'I just wanted a life full of love and emotions,'
'Katherine, can you hear us? What should we do in this scenario? The council head wants to kill us. We got betrayed,'
'Have you decided to sacrifice yourself for us? If not you, then who?'
'The black OPS wants to kill us. Who asked you to interfere with the rogue's deal? It wasn't for us to find,'
'Drown, you b*tch. You don't deserve to live,'
Katherine gasped, opening her eyes with a jerk as she looked around, taking a deep breath when she found herself in the bathtub.
What was that? All those voices... Were those voices from my conscience? Do I really blame myself for whatever happened? Katherine thought before massaging her head.
That was a close call. She could've drowned in the bathtub for all she knew
But that voice at the end, why did it sound so familiarly unfamiliar?
Could it be that the voice belonged to the memory of Delilah Grace?
She had only thought that taking a relaxing bath would help her nerves after getting humiliated like that, but who would've thought she would end up sleeping?
"You need to be careful of this second life bestowed upon you. I am sure you wouldn't want to waste your life drowning in the bathtub, right?" The system mocked her, and Katherine got out of the bathtub, wrapping the towel around her body.
"Your next task is to go to the training grounds with lunch for the Prince. Your sister will be there too. You can meet her there," The system said, and Katherine raised her brows.
"You are kidding me, right?"
"I don't kid," The system stated.
"No, I am serious. You want me to seduce my sister's fiance right in front of her?" Katherine asked.
"Do you not want to become stronger, help Delilah establish her reign, and go to the bottom of what happened in those Mysterious buildings?" The system asked, shutting Katherine immediately.
Katherine got dressed up quickly, not adding useless ornaments that she didn't need. She kept it simple and dressed in a floral printed gown that reached below her knees with a sleek updo.
Delilah was an eighteen-year-old girl, Katherine didn't understand the point of dressing like a fifty-year-old granny.
After looking at her reflection, she wore a pair of raindrop earrings before leaving the room in her wedges.
She went straight to the kitchen, something striking her head.
"Right. I don't know how to cook a delicious meal," Katherine pressed her lips into a thin line.
"Delilah knew that. Don't worry. Your hands will work and you will know what you are doing. There is something like muscle memory," The system said, and Katherine hummed before entering the kitchen.
"Oh, you are back. I didn't really think you would be coming back to the kitchen after the commander rejected your advances," The chef said, a hint of mockery in his voice, her gaze taking in her change of style with a nod.
Katherine found out from her memories that the Chef had warned Delilah like a father quite a few times about being so persistent, but the girl never listened and usually turned a blind eye or deaf when it came to something against the commander.
"Well, today I am not here to cook for that b*stard commander," Katherine whispered, surprising the chef with her language.
"Miss Delilah, you shouldn't be -"
"I want to cook for you," Katherine whispered, shocking the chef again.
"For me?" The chef asked, amazed.
'Katherine, what the hell are you doing? I told you to cook for Prince Elwin,' The system reminded her.
"Yes, for you. You are one of the only people who have been good to me. I realized that I should be thankful to the good people the moon goddess bestowed me with rather than running behind ungrateful bas - Bad people," Katherine said, and the chef smiled at her.
He could see that something changed inside the girl after she returned from the hospital. Even her dressing style was more simple and full of life. Then again, the near-death experience she had was enough for people to change and have people realize what really mattered in life.
"In that case, I would be honored," the chef smiled.
"Shall I start?" Katherine smiled at the chef before she started working.
Her intentions were clear. She wanted to see what kind of cook Delilah was herself, and the chef seemed like the perfect test person for the case.
Also, this was the time when the Prince would be coming to the dining room to dine sooner or later. If she got lucky, she could always serve him lunch there if she impressed the chef, rather than going to the field and making fun of herself again.
Katherine chose to cook spaghetti and pasta along with steamed buns and spring rolls along with her favorite red chilly sauce that she could cook herself and her team also liked.
Once she was done cooking, she placed a little of the dishes on the plate and took it to the chef who was seeing the arrangements in the dining room.
"Here," She whispered softly, blinking her eyes at the chef.
The chef looked at the plate she prepared and nodded before going to the area behind the kitchen where some benches were.
He sat and took one spoonful of what she prepared before eating the steamed bun with the red chilly sauce.
"How is it?" Katherine, who couldn't contain her excitement anymore, looked at the chef expectantly.
"Chef Gray, are you eating before the royals?" They heard a voice, and the chef immediately stood from his place with wide eyes.
"Sir... This is... "
Katherine looked at the chef, who was obviously in trouble because of her, and stepped forward, shielding the chef.
"These dishes are different from the ones prepared for the royals. I made them and wanted an opinion. Mr. Chef here was helpful enough to opt for it. Please don't think of this as the negligence of his duty," Katherine bowed in front of the mysterious man and his translator, keeping her gaze stern.
"Miss Delilah, this isn't -" The man started, but one signal from his boss, and he immediately understood.
"Well, we were leaving for the meeting in the western regions. It's good that something is prepared. Let's eat it before leaving," The translator said, and Katherine's eyes widened.
"No!" She immediately said.
"No?" The translator asked.
"I... Uh... It's not enough for the two of you and -"
"Then my boss can eat it," The translator said before they proceeded to enter the dining room from the back door itself without waiting for her reply.
"Don't worry, Miss Delilah. The food tastes extremely good," The chef complimented her cooking, and Katherine smiled through her gritted teeth.
'It's not about the good food, you dimwit. It's about the fact that I didn't get to taste it, and I was saving the rest for the Prince,' Katherine wanted to shout, but since the mess was already created, she entered the dining room with a sour expression.
She saw the mysterious man sitting in the seat beside the head seat and realized that this man might be really important. She bobbed her head up and down, almost bumping into the kitchen helper who was bringing out the food for the man.
She looked at the food being served to the so-called mysterious man, who was well-known as the secretary of the King and sighed.
It looks like her system was right this time. She made a mistake by giving the food to the chef first and -
"Oh, the food is already served? Why wasn't I informed of it?" She heard Prince Elwin's voice, and her eyes immediately beamed.
"Sir, this food is prepared by Miss Delilah. The royal lunch is almost ready. It will still take 5-10 minutes though," The chef answered.
"What's wrong with this food? This looks amazing as it is served and the smell is good too. I am famished. Bring it. I can eat it until the rest of the food is served," Prince Elwin said, looking at so-called Miss Delilah.
"You don't mind, Miss Delilah. Do you? I mean, if the food is for someone else -" Prince Elwin let the sentence hang, remembering how she was famous for bringing the food for the commander.
"Actually, it was," Katherine gritted through her teeth.
'That food was for me and you only,' She wanted to say but changed her words when she saw Tianna entering the room.
"I was hoping to treat my sister this time. However, if you are hungry, please be my guest. It would be an honor to have the food I cooked, tasted by the almighty Prince," Katherine smiled, and the Prince chuckled.
"You exaggerate things. I am sure, Miss Tianna, won't mind, right?" Prince Elwin looked at Tianna who immediately went all smiles.
"Of course not, Prince Elwin. Everyone knows my cousin is a marvelous cook," Tianna smiled at Katherine, who smiled back.
'Why do I feel like this smile is fake,' Katherine thought to herself, her gaze shifting to the mysterious man.
Now that she thinks about it, he didn't even stand when the Prince walked in, and the Prince didn't seem like he minded it.
Was this man really that influential? Was this the power he held just by being a secretary of the king? She wondered, finding herself more and more intrigued by him with every meeting.
A subconscious smile appeared on her face when she saw him eating everything on his plate and then dabbing his lips with a napkin.
She looked at him expectantly, hoping to see some kind of indication that he liked the food.
"Mmm, the food is really great. What is this? I think your job is in danger, Chef Gray," Prince Elwin commented, making Katherine smile at him.
"It's my pleasure, sir," Katherine bowed, her body freezing when the man passed by her, his overcoat touching her hand, making her heartbeat pick its pace for some unknown reason.
"The food was great, Miss Delilah. We will be taking our leave," The translator said even though the man left.
Katherine nodded at the man, her gaze shifting to the mysterious man's broad shoulders as he walked away.
"Congratulations on completing your task. Reward; Character development - 20 points," The system said, immediately making Katherine smile.
Great! She grinned, making Prince Elwin intrigued by her sudden happy expression.
Wasn't she an interesting girl?