Fated To The Cursed Lycan Prince

Sylvia’s POV:

I took the tray from Maya and placed it on the table. “Have you been waiting at the door for a long time? Next time, you can just knock at the door.”

“I just arrived.” Maya’s lips curved up into a gentle smile, just like before.

Rufus nonchalantly sat at the table and sipped on a glass of water without looking at the noodles on the table.

I took Maya’s hand and led her to a seat next to me. Pretending to be surprised, I picked up the spoon to eat the soup. “You’ve made the chicken noodle soup! I haven’t eaten this in so long.”

“Yes, Miss Todd. I still remember that I cooked this for you on your first day to the imperial palace.” Maya thoughtfully poured me a glass of cucumber juice.

I gave her a bright smile and said nothing. After taking two more bites of the noodles, I pretended to casually ask, “By the way, the shaved ice with grape jam you prepared this afternoon was absolutely delicious. Did you happen to make some for the king these days?”

Maya nodded and replied in a very calm and natural tone, “The weather suddenly turned hot several days ago, so I decided to make him some to help him feel cooler. But I only gave the lycan king’s chef the recipe. I didn’t make it myself and personally take it to his palace.”

I ate the noodles and nodded to acknowledge that I had heard what she said.

“Why did you ask me this, Miss Todd? Is something wrong?” she asked worriedly.

“Nothing at all. We were just going over the lycan king’s diet these days, when it suddenly struck me that you had brought me some delicious shaved ice in the afternoon, so I just asked.” I picked up a napkin and wiped my mouth with a smile. Then I pushed the empty bowl in front of me to Maya and said, “I finished the whole thing! Maya, your cooking skills are getting better by the day! I hope I get the opportunity to have such delicious chicken noodle soup once again in the future.”

Maya covered her mouth and giggled, as if she was delighted to receive my praise. “Miss Todd, if you wish, I can cook it for you every day.”

“No, no, no. I will get bored if I eat such rich food every day. Just cook it once a week or a month.” I shot her a playful wink.

Maya nodded politely and left with my empty bowl and Rufus’ untouched bowl of noodle soup.

As soon as the door closed behind her, my smile instantly vanished.

Although her explanation sounded flawless, I knew the matter was not as simple as it appeared.

Rufus, who was sitting opposite me, looked even more grim and said, “Someone might be impersonating Maya.”

“Do you still remember how Maya usually cook?” I asked and frowned at him.

Rufus pondered for a while and replied, “Her food was lighter?”

“Yes, the dishes she cooks are always light. Maya has always paid particular attention to health, so she prefers the original flavor of food itself and never uses heavy seasonings. But that bowl of chicken noodle soup was oily and salty. It was starkly different from the one she had cooked for me before.”

Although I couldn’t reach a conclusion based on her cooking alone, I could still determine from a lot of details that something was amiss.

For example, when Maya put down a glass or a tray, she always touched the table with her little finger first so as not to make unnecessary noise. She had probably picked this up at an early age from the etiquette education, which taught her to do everything carefully and elegantly.

But she didn’t display this habit just now. She even poured a full glass of cucumber juice for me. A professional maid would have never made such a mistake.

“There is a glaring contradiction in Maya’s story. She claimed that she only gave her recipe to my father’s chef and asked him to make it for him. But from what I know, the chef is very arrogant. How could he tolerate accepting the advice of a mere maid? And the Maya I know is not a nosy person who likes to fight for credit. That brings out the real question here–why would she want to give the chef her recipe in the first place?” Rufus scowled and was lost in thought.