The Imperial Cook 4

I thought the hardest thing would be teaching the boy to chop onions without crying. How wrong I was. My modest menu of “Soup of the Day” and “Excellent Cutlets” suddenly demanded an expansion. First, I added “skirmishes with the local mafia” (served with a hot sauce of humiliation), then “political intrigues” (a cold dish that requires patience). And now, it seems, for dessert they’re preparing “imperial secrets” and “magical conspiracies.” My little diner in Zarechensk turned out to be just a sampler. The main course, I guess, will be served on a whole-empire scale. Well, the apron is tied, the knife is sharpened. Let’s see who eats whom.