Chapter 15

“It’s okay, madam. Wasn’t it impolite to keep a busy person?”

After interacting only with the stuttering prince and Sir Janiche, whose speech was a characteristic of a knight, I found Cecil’s easygoing manner refreshing. He cast a graceful glance toward Madam Cella and then smiled at me.

“I would like to hear more about the prince if I have the chance.”

“Of course.”

“By the way, the laundry room is quite hot. If you don’t mind, shall we continue elsewhere?”

When Cecil asked Madam Cella, I naturally stepped back. Soon they were out of sight, and I was sweating profusely among the chattering maids. 

He was the gracious Cecil, who was kind even to ordinary people like us. It wasn’t easy to receive the prince’s new clothes among the chattering maids, but I managed to do it. Before I left the laundry room, Jane grabbed my arm and asked.

“Daphne, are you doing well?”

“Yes, I am. Being a maid in the nameless castle isn’t as bad as I thought.”

“That’s good… After our positions changed, I was worried about you more than anything else.”

I didn’t want to delay any longer, so I quickly said goodbye to Jane. She looked at me with an anxious expression, but she didn’t grab me again.

I carried a wooden basket full of the prince’s clothes and headed to the palace library. Although I read romance novels day and night, I used to think this place was only accessible to nobles and high-class people, but in reality, even maids like me who were the royal family’s servant could freely enter and leave.

As I did in front of the palace, I proved my identity to the librarian. After the librarian with thick glasses checked my watch, she gave me a brief advice.

“The princess is inside. Be careful not to be noticed.”

“…Yes, of course.”

As far as I know, Lethis in the novel was a character who loved reading books, but I had never met her before regression. 

I was momentarily stunned, but I quickly answered. Now that I think about it, I’ve never met her, who was said to be so beautiful.

It wasn’t like I would go in to sneak around and watch her… No, let’s not think like that. 

It was a very common development to get caught up in the plot just because someone said they wanted to see a character once.

I quietly walked on the carpet so as not to attract attention. The book I was looking for was a children’s picture book, and fortunately, no one was on that side of the bookshelf yet.

I quickly picked a picture book and got permission from the librarian to leave the library. As the library was spacious, I couldn’t even see Lethis.

“Daphne? Why are you here?”

The last place I went after putting the picture book in the basket was the kitchen. The castle’s kitchen, which was different in size from the nameless castle, was filled with various spices smells. In addition, unlike the laundry room, which was quiet because Madam Cella was watching, it had a bustling atmosphere.

Like Jane, I went to Sylvia, my colleague who entered the palace at the same time as me.

“I stopped by the palace because I had something to do. I thought I’d see you on the way.”

“Really? You came at a good time. I was creating a new dish for Princess Lethis.”

I used to work for Marquis Raost, while Sylvia came to the palace at the request of the king’s younger brother from Marquis Mullier. She was a talented person who had already risen to the position of deputy chef at a young age, about five years older than me.

I remember hearing that the king’s younger brother who visited Marquis Mullier’s residence one day was so impressed by Sylvia’s cooking that he brought her to the palace. 

She had gained a bit of weight and had flour on her chubby cheeks. 

Then, she took my basket and said, “Put this down here. Huh? It’s not as heavy as it looks.”

“I only have clothes in here. Do you want me to do something?” 

“You like spicy food, right? Go and try the dish I made.” 

After putting the basket in a corner, Sylvia pulled me along as we walked. The kitchen, full of different food smells and hot steam, was as complex as a maze. 

Sylvia moved around the kitchen and stopped in the middle. 

“Ta-da! This is what I made after listening to the princess’s description.” 

I looked down at the dish, a dish with a harmony of pink, mint, and gold. Inside was a long, red sauce-covered… 

“Huh? What is this?” 

“It looks strange, right? It’s called doppoki.” 

“….” 

Did I hear wrong? Did Sylvia just say “tteokbokki”? 

I never thought I would hear this word from someone in this world. But her pronunciation… what’s going on? 

It was not that hard of a word, even for foreigners. I could tell what it was just by looking at Sylvia’s explanation and the shape of the food on the dish. 

Wow, it’s been almost 20 years since I’ve seen tteokbokki. 

“Go ahead and try it. The princess even drew a picture of this dish for me. I tried to recreate it, but I’m not sure how it turned out.” 

The princess? Knowing about this dish means she must have also been reincarnated or transmigrated. 

Could Lethis be another character like me who entered this novel? 

“Well, I’ll try it.” 

Ever since I was reincarnated, I never thought I would get to taste the food from my past life. 

Excited, I picked up the fork that Sylvia handed me, my hands were trembling slightly. However, the taste of the tteokbokki… 

“Ack!” 

“Why, what’s wrong? Is it too spicy for you?” 

It was incredibly salty, like putting a lump of salt in my mouth. 

Why didn’t the princess explain that tteokbokki is a spicy and sweet dish? Sylvia let out a sigh as I rinsed my mouth with the nearby glass of water, shocked by the unexpected taste. 

“The Princess has never traveled abroad, so I don’t know how she came to know about this exotic food. I heard she’s been holed up in the library lately, maybe she found a new cookbook there?”

“Oh, well, I’m curious too. Anyway, I enjoyed it.”

“Something hasn’t been right with her since her horseback riding accident, and even if all is well outwardly, she was still advised to rest for the time being.”

“What? I’ve never heard that before.”

I realize this sounds like some sort of cheesy reincarnation story, but I’m intrigued to hear someone else’s story. Sylvia frowns and rests her hand on my shoulder.

“You’re so secluded and alone that you don’t know what’s going on in the world, do you? There has been so much commotion in the castle.”

“I don’t live alone. The prince and the Sir Janiche are also there.” 

“So what? They’re stuck in the top floor. And Sir Janiche… I only saw him briefly, but he seemed like he couldn’t hold a conversation.” 

Even if I denied it now, it would just cause a commotion like it did in the laundry room earlier. I gave a half-hearted response to Sylvia’s words. 

“That’s true. Anyway, I should probably get going. I just came here to see you.” 

“How touching. If only I wasn’t a servant, I could have seen you more often… Oh, right. Wait a moment. I’ll get you some scones I made this morning.” 

I finally achieved my goal of coming to the kitchen. Sylvia, who had big hands, often cooked a lot of portions.

I thanked her as I took the scones she brought out separately. 

“Thank you, I’ll enjoy them. But for tteokbokki, isn’t it better to have a sweeter taste?” 

“Wow, your pronunciation is spot on. The princess mentioned the same thing. So… tteok, what was it again?” 

“Oh no, it’s already time.” 

Even though I’ve entered a novel, I don’t have the time or money to help her with the tteokbokki. I secretly envied Lethis as I left the kitchen and Sylvia behind.

However, on the way back to the nameless castle, I quickly changed my mind. This wasn’t just your regular romantic novel. 

The kingdom she was born was falling apart, and of course, the main character, Seth, the emperor of the empire, was going to drive her crazy until the end without admitting that he had fallen for Lethis.

This emperor, how long does he plan to act that way? 

No, it’s not my problem. I shook my head and hurried my steps. I was already excited to teach the prince how to write.

* * *

Having traveled from the nameless castle to the main castle, I had already finished my exercise for the day. I wiped off the sweat from riding the horse and looked around the castle gate.

Sir Janiche, who should be guarding the castle silently, was nowhere to be seen. Was it already lunchtime? I checked the clock and realized that I came back later than I expected.

“Sir Janiche?”

I first looked at the dining room. I put the basket on the table and looked for him, but I couldn’t feel his presence at all. It was strange. He was someone who never left the castle before my regression.

I went upstairs to cool off and fan myself. I also went to his bedroom just in case, but he wasn’t there either. Also, where could the prince be?

It could be a day when the two of them went on a treasure hunt adventure without me knowing. I laughed, imagining them flipping over bundles of spider webs. Then, I suddenly realized that I could hear Sir Janiche’s voice from somewhere and stopped in my tracks.

It wasn’t coming from a nearby place. But it wasn’t coming from upstairs or downstairs either. I walked around in a circle, and then I realized that the bedroom door at the end of the hallway was slightly open.

That room has never been cleaned before. I cautiously walked inside, and I could see Sir Janiche lying down with his butt sticking out under the bed.

“Ah, Miss Daphne. You came at the right time.”

He was stretching his neck towards the bed, which was covered with gray dust. His uniform was covered in a dark layer of dust.

As I watched him, my face involuntarily twisted. It was because it was my job to wash his  uniform. Sir Janiche saw my expression and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

“The prince is hiding under there. Even though I told him that he would get dirty, it was no use.”

In his hand, there was a piece of blue bristlegrass.