Episode 2: "The Convent's Taboo"

Lucia led me to a massive stone structure—the Monastery of Santa Maria. Men in black habits paced silently through the soaring cloisters.
"This is where the Abade (Abbot) perfected the world's most luscious poison," Lucia whispered, ushering me through a kitchen back door.
The scene inside defied everything I knew about modern pastry.
Mountains of egg yolks were being poured into giant bowls, and thick slabs of pork lard were slowly dissolving into a simmering golden liquid.
"Why use fat in a dessert?" I asked.
Lucia turned to me, her gaze intense. "To preserve it? No. To turn the texture into silk. It is the proof that our nation crossed the seas and claimed the world's spices. When cinnamon, lemon, and the secret Port wine meet the fat, it transforms into an offering for the Heavens."
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed from the depths of the corridor.
"Lucia, have you brought another stray inside?"
An old man with piercing eyes appeared—the Abbot of Priscos himself. He glanced at my strange attire and gave a haunting smile.
"A guest from the future? Then you must already know. There is a 'curse' hidden within this pudding."