Chapter 04
“W-wait… Your Highness Kailos!”
The two knights on the left and right quickly drew their swords and tried to stop him.
‘Oh my.’
I watched them blankly.
They were actually daring to raise weapons against a prince. Their loyalty was impressive.
But their skill did not seem to match their loyalty.
Before they could even properly draw their swords, Kailos swung his attack—blade still in its scabbard—and they were immediately knocked to the ground.
Kailos clicked his tongue and opened the door.
Bright light spilled out.
Only then did I understand why the corridor had been so empty.
This was the Emperor’s bedroom.
“What is going on, Kail.”
A weak voice, unthinkable for an Emperor, came from behind the curtains of the bed.
“Father…”
There was a rare hint of sadness in Kailos’s voice.
Despite being the hidden mastermind of the story, he genuinely seemed to love his father.
We walked toward the massive bed.
The Emperor, who looked to be in his sixties, had once been a strong man—but now he looked like someone who had not eaten properly for months.
“Please try this.”
Kailos took the plate of dalgona from my hands and respectfully offered it to the Emperor, as if it were some divine medicine.
I struggled to hide my disbelief.
No way dalgona is a miracle cure, right?
Even for a novel, that would be too much.
Strangely, the Emperor’s eyes widened as if he was seeing something unbelievable.
“This…!”
With trembling hands, he took the dalgona.
“Kailos… did you make this?”
Kailos only gave a faint smile.
I swallowed nervously.
A strangely emotional father-son moment filled the room, making it hard to interrupt.
The Emperor took a large bite.
Crunch.
The crisp sound echoed through the room.
Since it wasn’t freshly made, there was no strong caramel aroma like in the kitchen, but the sound alone was enough to imagine the taste.
Crunch. Crunch.
The Emperor chewed continuously, unable to take his eyes off the candy, as if it might disappear if he looked away.
Kailos also stared at him intently.
But that balance broke instantly.
Tears appeared in the Emperor’s golden eyes.
‘…?’
I struggled to hide my confusion.
Sure, I make decent dalgona—but it’s not tear-inducing level of emotion.
“Ah… this is it. The same taste Selene used to make. Exactly.”
Selene?
I quickly recalled the name.
‘Empress Selene.’
I didn’t remember any mention of her being a cook.
But she was an extra who died before the story even began.
There must be many things I didn’t know about her.
“I saw how it was made.”
Kailos explained calmly.
“It doesn’t require rare ingredients. You can eat it anytime you want.”
“…Thank you.”
The Emperor carefully finished the remaining piece, savoring it like it was something precious.
I cautiously spoke.
“Your Majesty, should I make more?”
If he liked it this much, I should have made more.
“…Who are you?”
The Emperor finally noticed me.
“My chef.”
Kailos answered quickly.
“She was selling this candy in the marketplace.”
“In the marketplace…?”
“Yes. She claims she invented it herself.”
“Invented it…”
The Emperor stared into space.
“Selene also said she created her own sweets.”
“Yes.”
Kailos nodded.
“Old memories…”
“Bring a reward. Sir Rodolf!”
A man suddenly appeared from the corner of the room.
He had a gray goat-like beard and a monocle, and quickly stepped forward.
“Write this down. Kailos’s chef—what is her name?”
I was about to answer, but Kailos spoke first.
“Count Sitten’s daughter, Adelaide Sitten.”
“Sitten’s daughter?”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes.
“If she is working as a chef, the nobles will not stay quiet… Does Count Sitten know about this?”
I realized this was my chance.
If the Emperor was about to reward me, I had no reason to stay loyal to a family that had already abandoned me.
“Not anymore.”
I answered clearly.
“I’ve been disowned.”
“…!”
The Emperor looked surprised.
After examining me briefly, he nodded as if understanding.
It made sense—I was wearing a strange outfit full of pockets.
To him, I probably looked like a ruined noble girl.
“Then you can no longer use the Sitten name. Write Adelaide.”
Before Rodolf could write it down, I interrupted.
“Please write Heidi.”
Everyone—the Emperor, Rodolf, and even Kailos—looked at me in confusion.
But I didn’t care.
I was not the villainess who died obsessing over revenge in the story.
I wanted my own identity.
Heidi, the dalgona seller.
That was who I was now.
“…Very well. Heidi.”
The Emperor’s voice softened.
“From now on, Heidi will be my personal imperial chef.”
“…!”
Rodolf’s pen slipped, leaving a messy ink stain.
“Your Majesty!”
I blinked.
I didn’t understand why he was so shocked.
Kailos had also wanted me as his chef anyway.
Was there really such a big difference between the Emperor’s chef and the Prince’s chef?
“That is impossible! The imperial chef position is already assigned—how can you—!”
“Rodolf.”
For the first time, the Emperor dropped the honorific.
“Prepare my meals. That is all.”
“…As you command, Your Majesty.”
Rodolf reluctantly stepped back.
“Kailos.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Take good care of her. A noble young lady must have suffered greatly.”
“Understood.”
The Emperor leaned back into his pillow, exhausted.
The brief spark in his eyes faded into darkness.
Kailos gently pulled me aside, signaling that we should leave.
Unlike before, he did not touch me this time.
As we walked away, I finally asked what I had been curious about.
“Why was Sir Rodolf so shocked?”
“…Ah.”
Kailos stopped.
“You wouldn’t know.”
I decided not to remind him that I was no longer a count’s daughter.
“Becoming the Emperor’s personal chef means… you are the highest-ranking chef in the entire palace.”
I frowned.
“So I’ll get a higher salary.”
Kailos smiled.
“Yes. A very high one. One million penta per month.”
“…!”
My mouth dropped open.
One million penta?!
In ten months, that’s ten million.
And that was just salary.
Combined with the ten million from the dalgona deal, it would be twenty million penta.
I had been surviving on a few hundred penta a day—this was unimaginable money.
‘Just work hard for a few years. The more capital, the better.’
