Chapter 18 - A Certain Chef Apprentice POV (part 1)

My name is Winslow Aquarea

I need to raise my younger siblings two years ago after a certain accident that killed our parents happened.

My twin younger brother and sister are only five at that time.

While I am glad how quickly my younger siblings are able to accept the fact that our parents have died and understand that they need to be able to take care of themselves while I am working.

I'm really glad that both of them are good children that always helped me with cleaning and sometimes they also helped me with cooking before.

The only problem is finding a job or a way to earn money.

I don't know how to earn money and although I know what our parent's work is but I can't get any job.

Like how I can work at the inn that my mother worked at. Even when I begged my mother's boss to let me work at her place, she said that she was unable to accept me because I was too young.

She thinks that I am a stupid child that didn't know that I can get a job as an apprentice because I'm already ten years old.

In the Draconia Empire, every ten-year-old child was able to be an apprentice in the place they want to work at.

When they become an apprentice, they will get the training to help them to master the skills they need for that job. And they'll get paid for their work.

Even though they only get half of the normal workers get.

In this world so many children become orphans like me and my siblings, The Emperor decided to make this law to help them.

Of course, the place they want to be can decide if they want to accept them or not.

I try a lot of places to get an apprenticeship but it was hard.

I never thought about it before because I don't have any skills that I am good at. I am thinking hard and trying to apply for any possible apprenticeship. In the end, I try to apply as a cook.

The only thing that I am good at is only cooking. Maybe because I used to cook for my parents and younger siblings. Our parents are always busy working to raise us. That's why I decided to help them with cooking and taking care of my siblings.

I always tell myself that I need to do it all because I am their oldest child. At first, I tried to work at a restaurant in Winsford Town, the capital of the Viscount Ruach territory. The distance was not too far.

But…because our house is outside of the city wall, I might be unable to get back home if I am working till the time they closed the gate. I am worried about my siblings, but they just reassure me with their actions.

Both of them show me that they are able to take care of themselves as they work together and they don't need my help. While I feel glad and proud of them, I also feel a bit lonely.

I'm starting my apprenticeship in the restaurant. But the cook never teaches me anything. I decided to secretly watch him working and learn whatever I could learn from him. After a month of watching him, I only learned about how terrible the cook was.

I still feel really disgusted when I remembered what he had done. For example, he spit at the food that he was cooking because he hated that the customer telling him to be quicker. Or that time he had a hangover and he cooked while scratching his head and body. Luckily there were only a few customers on that day.

The only job that I can do here is to wash the dishes and the cooking utensils.

After working for one year, I decided to stop working here. At that time I want to try to apply myself as an apprentice chef in the Viscount Ruach mansion.

I don't know how much will also apply for this opportunity but I still hope to get the apprenticeship in the Viscount mansion. I wanted to learn more about cooking besides they have got the best salary in this territory.

They tested us and asked us to cook our best dish. Unlike the other applicants that try to cook with the meat ingredients that are prepared by the Viscount family, I only use the ingredients that I'm familiar with.

I decided to cook my sibling's favourite dish. It's a simple soup with a lot of vegetables. But I never thought that I would be accepted because of it.

When I started my apprenticeship, My teacher, the head chef told me about the rules that I need to follow when I work in the kitchen. He also teaches me how to act with the people in this mansion.

Different from the time I work at the restaurant, the chef teaches me about some basics of cooking.

Although my works are mostly still to wash the dishes and the cooking utensils like before, but I am also able to learn more about cooking. The head chef told me that I need to understand the basics first before he let me cook in the kitchen.

After a few months passed, the head chef started to let me do other things like mashing potatoes, cleaning and cutting the ingredients when they are busy.

The head chef and assistant chef always need to cook for the Viscount family first and then cook for the servants.

Although the work is very tiring, but it was much better than the restaurant where I worked before. The servants here are really kind and they helped me when I just started to work here. But right now I am really terrified but how good their acting skills are.

I only know about it after I met with my lady.

I think I won't be able to forget it for as long as I am alive. It was around one year after I became the chef apprentice at Viscount Ruach mansion.

That night was the time when the guests were coming. We are really busy because of it. There are more dishes for me to wash than the other day.

The head chef and the assistant chef left me with the cleaning because they need to prepare themselves for tomorrow's breakfast. That's why I am still working in the kitchen till late at night.

Suddenly I heard the sound of someone trying to push the kitchen door. But after waiting for a few seconds, no one opened it.

I think it's just my imagination.

But suddenly I heard another sound.

I quickly looked at the source of the sound and saw a little child which makes me think about the slumps crawling from the door for the Young Master pet dog.

"W-Who are you?"

I asked as I am surprised and a bit scared because of the scary story that I heard from one of the servants before.

"Shhh…, please don't shout." The child said with a panicking tone.

"Then tell me, who are you?"

I feel suspicious of her appearance and keep my eyes on her. At first, I doubt that she was a human because of how expressionless she was. It makes me think about the doll that the noble lady guest brought. I am really glad that she has a shadow when the light shines on her.

"Please to meet you, my name is Rennesia Ventus Ruach."

She introduced herself with a curtsy that was commonly used by the nobles.

I feel strange as her appearance didn't fit with her attitude.

But the most surprising thing is her name.

"!!! You're the Viscount's daughter?"

I can't believe that she was part of the Viscount household and looking at her appearance more carefully. But as I saw her appearance, I became more doubtful of her words.

"You're lying, right? Can't you tell a better lie? How can the Viscount daughter use rags like that? Besides, I never heard that the Viscount have any daughter."

"Haa…, I also wish that's not the truth. But unfortunately, I was really his illegitimate child which they decided to raise as political tools."

She sighed at my question and answer it in a graceful manner that I have seen from the noble lady that came to this mansion before.

I don't know why, but for some reason, she was really sad when she answered me.

It was something that a little child like her should never have.

Is it possible that she has dwarf blood in her and she is older than her appearance?

My curiosity made me ask another question.

"How old are you?"

"I am two years old."

I could see that she answered me truthfully from her tone.

"…"

I became speechless at her answer.

How could a two-year-old child act like that?

Even some noble's children that come as guests were never able to have such elegant movements.

Her curtsy is as elegant as the noblewoman that I saw before. I'm just a commoner so I don't know about it but I think it was elegant and graceful for a two years old child to do.

"You're kidding me, right? How can you talk like that when you are just a two-year-old child?"

I retorted her answer as I am unable to accept such things.

If she was a genius, why did she have an appearance that similar to the children in the slumps?

Although her manners are better than other noble children that I have seen before, there must be something wrong with her.

Her face became pale and her voice trembled. Although I couldn't see any change in her expression, I could feel that she was afraid as she started to open her mouth.

"Can you please don't let anyone know about it, Please!"

Suddenly she changes her speaking tone and started to beg at me. I don't know why she is so scared.

Growl!!

Her stomach growled loudly. Her face became a bit red.

It's really funny, suddenly she acting like how the children at her age should act. But it makes me remember about my siblings.

"Pfft, so my little lady is hungry, right?"

Watching her panicking movements, lessen my suspicion, so I took something for her to eat.

"Here."

I give her a bowl of the soup that I made this evening and spoon it to her.

"I am sorry but I could only give you this cold soup."

I feel sorry for her. But I can't do anything. That's why at that time I decided to watch her reaction as I don't know anything about her situation.