Chapter 3
***
*The past*
[Emily! Ah! That’s good! That’s good. …..!
[Ah……Your Majesty!]
Emperor Jacob Frederick spread Emily’s legs and pushed in his thick manhood. Her red maiden’s blood stained the sheet. Frederick was pleased to see it.
“You’ll be my eighth concubine. Hmm? Your inside is better than anyone else.it it wraps around me so tightly…ah!]
[Ah…!]
Tears spilled from Emily’s eyes. She just turned twenty, and her first experience was very painful. Frederick was an emperor who was reluctant to caress; he had many concubines.
But what does it mean to be a concubine? In Emily’s position, it was like a star in the sky. And for Emily, the emperor was the unreachable sky. If she remained in the territory, she would not have had the good fortune to become his concubine.
Emily forced a smile on her beautiful face. But every time the Emperor slammed in, she couldn’t stand the pain and had to scream out loud.
[…Ah!]
The Emperor held her legs tightly, seemingly impatient to get in more. The marks of the Emperor’s fingers were still bright red on her ankles.
[Emily…! Hahahahaha!!!]
[Ah! Ugh! Ah!]
Eventually, Emily burst into tears. She tried to hold back, but seeing the old emperor violating her young body made her feel miserable about her situation.
[Ugh! Emily, I’m coming! I’ll fill your womb with plenty of my seeds!]
[Ah!]
The short, overweight emperor hugged Emily, shaking his hips as he squeezed the excess seeds into her. The heat of his seeds could be felt in Emily’s sensitive womanhood.
[Ha…]
Emily lay still as he held her. What was more disgusting was that he opened his mouth and demanded a kiss from her. Seeing his tongue as gross as a snake’s tongue, Emily closed her eyes.
The emperor began to lick Emily’s chest.
[Ha, ugh, ugh.]
[It’s good. Ah…]
Emily felt it, even though it was disgusting and she hated it. The Emperor Jacob Frederick smiled, baring his gold teeth. He sucked her nipple and wouldn’t let go, so Emily could only watch him. She had been warned beforehand not to say “don’t” or “no” to the Emperor.
When the Emperor called for his maidservant, she came in and wiped Emily’s important parts clean with a wet towel. When the maidservant left, the Emperor’s manhood hardened again. He once again shoved it into Emily’s weak hole.
[Ah…Your Majesty!]
[Emily….]
Emily found it very painful. She wanted to ask him to stop, but she couldn’t. Who could say such a thing to the Emperor? Perhaps he knew how she felt, he applied plenty of lubricant to his manhood.
[It won’t hurt anymore.]
If there was such a thing, why didn’t he use it from the beginning? The emperor pushed into Emily again, not even bothering to look at her.
It didn’t hurt as much as before, but Emily was still shaking under him like a piece of paper. Her first experience left only bitterness and pain.
However, she soon forgot that thought. The Emperor gave her jewels and dresses, not to mention things she would never be able to have in her life. Seeing the other concubines craving his love, Emily felt a relative sense of satisfaction.
Of course, that was before she met the Crown Prince. It wasn’t until she experienced life in the imperial palace that she realized how short her thoughts had been.
***
*Present*
“What’s this?”
Hans tasted the pastry the apprentice made and threw it on the floor. Once a month, the apprentices made exactly what Hans ordered and were evaluated. Today’s dish was Raisin Cookies.
“What a waste…!”
Even if Hans didn’t like them, they were still cookies that contain sugar. Emily licked her tongue when she saw them being thrown away. Emily stared at the cookies, unsentimental. Hans pointed at her.
“You’re no better than that girl who only washes dishes! The sweets you make are a waste of precious ingredients and no one will eat them!”
At these words, Emily stopped washing the dishes, picked up a discarded cookie from the floor and ate it. Everyone looked at her with astonishment.
“Hmm. It’s delicious, but…you added too much sugar. I heard that the aristocrats like a moderate taste. I think you should add more raisins to make it crunchy. Then there’s that.”
Emily pointed to the salt.
“It tastes even better with a little salt in it.”
Hans looked at Emily with a surprised expression. It was a secret that Hans never shared with anyone. Salt in every dish! Even sweet foods can be enriched with salt.
Fewer people knew this, and many chefs didn’t know this either. Salt was so expensive that the commoners could not even look at it. It was amazing that Emily, the farmer’s daughter, knew what the apprentice did not.
“What’s your name?”
She had been washing dishes here for such a long time, but only now did Chef Hans notice her presence. Emily smiled and said.
“My name is Emily.”
Chef Hans was proud of her.
“You were brave to pick up the cookies from the floor and eat them! You’re the child who will become the cook’s lumber.”
Chief cook Hans was a strict man, but Emily took his moods well. Above all, Emily was sincere and liked him very much.
Chef Hans was a man of ability. He was hired at a high wage because of his background as an imperial chef, and he couldn’t care less about the butler. When he heard about Emily’s situation, he gave her a little bit of leftover ingredients every day.
***
Five years later.
Emily’s mother, Anna, opened her mouth in surprise.
“What’s all this?”
Emily shrugged at Anna’s response.
“Since I work in the kitchen, the chef gave me the leftover ingredients.”
Emily brought home a bag with a large loaf of bread, potatoes, onions, leeks, flour and eggs. Emily’s father, Jackson, was amazed.
“I’m proud of you, Emily.”
Emily smirked. The bread was hard and crusty, but it was a food that was hard to find at home. Emily rolled up her sleeves.
“I’ll do the cooking. Hans taught me a few things.”
“Hans?”
“He’s the head cook. He told me I have a talent for cooking.”
Whenever Hans developed a new menu item, he would bring it to Emily and ask her to taste it. If Emily said it tasted good, it was usually a successful dish. Emily even guessed most of the ingredients that went into the dishes, so Hans gave her the rest of the ingredients each time he was satisfied.
Emily made a simple stew. She kneaded the flour, cut it into little pieces, added the potatoes, beat the eggs and cooked it like a soup. Then she fried the hard bread a little to make it more fragrant.
All six of her siblings looked at Emily with respect. That day, they all enjoyed their dinner together, laughing and talking.
Emily woke up early in the morning and stretched. Before her regression, when she was twenty years old, she was helping out in the banquet hall of the castle when she caught the eye of Baron Wright and went to the Imperial Palace and became a concubine. This was not the case now.
She was the same age as she was then, but her face was different. She only worked in the kitchen, so she did not attract the attention of the nobles.
When she arrived at the castle, Emily ran quickly through the back gate when she bumped into Carter, the son of Count James. Carter was hurt, and he grabbed his head and stood up.
“Oh my! You’ve gone crazy…! You’re ugly!”
“Ah!”
Carter James hit Emily in the face with his fist . Emily’s mouth bled, but Carter didn’t let go of his anger and started kicking her legs. Emily lay down and covered her face. She had often seen cases where a nobleman would beat the servants until they were badly hurt.
“If I see you again, I’ll kill you! Ha!”
Carter spat at Emily, then turned away. The old maid, who had been watching from afar, came running over and wiped Emily’s blood off with a towel.
“Oh, he’s a lunatic. He must have lost money in gambling again. The Count is a good-natured man, but how did his son end up like that?
“Thank you very much.”
Emily was grateful for the maid’s kindness. Carter James was the tyrant of the realm. Too many people were killed by him. Carter lost money by gambling and often took it out on his employees.
A man upstairs was watching the scene where Carter was beating Emily. That was when he heard a voice calling him.
“Your Highness. …If we support private armies, what will you do for us?”
The Crown Prince turned his head and the Count sat in his study, staring at him. The Crown Prince was twenty years old. The current Empress was the mother of the second Prince, and the Crown Prince lacked power. If the Crown Prince became the emperor, more benefits would fall on Count James. The second Prince was already solid in power, so there was no room for Count James to intervene.
Nothing is free. Either you use or are being used. The Crown Prince grabbed the pitch-black hood with both hands and pulled it down. Next to the Crown Prince was Oliver, the Crown Prince’s confidant and escort knight.
“…The Count has a lot of debts.”
The Count’s face darkened at the word debts. His only son, Carter, gambled every day, and his daughter, Emma, bought so many new dresses and precious metals that he was in debt for a long time.
“When I become emperor, I’ll get rid of all your debts.”
The Count nodded happily at the Crown Prince’s words, but soon began to cough in pain. The handkerchief covering his mouth was covered with blood.
“Gosh, gosh! As you know, I don’t have long to live. I’m not afraid of dying, but I’m most worried about my children after I die. Their mother died, and they don’t know better. If my son becomes Count, will you look after him?”
The Crown Prince looked out the window earlier and saw the scene where Carter bumped into the maid. He punched and kicked her. He was merciless, arrogant and selfish. If he became Count, the future of this territory would not be bright.
But Count James was needed. He was well-liked, and there were many nobles who respected him. The Crown Prince had to get him on his side by any means necessary.
“A little beating would rehabilitate him, wouldn’t it? Then I can keep him as a subordinate.”
“Very well.”
The Crown Prince then put on his mask. He left the Count’s office with his escort dressed in the same outfit as he first came here.
Carter was standing in front of the Count’s office, mumbling.
“Oh, what am I going to tell father? I’m sure those guys will come to get the money. Oh my God!”
Carter was surprised to see two armed men in black coming out of his father’s study. The masks on their faces looked suspicious, but seeing that they were holding swords, they looked like knights. Carter reached out to shake their hands.
“Hmm, I’m Carter James. I’m the one who will inherit this castle. What brought you here?”
Looking at him arrogantly, they didn’t say a word. Carter felt angry because they didn’t shake his hand or respond.
“You’re just a knight and you dare to ignore me?”
Hearing Carter’s angry voice, Count James was startled and quickly ran outside.
“Carter! You punk!”
“Father! These knights ignore me, the Count’s son…!”
Count James hit Carter on the head before Carter could finish speaking.
He then put his hand on Carter’s head and lowered it to the point where it almost reached the floor. Count James bowed down in a cold sweat.
“I’m sorry. I think he ate something by mistake. Please go on your way.”
The Crown Prince nodded and left the mansion, as did Oliver. Carter clenched his fist feeling frustrated.
‘I’ve never once bowed to anyone else! How dare you insult me!’
Oliver opened his mouth as they left the mansion. Oliver would talk to Ryan in a casual manner when they were alone. Ryan was the Crown Prince, but the two had been friends since they were young.
“Ryan. Pulling Count James to our side is a good decision, but that son of his is a bit sketchy….”
“…I hope the Count lives long enough. After all, we need him.”
Crown Prince Ryan and knight Oliver mounted their horses and headed elsewhere.