Leo was used to bullies. He was a boy, male, short, and gay, so he had had his fair share of bullying throughout his school years, and every day he was glad he wasn't in an American high school because otherwise he would have been bullied even more like in those movies full of clichés.

And it must be said that he was not a great master in dealing with bullies, given that his main talent was digging his own grave, ergo he always managed, in an attempt to save himself, to end up bullied more.

Sure, when he had met his best friend, Giada, in high school, things had started to get better, since that girl was a force of nature.

At the moment Giada was not with him in that world, on the contrary, she probably believed him dead hit by a truck.

…maybe he was really dead hit by a truck.

The dynamics of how Leo got into that world were still mysterious, but the point was that he was bullied, and after gaining favor with the king and especially the queen, the bullying increased exponentially.

Not only did he now have no mattress, no pillows, and no blankets, but he had found a living snake in his bed, his clothes had been thrown on top of numerous trees, and during the night he was always, constantly, awakened by thuds, or hisses —that snake had traumatized him— and other annoying things.

So, when that morning, three days after confirming his permanent job, the biscuits were vaguely, just slightly, burnt… Leo was extremely justified, let's be fair!

They were still good, except that he was too tired, had dozed off for a minute too long, and hadn't taken them out of the oven in time.

Mildred had glared at him.

But he didn't have time to make them again, so he took the best ones and carried them into the dining room, where the Queen and Princess had treated themselves to a mother-daughter breakfast to talk about the Queen's trip and start planning Opal’s birthday party.

Leo vaguely remembered that event, in the book, because before the ball, about two weeks before, the book began, with the protagonist participating in the selections to choose new qualified cooks to help with the preparations.

He had no idea if it would have happened, now that Leo was there. The boy hoped not to get between the prince and his true love.

…or maybe, who knows, he hoped so.

Nah, he wasn't a homewrecker, even if the home hadn't formed yet.

Geez, Leo, stay straight for five seconds! The prince isn't even that nice to you. Even if he’s handsome.

And, among the men at least, he was one of the few who treated him with any respect.

Leo was too tired to think too much about that.

“Cook” he was called by the queen, waking up from the torpor he had sunk into while waiting for the two women to finish eating.

“Yes, my queen, can I help you?” Leo bowed very awkwardly and approached. He hadn't learned how to bow properly yet, he was really bad at it.

“Take the biscuits back to the kitchen” the queen gestured to him towards the plate of biscuits that had hardly been touched, except for one that the princess was eating happily.

“Why mom?” Opal asked, confused, bringing the cookies closer to her.

“Because I expected better. It’s a very mediocre dish” the queen's voice was deadpan, but her gaze was cold and Leo clearly understood that she was extremely disappointed in Leo's work.

“I like them” the princess objected, smiling encouragingly at Leo, who however wasn't looking at her, but at her mother, who didn't return his gaze, as if he wasn’t worthy of attention.

Leo knew the culinary scene, and the uncompromising critics.

And he knew perfectly well that those cookies weren't his best work.

But he was too tired to be sympathetic and accept criticism, so he didn't hide his annoyance when he made a second bow, picked up the plate, and returned to the kitchen with a muttered:

“I’m sorry you didn't like them, I'll do better next time”

“I hope so” replied the queen, before Leo closed the door behind him.

“I knew it would go like this” a voice greeted him in the kitchen, in a severe tone.

It was Mildred, and she seemed to be waiting for him. She shook her head and took the plate from his hands “I hope you have an idea for an epic dessert for lunch to make up for it... Leonardo?” she interrupted her scolding when she noticed the state Leo was in at that moment.

Dead tired, frightened by the constant pranks that were becoming more and more dangerous, scolded by both the queen and the head of the kitchen. With no allies nor friends to confide in, and with the workload of a slave coupled with lessons in etiquette with a teacher who kept telling him how hopeless he was… Leo was on the verge of breaking down.

And the criticism of his cooking was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Why the hell was he still there?! Maybe it would have been better to get thrown out on the street and get hired in an inn… or something. Leo had no idea what he could do outside the palace walls, and the fear that it was even more dangerous than inside was the only thing that was keeping him from running away from the castle.

But now he was really starting to consider quitting, leaving and never setting foot in there again.

After all, other than Mary, Jane, Anna, and the princess, virtually no one had offered him sincere encouragement and affection, and while he would have missed those four, he still wasn't fond enough to prefer being there with them and being constantly bullied, put down, and treated with constant suspicion and judgment.

His depressed thoughts, and the tears that had begun to flow down his cheeks in the midst of his emotional breakdown, were interrupted by two strong arms that wrapped around him, and Leo, who no longer remembered what a hug was, was completely dumbfounded.

“There, there… you're still learning. No one expects you to be perfect all the time” Mildred's voice was so soft and encouraging that Leo didn't recognize it right away, too used to rude and suspicious comments.

She held him affectionately and was giving him a few pats on the back to calm him down, like a mother towards her child.

Suddenly, Leo missed home much more than before, and he returned the hug tightly, sobbing profusely and burying his face in her shoulder.

He was aware that the other cooks, intent on cleaning up after preparing breakfast, were gawking at him, but he couldn't let the shame stop him from enjoying that moment. He was too tired. And not only physically, but also and above all emotionally.

And that hug was the best thing that had happened to him since the beginning of that crazy adventure.

Mildred gave the cooks a piercing look, and they all went back to their respective duties, ignoring the new recruit's emotional breakdown.

“I’m sorry” Leo muttered after a while, separating and drying as best he could the tears that still persisted in coming out “I’m going back to work” he tried to recover his composure and get back to cooking. He had to make up for the biscuits with an extraordinary dessert… he couldn't think of anything. He wanted coffee.

Mildred stopped him in place, holding him steady by the shoulders and trying to make eye contact.

“Something tells me you're not like this because of some burnt biscuits. What happened?” she asked, genuinely worried, and looked him up and down.

Leo could have complained, but he doubted that opening his heart to a cook would have helped him much against some of the elite knights in the kingdom. Especially since Lionel was a nobleman, while both Leo and Mildred were commoners.

He shook his head.

“Nothing. I'm just tired. I’m a terrible cook, and I sincerely wonder why the heck they took me to work here if they all have to treat me…” although he forced himself not to complain, he started to complain, and stopped just in time, biting his lip.

Mildred sighed.

“Listen, boy. I know I'm grumpy, and sometimes too harsh, but if I get a little bit hard on you it's because I really see potential, and the reason they hired you to work here is because you deserve it…" Mildred misunderstood Leo, believing she was the reason Leo was so downcast.

The boy started shaking his head.

“No, Mildred, it's not…” he tried to clarify the misunderstanding, but the woman silenced him with a finger over his mouth.

“Don't interrupt me!” she scolded him “Do you want to know why you were evaluated by the king and queen in person?” she then asked.

Leo took a few seconds to answer, because he didn't want to interrupt her again.

“Er… because I'm very suspicious? And am I a man? And so there is a need for the king's approval?” he tried to suppose, thinking back to the interrogation carried out during dinner a few days earlier.

“You're more perceptive than I gave you credit for” Mildred looked amazed and maybe even a little proud.

Leo gave a small smile.

“But that's not the only reason. In reality, the prince could very well have decided on his own, but... listen…” Mildred took him by the arm and brought him closer to speak to him in more confidence, away from the ears of the other cooks who were hearing the whole conversation anyway and probably they would have told around since the gossip, among the servants, galloped rampantly.

“…when the prince asks his parents to evaluate a case, especially when it comes to cooking, his real intention is to chase the person away” Mildred admitted, in a low voice.

Leo thought he had misunderstood.

“Prince Daryan wanted to kick me out of the palace?” he asked, feeling a little hurt.

Of course, he knew very well that he wasn't much appreciated by the prince and his closest collaborators, but he believed that in those days he had become aware that Leo had no intention of poisoning anyone.

After all, they saw each other every day during meals, Leo tasted each of his foods, and occasionally they also shared a few words about the quality of the dishes.

Okay, it's not like they were friends, but Leo didn't think he wanted to kick him out, but give him a chance.

He had completely misunderstood, probably.

“Oh yes. The silent request to his parents is ‘I don't want to kick him out because my sister would hate me, so you do it, please’. The test had the result already decided. We were all convinced that you would have left” Jane interjected, proving that everyone was listening, and that everyone was aware of the method used by the prince.

So Leo had worked so hard for nothing?! No, wait a minute. But if they wanted to kick him out, why was he now working there in so much pain?! Leo couldn't figure out what the heck the royal family wanted from him.

He sighed dejectedly, Mildred glared at Jane, who went back to work, and took the boy to another room.

“The point is, son, that if they have hired you and put you in charge of the banquet for the princess, it means that your talent is so extraordinary that they want at all costs to keep you even though you are suspicious. But you still need to work with us, and trust us, and come to us if you have any problems. You are not alone. We are a team, okay?” the head cook concluded the encouragement and gave her availability “And if sometimes I'm too harsh, know that I do it to encourage you, because I too noticed how good you are in the kitchen” then she admitted her method, ruffling Leo's curly hair fondly.

Leo had thought she definitely didn't like him, but he was really touched at the new knowledge that he had been wrong, and that on the contrary Madame Mildred valued him so much, because he too thought highly much of her. Unlike the knights, she was gruff, yes, but at the level one would have expected from the Masterchef judges. Strict but to encourage him. He had understood it, subconsciously.

His roommates… Leo hoped he wouldn't see a snake again any time soon.

The only one who was barely decent was Alex, but in the sense that he did nothing against him or for him.

“Thanks, Mildred... I know you are all fantastic” Leo smiled at the cook, however very touched by the interest in his mental condition. Mildred smiled at him reassured.

“And try to sleep a little more at night. You have two terrible bags under your eyes” she encouraged him at the end, taking a good look at his face.

Leo frowned, thinking of his dormitory.

"I'll try," he promised, looking down. Mildred seemed to understand something, but decided not to investigate further.

“Well, now that we've cleared things up, what were you thinking of doing for lunch?” she asked, curious about his plan.

Leo tried to think. So, he had to make a dessert that would compensate for the burnt biscuits, so something he had never done, that he could do without falling asleep, maybe that there wasn't even any need to cook… Leo couldn't think of anything at all. If only he could have a coffee…

Coffee…

Dessert…

That he didn't have to cook…

EUREKA!!

Leo brightened completely, thrilled at the idea that had just occurred to him.

“I have the perfect dessert! But I need coffee, and I have to make the mascarpone cream, and the savoiardi… if it's for a dessert, I can have the coffee beans, right?” asked Leo, hopeful, and ready to create the biggest boomerang dish in the history of boomerang dishes.

And with boomerang dish I mean a dessert designed for the royal family which, however, would have actually benefited Leo.

Because you needed coffee to make tiramisù, and any leftovers would go straight into Leo's stomach.

“If it's essential for the recipe, I suppose you can use it, but what are savoiardi?” Mildred asked, confused.

“Some special biscuits. I've already made them once, I hope I remember the recipe well” Leo was grateful that he had a good selective memory, because it made him adept at remembering recipes, even though he sucked badly when it came to remembering more important things.

“But the first thing to do is coffee. May I have some beans?” Leo looked at Mildred with tired adoring eyes, and Mildred gave an amused smirk.

“Okay, take all the coffee beans you want. A shipment of exotic foods should arrive from Fring this week anyway. And the coffee and cocoa beans will be replenished” she gave him the go-ahead, sensing that this was a boomerang dish, but giving him the benefit of the doubt after the moment they had just shared.

“You are the best, Mildy! Thank you very much!” Leo was more awake just thinking about drinking some coffee. Mildred wrinkled her nose at the nickname, but didn't take it too harshly again.

“Get to work now! You've already wasted too much time” she only scolded him, encouraging him to go back to the kitchen.

After drinking a cup of coffee with the excuse of checking that it was done right, Leo felt awake again for the first time in a few days.

He made the best tiramisù of his life!