In the days that followed, Lila got used to her working environment and the people she works with. Just as Ian informed her, they were five of them. Through her interaction with them, she managed to analyze each one of their characters and duties in the kitchen.
Mildred was in charge of assigning duties. She was a forty-eight-year-old short and plump woman. Despite how venomous her words were, she was a kind woman at heart. She would often scold Lila for making mistakes but when it was only the two of them, she would leave more food on her plate.
Amanda was two years older than Mildred. She was the chief chef who made most of the main dishes. Aside from the occasional words to give instructions, she was a woman who kept to herself most of the time. Lila found the woman quite deep. She stayed as far away from her as possible.
The two males who worked around the kitchen were Evan, the masculine guy who showed her around and Jayden was the other companion. The two men were in their late twenties. One was masculine and well-built while his counterpart was more on the slender side. Even so, he was quite handsome.
Between the two men, she discovered something peculiar. While they shared the responsibility of buying and refilling the raw food in the store, Evan was in charge of the storeroom while Jayden handled the finances. That wasn't the strange thing though.
What she found particularly intriguing was the way Evan steals longing glances towards Amanda each time he gets an opportunity. On the other hand, Jayden couldn't hide the obsession he had in his eyes for Maya.
Maya was the final member of the kitchen staff. Before Lila's arrival, she could be counted as the youngest member at only 24years. Alas, she was the sweetest girl at first glance but the look she had in her eyes was that of darkness.
It was a look that Lila was quite familiar with. Moreover, from the moment Lila joined them, she has made little effort to hide the discontentment in her eyes. She looked at her as though she has killed someone precious to her.
Lila wasn't one to care about other people's opinions of her. She didn't even bother acting well before others. Either people loved or hated her. Their opinion had nothing to do with her. It was their business after all. She wasn't a busy body to put her nose in other people's ventures.
Albeit her carefree nature, she knew well to stay clear of them all. She didn't like getting attached to people in the first place. Now that she knew what each of them harbored in their hearts, it made it easier for her to reduce their verbal interaction to as little as possible.
The only person she found worthy of her time was Mildred. The woman spat out everything she felt without decorating her words. She was her kind of person. At the moment, they were preparing lunch for the king and his guests.
They were notified very earlier in the morning that the king was expecting visitors from one of the smaller royal families. The image of the fairy-like beauty had filled Lila's mind in an instance. That must be the guest he was hosting.
Lila concentrated on the dishes she was washing when Maya passed by her. She had a tray that had three bowls of hot water in it. The girl walked speedily towards Lila intending to burn her.
Unfortunately for her, Lila was hyper-aware of her environment. She sidestepped at the last minute making Maya's trip. The three bowls of boiling water burnt the nearest person who happened to be Amanda.
A shriek filled the air. The woman whose voice could hardly be heard now screamed her lungs out. The water was extremely hot scalding her hand. The same hand that was manning the fire. Mildred who was not far away rushed over followed closely behind by the two men.
Maya's eyes widened in shock. How did she trip all of a sudden? Wasn't the stone-faced woman her initial target? How did she end up getting scalded and burning someone else? Especially since the other someone was their chief chef?
She started crying to push the blame onto Lila. Mildred took one look at the two shrieking women and her gaze fell on Lila who stood in her position unmoving. There was no emotion in her eyes.
Since she appeared cold and never reacted to it, the three immediately concluded. She must have done something that caused the accident. "What did you do? Are you stupid or just mean? I thought that you were just shy. Who would have believed you would be this vicious?"
Jayden's accusatory voice rang in the kitchen as he squatted down to help Maya. He was well aware of the truth but at that moment, he chose to blame the victim for getting away unscathed. Evan moved towards Amanda as he held a piece of ice pack onto her hand.
Mildred stood there silently watching the scene. She felt that something was wrong with it. How did Maya get to where Lila was with the hot water when she wasn't supposed to be anywhere close to her?
It was no doubt a setup. The victim escaped in time and the perpetrator got the brunt of her plotting. Mildred was wiser than others thought she was. Additionally, she was a trusted aide who was under the direct command of the king.
Since the other people in the room were putting on a show, she had to follow suit. The last thing she wanted was for the girl to be victimized more out of her favoritism. "Hey, little girl. Why are you so useless? Can't you spend an entire day without causing trouble? I won't let go of you this time."
"Evan and Jayden, take the two ladies to the infirmary. You shall cook all the meals on your own for today's banquet. If anything goes wrong, the king would be the one to punish you. Let me remind you.
Since you are new here, be warned. His punishments are not something anyone could survive."
Lady Mildred as she was popularly addressed, felt guilt consume her the minute she was done talking. Yet, it was inevitable. This could be counted as one way of protecting her. Maya smirked as she left the kitchen. Even Amanda who was howling like a dying donkey just then had an amused glint in her eyes.
Lila stood her ground observing each of them. Sure enough, they plotted against her. Such snakes. They were no different from the other people she had encountered in her life before she came here.
Mildred was the only person left behind. Watching the others disappear behind the doors, she pulled Lila into her resting room and looked at her from top to bottom. Her gaze softened as it collided with Lila's emotionless ones.
"Are you hurt?" She asked feeling guilty. Lila's eyes finally showed some emotions. Her gaze warmed a little as she shook her head no. Mildred walked towards her and engulfed her in a hug. "Poor thing. You must have been scared by those scheming monsters. I know what happened but I couldn't let them see it. They will only target you more. Forgive me for my harsh words, okay? I am sorry."
The more she spoke, the tighter she held the fragile-looking girl. Since Mildred was a woman who had a lot of meat on her bone, she felt that Lila's frame was too weak. "Silly girl. You should get more meat on your bones. It might come in handy in the future." She advised like a protective mother hen.
For the first time since she stepped foot into this territory, Lila embraced someone back. The old lady gave her a sense of familiarity and home. For the few minutes she was held, she felt the warmth of a mother radiating from Mildred into her own body.
Unknown to her, this would be the start of a beautiful relationship between the two women. One would always treat the other as a precious fragile little doll while the other would care for her in secret like a filial child.
Mildred separated from Lila and looked at her. "Beta Ian told me that you are a good chef. Let's put your skills to the test. I will help you with whatever you need. Are you fine with that?" She asked unsurely.
Once more, she saw the rare warmth in Lila's gaze. The girl enjoyed cooking. The two walked out of the room into the kitchen and started preparing the food. With Mildred's help, Lila was able to cook all the dishes and managed to finish them on time.
The servant who was assigned the duty of tasting and serving the meal showed up when they have already arranged everything on a tray. The food was carried away. Silence filled the kitchen once more.
Mildred served two plates of food for herself and Lila. The rest of what remained, she kept away in case the king asked for more food. She invited Lila to sit with her as she took the first bite of the meal.
A gasp escaped her lips. The food was cooked using the same ingredients as before but my goodness. It tasted heavenly. She swallowed the first bite and continues eating greedily until the plate was empty.
Once she saw the empty plate, she wanted to eat more but her stomach was already full. Lila offered her the plate in her hand. Mildred blushed, at the unexpected generosity of the girl. She turned away the dish and began to rumble.
"Little girl, how are you this slender when you can cook such a first-class meal? Heavens! If I had put your skills to test sooner, my mouth would have been blessed with this wonder. Girly! That Amanda witch has nothing on you. Come on. Eat up. I don't want them to taste your food. We are going to keep it away and tell them that you cooked a few more kilos less."
Lila enjoyed her meal as she listened to Mildred's rumble. Strangely, it made her comfortable enough to utter a few words from time to time. She was growing fond of the woman fast but she didn't care.
It doesn't hurt to care for someone. Especially if they don't know about it. Telling people that you care for them would only make them think that they can manipulate you into bending to their wills. She preferred to care through her actions. Let whoever recognizes it, do so.
Maya and her counterparts were at the dispensary, undergoing treatments. She and Amanda gazed at each other with a knowing look in their eyes. They simultaneously burst into laughter. The two men followed suit.
"I can't wait to watch that thing get punished by the king. Does she even know how to hold a knife properly? What do you think her cooking is like?" She turned her gaze towards the other woman.
"At most, she could be an average chef. If she could manage that, she would suffice. The king is not a fussy eater. He doesn't complain much about his food. If she is lucky, she will get away with it, since it's her first time in that department. Let's rest up a bit. The shorty will come in search of us. By heaven! Isn't she growing more stupid by the day?" Amanda insulted Mildred behind her back.
She despised the woman because she was favored by the king. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do against her. She just had to play the silent villain and do her job before it was assigned to someone else.
"Why does that girl never say anything? Is she mute or something? She annoys me with how cold she looks. She never smiles. "Evan found himself saying. What he wanted to say was that she was ethereal in looks but paid them no attention. It was a sore feeling in his heart.
The four laid around enjoying the free time they got. Each had a different thought about Lila. Maya was envious of her looks and figure. Her coldness didn't matter. Even when she looked like an ice sculpture, she managed to evoke envy in her heart.
Amanda was worried that her young lover would shift his interest towards someone closer to his age. Maya wasn't completely ruled out either. It was just that for the time being, they were allies.
The men, on the other hand, were busy imagining how wonderful it would be if she was easier to bed like the two women before them. Men liked to conquer things that gave them a challenge. They felt no different from others.