With my new found freedom, I’ve decided to find something that I can plan to do after I’m healed. I can’t expect to live off of Jun’s kindness forever.

Since Jun has permitted me unlimited access to the grounds for now, I might as well take advantage of it. I’m sure Luan if not Tai are having all the household staff update them on my activities, waiting for me to get up to something to prove their paranoia. But they’ll just have to keep waiting.

The first place on my list is the kitchen, because it’s conveniently close. Day one is not the day to test Luan’s patience about my step count.

After breakfast, I shuffle into the kitchen. This place is the heart of the staff in the manor, because it’s where all the food is and who doesn’t like food? The room is as large as my apartment in my last life. Down at the far end is everything that needs a fire: ovens, stoves, spits, etc.

Most of the room is filled with counters to handle all the cutting, mixing and general prep found in every kitchen. However, what stands out most are the smells of hot soup and roasting chicken. Lunch is coming.

When I step inside, it’s a buzz with activity and whispers, but as soon as I’m spotted it falls silent. The maids stand straighter and only look directly at the task in front of them.

A little old woman I recognize as the head chef hobbles towards me with her cane. She’s squat and a bit taller than my waist. Her frizzy grey hair is falling out of its bun. Proof that she’s been running this kitchen since well before dawn.

With a bow she says, “How can we help you my Lady?” Which I mentally translate to, “What do I need to do to get you out of here?”

Since I’m pretending to be a Lady, I don’t even try to return the bow (heaven only knows how that would go on crutches anyway). “I’m only here to observe and learn how you run the kitchen. Don’t worry, I’ll stay out of your way.”

After it’s out of my mouth, I realize it was probably the worst thing I could have said. The ‘don’t worry’ alone is a red flag among all the staff that someone needs to be worried and it’s probably them. If they’re lucky they might live to scrub the blood out of the floor boards after their friend’s head is relocated.

She handles me well and with another bow successfully sequesters me in a chair near the fire with a good view of the whole room. Discreetly, she sends a young maid running.

I don’t sit for long, no telling who she’s calling for backup, and I’m only allowed to walk until lunch. So, I go and closely watch what each station is up to.

There are girls kneading some sort of dough. It comes together quickly with all the nervous energy they pour into it. I’ve always been terrible at anything pastry, so I don’t watch for long.

Next are a pair of girls peeling and chopping veggies. They are incredibly precise in their dicing. If I hadn’t been told that all the staff were mortals, I would have suspected magic was involved.

By the time I approach the soup pots, the young maid returns with the head housekeeper. I kind of despise both the head chef and head housekeeper equally, but I don’t think they’ve noticed yet.

They are loyal to their favorites, but Lin was never a favorite. The head chef demanded extra staff from the head housekeeper for the dinner where I kneed that idiot in the crotch and I’m sure I was sent into harm’s way to keep the favorites safe that night.

The head housekeeper and the head chef could not be more different women. It’s a well known fact that they hate each other, so I must be terrifying for the head chef to call her as back up. Or they could have trauma bonded through Jun’s mass execution.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The head housekeeper is tall and thin. Her pin straight black hair is cut into a bob with severe bangs, highlighting her menacing gaze notorious for haunting the dreams of every maid in the manor.

She enters with the confident strides of one accustomed to being obeyed.

As I sip a sample of soup, I pretend to not notice her entrance, which is easy with my veil. They give each other a professional nod, but still exchange glares. It’s nice to know that some people can’t change in the face of adversity.

She approaches me with a deep formal bow. I wave for her to rise, and she somehow stands without looming over me.

She says, “Milady, I am the head housekeeper.”

I let an awkward silence fall after this statement. She knows that one shouldn’t interrupt a Lady without good cause in this manor. Perhaps I don’t feel like being kind after Lin was abandoned in the dungeon, so I keep sipping my soup. Or I just hope to watch her squirm.

Undeterred by the silence, she gives me a smaller bow and says, “Now that you are back on your feet, may I be so bold as to offer the Lady a tour of the manor or perhaps take you to see a few places of interest. The roses in the east side of the garden are in full bloom.”

I pass the soup cup back to the cook, who takes it with a bow before using it as a reason to rush over to dish washing.

Though I may have worn out my welcome in the kitchen, I have no intention of being shepherded around. I want to see how things are actually run around here. Lin stayed in her lane and studiously avoided knowledge about anything else going on around here and we all know how well that worked as a long term survival strategy.

“I’m sure your offer is well intentioned, but I do not require a tour at this time. And I would hate to waste the time of the head housekeeper.”

Her jaw clenches subtly. I always enjoy polite insults.

Turning away from her, I hobble towards the chickens roasting on spits. Despite all the important people in the kitchen the young lady turning the spit and basting with sauce hasn’t stopped in her duties for a moment.

In fact, I think her terror only enhanced her focus on just the spit because she jumps when I say, “You’re doing an excellent job of cooking that.”

She gives me a bow and starts to tremble slightly.

The head chef and head housekeeper are whispering on the other end of the kitchen trying to regroup.

Not wanting to terrify the hard working girl more than necessary, I keep moving along. I carefully inspect what each person is doing in the kitchen and making mental notes of not just who appears good at their job despite the surprise inspection, but how this kitchen is laid out and functions (spoiler, it’s very differently than a modern American kitchen).

I move into the pantry before they’ve stopped whispering. The staff hiding in here immediately try to look busy or flee.

I take time to look in every shelf. Despite Jun being in control for almost a month, there are still signs of looting: broken locks, suspiciously empty shelves and broken glass kicked under shelves. No one has even made an attempt to clean it up while hiding here.

No wonder the head chef is panicking. She’s technically responsible. Luckily for her, I don’t particularly care.

From the pantry, I continue down into the cellar. Due to my crutches, my progress is sluggish to say the least. So, the head chef has no trouble catching up to me with her cane.

The door to the cellar is locked, but all it takes is a nod and she opens it for me without a word. I don’t know how full this cellar was to begin with, but it’s only a quarter full now and Jun didn’t drink it all.

Surprisingly, most of what’s left are qi filled spirits. Despite those being the most valuable and probably difficult for even the previous Lord to obtain. They must be hard to fence.

There’s only one large cask of the cheap wine, but it’s so huge I don’t know how they got it down here to begin with. It’s both wider and taller than the door.

I’m still careful in inspecting every shelf and find a few empty and open bottles. But they’re not my problem, so I say nothing as I head back up the stairs.

The head chef quietly locks the door behind me and doesn’t rush me up the stairs.

I go through the cold storage, the butcher’s, the root cellar and some miscellaneous storage. The head chef follows behind me and opens everything without hesitation.

I learn a lot about how things are stored and categorized in a manor with magic but no electricity. Lin was only familiar with how food things were done in her poor village house, and they didn’t have access to even a tenth of the not looted ingredients I see.

By lunch time, I’m good and tired. I make it to the sun room and relax into my extra cushioned chair, while I wait for the food to be served.

It’s probably petty, but I don’t say anything to the head chef on my way out. I let her stew on her situation. At least I won’t send anyone to beat her to death even though I witnessed more than a minor transgression.

Overall, I’m not sure if I learned anything that will help me career wise, but you never know. Blackmail might be lucrative.