THAT EVENING
XAVIER
By the time the festival finally ended for the day, I was exhausted. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Mostly emotionally. I could handle cooking for hundreds of people. I could handle inventing recipes on the spot, I could even handle moving a giant clay oven across the kingdom. But flirting? Absolutely not. I still didn’t understand half of what those omegas had been trying to tell me.
"They were probably just being polite..." I muttered while packing away the remaining ingredients.
"No."Ana looked at me.
"Definitely not."Hin looked at me.
"I was afraid you’d say that."I sighed.
Inside the royal palace, Lang Li stood before the open palace window. His hands rested behind his back, his expression remained calm, at least that was how it appeared to everyone else.
Inside is thoughts were anything but calm. The image refused to leave his mind. Wei standing behind his festival stall, smiling as nobles spoke with him, accepting gifts. Surrounded by laughing omegas.
"..."His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Your Majesty."Shen stood quietly several steps away.
Lang Li didn’t answer. Shen had served him for years, he knew that silence, it meant His Majesty was thinking. Usually dangerously. Finally, Lang Li spoke.
"How many?"He asked.
"Your Majesty?"Shen asked.
"How many omegas approached Chef Wei today?"Ling asked.
"..." Shen hesitated. "I counted seven."
The room became very quiet.
"Seven."He said.
"Yes, Your Majesty."Shen nodded.
"And nobles?"He asked.
"Several."Shen nodded.
"And gifts?"He asked again.
"Three."Shen said.
Lang Li slowly closed his eyes. For reasons he couldn’t explain, none of that pleased him, not
even slightly.
"He is attracting too much attention."He said.
"He is rather famous now."Shen carefully chose his next words.
"I noticed."Lang Li frowned. "Perhaps it is because of his cooking."
"Perhaps, and because the entire capital now knows him as Chef Wei."Shen nodded.
Shen stopped talking. His Emperor looked even less pleased. Lang Li remembered the young omega smiling at Wei.
"I hope we’ll meet again."She said.
Then another.
"I’d like to visit your inn."Another one added. "I heard you’re unmarried."
His fingers tapped lightly against the window. Once. Twice. Three times. He disliked it, he disliked all of it. Wei, his former concubine. The forgotten Beta who had quietly left the palace. Now half the capital seemed interested in him. A strange feeling settled in Lang Li’s chest, possessive, unfamiliar, and annoying. He finally turned toward Shen.
"Summon him."He ordered.
"Your Majesty?"Shen blinked.
"To the palace."He said.
"The palace..."Shen blinked.
"Immediately."He ordered.
"As your private chef?"Shen understood at once.
"Yes."Lang Li paused.
It was the perfect excuse. He wanted Chef Wei’s cooking, nothing more that was all. At least that was what he told himself.
"Prepare an imperial invitation."He said.
"Yes, Your Majesty."Shen nodded.
"And make it clear..." Lang Li’s golden eyes narrowed slightly. "That this is a royal command."
"So he can not refuse?"Shen asked.
"Correct."Lang Li answered without hesitation.
I had just returned to Ana’s inn. My feet hurt, my arms hurt, even my eyebrows felt tired.
"I am never leaving this inn again."I dropped into a chair.
"You said that yesterday." Ana laughed.
"And the day before." Hin added.
"I mean it this time."I sighed.
A loud knock echoed through the dining hall. Knock. Knock. Knock. Hin opened the door, and standing outside were four imperial guards. Every customer inside immediately became silent.
"Chef Wei?"One guard stepped forward.
"Yes?"I asked.
He presented an elegant scroll sealed with the imperial dragon crest.
"My..." I stared at it. "That’s the Emperor’s seal."
"It is."The guard said.
"Why is it here?"I asked.
"It is addressed to you."He explained.
My stomach dropped. Slowly, very slowly, I accepted the scroll. The wax seal felt surprisingly heavy. I broke it open, unrolled the parchment. Then read the first line.
’By decree of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Lang Li...
"..."
"..."
"..."
I kept reading, when I reached the end, I looked up at Ana, then at Hin, then back at the letter.
"They’re inviting me..." I swallowed. "To become the Emperor’s private chef."
The inn became completely silent. Ana’s eyes widened.
Hin smiled softly.
I, meanwhile, had only one thought.
"Can I pretend I never opened this?"I asked.
"I’m afraid not."The imperial guard answered immediately.
"Of course not." I let my head fall onto the table with a soft thunk.
Somehow, no matter how far I ran from the palace, the palace always found me again. I kept staring at the scroll then I blinked, then I read it again.
"No."I whispered.
"Master Wei?" Hin asked carefully.
"There are two letters."I said.
"Two?"Ana frowned.
"I thought it was one invitation."I slowly separated the thick parchment.
It wasn’t because the first scroll was elegant. The second much shorter, much colder.
"Uh..."I cleared my throat.
"Read them."Ana folded her arms.
"Fine."I sighed.
I opened the first scroll.
"’By decree of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Lang Li, Chef Wei is hereby invited to the Imperial palace in recognition of his exceptional culinary achievements during the Capital festival. His Majesty wishes to personally sample the dishes that have earned the admiration of the Empire. Appropriate accommodations shall be prepared upon arrival.’"
"See? That’s... actually polite."I lowered the scroll.
"Very polite."Ana nodded.
"It sounds like a great honour."Hin smiled.
"Exactly!" I said. "I could politely decline."
The imperial guard coughed. I looked at him as he slowly pointed toward the second scroll.
"Right." I opened it as the atmosphere immediately changed.
"’By direct order of His Imperial Majesty, Chef Wei shall report to the Imperial palace within three days of receiving this decree. Failure to appear shall be considered refusal of an Imperial command.’"
I stopped reading. Even the customers had gone quiet.
"That’s not an invitation."One old merchant whispered.
"That’s an order."Another customer nodded.
"So..."I slowly looked up.
"Yes."The guard gave me a sympathetic smile.
"I can’t refuse."I said.
"No."He nodded.
"I really can’t refuse?"I asked.
"No."He shook his head.
"What if I catch a cold?"I asked.
"No."He shook his head again.
"What if I suddenly forget how to cook?" I asked hopefully.
"No."He shook his head.
"What if I accidentally move to another kingdom?"I asked.
"Still no."The guard blinked.
"I tried."I let my forehead hit the table.
Ana picked up both scrolls and read them herself. Her expression gradually became serious.
"Wei."She began.
"Hm?"I asked.
"This isn’t just any appointment."She said.
"I noticed."I nodded.
"This level of decree..."She looked at the imperial seal.
She handed the scroll to Hin. Hin’s eyes widened slightly after reading it.
"I have only seen this type of order a handful of times."Hin sid.
"Is that bad?"I slowly raised my head.
"It means His Majesty considers this personally important."Hin said.
"Oh."I whispered.
"Very important."Hin added. "The Emperor almost never issues a direct command like this for a chef."
"Oh." I suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore.
"I served in the army years ago."One of the older customers quietly stroked his beard.
Everyone looked toward him.
"I have seen imperial orders before."He began as he pointed at the second scroll. "When the
Emperor writes those words people usually don’t argue."
"I wasn’t planning to!" I said quickly.
"I was... briefly considering creative alternatives."I said.
"Running away was one of them, wasn’t it?"Ana snorted.
"Maybe."I sighed.
"Master Wei."Hin folded the letters carefully.
"Yes?"I asked.
"You should go."She said.
"There is... one more item."The lead imperial guard suddenly reached into his sleeve.
"There’s more?"My eye twitched.
"His Majesty instructed us to give you this."He produced a small jade token engraved with a golden wolf.
"What does it do?"I accepted it carefully.
"It grants you unrestricted access to the Imperial palace kitchens."He said.
The dining hall collectively gasped. One travelling merchant nearly dropped his cup.
"That’s an Imperial Kitchen Token!"He shouted. "My cousin has worked in the palace for fifteen years. He doesn’t have one."
"I’ve never even seen one."A third customer leaned forward.
I looked down at the token resting in my palm. It felt surprisingly heavy.
"I..." I realized just how serious this really was.
This wasn’t simply the Emperor wanting to taste my cooking. Emperor Lang Li was determined to bring me back to the palace, whatever I wanted to return or not.