was also quite a leisurely job; Matthew didn’t want to be replaced and kicked out by this Mag.

  Matthew’s student chefs also wore tense expressions on their faces. If Matthew were to be fired, they would also be kicked out of the kitchen. A job at the second prince’s manor was extremely difficult to come by, and they didn’t want to lose their opportunity.

  Everyone looked on in silence at the sight of Josh enjoying his meal, and the sound of loud gulps rang out from time to time.

  The bowls of chicken and rice were finished in the blink of an eye. Josh was rather taken aback as he put down his spoon as if he were surprised that he had finished the dish so quickly and had been left wanting more. He looked up and gave Mag a thumbs-up as he praised, “That was incredibly delicious.”


  He had initially suspected that this Mag might have been Alex, but those suspicions had been completely erased.

  If even Alex could cook such delicious food, then anyone would be able to pick up the Tian Du sword and start slaying giant dragons.

  This Mag was a good chef, but there was no way that he was a good knight as well.

  He had seen many exceptional chefs; their dedication to their craft meant that they were unable to focus on improving in any other area.

  Only with sufficient dedication and effort could someone reach the pinnacle of their craft. This was a notion that rang true for the vast majority of people.

  As such, it had to be a coincidence that Mag shared the same name as Alex.

  Furthermore, just this braised chicken and rice dish alone was enough to convince him to allow Mag to cook during the king’s birthday banquet.

  “You’re far too kind, Your Highness.” Mag nodded with a smile. If it weren’t for the current circumstances, Mag would rather feed all this food to a dog than offer it to Josh.

  A stir immediately ran through the entire dining hall. The second prince had never offered them such glowing praise for any one of their dishes. It was quite clear that he was extremely pleased with Mag’s braised chicken and rice.

  Even if he can cook a good chicken, that doesn’t mean that his fish will be any good. Matthew forcibly calmed himself down, yet his clenched fists had unconsciously tightened even further.

  Josh then turned his attention to the steak. Seeing this, Mag suggested, “The best way to consume the steak is to slice it up using the knife, then dip it into the black pepper sauce before consumption.”


  Josh picked up his knife and fork, and then took a gentle whiff of the steak. A smile appeared on his face as he said, “I can smell a hint of wine in this steak. I’ve never heard of wine being used in cooking before; let me see how this tastes.”


  Mag’s first dish had received brilliant praise from the second prince, and everyone was very curious about what kind of appraisal Josh would give to the second dish.

  “It’s obviously super delicious,” Amy murmured to herself as she tried to stop herself from drooling at the sight of the grilled fish on the table. Even though the little pumpkin biscuits had been quite tasty, Mag’s cooking was obviously far more delicious.

  The knife glided through the tender steak, and red wine seeped out along with red meat juices. The aroma of wine in the air became even more pronounced, and Josh’s eyes immediately lit up.

  He wasn’t an avid wine enthusiast, yet the king would always send a crate of wine from the Buffett Winery to his manor whenever a new batch arrived. As such, he wasn’t unfamiliar with wine, and he could tell the difference between good and mediocre wine.

  Just from the aroma of this wine alone, he could tell that it was not inferior to the wine from the Buffett Winery. That was making him even more eager to taste this steak.

  After dipping the piece of steak in the black pepper sauce, Josh placed it into his mouth before chewing into the tender beef. Rich meat juices and red wine spilled out from the beef, and the unique fragrance of the black pepper further enhanced the flavor of the steak. As he slowly chewed on the morsel of beef, its delectable flavor washed over his palate, and he was struck by an unprecedented sense of bliss and satisfaction.

  Josh’s eyes were already closed as he slowly chewed on his beef, and a blissful smile had appeared on his face.

  He had already forgotten how long it had been since he had tasted food that evoked such bliss and joy within him.

  There was no need for him to say anything; everyone could see what Josh thought of the dish from his body language. It was quite clear that the second dish was also very much to his liking.

  This was the type of expression that every chef wanted to see on the faces of their customers. The sense of accomplishment from seeing customers completely enthralled in their food was completely incomparable.

  And now, this expression had appeared on the face of the notoriously picky second prince. It was difficult to imagine just how delicious this piece of steak was.

  The entire steak was quickly finished by Josh, and the blissful smile on his face stiffened upon hearing the sound of his cutlery striking the empty plate before him. He looked up at Mag with an approving smile, and said, “Father will definitely love this dish.”


  The sound of sharp breaths being drawn immediately rang out across the entire dining hall. Everyone looked on with stunned expressions on their faces. They had thought that the second prince would be intent on testing Mag, but who would’ve thought that he would give Mag such an evaluation on just the second dish? It was quite apparent that Mag had already passed the test with flying colors, and would be allowed to cook during the king’s birthday banquet.

  Even after eating the entirety of the braised chicken and rice and the black pepper steak, Josh was still feeling ravenous for more. He turned his gaze toward the spicy grilled fish, and an intrigued look appeared on his face as he said, “This fish smells quite spicy, but I’m very curious to see how this fish tastes different compared to a normal fish dish.”


  Oh, it’s going to be different alright. Care for some three times insanely spicy grilled fish? Mag wore a calm smiled on his face, but he was internally rubbing his hands together with anticipation.

  It’s definitely not going to taste good at all! Matthew’s fists were tightly clenched, and cold sweat had already beaded all over his forehead.

  The first two dishes had earned splendid praise from the second prince, and everyone else in the dining hall was also very intrigued by this final dish. The entire fish was covered in red chili peppers, and there was almost nowhere for Josh to dig his chopsticks into.

  Thus, he picked aside some of the chili peppers, extracted a morsel of fish with his chopsticks, and then dipped it into the bright red juices below before placing it in his mouth.

  “Oh!”


  Josh’s face immediately became completely flushed, and there was even white smoke billowing out from his nostrils. He felt as if he had been thrown into a fire pit!