make a wish

Before the system left, it gave me three wishing matches.

I used the first to save a badly injured Ethan Clark.

I used the second to open a time-bending pharmacy, helping him conquer the world.

But when it came time to reward my loyalty, he ordered my dinner to be taken away.

"As a concubine, you are entitled to sixteen fewer dishes than the Empress."

That's when I learned he had broken his promise and was going to marry someone else.

My smile faded.

"And what if I refuse?"

His voice was indifferent. "You have no choice."

I didn't say another word and walked out of the hall alone.

Into the swirling snow, I resolutely lit the third match.

01

As the last dish, sauteed greens, was placed on the table, I instinctively frowned.

My maid, Lily, quickly explained, "Your Majesty, it's freezing cold. The royal kitchen said they can't make the duck and bamboo shoot stew right now because they're short on ingredients."

Her eyes darted nervously.

I slammed my chopsticks down. "Tell me what's really going on."

Just then, a melodious laugh echoed through the hall.

"Sister knows perfectly well. Why bother making things difficult for a servant?"

The warm curtain was lifted, letting in a gust of snowy wind. Olivia Moore, the newly presented beauty from Georgia, walked in, a smug look on her face. She held a white porcelain bowl in her hands.

Smiling, she explained, "I heard Sister loves this duck and bamboo shoot stew in the winter. I'm tired of it, and since we're practically sisters, I thought I'd bring you a bowl."

She lifted the lid. Aside from a few lonely streaks of oil floating on the surface, there was no duck, not even a single bamboo shoot.

I looked up, giving her a cold glance.

In the next instant, Lily stepped forward and slapped Olivia across the face. "You dare act so presumptuously before the Empress!"

Olivia was caught off guard. Tears streamed down her face.

Clutching her cheek, she defiantly shouted at me, "Without a coronation ceremony, you're no Empress!"

Then, her tone softened. "Don't you understand, Sister? Everyone knows His Majesty loves duck and bamboo shoot stew. The royal kitchen wouldn't be short on ingredients. It's just that wherever this dish is, His Majesty's heart is there too."

Lily frantically tried to cover Olivia’s mouth.

But I didn't care. My attention was fixed on the roasted lamb in front of me.

"You're right," I said, "but… I’m tired of eating the same dish all the time. A change wouldn’t hurt. This roasted lamb looks delicious. Would you care to join me?"

I looked at her sincerely.

Apparently not expecting this reaction, Olivia's expression shifted several times. She was about to retort when her own maid stopped her. "Miss Moore, she is still His Majesty's lawfully wedded wife."

"So what!" Olivia scoffed. "My family is one of the most powerful in Georgia. What does this country bumpkin have to compete with me?"

"I never intended to compete with you," I interrupted. It was just a dish. What ...