Sylvia

A normal person would go out to watch the sky in the morning, but I, who almost died a month ago while watching this same blue sky, beg to differ. I, who fell from the sky a month ago, still can’t wrap my head around it.

I escaped to the kitchen again today. I stood at the washing trough, carefully cleaning the smooth platters and shiny silverware. I didn’t want to ruin the belongings of the count and countess who took me in just because I needed to calm down.

The water stored from the cistern was freshly cold from yesterday’s rain. Actually, this helped release the tension that had been building in my body. This contrasted greatly with the kitchen staff who were stealing glances at me and even trembling whenever they heard footsteps near the door.

It had been a whole month since I stumbled, no more like free-fell into this world.

I put magic froth on the plates. The servants had told me the first time I barged in to clean the dishes that this was something imported from the unicorn kingdom. It was more or less like soap from my world.

Yes, my world. I was a nine-to-five office worker. By night, I would be the dishwashing girl at the bistro near my home. The long nights of washing piles of greasy dishes. I fought my way through the tons of fat to earn a place in the bistro’s kitchen.

So washing the dishes in this realm is the only thing that was reminding me of home for the time being.

Was I being punished by some god who advocated for stability because I just quit my stable life? Well, I could no longer stand the tasteless food from the office cafeteria. That was my awakening point, the moment I remembered the dream that I had buried for a very long time.

The kitchen door was suddenly slammed open. I heard the hem of her dress dragging on the floor, as if she had attached a potato sack to the dress to entertain us with musicals. Her heels clicked on the poor floor, in an orchestra that the floor wanted no part of.

“Miss Sylvia.”

“Lady Clementine.”

“Ah, Sylvia, just call me Mint.”

I shook my head. Seriously, this household is going to drive me mad. A portal threw me into this world a month ago. I was trying hard to learn the proper etiquette of this place. I didn’t want to end up killed because I hadn’t bowed to someone important.

Then Mint would appear out of nowhere and ruin all my newly found standards.

“Ah, Sylvia, are you trying to gather your thoughts again by cleaning the dishes?”

“Sort of.”

“My parents wouldn’t be happy that their guest is cleaning the dishes, though. But I think they will forgive the transgression; after all, it feels like my parents fell in love with you the moment they saw you.”

I started coughing. Yes, this household was trying to drive me, a poor twenty-first-century woman, mad. I fell into their lake a month ago. Somehow they have concluded that I am some divine gift sent to them by the gods.

I highly doubted that; what sort of gift crashes into people’s houses with pajamas? I tried to convince them otherwise, but they just went on about how fate has its own way to reveal its intentions.

I tried to talk them out of it until I realized that this world had mystical creatures and even a Saintess. Who was I to deter these religious people?

I would be lying, though, if I said I didn’t enjoy their company. I was an orphan in my previous life, so the warmth they gave me in the last month was something I had craved for a long time, so I resigned to my fate and stayed with them. Anyway, I had no other place to go. I might even stumble over a rock the moment I leave the mansion and accidentally die.

I finished the dishes. Brand new, as they had just come out of the kiln. I headed to the preparation table. I started cutting the onions.

“Oh, dear, are you going to cook? I love your cooking, but again my parents would be livid.”

“Clementine, please, I need to cook my own meal this time.”

“Mint.”

“What?”

“Mint.”

I no longer talked with her. I glanced at her before I resumed cutting the onions.

She was beautiful. The extremely innocent sort of beautiful.

Her golden locks framed her face with those ocean-blue eyes and the most lovable baby face I had ever seen on a twenty-one-year-old woman. Yet the longer you looked at her, the harder it was to miss the mischief in her eyes.

“What are you cooking?”

“Shakshuka.”

“What is that?”

“Eggs with tomato sauce and onions. Should I add eggs for you?”

“Sure.”

She sat in front of me while the kitchen servants concentrated on their work. They had gotten used to me, this intruder invading their kitchen every once in a while. Well, they were very resistant at first, but let’s say after trying some of my dishes they didn’t feel the need to throw me out.

Once again, my mind drifted to my culinary arts degree. It was the exact reason I had walked away from a stable, nine-to-five career. I had saved enough money and quit my job. I was a few hours away from finally wearing that starchy white chef coat.

The world had other plans in store, though.

I was in my pajamas observing my new chef coat when I felt a strong force sucking me out of my bedroom, and then I was looking at a blue sky. Free-falling. It was so fast. I waited to have the funniest death ever after crossing worlds, but I suddenly slowed down. And the impact with the ground was softer than expected. I still rolled on the ground until I fell into the lake.

Talk about entrances into a new world. I get the most absurd award. Kudos to me.

“Sylvia, are you crying?”

I didn’t even realize I was crying. Of course I was crying over my lost culinary arts associate degree.

“No, Mint, it is the onions.”

The count, countess, and their daughter had been extremely hospitable to me; no need to burden them with my drama.

I finished cutting the onions and tomatoes.

I took one heavy iron pan and put it over the hearth.

I added oil, sautéed the onions, then the tomatoes until they started to dissolve, and finally cracked the eggs, salt, and pepper.

“Sylvia, you are not adding sugar.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know why people here would eat sugary eggs; that is their business, but I have other philosophies.”

“Well, it was the unicorn kingdom they started the sugary food trend, and somehow it got popular here.”

“I suppose they are called unicorns for a reason then,” I said disapprovingly.

A kitchen servant gasped at my jab.

Oh, I believe I shouldn’t criticize those other races. But if they are adding sugar to eggs, I beg to differ.

I cracked enough eggs to feed the entire kitchen staff, honestly. I hope the count and countess’s savings aren’t ruined by my egg rampage today.

I then prepared two sandwiches for Mint and me and left the kitchen. I told the kitchen people to have a nice breakfast.

I carried the plates. I let Mint lead the way. I still got lost in this vast mansion.

For some reason, we ended near a clearing where the knights were training. I didn’t even bother to look. I wasn’t interested in those displays of who was stronger or who was mightier. I started eating. I thanked the food gods that when I cooked, the flavor didn’t change. At first I thought something was wrong with the water in the kingdom. Then I realized that humans here were following the other mystical creatures’ trends. They forgot what their palates might actually prefer.

I then caught Clementine staring at one of the knights. She looked like a love-struck fool, that was for sure.

“Who is he?” I asked.

After all, I was the poor soul dragged out into the sun to watch these two lovers steal glances from afar.

She was shocked. Did she think she was being secretive or something?

“Is it that obvious?”

“To me, yes.”

She sighed.

“This is our head knight. I have loved him for a very long time. I have tried so many ways to win his heart, but he keeps going on about duty and rules and whatnot?”

“Oh, he is the lecturing type.”

“Pretty much.”

I don’t try to pry anymore and let her have this odd rendezvous of stealing glances while I finish my sandwich.

I then leaned against a tree and basked in the cool shade while the tree’s trunk scratched my back. I started to drift into sleep.

I didn’t even finish the first REM cycle when Clementine’s maid, who was suspiciously absent since the morning, came running.

“Lady Clementine. I did as you said and listened to the missive sent by the king.”

I didn’t open my eyes.

“The king has decreed that Lady Clementine is to be betrothed to the crimson dragon lord.”

Author's Note 💙

Welcome to Chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed meeting Sylvia and getting a little taste (literally 😄) of Kinderich.

I'd love to know:
What would your first reaction be if you woke up in another world?

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