Interlude 19: Cocktail Party (I)

Today, several important people wanted me to cook a few dishes for them, Chef Marcus thought groggily as he stood before his washstand.

But just how important were they?

When it came to that question, he honestly had no idea.

Although he had been in the business for thirty-two years and was quite renowned throughout the Sol System, with his fish stew and two-headed beast ribs drawing countless dignitaries to dine at his restaurant, he himself had never felt there was anything to be proud of.

It was merely a family craft. That was how he always explained it to the journalists who came to interview him, never forgetting to add that he did not understand why important people liked it so much.

His honesty was always mistaken for a peculiar kind of arrogance, but it truly was what Marcus thought deep down. To be frank, he was actually a little afraid of being so popular.

He feared things like constantly being photographed, constantly being interviewed about some noble's culinary preferences, and standing before his washstand at five in the morning wondering what he should wear when he went out that day.

He feared all of it and worried over it, to the point of becoming somewhat pathological.

But—

Fifty-five-year-old Marcus Krensky covered his forehead with one hand.

The payment was simply too generous! he screamed inwardly. I can't refuse it!

He did not know who could refuse it. At the very least, he could not. He needed money right now.

The five Krensky Orphanages he had promised to build in Duns A-2 Hive City were all under construction at once, draining real money from his account every second.

If all he wanted was to finish building them, then he actually had more than enough money. But Marcus Krensky had