A Trap in the Palace Kitchens
Annie stepped outside at once.
Cayena had been absently stirring her soup, but she set the spoon down—just in case. A moment later Annie returned, bringing another maid with her.
“This is the maid who was supposed to accompany Lady Vera to the central palace kitchens.”
Was supposed to?
The maid gave a detailed account of the confrontation that had taken place earlier. Cayena immediately understood that the palace officials were testing Vera, trying to break her through a battle of wills.
“I saw you send her away and enter the maids’ lounge yourself.”
Annie added, “But the lounge was empty. When I asked the gatekeeper, he said she had gone out with the new maid who entered the palace today.”
“With Olivia?”
“Yes. Lady Olivia apparently requested a tour of the imperial grounds, claiming she was to begin practical training today.”
“Did she now?”
Cayena’s brows drew together as she sank into thought. The behavior was suspicious. The two women had surely met for the first time today; why would they suddenly coordinate a story about practical training?
Now that I think about it, in the original story Vera was the type to devise her own schemes and act with considerable independence.
Which meant something had already caught Vera’s attention.
Cayena let out a short sigh. She had intended to remain quiet, bide her time, and eventually slip away through a sham marriage. Her authority over the inner palace was only temporary, and she had no desire to needlessly provoke Rezef.
While she was still weighing her options, Dona burst into the bedchamber, breathless.
“Your Highness! Lady Vera is in a standoff at the central palace kitchens right now!”
Cayena exhaled.
“Then we had better go.”
Ever since the previous empress had died from an allergic reaction, the imperial palace had gone a long time without a true female master who wielded real influence. Most royal women left the palace after marriage, so Rezef had held authority over the inner palace for years. He had used that power to fill the palace with his own people.
Those who had tied their fortunes to Rezef ruled the servants with violence and oppression, confident in their backing. Mrs. Hillyer was one of them.
“Managing the palace household is hardly a matter to be taken lightly.”
Mrs. Hillyer’s expression carried an almost solemn gravity as she spoke.
“Only after learning and governing every detail from one’s days as crown princess can one manage the inner palace with true stability upon ascending to the exalted position of empress.”
Mrs. Sophinin, a palace official of lower rank than the head maid, chimed in with aggressive authority.
“You speak the absolute truth, Head Maid.”
“Have you all heard? Her Highness Princess Cayena has chosen nothing but green, inexperienced girls as her maids. What’s more, she has split her meager authority among only four of them.”
The group burst into disbelieving laughter.
Among them, a palace official named Collin—who still retained some capacity for rational thought—tilted her head.
“The princess’s palace only has one mistress to serve. Isn’t that sort of arrangement perfectly reasonable?”
Mrs. Sophinin’s eyes sharpened like daggers.
“What a frustratingly naive thing to say! Seeing one thing means understanding ten, does it not? And it is utterly impossible to run an imperial palace of this size in such a slipshod manner!”
Mrs. Hillyer gently took the other woman’s hand, her voice condescendingly soothing.
“Do calm yourself. In any case, we have gathered here to resolve the present situation.”
Mrs. Sophinin drew herself up with imperious dignity.
“While monitoring the princess’s palace, I made certain to teach that senior maid of theirs a proper lesson.”
Even if the princess had become the temporary head of the inner palace, nothing would truly change. The imperial court was overwhelmingly populated by those connected to Rezef; there was hardly a soul who had not feasted on the crumbs the Evans family tossed them.
“Instruct every department to ignore any orders from the princess. Once His Highness the Prince is reinstated, all will return to its proper place. Tell them not to waste their efforts on pointless gestures.”
“We shall keep it in mind, Head Maid.”
At that moment a servant rushed into the maids’ exclusive lounge.
“Her Highness has just turned the central palace kitchens upside down! The head chef has been arrested!”
“What? The central palace kitchens?”
“Arresting the head chef out of nowhere!”
Had the princess stormed in and seized on some ridiculous pretext? The officials rose in panic.
“We must go to the central palace kitchens at once!”
The servant who had delivered the news waved his hands frantically.
“She is not there anymore.”
“Then where in the world is she?!”
Mrs. Hillyer’s irritation burst out openly. She who always cultivated an air of refined elegance rarely allowed herself such blatant annoyance. It showed just how unpredictably swift the princess’s movements had become.
“She declared she would inspect every sealed annex palace and has gone to the annexes.”
The color drained from every face in the room.
Alex, assistant head chef of the central palace kitchens, confirmed that every dish for the imperial family had been prepared and sent out, then allowed himself a brief rest.
Soon the afternoon ingredients would arrive and he would have to prepare dinner. Although he cooked for only three people, the fact that all three were members of the imperial family meant an extensive array of dishes.
He lit a cigarette near the unloading dock. The kitchen that prepared meals for the servants lay right beside the central palace kitchens, and that place was in utter chaos.
“A man must rise in the world.”
Alex was a close aide to the head chef. Thanks to choosing the right patron, he had secured the position of assistant head chef in the central palace kitchens—the lightest workload and highest authority among all palace kitchens.
There was another advantage: the kickbacks generated here were considerable. He received a share of the black money the head chef embezzled.
“Hmm?”
Something unusual caught his eye.
A labor maid?
She carried herself with too much refinement for a mere labor maid. Her hair gleamed with health, and the skin that showed was flawless. Though she wore a face covering, he could tell she was attractive. Moreover, she was young. Labor maids were usually either very young or quite elderly; women in their prime preferred proper maid positions.
He ground out his cigarette. As assistant head chef, he believed he could seduce a labor maid without difficulty. Desire flared in him.
As luck would have it, the labor maid was clumsily carrying supplies toward the central palace kitchen unloading area. When she slipped into a secluded corner, Alex followed.
“You must be new here?”
“……!”
The maid flinched and turned around.
“This is the central palace kitchen. We prepare the food served to His Majesty the Emperor, and I am the assistant head chef.”
He approached slowly.
“Is the work too difficult?”
The maid kept her head bowed.
“……It is manageable.”
Alex liked her voice as well. Her refined speech made her seem like a noble daughter. The more he looked, the more he wanted her.
“If you stay in my good graces, I can arrange for you to work here. You would serve the imperial family directly.”
“No, thank you.”
The break would soon end and the afternoon ingredients would arrive. He meant to win her over before he grew busy. Just then a servant called for him.
“Master Alex!”
“What is it?”
“The senior maid from the princess’s palace is receiving practical training and has asked for a tour of this area.”
“The princess’s palace again? Fine. Go ahead and attend to her. I’ll follow shortly.”
“Yes, sir.”
He dismissed the servant irritably. His patience was wearing thin.
“Look, there’s no need to hesitate. Miss this chance and you’ll never get a position in the central palace kitchens.”
“I don’t need it!”
“Stop playing hard to get!”
Alex seized the retreating maid roughly.
“Kyaa! Let go!”
Up close, she was undeniably beautiful. Finding the face covering annoying, he moved to remove it—then recoiled in shock.
“What—who are you!”
It was the princess’s palace maid who had been visiting the central kitchens every day and making herself a nuisance.
“A person without proper authority dares to wield power arbitrarily and attempt to assault a powerless maid!”
Vera glared at him, voice ringing with condemnation.
Alex, momentarily startled, regained his composure when he noticed her labor-maid disguise.
“Ha. Sneaking in disguised as a labor maid… And do you have any evidence? I simply apprehended a suspicious person.”
Vera was speechless. To claim there was no evidence while standing in front of the very woman he had tried to molest—the audacity! She fought down shame and fear, but for a moment she could not find words. Alex smiled nastily.
“Doesn’t it look that way to anyone? You disguised yourself as a labor maid and hid in the unloading area. You’re clearly the suspicious one.”
“How dare you—!”
At that moment an irritated voice boomed across the unloading dock.
“Alex! What the hell are you doing instead of coming at once!”
It was the head chef. He strode into the area and stopped short.
“Head Chef!”
Alex rushed to him and immediately accused her.
“Look there! The princess’s palace maid has disguised herself as a labor maid to spy on us!”
The head chef stared at Vera with a murderous expression.