Silence reigned for a few moments following Aiden’s astonished outcry, while the head butler continued to gaze at him with a steadfast look that bore no trace of jest.
He then spoke in a calm, yet resolute voice: “You said so yourself before the Great Thirteen Mages—that you are proficient in cooking, kneading pastries, and making sweets and bread…
did you not?” The words caught in Aiden’s throat for a moment, then he swallowed hard, nodding his head as he spoke faintly: “Yes…
that is correct.” The head butler turned around without adding another word and began to walk through the palace’s vast stone corridors, the echo of his footsteps resonating between the high walls.
He raised his hand, signaling for Aiden to follow him, and spoke in a pragmatic tone that knew no hesitation: “Then, there is no time for discussion.
Today shall be your first trial under my supervision, and we shall know whether you deserve to remain in the kitchen of this palace.” Aiden felt his heart begin to race.
He did not fear the cooking itself, but rather he understood that the kitchen of a palace serving the continent’s greatest mages tolerated no errors, and that a single poor meal could end his chance before it even began.
Taking a deep breath, he walked behind the head butler with steady strides, striving to conceal his tension.
After a few minutes of walking, twin giant wooden doors parted to reveal the royal kitchen in all its majesty.
Dozens of stone hearths were ablaze, and long tables were filled with the finest ingredients brought from various corners of the continent, while a number of servants moved in silence and discipline, each performing their duties with precision.
The head butler came to a halt in the center of the kitchen, then turned to Aiden and said: “Begin by preparing the palace’s breakfast.
No one will intervene to aid you, and I shall watch every step you take.” A brief quiet blanketed the room, and the gazes of several servants turned toward the new human youth with curiosity, waiting to see if he truly deserved the standing granted to him.
As for Aiden, he tightened the straps of his apron, cast a final glance over the vast kitchen, then offered a calm smile as he whispered to himself: “It is time to prove that my words were no mere pretense.” He then headed with confidence toward the cooking table, to begin his first true trial inside the royal palace.