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I can’t tell what kind of strange twist of fate this is. The head chef of Rayel’s household was originally the head chef of the Even Marquisate?
The name wasn’t exactly pleasant to me, so just hearing it left me in a foul mood. Out of all the countless noble houses, why did it have to be the Even Marquisate again?
There was the matter with Sub-Baron Eviton and Café Roland, and lately it feels like I’ve been tangled with the Even Marquisate far too often.
Anyway, the Even Marquisate is a prestigious family, and knowing the Marquis’s temperament, it’s hard to imagine that a head chef like Drek could do as he pleased there.
Could it be that he was nearly driven out, and Rayel saved him? That doesn’t sound like something Rayel would do—he’s not exactly known for being that kind.
“Lady Werner, you’ve heard as well? That’s right. Before Brother Rayel brought him here, Drek served as the head chef of the Even Marquisate.”
“Really?”
Alexandra chimed in just then, confirming it as fact. So it was true. To think he once belonged to the Even Marquisate. That the Marquis would actually let go of such a talented chef is surprising. Then again, even if he had skills, the Marquis isn’t the type to tolerate someone with Drek’s personality.
Wait a second. Didn’t he used to be the one who claimed he wouldn’t cook for anyone he didn’t like? That means he must have found the Marquis of Even to his liking.
What on earth did he like about that man?
From my point of view, there’s absolutely nothing likable about him. Of course, since we’re enemies, I can’t see him in a good light anyway, but even objectively speaking, the Marquis of Even isn’t someone you’d imagine anyone taking a liking to.
And yet Drek had served as his head chef. That means he had the Marquis’s trust. Just what sort of man was he, to achieve that?
It felt like the image I had of Drek up until now was suddenly collapsing. I’d always been curious about him, but knowing he had once worked in the Marquisate of Even made me all the more eager to see him for myself.
But that wasn’t possible. Setting my disappointment aside, I asked Alexandra and Angelica,
“I never imagined he had been in the Marquisate of Even. Back then, did he already have that same overconfident, self-centered attitude he shows now? No matter how skilled he was, I can’t see the Marquis tolerating such behavior.”
“Well, you see… back then, they say Drek was just like any other quiet, model chef.”
“What? Really?”
What? So he was hiding his true self back then? Then the way he acts now—like a wild colt running free—must be his real nature.
So why had he hidden it while at the Marquisate of Even? And why did he regain his true self only here in the Imperial Palace?
Angelica provided the answer.
“I heard that too. They say that at the Marquisate of Even, he cooked according to the family’s preferences, just like all the other chefs. The Marquis’s family had notoriously picky tastes, and yet he adjusted to them all.”
“These days, he would never do such a thing. If Brother Rayel so much as insists on something or comments on a dish, Drek’s eyes go sharp with hostility. Honestly, I don’t know how he endured it back then.”
“I see. So that’s the kind of person he is. Still, for His Majesty to accept him without punishment or criticism… he must truly be fond of Drek’s cooking.”
“Otherwise, why bother bringing in someone who had already been cast out?”
“Cast out? From the Marquisate of Even?”
That was news to me. He’d been expelled? For what reason? Could it have been like Sub-Baron Eviton—did he fall out of favor with the Marquis? It wasn’t impossible.
I wanted to be sure, so I asked Alexandra,
“Do you know the reason? Did he make a mistake, or did he perhaps offend the Marquis?”
“Mm, they say it wasn’t the Marquis. And if it wasn’t him, then who else? Of course, it was the Marquis’s daughter. Whether he made a mistake or offended her somehow, I don’t know.”
“…The Marquis’s daughter, you say.”
So it wasn’t the Marquis, but his daughter. I suspected as much, but still, to think it really was her. Which means Drek was yet another character who had been “struck down” by a transmigrator.
I hadn’t expected to encounter even people like that. I already felt it with the three young ladies who died earlier, but this world truly had diverged a great deal from the original story.
How many more unexpected things would happen? How many transmigrators besides me are in this world?
“Is the Marquis’s daughter strict by nature? Whatever mistake he made, to drive out someone with such skill seems a bit surprising.”
“I don’t know her well, but from the few times I’ve met her, she seemed very sharp, very decisive. A young lady with very clear likes and dislikes. Apparently, Drek simply didn’t suit her taste.”
Angelica asked curiously, and Alexandra replied. Angelica, looking thoughtful, set down her teacup and said with mild surprise,
“I thought she seemed sharp when I met her, but it sounds like she has quite a strong personality.”
“Angelica, you’ve met the Marquis’s daughter?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. A few weeks ago, at a tea party. It was a gathering where both the Emperor’s faction and the Neutral faction attended, and the Marquis’s daughter was present as well.”
“I see. And what was your impression of her?”
“Well… she seemed exactly as Her Highness describes: sharp and decisive. She appeared intelligent, lively, confident in her speech. She had an aura that drew people in, and ended up being the center of attention that day.”
“…I see.”
I clicked my tongue inwardly. She was doing it all, wasn’t she? Using future knowledge to change her fate, strengthen her house, and dominate the social scene. If not for Angelica, she could easily have been mistaken for the story’s heroine.
I too was acting outside the lines, but at least I tried to move carefully—keeping to my role as Lucius’s wife, not drawing unnecessary attention.
Compared to that, the transmigrator in the Marquis’s daughter was acting far too boldly. Surely she wasn’t aiming to become the heroine herself, was she?
If so, she might end up threatening Angelica’s position… That can’t be allowed.
If my suspicion was right, Angelica could be pushed aside, the heroine replaced by someone else—a cliché development where a supporting character takes over.
In the original, the Marquis’s daughter barely even qualified as a side character. She appeared briefly in the beginning, then died. To transmigrate into such a character—what must she have thought?
If she had read the side stories, she would know about Tiana as well. Surely she must have thought something like: I refuse to die early as a villainess’s ally.
If I had transmigrated into her instead of Tiana, I might have thought the same. After all, she was a character doomed to die young.
And now she’s already moving, desperate to survive.
Her vigorous activity made it obvious. She was struggling with all her might not to die.
But if she truly interfered with Angelica, what then? If she made a move, it could ruin my goal of living happily ever after with Lucius. That, I could not allow.
“Oh, the Marquisate of Even… isn’t that the family that recently opened a café to rival Café Roland?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Oh dear, I’m sorry, Tiana. That must make them a troublesome business rival. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“No, it’s fine. It just came up naturally. Besides, I was curious about her, since I’d heard she helped quite a bit with their café business.”
“My, is that so? I’d heard some rumors about her before, but I didn’t expect she was directly involved in the family’s business.”
So Alexandra had also heard rumors about the Marquis’s daughter. At my words, she paused, set down her teacup, and murmured,
“…More active than before, becoming the center of attention, even doing business… This is strange.”
“…Ah.”
Her expression shifted oddly. She stared at the table for a moment before locking eyes with Angelica. Angelica too blinked, her expression becoming strangely thoughtful.
Why were they both acting so oddly? I watched in puzzlement as Alexandra frowned and set down her teacup with a sharp clink.
“Hah. This is a bit ridiculous.”
“Why, Alexandra? Is there some problem?”
“Not exactly a problem—though, actually, maybe it is. What do you think, Lady Werner?”
“…I think Her Highness is right.”
Alexandra turned to Angelica, who answered with a serious expression.
Wait, what? Why were they talking among themselves and leaving me out?
It seemed like they’d realized something serious, but they weren’t saying it. My impatience finally broke.
“What are you two talking about? It feels like I’m the only one in the dark. Please, tell me.”
“Ah, sorry, Tiana. I’ll explain.”
Alexandra seemed to realize she’d gone too far and hurried to answer.
“It’s about the Marquis’s daughter. I have this strange thought… I feel like she’s targeting you.”
“What?”
“I think so too.”
“What? Angelica, what do you mean?”
Me, the target of the Marquis’s daughter? What kind of nonsense was that? Confused, I looked between them, and they explained one by one.
“Think about it. After your accident, Tiana, you recovered and returned changed. You came back to society and became the center of the noble faction.”
“And you expanded your activities through business investments.”
“The Marquis’s daughter has been doing similar things. She used to avoid social gatherings due to poor health, but suddenly she recovered, her personality shifted, and…”
“She started attending society again, and seemed to be gathering allies among the Emperor’s faction young ladies. At first I thought it was simply the Marquis’s influence.”
“But every time she appeared, little stories would spread. That she contributed to her family’s businesses, and that her efforts led to great success. The Emperor’s faction young ladies and noblewomen all spread the same tale.”
“…Hmm.”
So putting their words together, it went like this: the Marquis’s daughter, once frail and absent from society, suddenly regained her health, her personality changed, and she began actively attending gatherings. She even joined in her family’s businesses and found success.
Which is all evidence that she’s a transmigrator.
Her behavior, so unlike her original self, was proof. I hadn’t expected to hear it from these two, but clearly they had both found her actions suspicious.
True, her behavior is strange. But even if she’s a transmigrator from the modern world like me… could our actions really be so similar?
Most transmigrators would naturally show somewhat similar patterns. But this—this overlapped too much. Their prediction that she was “targeting” me didn’t feel entirely wrong.
Knock knock.
While my thoughts tangled, a knock came at the drawing room door. Alexandra set down her teacup and called out,
“Who is it?”
“Forgive me for disturbing your tea time, Your Highness. It is maid Alera.”
“What is it?”
“Well, Head Chef Drek of the Imperial Palace requests an audience.”
“…Who? Drek?”
Alexandra blinked in shock. Why on earth was he here now?
