## Chapter 1: A Recipe for Disaster
Su Yang's eyes fluttered open, her mind reeling from the bizarre sensation of being somewhere—and someone—entirely new. Gone was her cramped studio apartment and the faint smell of instant ramen. Instead, she found herself in a lavishly decorated bedroom, silken sheets tangled around her legs.
"What in the world?" she muttered, sitting up abruptly. Her voice sounded different—higher, more refined. A quick glance at her hands revealed pale, unblemished skin and perfectly manicured nails. This definitely wasn't her body.
As reality began to sink in, memories that weren't her own flooded her mind. She was Lady Elara Blackthorn, the notorious villainess of the popular novel "Love's Poisoned Chalice." Elara was known for her cruelty, her schemes to sabotage the heroine, and her eventual downfall at the hands of the righteous prince.
"Oh no," Su Yang groaned, flopping back onto the plush pillows. "I'm in one of those reincarnation stories, aren't I?"
As if in response to her realization, a translucent blue screen materialized before her eyes:
[Congratulations! You have been chosen as the host of the Supreme Culinary System!]
[Your mission: Open a successful restaurant and change your villainous fate through the power of delicious food!]
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
[Current Cooking Skill: Novice]
[Available Recipes: 1]
[Funds: 100 gold coins]
Su Yang blinked at the floating text. A cooking system? She had been a decent cook in her previous life, but nothing extraordinary. How was she supposed to change her fate with food?
"This has to be a joke," she muttered, waving her hand to try and dispel the screen. It stubbornly remained.
A sharp knock at the door interrupted her confusion. "My lady?" a timid voice called. "Are you awake? The Duke requests your presence at breakfast."
Su Yang—no, Elara now—scrambled out of bed. "J-just a moment!" she called, her mind racing. She had to play the part of Elara until she could figure out what to do. And apparently, that meant facing her "father," the intimidating Duke Blackthorn.
As she hurriedly dressed with the help of a nervous maid, Elara's thoughts whirled. She knew the original Elara's fate—public humiliation, exile, and eventually death in poverty. But armed with knowledge of the story and this strange cooking system, perhaps she could change things.
"I'll need to find a place to open a shop," she mused as she made her way to the dining hall. "But first, I need to convince everyone I'm not the evil Elara they expect."
The massive doors to the dining hall loomed before her. Elara took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "Well," she whispered to herself, "here goes nothing. Time to cook up a new destiny."
With trembling hands, she pushed open the doors, stepping into the first chapter of her new life.