(BL) Reborn as Lycan's Emperor's abandoned Beta concubine?!

Chapter 30: 30. A ’copper box’ plot point

AN HOUR LATER

XAVIER

I thought escaping the dining hall would save me. It didn’t. Apparently, the palace had a faster communication system than anything from Earth, and unfortunately, that system was called gossip. I had barely reached the kitchen when I noticed something strange. Everyone was looking at me, not normal looking, the kind of looking people did when they knew something embarrassing.

"Why is everyone staring?"I slowly put down the tea tray.

"We aren’t."A young servant immediately looked away.

"You are."I said.

"No, we aren’t."He said.

"You literally turned around when I walked in."I said.

"Chef Wei..."The servant coughed.

"What?"I asked.

"Did you hear?"He hesitated then whispered.

My stomach dropped.

"Hear what?"I asked.

"About His Majesty."Another servant quickly joined the conversation.

That was enough to make my headache return.

"What about His Majesty?"I asked.

They looked at each other.

"The Emperor asked the Empress Dowager for advice."Then one finally spoke.

"Advice?"I blinked.

"Yes."He said.

"About what?"I asked.

"How to court someone."The servant lowered his voice.

I froze. No. Absolutely not.

"Ding. Important rumor detected."A system said.

"Who told you that?"I ignored the system.

"Everyone knows."A servant said.

"Everyone?"I asked.

"The palace guards heard it first."The servant nodded.

"They said His Majesty asked, ’How does one properly show sincerity to someone they wish to keep close?’"Another servant whispered excitedly.

My face immediately became hot. No. No, no, no. Lang Li. The same man who could silence a room with one look. The same man who looked like he was born to command armies. Was asking his mother how to court someone? Me?

"This can not be happening."I sighed.

"Ding."The system appeared. "Emperor Lang Li has begun courtship research."

"Stop naming things."I groaned.

"Current palace interest level: 95%."A system said.

"I don’t need that information."I sighed.

"Incorrect."A system said.

"I absolutely do not."I sighed.

"They say the Emperor has never asked these questions before."The servants continued whispering.

"They say the Empress Dowager was so happy she almost cried."A system said.

"They say..." The servant leaned closer. "That his chosen one might become the luckiest omega in the empire."

"Omega?"I nearly choked.

The servants froze. I slowly looked at them.

"I’m not an omega."I stared before realized it." "Ah."

Silence. A very uncomfortable silence.

"Of course."One servant nervously smiled.

"We know."Another immediately nodded.

"Then why did you say lucky omega?"I asked.

"Because everyone assumed..."They looked away.

"Assumed what?"I asked.

Nobody answered and that was somehow worse. I rubbed my forehead. This world had a strange habit of deciding my life before I even knew what was happening. First I was a forgotten beta concubine, then a chef, now apparently I was the Emperor’s rumoured future partner. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Later that afternoon, I was carrying ingredients through the courtyard when I heard another group of servants whispering.

"The Emperor gave advice requests?"The first one asked.

"Yes."The second one nodded.

"From the Empress Dowager herself?"The first one asked again.

"Yes. He is serious." A second one nodded.

I stopped walking. Serious? That word bothered me. Because Lang Li had always been difficult to understand. Cold, powerful, impossible to read. But lately he had been changing. The way he stopped Hua Jin from taking me away, the way he looked at me like I was something important.

"No."I shook my head as I whispered. "I am not thinking about this."

"Ding. Host denial detected."A system said.

"System, please disappear."I said.

"Request denied."A system said.

"Of course."I sighed.

That evening, I was preparing vegetables when Ana appeared beside me with the biggest smile I had ever seen. I immediately became suspicious.

"No."I said.

"I didn’t say anything."She blinked.

"You have that expression."I said.

"What expression?"She asked innocently.

"The one that means you are about to make my life worse."I said.

"Actually..."Ana laughed. She leaned closer. "I heard His Majesty asked what kind of gifts people like during courtship."

"..."I stopped cutting vegetables. "And?"

"And I heard he specifically asked about chefs."She said.

"Why would he ask that?"My knife froze.

"Maybe because the person he is courting happens to be one."Ana smiled.

"No."I looked away.

"Yes."Ana nodded.

"No."I said.

"Your face says yes."Ana snickered.

"My face says nothing."I shook my head.

"Your face is red."Ana added.

"It is the kitchen heat."I sighed.

"We are outside."Ana looked around.

I hated that she was right. Hin walked in carrying tea and immediately noticed my expression.

"Master Wei."Hin said.

"What?"I asked.

"Did you hear the newest rumor?"She asked.

"Unfortunately."I sighed.

"They say the Emperor is trying very hard."She smiled.

"Trying hard?"I looked at her.

"The servants are calling you the most fortunate person in the palace."She nodded.

"I just wanted to cook."I stared at both of them.

"Unfortunately, Wei..."Ana patted my shoulder. "You cooked too well."

"What does that have to do with anything?"I frowned.

Hin and Ana exchanged a look and then both smiled. I immediately felt danger.

"What?"I asked.

"Nothing."Ana laughed.

"Absolutely nothing."Hin smiled.

I narrowed my eyes, I did not trust that answer. Not even a little. I thought I had survived the rumors, and again I was wrong. The next morning, a palace servant arrived while I was preparing ingredients.

"Chef Wei."A servant said.

"Yes?"I looked up.

"The Empress Dowager requests your presence for tea."He said.

"Tea?"My hand froze.

"Yes."He said.

"Just tea?"I asked again.

"Just tea."The servant smiled.

That answer somehow made me more nervous. Because in my experience, whenever someone powerful said "just tea," it was never just tea. A short while later, I found myself sitting across from the Empress Dowager in her private garden. She looked completely relaxed, too relaxed, and I immediately became suspicious.

"Wei."She began.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"I asked.

"I wanted to speak with you."She smiled.

"About what?"My back straightened.

"Your future."She took a sip of tea.

"My future?"I nearly choked.

"Yes."She nodded.

"You have spent so long taking care of others."The Empress Dowager placed her cup down. "You cook for the palace. You worry about everyone around you. But you never think about yourself."

I didn’t know how to answer.

"So I became curious." She smiled.

"Curious?"I asked.

"What kind of person would you choose if you had the chance?"She asked.

"Choose?"My brain stopped.

"Yes." She leaned forward slightly. "What kind of person do you like?"

"Like?"I immediately panicked.

"Yes."She nodded.

"I..." My mind went completely blank.

How was I supposed to answer this? I was from Earth, I wasn’t even supposed to be here. I was supposed to be a normal person who cooked, worked, and complained about traffic. Not sitting in a royal garden being asked my ideal partner by an empress dowager.

"I don’t know."I said nervously.

"You don’t know?"She raised an eyebrow.

"I have never really thought about it."I sighed.

That was the truth. The Empress Dowager studied me for a moment, then she laughed softly.

"You are surprisingly honest." She said.

Before I could respond, footsteps approached and a servant bowed.

"Your Majesty."He said.

"Yes?"She asked.

"Merchant Huan has sent a gift for Chef Wei."A servant said.

"A gift?"I blinked.

The servant placed a small box on the table. I immediately recognized it, a copper box. Old, locked, and covered with strange patterns. The Empress Dowager noticed my expression.

"Wei?"She asked.

I slowly picked it up.

"Ding."The system appeared. "Important item detected."

"Wait..."My eyes widened.

"Plot item identified."A system said.

My heart dropped. The copper box, the same copper box from the novel. The item the female lead was supposed to discover, the item that started one of her biggest story arcs. I stared at it in horror.

"Why is it here?"I asked.

"What is wrong?"The Empress Dowager tilted her head.

"Nothing."I said. My answer came too quickly.

"Original timeline deviation detected."The system continued. "Host has obtained important heroine item."

"Stop saying that!"I nearly dropped the box.

"Are you alright?"The Empress Dowager looked confused.

"Yes." I looked at the copper box. "No." I corrected myself. "I mean I don’t know."

How was this happening? I was already struggling with palace life. Now I had accidentally taken an important novel item before the main character could even find it.

"Possible consequences detected."The system appeared again.

"Possible?"I asked.

"Yes."A system said.

"How many?"I asked again.

"Unknown."A system said.

"You seem more troubled by that box than my question."The Empress Dowager smiled slightly.

"No."I immediately looked away.

"Interesting."She laughed.

The palace finally gave me a few peaceful hours. I was carrying ingredients back toward the kitchen when the entire courtyard suddenly became noisy.

"Someone important has arrived."A servant said.

"A new omega?"Another one asked.

"From the eastern territory?"First one nodded.

I stopped. A new omega? My instincts immediately became alert. I slowly turned toward the entrance. A carriage decorated with silver flowers stopped in front of the palace gates. The door opened, and a young woman stepped out. She had soft features, elegant clothes, and the kind of presence that immediately made everyone notice her. The moment I saw her face, my entire body froze.

"No way..."I whispered.

"Ding."The system appeared. "Main character detected."

"Female lead?"I stared.

"Confirmed."A system said.

For several seconds, I said nothing. Then a huge wave of relief washed over me.

"Finally."I sighed.

"Host is relieved?"The system paused.

"Yes!" I whispered. "If the female lead is here, then the original story can continue. That means I can go back to being a background character."

The system was silent. Too silent.

"System?"I asked.

"Ding. Warning: Host has forgotten that previous story events have already changed."A system said.

My smile disappeared. I looked at Mei Lin, who was now being welcomed by the palace servants. Then I looked toward the imperial palace, and bad feeling returned yet again. Did I mess the story too much?

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