THE NEXT DAY
XAVIER
I knew something was wrong the moment the carriage entered the capital. People wouldn’t stop staring. At first, I thought something had happened behind us. So I looked through the rear window, nothing. Then I looked ahead and saw still nothing. When I looked back outside the people were still staring.
"Why is everyone looking at us?" I asked.
"I wonder."Ana smiled innocently.
"I don’t." Hin peeked through the curtain. "They’re looking at Master Xavier."
"Why?"I asked.
"Because you’re handsome."She looked genuinely confused.
"I asked for a reason."I nearly choked.
"That is the reason."Hin said.
I sighed. The carriage rolled deeper into the capital.
Pedestrians slowed to watch us pass, young ladies whispered behind embroidered fans. Several omegas openly turned around to keep looking as the carriage moved past.
"Mother."One little girl tugged on her mother’s sleeve.
"Yes?"A mom asked.
"Is there a prince inside?"The girl asked.
"I don’t know."The woman smiled.
"I’ve never seen that young noble before."Another merchant shaded his eyes. "Perhaps he’s a foreign prince."
"No..." another man whispered. "Look at his hair. Snow white, maybe he’s royalty."
"Nope."I immediately closed the curtain.
"You can’t hide forever."Ana laughed. "I can certainly try."
"You’ll have to leave the carriage eventually." Hin said.
"I object."I groaned.
"Objection denied." Ana said.
The Imperial palace soon came into view. Massive crimson walls, golden roofs, towering gates, even after living there as Wei, it still looked overwhelming. The carriage stopped as imperial guards approached.
"Halt!" One of them looked inside.
He froze as his eyes widened slightly.
"My apologies, Young Master..." He immediately bowed.
"Young Master?" The second guard hurried over and looked inside as well. "I wasn’t informed that a noble guest was arriving."
"I’m not-"I blinked.
Then both guards looked more carefully. Their expressions slowly changed.
"Wait."One asked. "That face..."
"..."I stared.
"Chef Wei?"Another one asked.
"Hello."I smiled awkwardly.
"It really is Chef Wei!"Both guards stared. "I almost didn’t recognise you! You look completely different!"
"I told you."Ana quietly leaned toward me.
"This is going to be a long day."I buried my face in one hand.
As soon as I stepped out of the carriage, everything became worse. Servants stopped walking, maids whispered, young palace omegas looked directly at me before immediately blushing.
"Who is he?"One whispered to another.
"I heard that’s Chef Wei."Another one said.
"No way."Third one added.
Another group approached while pretending to admire the flowers.
"Young Master Wei."One omega smiled sweetly.
"Yes?"I turned.
"I tasted your buns at the festival."She said.
"Oh."I nodded.
"They were wonderful."She added.
"Thank you."I smiled.
"I was wondering..."She smiled even brighter. "Would you perhaps allow me to visit your inn someday?"
Before I could answer another omega stepped forward.
"I was hoping to ask the same thing."She said.
"And perhaps..."A third joined them. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You could cook just for me?"
My brain immediately short-circuited.
"..."I started. "Cook for you?"
My soul practically left my body.
"Help. Why are they looking at me like that? Why are there so many? I just wanted to cook!"I could hear myself scream inside my head.
"I-I appreciate the compliment..." I took one careful step backward. "But I don’t think that’s appropriate."
"Aww..."First one said.
"He rejected her gently."Another one added.
"He’s so polite."Third one smiled. "That makes him even more attractive."
HOW DID THAT MAKE IT WORSE?!
"Chef Wei."Another elegant omega smiled.
"Yes?"I asked.
"Do you have someone special already?"She asked.
"I..."I started. "Does Ana count?"
The entire group giggled.
"He’s adorable."First one said.
"I want to know him better."Second one added.
"I heard he’s still unmarried."Third one grinned.
WHO STARTED THAT RUMOUR?! I looked desperately toward Ana.
"You’re doing great."She simply smiled.
"I am absolutely not doing great!"I groaned.
Hin covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. From a second-floor balcony, someone watched everything. Emperor Lang Li as his golden eyes, followed every movement below. He watched another omega step closer, then another, then another. One of them actually reached out to brush imaginary dust from my sleeve. Lang Li’s jaw tightened and beside him, Shen wisely remained silent. Another noble laughed at something I said, another omega smiled at me. Someone handed me flowers as someone else asked whether I would attend the next palace banquet. The Emperor’s fingers slowly tightened around the balcony railing. Crack. A thin fracture appeared in the wood. Shen glanced down, then at the railing, then quietly looked away.
"Your Majesty..."He began.
Lang Li’s voice was calm.
"Why..." Another pause. "Are they standing so close to him?"
Shen considered several possible answers as rejected all of them and finally chose the safest one.
"Because Chef Wei is... exceptionally popular."Shen said.
Lang Li watched as another omega laughed brightly at something I’d accidentally said.
"I invited him here to cook."He said.
Another noble stepped closer to me. Lang Li’s wolf growled possessively inside him. Mine. The Emperor’s golden eyes narrowed, because he didn’t like this. Not. One. Bit. I took a slow breath before stepping into the center of the hall. The polished marble reflected the morning sunlight, rows of nobles lined both sides, generals, ministers, court officials. Even several imperial concubines had gathered to witness the arrival of the chef who had become the talk of the Capital festival. Every pair of eyes landed on me.
"This commoner, Wei, greets His Imperial Majesty."I stopped several steps before the throne and bowed deeply.
The hall remained silent. I could practically feel hundreds of people examining every strand of my newly styled white hair, then the whispering began.
"So that’s Chef Wei?"First one asked.
"I thought he would be older."Second one added. "Isn’t he... incredibly handsome?"
"I heard he was only a village chef."A third one grinned.
"A village chef doesn’t look like that."A lady added.
"I thought they exaggerated."A nearby lady nodded. "They understated it."
I kept my head lowered. Please don’t look at me, please stop talking, please let me cook and leave.
"Didn’t His Majesty once have a forgotten Beta concubine named Wei?"A minister quietly leaned toward another.
"The same person?"A one nearby asked.
"It can’t be."Second nodded.
"He looks completely different."Another official frowned.
Across the hall, two elderly nobles exchanged thoughtful glances.
"My youngest daughter is still unmarried."One stroked his beard.
"So is mine."The other immediately nodded. "You don’t suppose..."
Their eyes drifted toward me.
"He seems polite." The first one added. "And famous."
"A gifted chef."The second one nodded. "The people adore him, the festival judges praised him and my daughter enjoys cooking."
"So does mine."The first one added. "Perhaps an introduction wouldn’t hurt."
I nearly twitched, wait, were they trying to- No. Absolutely not, please don’t.
"I think Lady Xu would adore someone like Chef Wei."One noble lady overheard the conversation and smiled.
"He is much more handsome than the young masters this season."Another covered her mouth with a fan. "I heard he isn’t engaged."
"What a wonderful opportunity."First one added.
My soul quietly attempted to leave my body. Why are people discussing my marriage while I’m standing right here? On the throne, Emperor Lang Li watched the entire exchange without saying a word, his expression remained perfectly calm, his fingers, however tapped once against the armrest. Shen noticed immediately. "Your Majesty."One duke cleared his throat before stepping forward.
"What is it?"Lang Li looked at him.
"If Chef Wei ever wishes to settle in the capital..."The duke smiled politely. He glanced toward me. "My household would gladly welcome him."
"What?"I blinked.
"The Liu family would also be honored."Another noble wasn’t about to lose the opportunity.
"My niece has always admired talented chefs."A third immediately joined. "My granddaughter would certainly enjoy meeting him."
"Our family owns several restaurants-"Fourt one added.
"I have two daughters."Fift one joined too. "I know an excellent estate-"
Why does this feel like an auction? I just wanted to make lunch. From the throne the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Lang Li’s golden eyes narrowed ever so slightly as Shen quietly took one careful step backward. He had seen that look before. Someone was about to have a very unpleasant day.
"Enough."Emperor said.
One word. Quiet. Instantly the entire hall fell silent. Lang Li’s gaze slowly moved from the nobles to me. His eyes lingered for a second longer than necessary.
"Chef Wei."He said.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"I asked.
"You came here because of my invitation."He said.
"Yes."I nodded.
"Then your attention should remain on your duties."He said.
"Of course."I nodded.
He looked toward the nobles.
"And everyone else..." His voice remained perfectly even. "Will refrain from treating my guest like merchandise."
"This subject understands."Several nobles immediately lowered their heads.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. It won’t happen again."He said.
Did, did the Emperor just save me from becoming someone’s son in law? I wasn’t sure whether I should feel relieved or even more nervous. Because when I risked one tiny glance toward the throne, Emperor Lang Li was still looking directly at me. And for some reason, that felt far more dangerous than all the nobles in the room combined.