Chapter 3

I blinked in confusion and stared at the girl. She had charming brown hair and seemed to be around my age but it appears we weren’t friends based on her venomous attitude.

“Hmph! Ailette, you’re so dead when the head maid gets up here!”

Before long, a heavyset woman who I assumed to be the head maid came storming in. “Ailette! What are you doing here slacking off?! Go down to the kitchen this instant!”

“I’m sorry? Me? In the kitchen?”

“Who else but you, you lousy good for nothing?!”

But the kitchen… I had always survived off of delivery and frozen food when I lived by myself. I never even dreamed of cooking. But that wasn’t the real issue. This vessel belonged to a young, ten-or-so-year-old girl. How is child labor still a thing here in this reality?

Just then, two more people appeared through the door.

“Head maid! Ailette is far too young. Working in the kitchen is too demanding for her.”

“Father is right. I’ll take Ailette’s place. Please?”

A father and his young son came over to stand by my side. I noticed that the son had the same pink hair that I had.

“Prinz! The young master is in class right now! What are you doing here?! Return to your position immediately!”

“H-head maid!”

“You too Mr. Alchemist! How long are you going to coddle your daughter? Ten years old is old enough. She needs to earn her keep!”

“But sending her to such a hectic, grueling workplace... She’s only ten and I don’t know what I’d do if she got hurt...”

“You know well enough that the maids are under my authority. I will report this to the mistress if you insist on interfering!”

It would seem that the handsome scholarly man in his thirties and the pink-haired boy are the family members of my transmigration host.

Family… It was a strange and awkward feeling. The pink-haired boy did not back down even after being scolded.

“But even Nellie doesn’t work in the kitchen and she’s eleven.”

The brown-haired girl flinched in surprise. Now I know her name.

“My daughter is different! Nellie is going to be trained on how to serve tea—we can’t risk having her injure her hands doing dirty work!”

Even if the head maid hadn’t made it clear, her fit of rage certainly would have established her relationship with the brown-haired girl. As I focused on gathering information, Nellie whispered behind my back with a seemingly triumphant air from her mother’s support.

“You’re not going to cry today? Did getting slapped by me last time knock some sense into you?”

This made it clear. This girl and I were not going to get along well. At least now I know who my adversaries are.

The head maid gave her ultimatum. “You two better stay out of this before I send her to the wash rack!”

Thanks to my vast expertise in romantic fantasy novels, I knew the wash racks were usually the most strenuous place to work. It was a job of exhausting drudgery where workers wrestled with heavy, water-soaked laundry in a sweltering room. Only the strongest maids went to the wash racks. A young girl wouldn’t stand a chance there. The alchemist and his son fidgeted about, clearly still upset. I didn’t want to see that.

“Of course! I’ll help out in the kitchen!”

“Allie!”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll do my best!”

I had a pleasant, bright voice, if I do say so myself.

“Oho, good for you. You’ve made the right choice.”

The mother and daughter shared a nasty smile. Their ugly expressions were easy to read. They were determined to work me into the ground.

I smiled right back at them. Combat-related packages weren’t the only things sold at the cash shop.

⟬«Item» [Job Advancement Package (Non-Combat)]

An item that helps transmigrators make a living. Select one non-combat skill applicable to your novel’s universe.
Available Options: cooking, farming, carpentry, alchemy etc.

Price: 2,000,000 Cash⟭

⟬«System» You’ve successfully purchased [Job Advancement Package (Non-Combat)]⟭

⟬«System» You have chosen [Descendant of a Master Chef] - Your Cooking skill is now Lv. 1. Skill [Analyze Ingredients], Skill [Amazing Ingredients Preparation], Skill [A Sommelier’s Taste], and Skill [Keeping the Kitchen Sparkling Clean] have all been unlocked.⟭

I can feel it. I could feel the energy coursing through my body and into my hands. Let’s do this.

The Little Maid’s Debut

Slice slice slice!

Chop chop chop!

“Here are the mini carrots and broccoli you asked to be washed!”

“...”

“I finished chopping up the mushrooms as well!”

“...”

“I’m done peeling the onion and garlic! All done with the veggies! I sorted out the ones that went bad. Hehe.”

“...”

“Is this size okay for the beef cubes? It might be a little big but it’s better for texture.”

“...”

“The whipped cream has been perfectly whipped! Ouch, my arm is sore... Is it okay if I take a quick break?”

“O-of course!”

“Thank you... I’m back from break!”

“Already?!”

“Of course! I’m going to start cleaning now!”

Not only were all the assigned tasks executed flawlessly, everything was spotlessly tidied up. Everything the child did was painstakingly detail-oriented.

“Hehe, experience points... Look at all these experience points... Hehehe...”

The child seemed to be enjoying the hard labor. The head maid had been scrutinizing Ailette’s every move to spot a flaw, only to find that her plans had gone amiss. She puckered her lips, chin wrinkling with discontent. This isn’t what I had in mind!

The other kitchen maids that had been keeping their distance due to the head maid’s angry gaze couldn’t help but now clamor around Ailette.

“My goodness. You’re such a good worker!”

“You have a sharp eye for sorting ingredients!”

“I didn’t realize we had this kind of hidden talent in our castle.”

“Alchemist Leo has such a fine daughter!”

“So cute...”

“Thank you for your kind words!” I replied.

As I politely responded and gave them a charming smile, the kitchen maids continued flocking over. One of the maids even washed some sweet berries and started feeding me.

“It’s so good!” I exclaimed.

“Aww!”

✠

That was the beginning of a steady flow of treats and snacks into Ailette’s mouth, including various pieces of fruit that were leftover from decorating pancakes. The happy atmosphere in the kitchen created by the maids caring for Ailette like a younger sister was only making the head maid even angrier.

Ailette drew out her neck past the bustling maids and gave a deep sniff. “The cream stew smells heavenly.”

“Would you like to give it a taste?” Peisha, the head chef, casually offered Ailette the tasting spoon.

All of the kitchen maids let out a worried gasp. It was extremely rare for the proud head chef to offer someone else a taste of her cooking.

“Yes, please!” Ailette, who was oblivious to the situation, nonchalantly accepted the spoon.

The flustered head maid abruptly stepped in. “Head chef Peisha! What do you think you’re doing? How could you let this little brat taste the food....!”

“Head maid, what have you been doing, spending all this time here? Don’t you have any other matters to attend to? Quit making a racket and get out of my kitchen.”

“Hmph...”

Even the head maid couldn’t stand up to the leader of the kitchen in her own domain. Meanwhile, Ailette scooped up a spoonful of stew and had a taste.

Activate [A Sommelier’s Taste]! Ailette had spent her money well. The effects of her purchase began to spread from the tip of her tongue. “Hmm, it seems to be lacking just a touch of savoriness. Perhaps a pinch of crushed pepper might do the trick?”

“Is that so…?” Peisha’s typically indifferent gaze began to gleam as she gave the young girl a discerning look. Ailette had just passed her test.

This child has serious potential! The moment she recognized Ailette’s natural talent, Peisha did not hesitate. “Ailette Rodeline.”

“Yes, head chef! Is there anything else that I can help you with?”

“What do you think about learning how to cook under me?”

“How to cook? Uh, um, sure, why not?” Ailette gave a bewildered response, as she was more interested in gaining experience points rather than cooking itself.

Meanwhile, the kitchen maids were shocked. They couldn’t believe that the fussy head chef was taking in an apprentice. That wasn’t even the best part.

“Start reporting to the kitchen at 6 A.M… No, at 7 A.M. tomorrow. Since you’re still a growing child...”

“Yes, thank you!”

She was even willing to accommodate Ailette’s schedule by allowing her to report to work an hour later.

The head maid’s arms began to tremble. She was furious at the fact that she had provided Ailette with such a wonderful opportunity, despite her initial intentions. She kicked a pot in anger, only to stub her toe.

“Ack!”

The head maid stormed out of the kitchen in pain and outrage.

✠

“Huff huff...”

How many hours had passed? Ailette came back to her senses after earning all the cooking experience points she could. She found her young body screaming in pain from all the harsh labor. Her delicate arms quivered as she churned the butter.

“Ailette, you should take a break.”

“That’s right. You’re pushing yourself too hard. Do you want me to do the rest?”

“No! That’s quite all right!”

Ailette tightly held onto the churn handle, alarmed that the other maids would take it from her. She was so close to being done. There was no way she could lose out on all those precious experience points.

I’m almost ready to level up! I mustered up the last bit of energy I had left. Of course, I did feel a bit rueful that it was as if I had returned to my old part-time jobs. I wouldn’t have gone through all that effort to become a government worker if I’d known this was how it was going to be.

If only I could’ve properly transmigrated into a childcare romantic fantasy. If only I had managed to do that. I’d probably be living the life of a newborn baby of an imperial family or the hidden rulers of a nation.

I felt like sobbing. I knew most of this was my own doing, but I wanted to wallow in self-pity for some reason. While I was still busy feeling sorry for myself, someone came dashing into the kitchen looking for me.

“Allie! Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?”

“Oh, it’s you?”

I still couldn’t get used to calling such a young child my older brother, so I just referred to him as “you” instead. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind.

“Lord Romdeo’s history lesson just finished. Here, let me do that for you. You go and take a break.”

“I-it’s quite all right.”

Despite my words, I could feel my heart sway. I couldn’t help but rationalize the situation. I’m sure I’ll level up sooner or later without the extra experience...

“Please, I insist! Let me help. What do I need to do? Do I just spin it around?”

“No, you can’t just spin it. And first, go wash your han—”

I couldn’t finish my sentence when I noticed the back of Prinz’s hands. Gruesome red streaks that striped across the little boy’s fingers and hands burned themselves into my eyes. They were switch marks.