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CHAPTER 10……………………………….
“Yes. It was a bad act.”
“No.”
Kylos firmly refuted my words.
“It was justified.”
“…Pardon?”
For a moment, it felt like my blood turned cold.
I doubted my ears several times, but Kylos’s words were clear.
Justified.
That Eli was bullying me—Adelaide—was justified…
“I will explain.”
A rigid voice followed.
“Now that you’ve been disowned by your count family, you are a commoner. You are expected to obey the young viscount.”
“….”
My mouth went completely dry.
In truth, I had never given much thought to this world’s strict class system.
Even the Emperor was, to me, nothing more than a powerful employer.
But Kylos’s words forced me to face a cold reality.
I swallowed a sigh and replied.
“I’ll be careful.”
“No.”
“…?”
A faint smile appeared on Kylos’s lips.
“You no longer need to be careful.”
“What?”
That was the most bewildering statement so far.
But what he said next was even more shocking.
“You are now someone whom even the imperial prince addresses respectfully.”
“…!”
My eyes widened so much it felt like they were about to pop out.
Kylos Obern truly knew how to wield his authority.
Even if I was a commoner, if an imperial prince showed me respect, ordinary nobles would no longer dare treat me lightly.
Kylos’s golden eyes sparkled with amusement.
They looked less like a mastermind villain and more like a mischievous troublemaker.
“…Would you like some butter-grilled abalone?”
It was my attempt to show goodwill in my own way.
It was immediately and neatly rejected.
* * *
Clack-clack.
The sound of knives chopping on cutting boards rang out in perfect rhythm.
I smiled in satisfaction.
More than ten chefs were moving according to my orders.
One was slicing only green onions, another only cucumbers, another preparing dried figs…
I assigned each of them different tasks, and the prepared ingredients piled up at an astonishing speed with impressive skill.
‘Being the imperial head chef… this isn’t bad.’
My lips wouldn’t stop curling upward.
The imperial chefs worked without a single complaint despite handling unfamiliar dishes.
In other words, I was effectively their superior.
‘I was worried since I usually worked alone…’
Until recently, my restaurant had three staff members handling serving and billing, but cooking had always been entirely my responsibility.
I even went out at dawn to prepare simple side dishes myself.
So I had worried whether I could manage such experienced chefs—but it seemed those worries were unnecessary.
Watching so many people move according to my commands gave me a strange thrill.
“Lady Heidi!”
A servant suddenly entered the kitchen and called me.
I frowned.
“I’m busy.”
“Viscount McWood is looking for you…”
The servant looked very troubled, but I had no intention of stepping out of the kitchen.
Right now, I was only in the middle of simple preparation tasks, so I technically wasn’t doing anything critical—but still.
Summoning a chef preparing an imperial banquet without even stating the reason?
‘Not even coming in person. No manners whatsoever.’
I didn’t know exactly who Viscount McWood was, but he was clearly another rude noble like Adelaide’s father.
‘…Ugh.’
I groaned inwardly.
I suddenly remembered who Viscount McWood was.
‘He’s one of Eli’s lackeys!’
He had definitely been among that group last time.
“…”
I stared at the servant.
The servant stepped back nervously.
“Th-the young lady—no, that is…”
“I am no longer a young lady.”
I cut him off coldly.
“Tell the viscount this. I am busy preparing a banquet under His Majesty’s order. If he has something to say, he can come here himself.”
Kylos’s words came back to me.
“If anyone treats you poorly, mention me or His Majesty. They will not dare trouble you.”
It was very solid advice.
“I-I will deliver the message.”
The servant fled in panic.
I smiled faintly.
The cold, sharp face befitting a villainess—Adelaide’s face—was strangely satisfying at times like this.
* * *
“I’m really looking forward to the imperial banquet. It’s been a while.”
A viscount’s daughter sitting a few seats away from John McWood spoke leisurely.
McWood frowned.
‘Looking forward to it, my foot.’
The head chef of the imperial banquet was none other than Adelaide Sitten.
The former count’s daughter who would have been sitting at his level if she hadn’t been disowned.
‘That arrogant woman.’
McWood scowled as he recalled being turned away that morning.
Eli Gannit was the type who never forgot humiliation.
Using McWood’s name, he had planned to summon Adelaide and teach her a lesson if she obediently came.
But the plan failed because the servant was intimidated by Adelaide’s sharp attitude.
“I wonder what dishes will come out this time? At His Majesty’s banquets, there are always dishes we could never imagine.”
“I heard they prepared something simple since His Majesty hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
“Even if the number is simple, the dishes will surely be new and fresh.”
The viscount’s daughter spoke brightly.
“I’ve always looked forward to imperial banquets since I was young. I was so excited last night I could barely sleep.”
McWood’s brow furrowed deeper.
It was an open secret that Adelaide Sitten was in charge of this banquet.
Yet they were still this excited.
‘If you expect it, even mediocre food tastes good.’
Since it was an imperial banquet, the dishes would at least meet basic standards.
Even if Adelaide had planned something disastrous, other chefs wouldn’t allow it.
‘At worst, it’ll be ordinary food. And if they’re already excited, even ordinary food will seem delicious.’
The problem was the outcome afterward.
Dishes that debuted successfully at imperial banquets and received praise would spread among nobles and commoners, raising the chef’s reputation.
McWood could not allow Adelaide to gain such benefits.
He coughed loudly on purpose.
It was to plant a negative preconception so the food would receive poor evaluations.
He was certain Eli, sitting elsewhere, was doing something similar.
“I’m a bit worried. The chef in charge of this banquet is… well…”
“That’s true.”
The viscount’s daughter agreed.
“But His Majesty wouldn’t assign such an important task to someone unqualified.”
“That part is correct.”
McWood raised his voice.
“It’s Adelaide Sitten!”
The table immediately erupted into chatter.
Some shook their heads, thinking he was being too harsh, but most nodded in agreement.
“…She really isn’t a very likable person, Lady Adelaide.”
The viscount’s daughter began to distance herself from the topic.
“It’s not just that she’s unlikable.”
McWood scoffed.
“She can’t dance properly, doesn’t know etiquette. She didn’t even know how to properly eat at a banquet. And you expect her to cook well?”
“But His Majesty must have had a reason…”
“He probably just felt sorry for her.”
McWood believed his judgment was absolutely correct.
“After being disowned and ridiculed by society… I heard she even ran a street stall before becoming an imperial chef…”
“Is that true?”
The viscount’s daughter shuddered.
A former noble… running a street stall?
