My heart is still pounding, not knowing if the prince

alive, unnoticed, and unexecuted...but then he's needed to taste it so I can be employed as a chef here in the palace because I

had spent the last hour perfecting. His eyes widened..not in

steam again. "This smells nothing

sn't from the twenty-first ce

nymore, he clapped h

to His Hig

dropped t

t? Isn't he

harply. "Which is exactly why we must hurry. If this dish

dn't

n't ne

le I trail behind them,watching helplessly as the bowl...my bow

ausea swept

r any prince. I just wanted to eat, survive, and not die i

my apron, but the tr

t was as if the

heavy it crushed the space before he even stepped inside. Every chef and staff stiffened at o

rom the training grounds," someo

umped into

thout blinking. The man whose chef I had replaced. The man

ound. The room temperature seemed to have dropped. A presence roll

d behind me, "His Hig

he hates the dish, run b

u

lt like we

doors sla

ntion. He was tall, and far taller than I expected, with broad shoulders and a sharp jaw that looked carved from winter stone. His h

very authoritative and arrogant and he is rumored to have k

ery Strategic, co

en for him, the room bo

e Arthur Lu

the room, dressed in black armor

es.. very icy,

his side that looked as thoug

pearance that froze

d lethal, like he had already judg

se his voice,only His sil

e asked, his tone sound

ed harder.. looki

pushed the bowl of Pho

ess, the new ch

ch

Oh no

slowly turne

ght through the disguise I wore. My breath caught in my mouth a

slowly, in m

like a countdown

irectly in front of me. "

rd. "Y...yes,

ich was a little higher, and a little softer tha

mment. If he noticed

at me sends shi

ry Dark, Cold, and

st unreadable, like a man who had seen too mu

empty bowl

hat was

no

h just seized...wondering if he is going to like my meal or not...p

the kitchen staff followed. I tried to follow

. St

snappe

king direc

e

y

barely

te. The entire room held its breath as

topped right

u prepa

it was deep, controlling, an

Highness." bringing my eyes dow

,my posture, my trembling hands. In this disg

lifted t

bbing through me. Or declaring me death by hanging. But honestly...I prepared myself for whatever mi

he said on

ntere

"...Your

he leaned in slightly...not at me, but at the lingering aroma of the d

oked like he froze but only for a brief, fleeting second. Something unreada

anished

oon down in a de

to cook like t

d in my skull. "Self-

g me like a puzzle he wasn

d quietly, almost too quietly.

controlled, and t

clenched...was it

something

ation. Y

could respo

s soup," he said slowly,

this empire." Then he started ea

breath

sn't

s int

armth. A balance no chef in t

..looking at me as if loo

tened, "I remembered something

ran down

ered..

pped the bowl into a serva

he said quietly,

alk away...but

his shoul

rsonal

nd what he meant but then

e said. "From now on... all my me

me chefs glared at me with pure

could th

nal Chef...ju

ly

e his mea

me...speci

hy on

onto mine once more

appoint me.

uld understand

out of the room...leaving a shock, terror, and a pounding heartbeat behin