CHAPTER 03
As I stared blankly at the plate, unsure what to do, Rani finally noticed what was on it and turned pale.
“C-Chief! Miss can’t eat raw meat!”
“What are you talking about, Rani? Foxes are omnivores.”
“Huh?”
Ignoring Rani’s confusion, Cooker smiled kindly.
“And if she couldn’t eat it, she would tell us, wouldn’t she?”
“Tell you? Beastkin can’t speak when they’re in animal form—!”
“Rani, are you saying I’m trying to bully the young lady?”
Rani flinched.
Cooker widened his eyes as if he had been deeply offended.
“I’m not trying to bully her. I just wanted to give her fresher meat. Look at this.”
He pulled out a small cage from the bottom of the trolley.
Inside it was the corpse of a mouse caught in a trap.
“I heard foxes eat mice too. So are you saying I should serve her this instead of fresh raw meat?”
‘Why is the comparison between raw meat and a dead mouse…? And that meat isn’t even fresh in the first place!’
Rani looked completely flustered.
Cooker pressed on without missing the chance.
“If you’re still uncomfortable, why don’t we ask the young lady directly? That should settle it, right?”
He turned to me as if it were obvious.
For a moment, I wondered if he could actually understand me.
“Kyap! Kyap!”
I shouted that I couldn’t eat either, but Cooker nodded seriously and said,
“See? She says she’ll enjoy it.”
“Kyap!”
“Oh? You think the mouse looks tasty too? Haha, of course. It’s all yours.”
I slammed my tail repeatedly, trying to protest, but Cooker ignored me completely and twisted my reactions however he liked.
At that point, I understood.
He had no intention of giving me different food.
‘I should’ve known from the moment he called me a beast. What was I even expecting?’
Looking into his eyes, I could clearly see disgust.
‘And of course, the head chef just happens to be anti-beastkin.’
In this world, the conflict between humans and beastkin ran deep. People like him, who openly showed hostility, weren’t rare.
Of course, beastkin had their own anti-human groups too, so it wasn’t entirely one-sided.
‘Still… messing with someone’s food is just low.’
I stared at the dark, blood-soaked meat.
Not only was it dripping, it even smelled slightly rotten.
Rani, who couldn’t even properly look at raw meat, didn’t seem to notice.
‘What should I do? It’s my first morning here… should I just let it go?’
I seriously considered whether to refuse the meal to show my dissatisfaction—or to teach Cooker exactly what a reincarnated Korean could do.
Just then—
I heard footsteps.
Not the soft steps of maids, but the sharp, distinct sound of high heels approaching the dining hall.
The moment I heard it, I quickly bit into the meat on the plate without hesitation.
“Haha, see? I knew you’d eat—wait?”
“Kyiiiiii!”
I let out a piercing cry and spun wildly on the cushion as if in agony.
Cooker blinked in shock.
Rani rushed forward.
“Miss!”
Right as her scream rang out—
I collapsed onto the cushion.
“W-What is going on?!”
“What is all this noise?”
Cooker turned at the angry voice coming from the doorway.
The moment he saw who it was, his face turned pale.
“B-But I was told Madam had a schedule this morning—”
‘Wait… so he picked today on purpose because he thought she’d be gone?’
That made me even more annoyed—
‘Well, you walked right into your own trap.’
“I asked what this commotion is, Cooker.”
The woman glaring at him sharply—
was Aria Winchester, the true authority of the household.
The only person who could control both the Grand Duke and his ill-tempered son.
Which meant—
She was the number one person I needed on my side to survive here.
While both Cooker’s and Rani’s attention shifted to her, I quietly spat out the meat in my mouth.
The foul smell of spoiled flesh and blood filled my nose.
Cooker, who had mocked me earlier, was now trembling flat on the ground.
“Th-that is—!”
He rolled his eyes, searching for an excuse, then spoke.
“I was preparing breakfast for Miss Poblyan.”
“Is that raw meat supposed to be breakfast?”
“Yes! I heard that beastkin in animal form have the same tastes as beasts, so I prepared it specially!”
‘Wow. The nerve of this guy.’
His excuse sounded surprisingly convincing—if you hadn’t seen what just happened.
‘Should I just get up and expose him?’
But before I could decide, Aria spoke again.
“Then what is that cage?”
“It’s a mouse caught in the kitchen today! I prepared it in case the raw meat didn’t suit her taste!”
Now that he thought he had fooled her, his voice was even confident.
‘At this point, I have to do something no matter what—’
“I clearly instructed that our honored guest be treated without discomfort. Yet that instruction didn’t even last a single day.”
…Wait?
My ears perked up at her words.
Cooker also panicked.
“W-What do you mean, Madam? I was treating her well—!”
“By serving spoiled meat?”
“…Pardon?”
Curious, I slightly opened my eyes to look.
Aria’s face was ice-cold.
“Surely you don’t take me for a fool who can’t tell that meat has gone bad.”
“N-Not at all!”
“Then are you saying you are incompetent enough not to notice spoiled meat?”
The cooker froze.
Aria’s gaze shifted to the cage.
“That mouse as well. A decaying corpse of unknown age… and you intended to serve that instead?”
“M-Madam!”
“You clearly ignored my instructions.”
“N-No, Madam! That’s not—!”
“Cooker. Are you disregarding me—or Winchester itself?”
“N-Never! How could I dare—!”
He trembled violently on the floor.
Aria looked down at him without hesitation.
“If you are not disregarding us, then explain why you served such food.”
“I—I didn’t realize, Madam! I didn’t know the meat had gone bad!”
In the end, he chose to claim incompetence rather than admit malicious intent.
‘Makes sense. That would lead to a lighter punishment.’
For a moment, I considered letting it end there.
But—
“Cough! Cough!”
“Miss!”
I forced myself up, coughing.
As I shook my body, my eyes briefly met Aria’s.
‘It might seem strange to act now—but it’s better to cut this off completely.’
Pretending to look around in confusion, I locked eyes with Cooker—
and screamed.
“Kyap! Kyap!!”
“M-Miss?”
I jumped down from the chair and hid behind Rani’s skirt, trembling.
Cooker’s face drained of color.
He was completely speechless.
‘Honestly, I didn’t want to go this far—but messing with food is crossing the line.’
“M-Madam, this is—”
Aria raised her hand, cutting him off.
Her voice was cold.
“I thought you were merely incompetent. But you’ve gone as far as harassing a guest of Winchester.”
“N-No, Madam! I would never—!”
“Beth.”
Ignoring him, she called her maid.
“Inform Rendel immediately. Cooker is to be dismissed at once. We cannot keep someone who dares mistreat a guest.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“M-Madam! I was wrong! Please, just one chance—!”
She didn’t even spare him a glance.
Turning away coldly, she began to leave.
As I wondered what to do next, her clear blue eyes turned toward me.
“And Poblyan, come with me.”
I hadn’t expected a private meeting—
But at this point, I knew what I had to do.
If Lady Aria says come—
then I’m going. Right away.
