Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 426: Old Recipe

Chapter 426: Old Recipe

Daphne’s stomach grumbled in hunger, the sound oddly louder than any other time it had made a fuss. She brought her hand to her belly, huffing in discomfort as the feeling ripped through her stomach. For all her life, she had never felt so famished before.

At first, she had waited up for Atticus, wondering when he might return with the promised food. While she had been throwing a silly tantrum when he had left, she didn’t think that he would’ve taken it too personally.

However, it had been hours since he had left her with that promise. Jean Nott and Zephyr had both come and left and now, she was left alone in their bedroom, cold and starving.

Throwing the blankets off herself, Daphne slipped on her slippers and made her way out of the room. She was done waiting for a useless man who only had empty promises. If she needed food, she was going to get it herself, not sit around and wait all day for someone who might not even return.

Xahan’s royal palace was the fourth royal residence she had visited since she had first met Atticus. However, here, she wasn’t familiar with the layout like she was with Reaweth’s royal palace, or even Vramid’s after a period of time passed. Daphne had to stumble her way and ask the passing servants where the dining room and kitchens were, before eventually making her way there.

Throughout, some had offered to bring her food, but there was an unrest that bubbled in her chest. While she believed that Cordelia meant her no harm, she couldn’t entirely trust King Calarian and Queen Lavinia. Those two were very kind to her the few times they had exchanges but Daphne had long learned that behaviors could be false.

What’s more, Jean Nott had managed to infiltrate the palace and left without raising any warning bells. While King Calarian and Queen Lavinia seemed pretty ecstatic about her pregnancy, Daphne didn’t think it was the same with Jean Nott. She didn’t dare risk the chance― he could’ve easily bribed the palace staff or replaced them with his own men, poisoning her at any chance.

Call her paranoid but she rather played it safe. She was going to get her food herself.

It was well into the night by the time she made it but even so, there was still a wonderful aroma of food lingering in the air. There was a waft of potato and the sweet and savory scent of tomatoes, mixed with some herbs. Those were smells that Daphne was sure didn’t belong in a Xahan kitchen.

The kitchen was much hotter than everywhere else in the palace and there were still kitchen staff and servants buzzing around, washing up dishes and tidying the ingredients needed for tomorrow’s breakfast.

At the sight of Daphne, all of them stopped to greet her, with one maid bustling over quickly.

"Queen Daphne!" she greeted, smiling brightly. "His Majesty King Atticus had requested supper be prepared for you. I was just about to bring it over to you."

Daphne raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Atticus did?"

She had thought that her husband had forgotten entirely about her. After all, she hadn’t even come across his shadow as she wandered around the halls. He was missing, most likely out with King Calarian doing who knew what.

"Yes," the maid said with a nod. "His Majesty mentioned that Your Highness was feeling uncomfortable, so we prepared some gnocchi according to the recipe he left us. He thought that you might be unfamiliar with the food in Xahan and might want something that tasted closer to home."

Daphne stared at the food that the maid held in front of her. There was still some smoke wafting out from the dish, a clear sign that it was freshly prepared. She took a whiff― it smelled exactly like how she would make it.

Memories dashed into her head of the night she had cooked some dinner for her and Atticus. They had been quarreling back then as well, for a reason that Daphne couldn’t even clearly remember any longer.

The only thing she did remember was that Atticus had made a complete mess of the kitchen trying to cook without his ring. He was horrible at it and in the end, Daphne was the one who had to cook while Atticus cleaned his mess up.

"Your Highness...? Is there something wrong with the food? We can remake it if this isn’t the right taste!"

The maid’s frantic voice pulled Daphne out of her reverie. She felt something cold against her cheek as she raised her hand to touch it, only realizing then that she had cried just thinking of the past. Those were much simpler times with much simpler woes.

If only she could go back to then.

"It’s nothing," she muttered. Carefully, she examined the dish. It did look exactly like the recipe she used when she had cooked for Atticus. Surely this would be safe to consume?

"As per tradition, we’ve prepared a taste-tester for you so that you can dine with peace of mind," the maid said. "This way please, Queen Daphne."

She led Daphne to the dining room before placing the dish on the table in front of where Daphne sat. Once the napkins were laid down, the maid brandished two silver spoons― effective materials for testing poisons.

Carefully, she took a piece with the spare spoon and placed it on the sampling dish. Once separated, she made sure Daphne was watching before eating, chewing the food carefully before swallowing. After a few moments passed, she took a small step back.

"The dish is safe," the maid said. "Please enjoy your dinner, Your Highness, and let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with."

After that was said and done, the maid quickly retreated from the dining room.

Daphne hadn’t expected the maid would sift out her worries so quickly and easily. She hadn’t seen any of them doing such things when she first dined with Cordelia and Queen Lavinia, so perhaps this was a special set of instructions handed out by either the hosts or Atticus himself. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t tradition.

Other than her husband, Daphne couldn’t think of anyone else who could’ve given the chefs of Xahan’s royal palace her gnocchi recipe. Even then, Atticus had only watched her prepare it one time. Had he noted down the recipe just after watching her make it once?

Daphne picked up the spoon, scooping a small mouthful before blowing at it gently to cool it down. When the food touched her tongue, she sighed in satisfaction.

This was it. This was the taste. Other than Atticus, there couldn’t have been anyone else who knew how she made this dish exactly.

Daphne’s heart warmed with every mouth she ate of the food, her appetite only rising with every spoonful she took. It was nice knowing that her husband hadn’t forgotten about her after all.