AT THE SAME TIME
XAVIER
I continued packing, ignoring the strange feeling of wearing someone else’s life. The more things I touched, the more memories returned. Wei’s favorite books, his carefully organized clothes, collection of small gifts he had received from servants who actually cared about him. It was strange. I had only known this person for a few minutes, yet I could feel the sadness he carried. He wasn’t hated by everyone, he was just forgotten by the one person whose attention he wanted most. I shook my head and placed the last folded robe into the travel bag.
"Sorry, original Wei." I looked at the expensive room one last time. "But I am not spending years begging someone to notice me."
I grabbed the bag and walked toward the door. Before I could open it, I heard voices outside.
"Did you hear? His Majesty finally abandoned him."A female said.
"Of course he did. That Beta never had a chance."Another one added. "He really thought the Emperor would fall in love with him?"
Several voices laughed. I paused. The palace concubines. Wei’s memories told me exactly who they were, the ones who constantly mocked him. The ones who looked down on him because he was a Beta. The ones who enjoyed watching him fail. I opened the door and the hallway went silent. Several beautifully dressed concubines stood nearby, clearly surprised that I had heard them. One of them, a beautiful Omega with silver hair, smiled.
"Oh? The abandoned concubine finally decided to leave his room?"She asked.
The others giggled. Normally, the original Wei would have lowered his head, apologized and walked away quietly. But I wasn’t the original Wei .
"Yes. I’m leaving."I adjusted the bag on my shoulder and smiled.
"How brave. I thought you would cry and beg His Majesty to take you back."The concubine looked disappointed.
"Why would I beg someone who already threw me away?"I tilted my head.
The hallway became quiet, their expressions changed. Apparently, confidence was something the old Wei didn’t have.
"Careful. Outside this palace, someone like you won’t survive."The silver haired concubine stepped closer.
"Someone like me?" I smiled.
Before he could answer, one of the other concubines stepped forward and casually placed his foot in my path. A cheap trick. The old Wei probably would have fallen, but I wasn’t expecting it. I saw it coming, and at the last second, I shifted my weight. The concubine’s foot missed mine. Instead, he lost his balance.
"Ah-!" With a loud cry, he stumbled forward and fell straight into the dirt outside the palace entrance.
I looked down at him. Then at the muddy ground covering his expensive clothes, then back at him.
"Are you alright?" My voice was completely innocent.
The other concubines stared at me in shock, they knew. They knew Wei would never have done something like that.
"Maybe be more careful where you put your feet next time."I picked up my bag and walked past them.
The fallen concubine’s face turned red with embarrassment. I didn’t even bother looking back. As I walked away from the palace gates, I couldn’t help but smirk. The original Wei was a forgotten side character, a person everyone expected to disappear, but unfortunately for this world, Wei was gone. I was a man who knew the entire plot, and a man who had nothing left to lose, and a man who was absolutely not going to let himself become a tragic background character.
After leaving the palace behind, I finally reached a small village several hours away from the capital. And for the first time since waking up in this world I felt free. No nobles whispering behind my back, no concubines trying to humiliate me. No terrifying Lycan Emperor is watching my every move. Just normal people living normal lives. Exactly what I wanted.
"Perfect." I looked down at the expensive clothes I was still wearing. "Except for this."
Standing out was the last thing I needed. So I found a small clothing shop and traded my fancy outfits for simple commoner’s clothes, a plain shirt, simple trousers, a cheap cloak. I looked at my reflection and I looked like a normal person.
"Much better." I said.
Of course, I still had one problem. I had some coins from Wei belongings, but I didn’t want to rely on palace money forever. I needed a job. Luckily, I had one skill from my previous life. A skill that had nothing to do with fighting, nothing to do with magic, nothing to do with being a Beta. Cooking. Back on Earth, I had been a chef. Not some amateur who only knew how to boil noodles. I had spent years working in kitchens, learning different cuisines, mastering flavours, and creating dishes people loved. I never expected that skill to be useful after reincarnation. But apparently, truck-kun had sent me to a fantasy world where food was still food. A potato was still a potato, a knife was still a knife, and people still loved delicious meals. After asking around, I found a small inn at the edge of the village. The sign was old. The building looked like it had survived several wars, but the smell coming from the kitchen was enough to convince me. Behind the counter was an older woman cleaning cups.
"Welcome. Looking for a room?"She asked.
"Actually, I am looking for work."I shook my head.
"Work?"She looked surprised.
"Yes. I can cook."I said.
"Everyone says they can cook."The woman raised an eyebrow.
"Then let me prove it."I smiled.
She looked doubtful but eventually led me into the kitchen. The moment I saw the equipment, my chef instincts immediately took over. Old knives, basic ingredients, a small stove, nothing impressive. But a good chef didn’t need expensive tools, they needed skill.
"Alright."I rolled up my sleeves.
Time to see if my Earth skills still worked here. I started with simple ingredients. Fresh vegetables, meat, herbs, a few spices. The villagers probably expected some normal meal. Instead, thirty minutes later the entire inn went silent. The first person to taste the food was the owner. I immediately became nervous.
"Is it bad?"I asked.
"No."She slowly looked up as took another bite. "It’s... amazing. What’s this dish?"
Soon, the customers started asking what they were eating.
"Why does the meat taste so tender?"One asked.
"Why have I never eaten vegetables like this before?"Another one added.
I stood there confused. Wait. Was food really that different here? Apparently, yes. Because within a single evening, half the village knew about the new cook at the inn and unfortunately... They also noticed something else. The new cook didn’t look like a normal villager. His manners were too refined, his speech was too polite, his cooking skills were too good and his movements were too graceful. By the end of the night, whispers had already started.
"Who is he?"One asked.
"Maybe he’s a noble hiding his identity."Another man grnned,
"Did you see how he held that knife? Only someone trained from a young age moves like that."Third one smirked.
I heard the rumors while cleaning dishes. I nearly dropped the plate.
"No, no, no." I lowered my voice. "I am trying to become invisible."
I looked around, and veryone was staring.
"Why am I already famous?"I asked myself.
I sighed. Apparently, escaping palace drama didn’t mean escaping attention. I had only wanted a quiet life as an ordinary chef, but somehow even without a crown, magic, or a title I was still attracting trouble, and somewhere far away, inside the Lycan Emperor’s palace someone was about to hear that the abandoned Beta concubine had disappeared and became a mysterious village chef.