Chapter 08
“…That’s not what I meant.”
“That’s not what you meant, right.”
I agreed.
“But I know you don’t fully trust me.”
Kailos looked as if he had been caught off guard.
I chuckled and started cooking the samgyetang.
It didn’t take long.
I just had to place the pre-boiled chicken into the pot, pour in the broth, and let it simmer.
Soon, a delicious aroma spread throughout the kitchen.
My mouth filled with saliva.
It was because this was the first proper meal I had in this world.
Sharing it with Kailos was a slight inconvenience, but it wasn’t a loss—since it also meant he would recognize my cooking skills.
I hummed while transferring the finished samgyetang into a bowl.
The rich chicken broth aroma rose gently.
“Ta-da.”
I served him a small bowl with a chicken leg and two ladles of soup, then quickly started eating the rest.
‘So good…!’
I closed my eyes for a moment, savoring the rich broth.
The chicken was so tender and soft it melted in my mouth.
And the rice soaked in the broth was just as good.
I couldn’t stop myself from eating every last bite of soup and chicken.
Naturally, my bowl was emptied in no time—just like the Emperor’s earlier.
‘It’s too delicious…’
I felt like I might cry.
It felt unfair that I hadn’t been able to eat this for so long.
‘Kailos must have finished too, right?’
I smiled and lifted my head—then froze.
I couldn’t believe it.
The bowl I had given Kailos was untouched. Not even a single spoonful had been taken.
‘Is it too unfamiliar for him? No, the Emperor ate it just fine… there was no rejection at all.’
As I struggled to make sense of it, Kailos calmly spoke.
“Now that you seem to have finished your meal, I have something to tell you.”
“…What is it?”
“Your family is already making suspicious moves. Be careful.”
The unexpected words made my mouth slightly open.
Honestly, I wasn’t too worried about Adelaide’s family.
They wouldn’t be able to forcefully drag away the Emperor’s personal chef.
But another thought complicated my mind.
Seeing that Kailos hadn’t even touched the samgyetang, it was clear he still didn’t fully trust me.
And yet he still gave me a warning like this…
He was a man impossible to read.
“You’re kind.”
It seemed to be an unexpected response, as he looked flustered.
“No, it’s not that I’m kind…”
His wandering gaze fell on the samgyetang.
“I only told you as repayment for a delicious dish.”
“Huh? But you didn’t even touch it.”
“……”
Kailos finally looked slightly embarrassed and picked up his spoon.
Thump-thump.
My heart started beating faster on its own.
What would this cold, rigid man think after eating samgyetang?
“Um… how is it?”
“It’s good.”
“……”
His voice was flat, without any emotion.
In other words—it was not a reaction that showed enjoyment.
I could tell clearly, having run a restaurant before.
Kailos took another spoonful of broth.
“It’s good.”
Again, the same mechanical reply.
“…Is it really?”
He glanced at me and nodded.
I swallowed my thoughts that he didn’t seem to be enjoying it at all.
It felt like I was pressuring someone to praise food they were politely tolerating.
Instead, I took the bowl away from him.
“You’re already full. Don’t eat more. I’ll finish it.”
“I can still eat.”
He muttered in dissatisfaction, but I didn’t miss the faint relief that crossed his face.
‘Just as I thought, he doesn’t like it.’
Was I disappointed?
Of course.
But I wasn’t discouraged.
Rather, a strange competitive fire rose inside me.
Until now, no one had failed to be impressed by my food.
Even picky children had happily eaten dishes made with ingredients like cucumber.
‘So there really are picky eaters in this world.’
Now that I thought about it, Kailos was a prince.
Of course he would have grown up eating rare and exquisite foods since childhood.
His palate was probably far more refined than my restaurant customers.
‘I thought he would like it… but I was wrong.’
I looked at Kailos, still expressionless, and burned with determination.
Next time, I’ll make a dish that even Kailos will have to give a thumbs-up to!
The Next Morning
Early in the morning, I rushed to the library.
I had planned to prepare appetizers that matched samgyetang with Korean-style dishes, but if I also served an unfamiliar dessert, it could easily backfire.
Thinking of Kailos’s reaction, I shook my head.
The samgyetang was unavoidable since the Emperor had ordered it personally, but I wanted the dessert to be something familiar to this world’s people.
‘Should I just ask another imperial chef?’
But I couldn’t wake someone up at dawn.
And more importantly, Kailos’s warning still lingered in my ears.
“Your family is already making suspicious moves. Be careful.”
If her father was like a final-stage villain, it would be easy for him to set traps to control his own daughter.
In the end, I could only trust myself in this vast imperial palace.
Well, at most, I might be able to trust Kailos—since we currently shared the same goal.
But even then, I couldn’t fully trust him.
His filial devotion was real, but his goodwill toward me could disappear at any time.
Fortunately, the library was open even at dawn.
A sleepy librarian greeted me.
I showed her the identity pass I received as the imperial chef and headed to the shelves.
Did I go to the cooking section?
Not at all.
I headed to the corner where all kinds of newspapers from the capital were stored.
A while later—
‘Just as I thought!’
It wasn’t easy to find the newspaper I wanted among piles of daily papers, but it wasn’t impossible either.
Imperial Daily.
Most of it was filled with imperial propaganda and policy news, but it also contained the information I needed.
Banquet records.
‘This is it.’
No matter how many books I searched, I wouldn’t get vivid, real information.
I needed to know what imperial banquets looked like before the Emperor fell ill.
Banquets held by the Emperor—not the Crown Prince—would have been designed entirely according to his taste.
‘…Oh.’
I found something interesting.
The Emperor had always preferred new and diverse dishes.
He especially liked exotic cuisine so much that most banquet main courses were dishes I couldn’t even recognize by name.
‘So that’s why he liked samgyetang.’
I frowned.
But would other nobles also like it?
From Kailos’s unimpressed reaction, it seemed unlikely.
However, I couldn’t go against the Emperor’s order to center the banquet around samgyetang—or “Royal Chicken Soup.”
In the end, I had to dig through other newspapers to find what foods were popular in this empire.
Hours later.
I was returning home exhausted after collecting and clipping dozens of articles.
‘When I get back, I should make abalone butter grill.’
Maybe it was actually lucky that I was reincarnated early and became an imperial chef instead of living as a noble lady who gets cast out.
At least I could cook and eat whatever I wanted.
Fresh, large abalone, scored and brushed with butter, then baked in the oven…
Just imagining the chewy, salty flavor mixed with rich butter made my mouth water.
“…Adelaide?”
I frowned.
Looking up, I saw several nobles staring at me.
I couldn’t tell who had called my name.
