Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1462: Cooking Competition... Guess who won? Part-1

While Aether was busy talking with Xara, the Palace kitchen told a very different story.

Chop! Chop!

Tuck! Tuck!

Tang! Tang!

Puff~ Puff~

Chopping, breaking, clattering utensils, roaring fire, all of it echoing through the wide kitchen like a battlefield disguised as a cooking contest.

Each woman occupied her own stove. Cute aprons clung to their figures, stained with oil and stains.

They cooked like wives desperate to feed a husband they refused to lose, pouring obsession, rivalry, and pride into every motion.

A thick aroma filled the air, rich and heavy, meat sizzling, spices burning, sweetness colliding with bitterness.

It could have been a beautiful sight. Passion, love, devotion, all manifesting as food.

Instead, the scene leaned closer to horror than harmony,

Contestant 1 slammed her ladle down and smirked. ”Mine is going to be the best,”

Contestant 2 laughed sharply, never looking up from her pot. ”Dream on. Mine already reached perfection. I am just refining what others can only hope to imitate,”

Contestant 3 snorted loudly, chopping at a reckless pace. ”You can argue all you want. I am the fastest, and speed decides everything.”

Contestant 4 remained silent, ”...”

Contestants 5/6 worked side by side,

”Haha... little girls,”

”Indeed~ Hiss~ Hiss~,”

Emberlyn stood frozen near the centre of the chaos, hands clenched at her sides. Her once pristine, beloved kitchen twisted into something unrecognisable before her eyes. Utensils lay scorched black, fruits smashed into pulpy messes, vegetables shredded without mercy, and raw meat scattered across the floor like bloody casualties.

Her chest tightened as she swallowed hard. Cleaning this would take hours, maybe days.

”It’s going to take a lot of time to clean,” she muttered.

Wiping at her eyes, Emberlyn forced herself forward, stepping carefully between debris as she approached Contestant 1.

Selene inhaled deeply, lifting her face toward the rising steam. Her expression softened, almost serene. ”Hmm... it smells very good,” she said.

Emberlyn nodded, but when she leaned closer and peered into the pot, her eyebrows shot upward.

The meat inside remained half-cooked, juices still cloudy, heat uneven.

”I think you should cook it a little more,” Emberlyn suggested gently.

Selene smiled and nodded, yet inside... She saw through the kindness instantly. She knew Emberlyn was trying to slow her down.

She would not allow those sisters to win.

Emberlyn moved on to Contestant 2.

She blinked in disbelief when she saw Thalia holding a small, trembling bird in her palm.

Thalia rubbed the bird’s beak with delicate fingers, cooing softly. ”So cute~” she murmured, eyes gleaming with unsettling affection, as the pot beside her boiled violently.

Chu~ Chu~

The bird chirped cutely in Thalia’s palm, its tiny body trembling as it nestled against her warmth.

It had truly believed death awaited the moment she caught it. Yet now, cradled gently, it seemed to realise it had fallen into the hands of a wonderful woman who would surely spare its lif-

PUFFF~

A violent burst of flame erupted straight from Thalia’s mouth, swallowing the bird whole. Feathers vanished in an instant, flesh incinerated mid-chirp, leaving nothing behind but a small, smoking lump of charcoal.

Dead!!

Thalia nodded with satisfaction, ”Good, but...” she muttered calmly. ”I really should have better control over my flames.”

She casually dropped the charred remains into her pot. The broth hissed aggressively as she stirred.

Emberlyn stood frozen; she had so many questions. Yet she chose silence, biting her tongue as she reminded herself that Thalia’s cooking... actually, how once Dragons cooked food.

Barbaric!

Moving on to Contestant 3, Emberlyn’s eyebrows rose almost instantly. Raven moved like a blur, her hands a storm of motion. Vegetables were sliced mid-air, precision-perfect, pieces leaping from blade to pot as if guided by invisible strings, landing directly into the violently boiling liquid below.

Emberlyn blinked hard. Raven was cooking so fast that even the flames struggled to keep pace. ”At this rate, even with all that speed, nothing is going to cook properly, dear,” she warned.

Raven glanced sideways, frowning slightly as she looked at her mother. ”But I am doing exactly what you always do,” she replied, genuinely confused, her hands never slowing.

Emberlyn offered a weak smile, ”Yes, but you are far too fast,” she explained patiently.

Raven shrugged dismissively. ”Maybe I am just better than you,” she said casually, already turning away before Emberlyn could respond.

Without waiting another second, Raven hurled a massive slab of meat into the air.

Thud!

In a matter of seconds, she drew her thin metallic sword. The blade flashed repeatedly, slicing through the falling meat with terrifying accuracy. By the time it reached the pot, the slab had been reduced into thousands of perfectly even pieces like a spring, raining down neatly into the boiling pot.

Emberlyn shook her head slowly, a sigh escaping her lips. Cooking required patience... With that thought, she moved on toward the next contestant.

She blinked.

What in the world was Nyx doing?

Nyx stood beside her pot with her wrist bent at a precise ninety-degree angle, two fingers pinching together delicately. She moved in a slow, graceful circle above the pot, rubbing her fingers as though sprinkling something sacred.

”What are you doin—huh?”

Before Emberlyn could finish, Nyx abruptly shoved a book directly into Emberlyn’s face.

Emberlyn blinked, instinctively reading the bold words on the open page.

”Bend your wrist ninety degrees and pinch the salt like a... professional wife?” Her mouth fell slightly open.

”What the...”

Emberlyn slowly glanced back at Nyx, who remained intensely focused, still pinching salt with unwavering dedication. Her movements were careful, almost reverent, as though performing a ritual rather than cooking.

Lowering her gaze, Emberlyn looked at the book’s cover.

’How to Cook Like a Perfect Lovely Wife That Makes Husband’s Stomach Growl for Her.’

’That is way too long for a book title,’ Emberlyn thought.

She quietly stepped away, deciding against further questions. Nyx seemed far too absorbed in her task.

Contestants 5 and 6 worked together in eerie harmony, a sight that immediately stood out among the chaos.

Their movements were synchronised, hands and tail passing ingredients back and forth with silent understanding.

It was interesting, impressive even, until Emberlyn stepped closer and caught a scent that made her stomach tighten.

Something foul drifted through the air.

Not merely burned or spoiled, but deeply wrong, sharp enough to sting her senses.

Emberlyn swallowed hard as she noticed a dark, viscous matter slowly swirling above their pot, hovering unnaturally instead of dispersing.

What were they cooking to trigger such a severe red alert?

As she moved closer, Snowflake suddenly turned her head. Her sharp eyes locked onto Emberlyn, ”What?” she snapped.

Emberlyn forced a polite smile, ”I was just... trying to see what you are doing,” she replied carefully.

Snowflake’s frown deepened, sinking into something far more intense than simple annoyance. She stared without blinking, her gaze heavy and suffocating, pressing down on Emberlyn until a thin sheen of sweat formed at her temples.

Just as the tension threatened to snap, Delphine spoke.

”Snow, I finished my part. Do you wish to add anything?” Delphine said calmly, patting her hands together with a satisfied expression.

When she noticed Emberlyn standing there, her demeanour softened instantly. ”Oh? How may I help you?” she asked with a warm smile.

Emberlyn glanced back at Snowflake, who still had not looked away. Her voice dropped slightly as she muttered, ”I came to see how the cooking was going... that’s all.”

Delphine nodded gently, her smile never fading. ”Of course, you are welcome to see—” she began, only to stop mid-sentence.

Snowflake blinked once before leaning in and whispering into Delphine’s ear.

”She might be trying to steal our precious cooking style. We should not let anyone know it~ hiss~”

Delphine listened carefully, then nodded in understanding. Turning back toward Emberlyn, she gave a polite yet firm shake of her head. ”Unfortunately, my partner does not seem very interested in sharing our details. You will have to wait for the final result.”

They turned their backs deliberately, positioning themselves in a way that blocked Emberlyn’s view entirely.

Snowflake resumed her work.

”Hiss~ hiss~ Master is going to like this one,” Snowflake murmured with quiet confidence as she put something black thing.

”You think so?” Delphine asked, tilting her head slightly.

”Yes. I have seen him eat it many times,” Snowflake replied, her tone certain.

”Oh? Then we should add even more,” Delphine said softly.

”Heess~ heesss! Also, I like this thing I found in the forest. It tastes very good. Let’s add this too!” Snowflake added eagerly.

Emberlyn stepped back instinctively, eyes scanning the pot as the darkness around it thickened.

She drew in a slow breath... Something was definitely going to happen!

****

Once everyone finished cooking, they presented their dishes on the long table, each plate sealed beneath a polished lid. The contestants exchanged glances filled with arrogance and certainty, lips curled with smug anticipation.

They looked as though they had already won, without ever needing to hear the truth.

That was how confident they were in their cooking.

Emberlyn stared at the five plates lined neatly before her, then shifted her gaze to the contestants, especially the duo who had worked as one.

Thalia stepped forward with a confident stride and crossed her arms. ”Now the only thing left to do is find Aether and let him choose the best,” she declared proudly.

”Of course, it is going to be mine.”

The others nodded in unison, then snorted almost simultaneously, each convinced of her own victory.

In their minds, the outcome was already clear... They could already see Aether’s eyes filled with admiration, his hands reaching out, showering them with love and care.

None of them doubted it for even a second.

Except—

”How about... we eat first?” Emberlyn added, her tone edged with worry she could no longer fully hide. Her eyes flicked from one contestant to another, calculating their reactions carefully.

There was no way in hell she was going to let these women test their creations on a man who had just woken from a nightmare. Not after everything he had been through. Aether was not their test subject, no matter how much they loved him, no matter how confident they felt.

The contestants tilted their heads slightly, brows knitting together in shared displeasure. None of them liked the idea.

Noticing the shift in mood, Emberlyn hurriedly spoke again before any of them could march off to find Aether. ”I-I mean, it would be great if we all tasted it first,” she said quickly, words tumbling over each other. ”You know, just to see what everyone cooked... I mean...”

Her teeth clenched as she searched desperately for a convincing reason. ”Like tasting each dish properly,” she continued, ”To make sure everything is actually edible.”

The room filled with low hums and thoughtful frowns.

Of course, everyone believed their own food was perfectly fine, flawless even. But what about the others?

They exchanged glances, unease creeping in despite their confidence. None of them wanted to hurt Aether by making him eat something terrible.

Who knew what kinds of horrors the others might have created in their obsession to impress him?

Even Delphine felt a hint of concern. She knew her dish stood among the finest, crafted with experience and care, but the others were young, reckless, and dangerously creative.

She did not want Aether’s stomach to suffer.

And if his stomach got upset, he might not eat her food.

That thought alone was enough to sway her.

Slowly, one by one, they nodded in agreement until everyone stood united. They would test each dish first. Only after confirming everything was safe would Aether be allowed to eat.

Emberlyn let out a quiet sigh of relief, ”So... where should we start first?” she asked cautiously.

”MINE!”

As expected, Selene stepped forward immediately, raising her hand high with pride gleaming in her eyes. ”Just a reminder,” she said smugly, chin lifted, ”I am not responsible if you fall in love with my food.”

Several tongues clicked in irritation.

”Don’t be so full of yourself,” Thalia snorted as everyone gathered around Selene’s dish, forks and spoons already in hand.

Selene smirked, savouring the attention. ”Are you ready?” she asked, her expression dripping with confidence as she lifted the lid.

A thick cloud of white steam spilled out, rolling through the air with a heavy aroma that struck their senses instantly.

The scent was rich, warm, and intoxicating, wrapping around them like an invisible embrace.

Unconsciously, lips were licked. The smell alone was enough to stir hunger deep in their stomachs.

At the centre of the plate rested a perfectly heart-shaped cut of meat, floating gently in a clear, shimmering soup. Decorative vegetables framed it carefully, arranged with precision and intent.

”Hm...” Emberlyn nodded slowly, eyes sharp and evaluative. Selene’s presentation and aroma were undeniably top-notch.

Careful not to ruin the shape, Selene sliced delicately along the edges, preserving the heart as much as possible. She transferred pieces onto another plate and poured a small amount of soup over them.

One by one, everyone took a bite.

Eyebrows rose almost simultaneously.