Well, everyone thought so too.
Clearly, there was lucky and then there was Princess Nina-lucky. And it was becoming more and more obvious by the minute.
While the little girl was so happy she was already prepared to give up her entire monthly allowance without a second thought, the netizens watching from across the Empire were having a very different reaction.
They weren’t exactly unhappy. Nor did they hate everything they were seeing.
No. In fact, maybe the issue was because they liked it just a bit too much.
So much that it made their stomachs twist with envy and regret, the kind that left people staring at their screens in silence, wondering where exactly their life choices had gone wrong.
Because how could they not feel that way?
And then, just when they thought the pain couldn’t possibly get worse, Lord Luca calmly told everyone to proceed to their assigned islands based on their booking confirmations.
The livestream was montarily silenced only to be flooded with ssages unceremoniously.
People were sending all sorts of faces that got even D-29 confused. But in reality, those crying faces represented people who were tearing up in real life.
Inside the kitchen, the other participants were rattled as well. There was a brief mont of hesitation as everyone looked around, unsure of what to do. But then the Imperial leaders moved first, calm and composed, walking forward as if this was perfectly normal.
They didn’t hesitate and they didn’t look lost. No wonder they deserved to be leaders of the great Empire!
The dignified bunch looked like people who already knew exactly where they were going.
Which, unbeknownst to everyone else, they in fact, did.
But seeing their confident movent, the rest followed instinctively.
And that was when it hit them.
Everyone had their own space.
"!!!"
Luca spoke again, voice light yet reassuring. "As you can all probably tell, the kitchen is arranged into seven long rows running from front to back. Each row is divided into two columns. Every island is wide enough for four people to work comfortably without bumping elbows or stepping on toes."
He said such insane sounding words without making a big deal about it.
The participants looked at one another.
Then down at the identical tools and ingredients laid out neatly at each station.
Then back at the golden-eyed cadet.
Confusion spread through the room.
It was Thea who finally gathered the courage to ask what the livestream chat had been screaming nonstop.
"Excuse , Young Lord," she said carefully. "Does this an each of us will be cooking too?"
She had only realized it monts ago. The islands that had looked empty when they first entered the activity center were now populated with many things. And there were identical sets everywhere.
But she thought they heard sothing about cooking with their companions and assud this would be a team endeavor.
Luca’s face lit up.
"Ah yes, my lady," he said cheerfully. "Every participant here will be preparing their own dish. But that doesn’t an you can’t help each other, of course. After I demonstrate the steps, you’ll be working alongside your companions. And when we reach dishes where you can freely design things, you’re more than welco to help one another."
He paused, then added thoughtfully, "We could also cook as teams by delegating tasks, but I believe sharing the sa experience makes it easier to bond. After all, wouldn’t it be difficult to talk about steps you never got to experience yourself?"
He looked genuinely excited as he said all of that.
"But since there are many of us sharing one kitchen," he added, "I hope we can all look out for each other. If sothing feels unsafe or if you have concerns, please don’t hesitate to call our attention."
Sharp breaths were drawn across the room.
Thea, hearing that shelved her hesitation, then dared to ask one more question, voice trembling just slightly. "Then Lord Luca... the children? Are the children cooking by themselves as well?"
The woman worried her question might have been a little too forward.
But the young lord simply nodded.
"Yes, my lady. We felt it would be best for them to stay at the front, so they can see more clearly and so we can keep a closer eye on them."
"Moreover, I hope we can alleviate your worry by informing you that their tools are specifically designed for children. For dishes that require cooking, their equipnt is also a little different."
Thea and Reeve exchanged a rather stupefied glance.
They hadn’t expected the leader of DG to go into a detailed explanation about enclosed and isolated heating plates, three-layer heat-resistant pot bodies, anti scalding asures, and precise temperature control as if he were discussing a scientific breakthrough. Which in their mind sounded like one to them.
"Oh, and for the parents," Luca added, "the knives the children will use are serrated but don’t have actual blades, so they won’t be able to accidentally cut themselves. Ideally, it would be best to practice with real knives. But in our case, I would only suggest they do that once they get used to handling knives for food preparation."
Thea could only thank him for the explanation.
But in her heart, she wondered how many people were crying just from hearing that alone.
Apparently, a lot.
Children watching from ho looked up at their parents, eyes wide, wordlessly asking for an explanation as to why they weren’t right there with the other children who were positively beaming.
Even those who tried not to look at the children could feel their judgental gaze.
The parents, however, had no real answer. They could have secured tickets themselves, but as if possessed by sudden foolishness, they hadn’t bought expo passes early. Now, even if they wanted to, they didn’t even have the chance to test their luck.
Normally, there would have been excuses about differences in status or background, but at this mont, it was clear that this had nothing to do with imperial blood, because many of the children next to Princess Nina were commoners just like them.
But really, it wasn’t like the children were the only ones affected!
Because they themselves, the self-proclaid adults, were asking the very sa questions!
And they were whining even louder than the children when the golden-eyed cadet spoke again.
"Today," Luca said brightly, "our first dish is a dessert called Mango Float."
"But before we start, we’ve prepared samples so you can have a general idea of what we’re trying to make."
Right in front of everyone’s desperate gaze, small square portions were brought out by one dashing white-haired assistant.
He was rather intimidating, but the mont their eyes actually locked in on that thing called a mango float, all thoughts about sha disappeared.
For they didn’t expect to see glimring treasures in tiny plates!
"Please help yourselves to a sample." The simple words were uttered calmly.
But instead of sounding like an invitation, to twitching ears it felt like the restraining gates had been thrown wide open. And the befuddled participants, who would take years to recover from the experience, would later swear that a single bite nearly sent them straight to the gates of heaven.
For free.
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