It seemed that they didn't care if they were heard. They knew that even if a woman was angry, she couldn't stay mad against the Prince with his high status and rank. Not to mention, in the military, rank is more important than status so they're able to find this funny. I sighed. If I was the real Celebi, I would be mad at the Prince and his men.

But that's exactly what he wants. The Prince intentionally ridicules her in front of his men in order to reduce her dignity. Celebi never realized it, but in my eyes it was so obvious.

I looked at him as he stared back with a sly smirk. It seems he still expects me to flush in anger and squeal out something along the lines of, "Raven! How could you say that to me? What are you laughing at? Are you making fun of my looks?! What's so funny for you all to laugh at a n.o.ble!"

For the men in the army, the Prince is their pride so using his name casually is enough of a blow to them. In the empire, a woman's authority is low, but in the Distinian army, their standing is to the ground. I am not treated as a n.o.ble here unless the Crown Prince, the Commander, sees it so. Moreover, the Prince considered Celebi's existence a nuisance so he'll never listen to her. Even if I cry here no one will listen to me. If I leave now I'll just look even more ridiculous which is what the Prince wants.

I just want to go in now.

"I'm sorry sir. I'll correct myself from now on," I replied plainly.

"…What?" The Prince looked disturbed. Since he seems to be doubting his ears, I spoke again.

"I apologize and will correct all the things that have disturbed the discipline of the army and the damage I have caused to the Commander's dignity for not wearing the appropriate uniform befitting my military status," I stated and bowed deeply with perfect decorum.

The Prince was silent. Well isn't that surprising. It's strange that he looks so embarra.s.sed after receiving my formal apology. Huh~

After a moment that felt like forever, or however long it took for my waist to start hurting, he finally ordered me to be at ease. The Prince looked at me in confusion before turning away. I was able to relax and breathed a sigh of relief. It's a good thing the Prince is so forgiving. If he was the same 18 year old at the end of the novel, I would have no chance against him. Brain, mind, and power. The 18 year old Prince far exceeds me in every aspect. But no matter how much of a genius he is, right now he's only 14 years old.

I just thought of something. Before the story starts, I should try my luck and see if I can avoid my death. I might even be able to take advantage of the situation. Right now, it seems that he really hates me, but it would be a piece of cake to change a child's mind. It would only take a while.

Anyway I was just dismissed so where do I go now?

I stood idly by like a loner in the military base. Celebi usually did whatever she wanted and was the only salary thief in the army. The book didn't mention anything about her job. She always just stuck to the Prince as if he was a treasure to claim.

Celebi wasn't able to train like a normal soldier because she was weak and she didn't have a genius-like brain like the Prince. To put it simply, she was born and raised like a princess with below average stats. Beauty is also meaningless since Celebi's rival was the Queen of the Elves whose beauty has transcended beyond humanity.

Well, is there anything I can do?

For the time being, I'll stay away from the Prince. I need to take my time to change my image for the better.

"Oh."

Someone ran into me since I was standing in the middle of the hallway. As I fell to the ground moaning, the person stopped and turned around. Except for the Prince, he was the youngest person I've seen here.

"Hey! You're in the way!"

I was angry at his disregard for me, but I endured it and calmly said, "Yea, I was."

"I see you're a n.o.ble lady. Are you the one who keeps on chasing after the Commander?"

I was going to introduce myself, but it seems he already knew who I was. He doesn't seem to be an ordinary soldier nor one of those who are openly hostile to me. Technically, I've never chased after him, but since what he said wasn't entirely wrong I nodded my head. His face suddenly distorted and his tone of voice softened.

"What are you doing standing there? You're going to get run into again. Unless you're chasing after the Commander?"

"I was looking for work to do."

"Work?"

The man looked at me strangely.

I nodded and exclaimed, "If there is an area with shortage of hands, I want to help!"

The man observed me and then said, "I have a good idea. Follow me."

I followed after him. I don't know who he is, but there is one thing I can be sure of. This man is thinking of giving me something difficult. He must not have a high opinion of Celebi and my reasoning is even though Celebi is a n.o.ble, he doesn't treat her that way. I don't know what his rank is, but he treats me like another one of his men.

In the military, even if rank has a higher priority, it's completely different for a girl with status. The soldiers of the Distinian army all harbor some resentment for Celebi. They trained hard whereas she relaxed during teatime. She also mocked them during their training and would pretend to fall to look weak in front of their boss.

The man stopped at the kitchen. Hmm, right. It was a amazing how he was able to come up with a place in such short notice.

"The kitchen is always short-handed. There are rarely any soldiers here that want to cook."

Being a chef is one of the hardest occupations in the empire because they have yet to develop the technology to make cooking, especially the slaughtering of animals, easy. Also, because the chefs have to clean up after all the soldiers finish eating, not many want to work here. Not to mention n.o.bles have lived their lives far away from the kitchen so many of them have never set foot in one. That doesn't include me though.

"This is good, cooking is my specialty."

I cooly rolled my sleeves up and went inside the kitchen. I almost felt embarra.s.sed for the man who brought me here to discourage me.

Oh, the tools here are pretty good. I'll have a good time cooking here.

The man came up to me and said, "How boring, you're not as weak as I thought."

"Today is pretty… luxurious." Prince Raven said with a slightly perplexed face while looking at the table.

All the chefs that used to work for the army quit because of the overwhelming appet.i.te the soldiers had. In the end, the soldiers had to fend for themselves. There are only a few people who choose cooking as a career, so it seems that they're able to eat well after a long time.

Raven satisfyingly asked the man standing next to him a question. "Did you choose the new chef?"

"No, actually Commander…"

The Prince was going to praise him if he was the one who found the new chef, but he seems reluctant to speak. The person who delivered Raven's food soured their face.

"That crazy woman couldn't have made such food. I'm sure it's poisoned-"

"A crazy woman… you're being a bit too blunt."

Raven turned his head to the familiar, yet unfamiliar voice. His childhood friend, a catastrophic pervert and parasite, stood emotionless. For a person who usually watched others do the work, her appearance was dishevelled. She was sweaty, her perfect makeup was gone, and her immaculate dress that she would wear to tackle him was stained.

Yet Celebi looked just fine.

She stared at Raven with her piercing luscious eyes. "I cooked all the food here. It sure was tough cooking for everyone."

"Tough? You're ridiculous. This amount is nothing."

"…Are you saying I'm weak?" Celebi tilted her head as if she didn't have a clue.

Raven clicked his tongue after seeing that. 'Ha! She probably did some dirty trick. I won't be fooled by her.' He barely managed to hold his temper. 

Like what I'm doing?

The Lady is a Stalker

Your Majesty is so Handsome