The kitchen woke before the sun. The fires were already burning when Mia ran in tying her hair back with the plain ribbon they gave her. Steam filled the air like pale storm clouds and the smell of broth and seared meat wrapped around her like a blanket she did not ask for but needed. Knives hit cutting boards in a fast steady rhythm. No one laughed. No one talked unless they had to. Everyone moved like the floor itself was watching

The head chef wore dark red today instead of gold and his face was like stone. “Listen” he called out and all sound dropped fast. “His Majesty will be present in the tasting hall before noon. He plans to challenge us again. You all remember what happened last time” His voice was low and heavy. The room stayed silent. Mia felt the tension in the air like a tight knot pulled to the edge of breaking

She leaned toward the girl near her the one with soft eyes who had whispered to her last night in the dorm. The girl’s name was Lin. Lin kept her gaze down but her lips moved just a little “Last time one chef was sent away for failing” she said in a shaky whisper “No one knows where he went after that. So today no mistakes. If they tell you salt you do salt. If they tell you stop you stop. Do not try to be clever. Clever people disappear here”

Mia nodded slowly. Clever people disappear. Good to know

The head chef pointed at Mia next “You Golden Mark. You do not speak. You do not move unless I tell you. You stand to my left and you prep ingredients when I ask. Nothing else. Do you understand”

“Yes” she said quietly

He stared at her a second longer and then turned away barking orders. Teams formed at each station like battle lines. One team handled fish. One handled game meat that looked like duck but larger and darker. One cleaned and chopped vegetables Mia had never seen before thick purple roots and long pale leaves that smelled a little like ginger and a little like mint. Buckets of ice sat under silk covers. Marble counters shone in the warm light. Copper pans hung like medals

Mia watched the movement around her with a calm face and an anxious heart. It felt like a professional kitchen back in L A during a rush but sharper colder. There was no playlist. No jokes. No tired cook calling out for someone to hand them a towel. Here there was only honor pride fear and the promise of being erased if you disappointed the wrong person

And somewhere in this palace was an Emperor who liked to play games with people who cooked for him

Great Mia thought just great

Her station was quiet for now so she took the chance to study everything. Timing heat knife work. She watched one cook score the skin of a slab of meat so evenly that every cut matched like perfect tiny diamonds. She watched another skim broth with a spoon until the surface turned clear like glass. She watched hands move like choreography. The room smelled like ginger and roasted bone and star anise and smoke from slow char

These people are good she thought Very good

That comforted her a little. She might be lost but she was not surrounded by fools. This was a real kitchen

Then the drums sounded

Not like the wake up drums. These were deeper slower. The cooks straightened in unison. The head chef fixed his sleeves and motioned for Mia to follow. She wiped her palms on her apron and swallowed

They were led through a wide archway into another room and Mia almost forgot to breathe. The tasting hall was unlike anything she had ever seen in her life. A long table of dark wood polished so smooth it reflected light like water. Tall windows draped with pale blue silk. A ceiling painted with golden birds that seemed to move when the light hit them. At the far end was a raised platform with a single chair carved like a throne of storm clouds

He is going to sit there she thought and her stomach tightened

Guards in silver armor lined the walls. Their faces were calm in the way of people who are used to being feared. Mia felt Lin trembling beside her and she moved a little closer not touching her but close enough to be felt. Lin steadied

The head chef and the other senior cooks set their tasting trays on a low cart and waited. Silence spread through the room like fog. Even the air felt still

And then he entered

He did not come in with trumpets or someone shouting titles. He just walked in surrounded by three quiet advisors and two guards. He was younger than Mia expected. Dark hair pulled back. Calm steady eyes. He carried himself the way fire moves in a pan controlled but dangerous. The room felt smaller with him in it

Everyone dropped to their knees. Mia looked around fast then did the same copying the way Lin placed her hands. Her heart raced so hard she thought the whole hall could hear it. The floor was cool under her palms. She could smell cedar and faint citrus from the Emperor’s robes. She did not dare look up until the others lifted their heads again

The Emperor stood by the tasting table now. He glanced across the line of chefs and servants and then his gaze paused on Mia. It lasted only a breath but that breath felt like a hand on the back of her neck

“Head Chef Zhu” the Emperor said “We will begin. Today I require a new dish”

His voice was even quiet almost bored. But Mia could tell everyone around her was holding tension like a blade

The head chef bowed. “Yes Your Majesty. Please give your command”

The Emperor placed one hand on the table and spoke like he was asking for something as simple as water “I want warmth and comfort but not heavy. I want something simple that reminds me of rain. I want something anyone could eat but that no one in this palace has ever tasted before. I want it before the sun reaches the high window”

Mia blinked

Lin’s hand flew up to her mouth

The other chefs looked pale

Warmth and comfort but not heavy something like rain something simple something no one here has tasted before Mia heard the words and felt a shock go through her chest

That is my dish she thought That is literally my dish

Her mind rushed back fast to L A to small hours after closing when she would make something only for herself and sometimes for her friend Sam if he begged enough. Soft broth light but deep slow cooked with ginger and chicken bones and a little soy a little citrus zest finished with a quick poached egg and thin sliced scallions. No cream. No butter. Nothing heavy. It was her after rain bowl her comfort bowl the thing she made when she was lonely and could not afford takeout. She used to joke that it could fix a broken soul

Her hands shook

No one moved. The head chef kept his head low but Mia could see panic tightening the corner of his mouth. The other chefs looked at each other but no one stepped forward. No one spoke

Because they did not have that dish

Because they did not know how to make that feeling

But she did

Mia felt something in her chest open like a door. For a second she was not afraid. For a second she felt like herself again. Not the girl dragged into a palace not the stranger in plain clothes not the servant marked like property. She felt like Mia Torres chef

Her voice came out before she could stop it

“I can make it”

The room froze. Lin gasped softly. Someone behind Mia dropped a ladle and it hit the floor with a sharp ring that echoed across the hall

The head chef turned so fast his sleeve snapped in the air. His eyes were wide with anger and fear and warning. “Silence” he hissed under his breath “Do you want to die”

Mia swallowed. Her throat felt tight but her voice stayed steady “I can make what he asked for. I know that dish”

Now the room did not just freeze. It held its breath

Slowly the Emperor lifted his gaze toward her again. He studied her face with interest not anger not yet. His expression did not reveal what he thought

“You are not one of my chefs” he said

“No” Mia said “I am new”

One of the advisors stepped forward fast “Your Majesty this is highly irregular. She is not trained in palace craft. She may use unsafe methods. She could be an insult sent by a rival court. She could be poison”

Mia felt heat rise in her face. “I am not poison” she said

For a moment the Emperor almost smiled. It was not warmth but it was close to it like a small crack in ice

“What is your name” he asked her

Her heart pounded. This was the moment she realized. Say the wrong thing and she might end up the same place that chef from last time went. Gone. Erased. Clever people disappear

Her chin lifted anyway

“Mia” she said “Mia Torres”

The room stirred a little at the sound of her last name. It did not belong to this world and everyone knew it

The Emperor repeated it quietly tasting the shape of it “Mia”

Then he leaned back in his chair and rested his hand under his chin a thoughtful pose like a judge deciding the fate of a case

“Very well” he said “Show me”

The room exploded at once. The advisors protested. The senior chefs whispered in alarm. The guards shifted their stance. The head chef looked like he had been stabbed

But Mia did not hear any of them anymore

Her mind had already moved to broth temperature cook time balance salt to citrus how fast she could pull flavor from bones with the tools in this world. How to build safety and comfort in less than one hour

Because he did not ask for power

He asked for warmth

And warmth was hers

The Emperor lifted his hand and the noise died instantly

“If she succeeds she may remain in my kitchen” he said “If she fails remove her”

Mia understood those words very clearly

If you fail you are gone

No second chance

No restart

Her body felt cold and hot at the same time but her voice was calm

“Yes Your Majesty” she said

The Emperor nodded once

“Begin”