Allegiance

Chapter 41

In the kitchen of the floating castle, Curtis stood with his arms crossed as he tapped his foot impatiently. His eyes darted around the kitchen, seeing the kitchen staff running around cleaning dishes and preparing for breakfast service tomorrow. He was growing more irritable by the second, waiting for his food. He had placed an order with the cooks several minutes ago, yet it seemed like they were purposefully making him wait.

Curtis's eyes flicked toward a table where a few maids stood, catching them staring at him and whispering to each other. As soon as the maids observed Curtis notice them, they looked away, finding anything else in the kitchen interesting. Curtis eyed the maids curiously, finding one young brown-haired maid particularly beautiful. His lips curved into a smirk, wondering how she was in bed.

However, those thoughts were quickly washed away as his stomach grumbled, and he was reminded how hungry he was. Growing impatient, he looked toward the head chef who was standing behind the line cooks and snapped, "How much longer on the food?! I've been waiting forever!"

The head chef, a tall female with a petite body, long black hair curled into a bun, and sapphire blue eyes, looked toward Curtis. The chef gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes, not about to tell Curtis off for his attitude, seeing that he was a prince.

"Forgive us, your Highness," The chef said, giving off a friendly tone. "But we were not prepared to cook at such a late hour, seeing that you arrived past dinner service. It is taking longer than usual to prepare your food."

"That's not what I asked," Curtis replied rudely, rolling his eyes. "If I wanted an excuse, I would've asked you for one. What I want to know is how much longer the food will take."

This time, the chef didn't hide her displeasure toward Curtis's tone of voice as she narrowed her eyes on him. She looked toward the stove and asked, "How much longer on the food?"

"Three minutes, chef!" The group of line cooks responded simulantiously.

"Three minutes," The chef said, looking back at Curtis with a narrowed gaze. "Will the prince starve to death? Or is that time frame acceptable?"

Curtis tilted his head slightly, a little surprised. He glared at the chef, barely believing the audacity she had to speak to him in such a manner. The kitchen fell quiet, and the kitchen and castle staff stopped what they were doing, their eyes darting between the prince and the head chef.

"I didn't catch your name," Curtis said darkly.

The chef scoffed, "That's because I didn't give it."

Growing angry, Curtis seethed through his teeth, "It's amazing how one's sharp tongue can be removed so easily."

The chef gave a challenging, lethal smile, "Careful, Prince. Stronger girls than you have tried to kill me. They never lived to try again."

Curtis's eyes narrowed, and he looked her up and down. His blood was boiling at the threat, but he was also growing wary. There was something in her eyes, a coldness that sent a chill down his spine.

"Who are you?" Curtis inquired.

"Me?" The chef smirked and chuckled. "I'm just a simple cook."

"Madam Astera," One of the cooks announced, trying to break the tension. He placed a hot plate of chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans on the counter. "Food is up."

"Good," Madam Astera said, looking at the maids. She smiled softly, "Can one of you please bring the food to the Prince?"

"I'll do it," The beautiful brown-haired maid Curtis was eyeing earlier said.