Chapter 135: Astraea’s first meal

A few minutes later, the noises from the hallway finally stopped.

Adam calmly finished his cup of tea.

He hadn’t moved.

He had absolutely no intention of going to check.

His survival instinct was working perfectly.

Finally...

Footsteps approached.

Lyriana appeared first.

Her long, silver hair was slightly disheveled, and her expression was that of someone who had just lost a battle she knew was impossible to win.

Elaria arrived right behind her.

She silently adjusted her glasses.

Adam looked at them.

"Well?"

Lyriana gave him a dark look.

"Not a word."

Adam nodded immediately.

"I didn’t see anything."

Elaria sat down.

"You didn’t see anything, indeed."

"Exactly."

Astraea arrived a few seconds later.

Perfectly groomed.

Perfectly calm.

Always that gentle smile.

Adam looked at the three women.

Then at Astraea.

"I’m starting to understand why no one believes you when you tell these stories."

Astraea settled down quietly.

"Tell what?"

Adam remained silent.

Then he raised his cup.

"Absolutely nothing."

Lyriana stifled a laugh.

The conversation resumed as if nothing had happened.

And, unexpectedly...

They continued like this for several hours.

The sun gradually set.

Adam barely noticed.

There were far too many topics.

Astraea already knew some of what had happened thanks to Lyriana’s messages.

But hearing about events firsthand was different.

Adam told her more about his former life.

Not everything.

But enough for Astraea to better understand the origin of some of her knowledge.

Programming.

Computers.

Automated systems.

Networks.

Industrial methods.

Transportation.

Games.

Cooking.

This last part particularly caught her attention.

"So all the things they told me about really come from your old world?"

Adam nodded.

"Most of them."

Lyriana immediately chimed in:

"And she hasn’t tasted anything yet."

Astraea turned her head.

"Nothing?"

Elaria nodded.

"Nothing prepared directly by Adam."

Astraea looked at him.

Then at the two elves.

"You’ve been here for several hours and no one thought to mention this?"

Lyriana looked away.

"We were busy."

"Avoiding work?"

Silence.

Adam stood up immediately.

"Very well. I’ll prepare dinner."

Elaria watched him leave.

"Very good change of subject."

"Thank you."

He went into the kitchen.

Astraea remained silent for a few seconds.

Then she turned to her daughter.

"Does he really cook as well as you said?"

Lyriana smiled.

"Better."

Elaria nodded.

"Much better."

Astraea looked toward the kitchen.

"That’s a dangerous statement."

Astraea’s kitchen was surprisingly well-equipped.

Adam had expected to have to improvise.

He discovered the opposite.

Multiple cooking areas.

Crystal heating elements.

A large cold storage compartment.

A wide variety of utensils.

And above all...

Extremely fresh ingredients.

Fruits.

Vegetables.

Herbs.

Mushrooms.

Meats.

Fish.

Dairy products.

Adam opened several cupboards.

"Okay..."

Astraea appeared at the entrance.

"Any problem?"

"None at all."

He looked at the pantry.

"On the contrary."

Then a smile appeared.

"I can work with this."

He thought about it.

Astraea had never tasted his cooking before.

So...

No question of just reheating something.

Four dishes.

All different.

Enough to introduce him to several types of cuisine in a single meal.

He finally selected his menu.

First course — Creamy Mushroom Risotto

Adam began by preparing a light broth.

Meanwhile, he sliced ??several varieties of mushrooms he had gathered in Sylvaris.

Some brown.

Others almost silver.

And a pale blue variety that Elaria had already confirmed was perfectly edible.

He sautéed them with a little butter, garlic, and herbs.

In another saucepan...

Rice.

Finely chopped onions.

A little fat.

Then the stock was added gradually.

Astraea, who had been watching from the entrance, frowned slightly.

"Why don’t you just add all the liquid at once?"

Adam stirred.

"Because I want to control the absorption."

"Does it really change the texture?"

"A lot."

The liquid was added gradually.

Again.

And again.

Then the rice slowly began to become creamy.

Adam added the mushrooms.

A little cheese.

A knob of butter.

Then he mixed it all together.

Astraea observed the final texture.

"It’s almost like a sauce."

"But the rice should still be slightly firm."

"Interesting."

Adam looked up.

"You’re already starting."

"What?"

"You all say ’interesting.’"

Astraea smiled.

Second course — Crispy chicken with lemon-butter sauce

He then moved on to the chicken.

He prepared thin slices.

Simple seasoning.

Salt.

Pepper.

Herbs.

Then a light coating of breadcrumbs.

The pieces were cooked until crispy on the outside but still tender.

The sauce was much simpler.

Butter.

Lemon juice.

A small amount of stock.

Herbs.

And a few strips of zest.

The acidity of the lemon immediately cut through the richness of the butter.

Lyriana entered the kitchen.

She inhaled.

"What does it smell like?"

Adam pointed to the door.

"Out."

"I just wanted to look."

"The last time Selene ’just looked,’ half my plate was missing."

"I’m not Selene."

Adam thought for a moment.

"Valid point."

She approached.

Adam offered her a tiny amount of sauce with a spoon.

Lyriana tasted it.

Silence.

Her eyes opened slightly.

Adam smiled.

"Out."

"One more spoonful."

"Out."

She left reluctantly.

Third course — Potato Gratin

For the third course...

Adam chose something even simpler.

Thinly sliced ??potatoes.

Cream.

Milk.

Garlic.

Salt.

Pepper.

A pinch of nutmeg.

Cheese.

He layered the ingredients gradually.

Potatoes.

Seasoned cream.

More potatoes.

More cream.

Then a final layer of cheese.

It went into the oven.

Astraea returned.

She watched for a few seconds.

"This looks much simpler than the other two."

Adam nodded.

"It is."

"So, not as good?"

"You’ll see."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Confident answer."

"I’ve learned one thing: simple doesn’t mean bad."

Fourth course — Honey and herb roasted fish

To finish...

Adam retrieved several fillets of a local fish.

White flesh.

Firm texture.

Very few bones.

He prepared a light marinade.

Honey.

A little citrus juice.

Fresh herbs.

Garlic.

A small amount of the salty sauce he regularly used as a base.

The fish was then quickly roasted.

Not long enough to dry it out.

Just long enough for the surface to begin to caramelize slightly.

Astraea watched the cooking.

"Honey on fish?"

"Yes."

She seemed extremely skeptical.

Adam smiled.

"Keep that expression."

"Why?"

"I want to see how long it lasts."

When everything was ready...

Adam carried the dishes to the large table.

Astraea sat down.

Lyriana immediately to her right.

Elaria opposite her.

Adam placed the risotto on the table first.

An aroma of butter, mushrooms, and herbs immediately filled the air.

Astraea picked up her spoon.

"Shall I start with this?"

Adam nodded.

"Yes."

She tasted it.

Silence.

One second.

Two.

Then Astraea looked at her bowl.

Then at Adam.

Then back at her bowl again.

"Why is the rice like this?"

Adam smiled.

"Like what?"

"Creamy."

She took another bite.

"But not mushy."

A third.

"And the mushrooms..."

She chewed slowly.

Then she looked at Elaria.

"Why didn’t anyone teach me this?"

Elaria replied very seriously:

"Adam hadn’t arrived in this world yet."

Astraea remained silent.

"A valid point."

Lyriana was already laughing.

Then Adam served them the chicken.

Astraea took a bite.

CROUST.

She paused.

Looked at the surface.

Then at the inside.

"Crispy on the outside."

Another bite.

"Tender on the inside."

Then she tasted the sauce.

Her expression changed.

"Oh."

Lyriana smiled immediately.

"There you go."

Astraea looked at Adam.

"The lemon keeps the butter from being too heavy."

"Exactly."

She continued.

"It’s dangerous."

Adam blinked.

"Dangerous?"

"Yes."

She pointed to her plate.

"I could eat this until I was sick."

Lyriana nodded.

"Now you understand, Selene."

Elaria replied:

"No. Selene would continue after."

Adam burst out laughing.

The gratin arrived next.

Astraea was clearly less impressed by its appearance.

"Potatoes with cream."

Adam simply replied:

"Taste it."

She tasted it.

Silence.

Another bite.

Then a third.

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

Astraea pointed her spoon at him.

"Don’t speak."

Adam froze.

Lyriana burst out laughing.

Astraea took another helping.

"I take it back."

"What did you think?"

"That it was too simple."

"And?"

"That was a mistake."

Elaria had already taken a second helping.

"It’s probably the easiest to replicate." "

Astraea looked at her immediately.

"You’re going to teach me."

Elaria pointed at Adam.

"He’s the cook."

Astraea turned.

"You’re going to teach me."

Adam sighed.

"Why do I feel like I have no choice?"

"Because you catch on so quickly."

Well...

The fish.

Astraea looked at it suspiciously.

"I still think the honey tastes strange."

Adam crossed his arms.

"Taste it."

She cut off a piece.

Bought it to her mouth.

Then she stood still.

Then the slight sweetness of the honey came first.

Then the acidity.

The herbs.

And finally the more delicate taste of the fish.

Astraea closed her eyes.

"...Okay."

Adam smiled.

"Okay what?"

She opened her eyes.

"I was wrong."

Adam put a hand to his ear.

"Sorry, I didn’t hear you."

Lyriana immediately lowered her head to hide her laughter.

Astraea smiled gently.

Much too gently.

"Adam."

He stopped immediately.

"I heard perfectly well."

Elaria nearly choked on her tea.

The meal went on much longer than expected.

Astraea wanted to taste each dish a second time.

Then compare.

Then mix some of the side dishes.

Then ask how Adam had learned all this.

At one point...

She looked at the four dishes.

Then at Adam.

"Lyriana."

"Yes?"

"Why didn’t you bring him back here sooner?"

Lyriana sighed.

"Because he has a life in Valoria."

Astraea thought for a moment.

"An awkward detail."

Adam burst out laughing.

"I appreciate my existence being called an awkward detail."

"Not yours."

Astraea gestured toward the plates.

"The distance."

Elaria chimed in:

"The Permanent Gate could take care of that."

Adam stopped.

Astraea did too.

Lyriana slowly turned her head toward Elaria.

Adam narrowed his eyes.

"I recognize that tone."

Elaria carried on as if nothing had happened.

"We’ll talk about it tomorrow."

Adam looked at her for a few more seconds.

Then he decided not to fall for it.

"Tomorrow."

Once the meal was finished...

Astraea leaned back in her armchair.

She placed a hand on her stomach.