All Chapters of Cooking for a Cruel Queen: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

The secretary was dead, and the atmosphere instantly turned razor-tense.Our receptionist broke down in hysterical sobs. "Weren't we supposed to be winning the queen's favor? How can people actually die? I don't want to be a challenger anymore. I want to go home!"The others were just as shaken, their faces drained of all color."Who said this would be easy? The queen was clearly pleased with him yesterday, and today he's dead. He didn't even last twenty-four hours. She's so brutal—how are we supposed to win her over?""It's impossible. We'll never make it back home. We might as well wait here to die!"Only I remained as calm as before, replaying everything that had happened the day before.The company had organized an overseas trip. Then the plane crashed. When we opened our eyes again, we had all transmigrated into a novel as challengers.Our target was the story's female lead—the Queen Rara McKayla.She ruled the world, peerlessly beautiful, yet notoriously mercurial. Histor

I grabbed his arm. "We've never had any grudges at the company. Why are you scheming against me like this?"The HR representative couldn't shake me off and flared with anger."Are you insane? You're the one who never tells the truth. I know you don't want to do hard labor in the kitchen, but look at the situation we're in. This is a desperate fight for survival, and you still can't give up your petty thieving habits. It's disgusting."The manager stepped in on his behalf and seized my wrist."If you cause any more trouble, I'll kill you. One less person means our bonus increases by half a million."The instant he gripped my arm, a sharp wave of pain shot through me. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead.I bit my lip and looked at everyone present. "I didn't lie. My position was switched."They only watched me coldly. No one stepped forward to help or even to intervene. No one believed me.I gave up and spoke in a low, steady voice. "Let go. You're hurting me."The manager fl

But now, in this test of human nature, I trusted no one. I trusted only myself.I bribed a few palace maids and had them spread the word. They said that a new chef had arrived at the royal kitchen—one who could create unparalleled delicacies. More importantly, his dishes could heal, quietly strengthening the body without one even realizing it.Public opinion, when used for the right purpose, could be a powerful tool.Soon, my reputation spread throughout the palace. Even the queen personally appointed me to prepare her meals.The long-silent company group chat grew lively once again.[Do you know who this new chef is? I got a feeling he's one of us.][Not me. I'm washing the queen's laundry every day. My hands are practically shedding a layer of skin.]As everyone speculated, my heart remained suspended, never quite settling. I had only one health point left. Which meant I had just one day to live.Yet, the queen merely had me prepare dish after dish, never once summoning me. I

The boss and the manager were slightly more fortunate than the rest. Inspired by my actions, they began considering modern methods to win the queen's favor.After racking their brains for a long time, they finally decided to build a handgun.When they presented the idea to the queen, she showed immediate interest. She even declared that if they could truly produce this so-called handgun, she would appoint them as grand generals on the spot.The promise left both men elated.In the group chat, they selected a few other mid-level staff members to assist them.When others protested, asking why they hadn't been chosen, the boss merely replied coolly, "A bunch of useless workhorses will only drag us down. You're fit for manual labor, perhaps—but when it comes to thinking, that's best left to intelligent people like us."Determined to succeed, the boss and the manager worked day and night, drafting blueprints and conducting endless research. Unfortunately, building a handgun was far fr