Side Chapter: The Royal Kitchen (II).

Side Chapter: The Royal Kitchen (II).

"Your highness, to what I owe the pleasure of your visit." (Head Chef) walks over with his open arms warmly greeting the princess but deep inside he was nervous seeing that the maid was holding the tray of his untouched hard work, for he was the one in charge of making the princess' meals.

"I have a problem with my meal." She started and the head chef raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Surely- that wouldn't be possible! I made sure your meals were one of the finest! I can't believe her highness would say such a thing." He covers his mouth in shock, trying to play the victim.

Princess Elizabeth glances her eyes at the maid that escorted her into the royal kitchen, she was the one responsible to carry the message to showcase the problem with the meal in full view so that he won't be able to deny any accusations.

"Throw that bread as hard as you can into the wall." (Princess Elizabeth) ordered pointing at an old wall of the kitchen that hasn't been cleaned in a while, she made a disgusting face the moment she noticed how filthy it was.

"..."

The new maid stared at the princess in shock, this girl was another set of a breed that would grow up into a monster. Most people would complain, and say the things that they don't like about something but no- she... wanted to show the problem not just say it.

"Throw the bread, your highness?"

"Yes, throw it." The princess repeats her order once more, seeing the look on the maid's face- it looked like she didn't want to do it. The thought of wasting food sickened her, but the princess saw and guessed the maid's stricken expression upon the order she issued.

"No need to worry if you'll feel guilty of wasting it, that lump of brick is inedible. If you won't throw it, I will have to do it myself." (Princess Elizabeth) didn't sound like she was jesting.

The new hire bit her lip and followed the princess' order, throwing the bread into the wall with such force, it flew into the dirty wall into the kitchen making a loud noise and cracking all over the wall.

BAM!

The sound could be heard by everyone, they all turned towards the direction of the pastry that quickly went down into the ground, and even till then, they could still hear a slight thud.

"...'' One servant who curiously dared to see what became of the bread when it went down into the ground. Behind the counter, he peeked his head and gave a frightful expression.

"...The bread is still together and not a scratch on the surface."

Gasp!

Everyone gasped and covered their mouths in shock.

Princess Elizabeth dared to be served that kind of food?! This would already be considered poisoning-! That lump of bread is nowhere near digestible and fit for the princess' young developing teeth.

"W-Who made the bread?" One leans into the other servant who nudges his sides, and the other groans not wanting to converse with his nosy co-worker because of the intense atmosphere.

"You idiot, everything that was served for the princess was made by the head chef." He tells his co-worker who nods slowly, understanding that someone was going to get fired later today.

"The head chef- I don't even know how he got into that position. Everything he makes tastes horrible. If this continues- he'll be able to harm her highness without meaning to."

"Didn't you know? The head chef was a former son of a lower noble who just wanted to laze around but he was kicked out of his home by forcing him to get a job."

"Oh yeah... that rumor was true? No wonder he brags about knowing how to cook often, if anyone knows he sucked then he'll be kicked out of the kitchen."

The head chef lowers his head down, the rumor has already spread, and soon his peaceful life of doing nothing but yelling at everyone would be over.

Everything was going well in the kitchen- the only reason he was able to not get caught after months of being inside was he ordered commoners to do his dirty work for him. Now that his usual victim was not present and everyone else was busy getting into their stations that had important roles he didn't dare mess it up.

"Is this true?" (Princess Elizabeth) walks over, the beauty of the child was something else. It's as if she commands the whole room with her fingertips. "You're from a lower noble house, gained a position without experience in cooking?"

The moment the head chef heard the word experience he flinched, he was not able to obtain them so he was nervous. "I do have them."

"I see," she mutters before turning towards the kitchen staff who stopped whatever they were doing looking afraid at what the little princess was about to say.

"You claim you have experience in cooking yet your kitchen is FILTHY." (Princess Elizabeth) walks over quickly to one of the unused burners and slides a finger over it, getting grease all over.

She gives him the side eye and the maid slightly chuckles seeing how the little princess was dominating the field often dominated by men.

"You call this clean? Do you cook in this state? You serve me with the food you make with this?" she yells at the head chef who opens his mouth trying to define himself.

"...I-"

"Squeak! Squeak!"

Scamper... scamper...

...

A figure of a small rat quickly came into view, Princess Elizabeth was not blind to such, and seeing the condition of the royal kitchen- unkempt, unorganized, hazardous and it has pests- how can she not be angry?!

The rat quickly jumped onto one of the counters and started munching on a cucumber while everyone else just stood like a statue too afraid to move or else they might get fired for doing anything.

"Is that a rat?" (Princess Elizabeth) asks pointing a finger at the huge rat continuing to munch on the food.

"Y-Yes, your highness?" The head chef answered not knowing why he was nervous, it was a rat, and well- that should be normal right?

There would be a few critters running around, no problem.

"No, shit that's a rat." (Princess Elizabeth) cussed a cursed word from her past life no one knew.

"???"

Everyone turned to her confusion not knowing what the second word of her sentence meant.

"S-Shit?"

Princess Elizabeth, without their permission, held an unexpected inspection of the kitchen.

She went into the pantry despite many pleas that she shouldn't get in there- but the five-year-old girl had her mind settled.

She wanted to know how her food was being prepared and she was shocked to see the terror that was in there.

"Urgh..." (Princess Elizabeth) saw and even grabbed a piece of cooked meat that was side by side together with a raw one.

"THIS IS DISGUSTING! WHAT THE ACTUAL- WHY WOULD YOU PUT RAW FOODS AND COOKED FOODS TOGETHER WE AIN'T A CHEAP MARKET!"

She yelled in anger showing them the heavily cooked meat and then feeling something ran past her. "Squeak! Squeak!"

Another round of squeaking came out of the pantry.

"..!"

A gasp came out of her mouth, and letting go of the meat she saw three rats running away from the pantry. The head chef had ordered the other low cook assistants to catch it but it was too late, the princess was furious with what she had seen.

"WHY DO YOU HAVE RATS IN THIS PLACE?!" She couldn't help but yell looking back at the dirty pantry, where some of the vegetables were already rotting a few flies hovering over and it smelled horrible.

The princess shakes her head leaving the pantry gasping for air. "THE ONLY FRESH INGREDIENT YOU HAVE IN THIS PLACE IS THAT GODDAMN RAT! IT'S ALIVE GODDAM-"

"I WISH I WAS BLIND THIS KITCHEN HERE IS DIRTIER THAN A PEASANT'S BATHROOM AND I MEAN IT!"

"WHERE'S THE LAMB SAUCE?!"

The princess turned into rage the more she inspected the kitchen. She was feeling furious they were keeping pests inside the pantry, there was cooked and raw meat together, and the ingredients being used in her daily meals weren't even fresh.

She wanted to add a few more things and address the issue of the many problems hoping that they would listen.

"Yes, but your highness this is how it has always been."

"You're far too young, I must apologize to her highness but do you know anything about cooking?"

"Indeed it's been years of this being like this, I see no reason to change please why don't you go back to your lessons and be on your way."

The head chef decided to berate every one of her complaints making the princess glare at him which he also ignores, the little girl not even at her coming of age dares tell a 'chef' how to run his kitchen.

Princess Elizabeth wanted to bring out the soup named 'Mushroom soup' now without the mushroom but- she was afraid he might come up with some stupid excuse where he tells her that she ate all of it and that she's doing all of this for attention.

As much as the other servants behind have agreed with the problems addressed by the royal princess, the other servants could only shut their mouths in fear. Their hearts were slightly happy that the little girl was thinking of their working environment, truly this is not a place for anyone to work in.

"..."

"Pardon me, I couldn't help but overhear." But the maid that was escorted from before stops her with a serious look on her face. "The princess raised a lot of good points, everything she said made sense and it was factual. Common sense rules that you need to have over in a kitchen."

"Clean space, fresh ingredients, organized pantry, and pest free. How long have you been working here to the point you don't see what you're doing is hazardous?"

The maid continues, no longer acting afraid to show her true colors.

"Hah?" The head chef replies where squaring up his shoulders trying to intimidate the maid after all the head chef's title ranks higher than a mere maid's. "You are nothing but a maid tasked to clean, this does not concern you."

"I am a maid, yes... but I am the princess' maid." The maid gives a slight curtsy in the introduction before looking down at Princess Elizabeth with a warm smile on her face. "Apologies for not noticing the hazardous state of the kitchen sooner before you, your highness."

She apologizes before giving another courtesy, of greeting but this time to the princess. "My name is Victoria Crumwell, your new personal maid tasked to care for your lessons, well-being, and schedule."

"By well-being that would include your health, I wanted to observe for a few more days but it seems that seeing everything today I need to talk with the council about how the kitchen is a disappointing sight."

The head chef heard the council's involvement and suddenly he turned afraid, his legs shaking and voice stuttering. "N-Not the council! The news will be heard all over the noble circle including my father and mother! If they hear that I'm working here-"

He pleaded for the news to not tell but Victoria kept her face serious.

"You will have the day to pack up, we'll have someone else replacing your position hopefully someone who doesn't make bread that can be turned into hard bricks for a weapon, you're lucky." (Victoria) walks over close to him before smiling slowly.

"Serving the princess a weapon like that would mean you'll be charged with attempted murder." she joked and everyone flinched trying not to laugh.

"Pfft." The other servants tried to contain their laughter, she was insulting his whole baking career was shit to the point he makes bread bricks.

The head chef looked around, the atmosphere feeling gray because he felt like everyone was against his side.

"Ugh! I can't handle this!" He saw that everyone was trying not to laugh at him so he ran away from the scene, he threw the doors open sprinting and Victoria Crumwell stared over his figure.

"I should have come sooner if this is the state of the royal castle's staff." (Victoria)

Princess Elizabeth tilts her head, the name Victoria Crumwell- yes that was indeed the name of her maid that would've been her guest if it wasn't for the state of her dinner being so horrible.

Who knew, she was spying around hiding her true identity amongst the other servants.

"You're... my new personal maid now?" (Princess Elizabeth) asks and Victoria blinks her hands being clasped together trying to remember to always keep a proper regal posture of a true maid ready to serve the royal family.

The former general needed to forget her military habits one day, for she almost saluted the little princess. She sighs, lowering her head towards Princess Elizabeth.

"Yes your highness, I will serve you until your very last breath. My undying loyalty is yours as well as my services." (Victoria) smiles sadly, telling the princess who she grew to love as her daughter.

Victoria Crumwell... the mother figure the reincarnated girl ever had.