Kitchens
In a spotless environment several cooks worked in tandem to deliver another top notch meal to the table of the Aurelia’s family.
Only the freshest and most expensive ingredients were used, each dish executed with the highest techniques and had to completely flawless for it to considered worthy of being be presented to the family.
It was all executed under the outstanding direction of Chef Paulie Bernard, who held the whole kitchen to an high standard and ensured the quality of all the dishes served.
However outside this massive group effort was a lone cook, her name was Elise and she was the only one working on Lady’s Veronique’s dinner.
Elise had worked for the Aurelia her whole life, but as a cook she had never been able to go beyond a mere assistant role and was now nearing her sixties still stuck in the same position.
In all honestly Elise had been close to retiring, but choose against it for Lady Veronique’s sake.
Every other cook simply refused to give a morsel to that girl after all the explosive tantrums she threw over the food in the East wing due to the fact it was of lower quality.
The Chef would say that since Lady Veronique didn’t respect the food then he refused to make it for her, which Elise found quite hypocritical of him to say since each meal that didn’t look as flawless as Bernard wanted was carelessly thrown in the trash even over minor details.
Elise did understand Lady Veronique’s point of view, the kid had been used to the taste of those high ranking meals during her whole life, it was understandable she couldn’t settle for less and to add into it the child had no idea why the staff had a deep dislike of her.
It wasn’t Lady Veronique’s fault that she was thrown in such circumstances and Elise didn’t want the kid to be given slop so she had volunteered to make her meals.
It was hard work all by herself, but it was the most accomplished she had ever felt.
Finally she could just make a meal and not worry if an onion wasn’t cut in perfect dices, she didn’t have the time for such perfectionism.
The scorn she got in the kitchen from the staff each time Lady Veronique threw another fit was palpable, Elise was sure that the only reason Bernard didn’t have her sacked was because he thought she would break under pressure and retire, to be honest Elise had been close to it but then Lady Veronique stopped throwing fits and started to enjoy her food.
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So the scorn stopped and Elise was just left alone to do her job…but such thing wouldn’t happen today because Lady Veronique had been allowed to eat breakfast and lunch in the Main Wing
“I bet she’s going to throw a fit over dinner” and the staff was completely convinced Lady Veronique would go back to her old ways now that she tasted those flawless dishes again
“Don’t work too hard on it Elise, you know she’s going to throw it to the floor” Anne, the maid assigned to bring the meals to Lady Veronique, had warned her and it hit a nerve as the old woman had unknowingly made the ultimate sin of being proud of her work.
“On the contrary I am sure Lady Veronique will still appreciate my cooking” Elise would say confident of such thing, where such confidence came from? She had no idea.
“You really think your mundane dishes can compete with my flawless creations?” Bernard of course had to be within earshot and turn the whole thing into an insult against him
“That’s not what I said sir, I just think that Lady Veronique has grown fond of my cooking and won’t throw a fit” Elise tried to make him understand that that her statement was not a quip against his cooking skills or anything of the sort
“And would you be willing to bet on it?” he suddenly asked of her
“What do you mean sir?” Elise was confused of such request, what could he ever want from an old woman like her? Whatever sum she had saved up in all of her years of work was nothing compared to what he made in a single year
“If Lady Veronique does throw a fit I want you to go to retirement” Bernard had vocalized his demands and the kitchen fell silent, a few gasping out of shock.
Elise felt stupid for not understanding his intentions sooner, he just wanted an excuse to have her removed.
“Who is going to fed Lady Veronique if I am not there?” she tried to make him reason
“We will send her some leftovers from the staff’s meals” the Chef simply said
“This were not the orders from the Duke, he said to treat her the same as any other Aurelia” Elise reminded him, uncomfortable on how much the whole staff choose to forget their master’s orders.
“There isn’t an ounce of Aurelia’s blood in that bastard and the leftovers are far more then she deserves for being an ungrateful brat” Bernard didn’t hesitate to state out loud, Elise frowned and kept trying to make him see reason knowing why he acting this way
“Sir, I know you were close to-” “No, if Lady Veronique throws a fit you will either go to retirement or I will fire you myself” there was no arguing with him
“Understood sir” Elise agreed knowing there was nothing else she could do and accepting her fate.
“You better” Chief Bernard focused back on his work, urging the frozen staff to do the same
“I am so sorry” Anne had apologized to her, no doubt feeling a bit responsible about the whole ordeal, given that nothing would have happened if she kept her mouth shut
“Don’t be I have worked my fair share, retirement isn’t a terrible fate and I am getting to old for this anyway” despite her bravado of before Elise knew that it was likely that Lady Veronique was going to throw a fit after tasting those high end dishes and once gain the old woman wasn’t going to blame the kid for acting like a kid.
Elise was just glad she had been able to find back some joy in cooking, even if she feared what would be of Lady Veronique as she was bound to complain even more once they started serving her leftovers from the staff’s meals and this was just as the Duke started to allow her back in the Main wing.
She can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t a deliberate move on Bernard’s part.
