Whispers in the Kitchen

Ling gave Liana a knowing look. "It is time for you to go and fulfill your assigned task, Meng. Be observant, but keep your head down." With a final, encouraging nod, Ling bid her farewell.

Liana made her way to the bustling palace kitchens, the air thick with steam, the clatter of pots and pans a constant din. She found a stack of dirty dishes and began to wash them diligently, keeping her gaze lowered, just as Ling had advised.

As she worked, a familiar face caught her eye. It was a stern looking servant, clearly in a position of authority, overseeing the other kitchen staff. Liana recognized her with a jolt of surprise. This was the same maid who had once been in danger of being sold in the market, the one Liana had unknowingly helped during her time as the lost princess. But the war had changed many things, and this woman now served Kieran, seemingly without any remorse. The maid didn't appear to recognize Liana in her altered state.

The supervisor approached a cook, issuing instructions. "Prepare a special dish for the esteemed guest. His Majesty treats him as his own brother." Liana's ears perked up. The unknown man Kieran had been with in the garden held a significant position.

The supervisor then moved away, engaging in hushed gossip with another maid, her words inaudible amidst the kitchen clamor.

Meanwhile, a young kitchen maid, flustered and nervous, accidentally added too much of a pungent spice to a delicate soup. Liana, having spent her childhood observing the palace kitchens, recognized the mistake instantly. She instinctively reached out to help, but hesitated, remembering Ling's warning to remain inconspicuous.

Before Liana could intervene, the supervisor's sharp voice cut through the noise. "A mere dishwasher thinks she knows how to cook?" she sneered, her eyes fixed on Liana with suspicion. "Then let's see her expertise." With a swift, deliberate movement, the supervisor added a generous amount of salt to a pot of sweet liquid dessert, a subtle act of sabotage that Liana clearly witnessed.

"Meng," the supervisor called out, her tone deceptively sweet, "take this dessert and serve it with the other dishes." Each servant held their assigned dishes. As they moved to present the meal, Liana, with a quick, almost imperceptible movement, swapped the sabotaged dessert with a fresh batch she had hastily prepared, her actions unnoticed in the general bustle.

The meal was served to Kieran and his guest. Liana watched with bated breath as the unknown man tasted the dessert she had prepared. A moment of tense silence hung in the air, broken only by the clinking of silverware. Then, to the supervisor's obvious dismay, the man smiled. "Excellent," he declared. "The sweetness is perfectly balanced. How did you achieve such a delicate fragrance?"

Before anyone else could speak, Liana stepped forward, keeping her eyes lowered. "Oh, esteemed guest," she said demurely, feigning nervousness, "the recipe… it calls for a touch of honey, and… and a special ingredient to enhance the aroma… pig dung."

A stunned silence fell over the room. Kieran's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Pig dung?" he repeated, his voice a low growl.

Liana immediately dropped to her knees, her hands clasped in a gesture of terrified apology. "Oh, Your Majesty, forgive my clumsy words! That is what the… what the head cook mentioned in the kitchen, a traditional… uh… thickening agent for certain sweet dishes. I merely followed instructions."

Kieran's face darkened with rage. He turned to the supervisor, his voice icy. "Fifty lashes for incompetence and spreading such filth in my kitchens!"

Guards immediately seized the terrified supervisor, dragging her away as her protests filled the hall. Liana remained kneeling, her heart pounding, feigning fear.

Later, as Liana was scrubbing pots in a quieter corner of the kitchen, the supervisor, her face bruised and contorted with fury, approached her. "I knew it," she hissed, her voice low and venomous. "You were never just a dishwasher. Who are you?" Her eyes, filled with a chilling intensity, bored into Liana.