Chapter 56 - Exotic Fruits Amd Persephone

"Persephone, please pass the flour container," A voice said anxiously and Persephone looked around as her head started spinning. 

Seeing the hustle-bustle in the royal kitchen, Persephone had an urge to cry her heart out. She was never taught how to cook. Worse, she didn't even know what thing was called what! 

Last night, Villain didn't make any promise to her. Nor did she expect him to free Giselle of duties of a maid. But he did. Not only was Giselle stopped from working for Sabrina and the royal princess but also she was told that she would be working in the royal kitchen strictly and she wasn't allowed to wander in the palace. 

Thankfully, the containers had a name tag on them, or else she feared what she would have done. Handing the container of flour to the chef, she heard someone calling her. She turned to find the head chef's associate asking her to cut some fruits. 

[Dang, how do I tell them that I have no experience in using knives?]

[Sob. Sob. I regret the time when my mom (Carina) used to drag me to the kitchen to give cooking lessons. But I was so hopeless in the kitchen that even she threw me out.]

"Sure, where are the fruits?" Persephone asked them with a smile. 

"In the storage. Go to the storage, Milli will hand you the basket of the fruit that you need to help her in cutting."

She entered the storage room and found a young woman dragging the big fruit basket. "Oh, the chef sent you? Come help me to remove their outer covering. Rest I will handle."

" You mean I don't have to cut them for the salad?" Persephone asked her hopefully. 

"Do you have any experience?" Milli asked her directly. 

"No."

"Then, just remove the outer covering."

Although Persephone was left alone in the arena of sharks and had no experience in dealing with these new people who were looking with eyes full of hostility, she still was trying to be useful to them. It was not because she was looking for a way to elope again, but because she had abandoned all hopes of running from Santiago. She knew that this was his territory and no matter where she went, he would find her. Additionally, she had been assaulted twice. 

As Persephone was helping Millie to carry the basket to the other side, she heard Millie talking to her. 

"Are people trying to create problems for you?"Millie asked with sympathetic eyes. 

"How do you know?" Persephone was shocked to hear that. 

"Your accent." Millie sighed. "Are you perhaps Italian by any chance?" 

"Yeah…" Persephone realized something. Whenever people would ask her if she was native. She would just reply to them that she was Italian. And what she thought was a surprise in their eyes wasn't surprise in actuality but hidden disgust. 

"Locals hate mainland Italians for a number of reasons," Milli told her. "As long as you hide your Italian accent, you will be fine." 

Persephone had nothing to say. So, she just nodded. 

When Millie removed the cover of the basket, Persephone was amazed to see a number of weird fruits lying in the basket. 

"What are they?" Persephone couldn't help but ask. 

"Umm...fruits that you are supposed to cut." 

"Are they exotic fruits?" Persephone questioned while studying the purple, violet, and green fruits. 

"Exotic?" Millie frowned. She had heard the word for the first time. "I do not know what exotics fruit means. But these fruits are indigenous to our country. They are harvested this month." Pausing, she saw Persephone poking her fingers at the fruits like a kid playing with something fascinating. "I will show you how to cut them once, okay?"

Persephone nodded excitedly. 

She was initially worried that she wouldn't be able to do this but with the simple method that Millie had taught her, she quickly engaged in the task. 

"Cough Cough. Milli, what's this smell of dead rotten rat?" Persephone had tears in her eyes from coughing. She had stopped breathing from her nose in fear that she would puke right here. 

Milli grinned. "Welcome to the Maisean Empire." 

Ah, Persephone understood that it wasn't the smell of the dead rotten rat but the 'fruit.' 

Sniffling tears, she continued with her work while cursing King Leonardo and his fetish with smelly fruits. 

….

"I'm done. Can I please leave to get rid of this smell?" Persephone asked her hopefully. 

Milli laughed at her but nodded in the end. 

She had to agree that this woman who Santiago asked her to take care of, was kinda cute, and amusing. Especially, when she thinks no one heard the innovative curses she had spelled on Villain and His Majesty. 

As Persephone exited the room, she collided with a hard chest. 

"Fuck off, you filthy human being…" 

Upon hearing her colorful words, Captain Gabriel burst out laughing. He had to admit that this fiery fella was getting fascinating by each passing moment. 

When Persephone saw her yesterday's pawn laughing at her, she felt a little uneasy. However, she quickly hardened her expressions and tried to be as casual as possible. 

"Don't you think that your vocabulary has taken a U-turn since yesterday?"Captain Gabriel asked her, thoroughly amused. 

"Pawn *Cough Cough* Sir, can you please let me go? I'm smelling like dead rotten rats, "Persephone tried to negotiate with a smile. But damm, this man was not ready to move. 

"Pawn?" Gabriel said, raising his brow. "Nevertheless, you smell of roses and sandalwood to me, Mia Amour." 

Behind Millie was getting nervous with each passing moment, she knew that she would be fired if she didn't shoo this pest called Capital Gabriel from Persephone. 

She sighed only in relief when she saw Villain behind Captain Gabriel. 

"Did the armed forces headquarters shift to the Royal kitchen?" Santiago's voice not only brought shivers to Persephone's back but also the high and mighty Captain Gabriel. 

"Mr.V---"

"Scram!"

Just as Captain scarmed, Villain said with a frown as he took a step back and covered his nose, "Why do you smell like a dead fish?" 

"Damm, Villain, can you at least say something romantic like him?" Persephone sulked. A real man would never put forward the flaws of a woman in public. 

"I heard he got an STD from sleeping around. Do you wish for me to share them with you?"Santiago blinked at her. 

Behind them, Millie blushed like a teenage girl. 

When Persephone noticed Millie's red face. She sighed and said pointing towards Santiago," Trust me, he ain't anything special. Always sleep with a man like Gabriel who will at least say a few mushy words to boost your womanly ego. But men like this villain? Tsk. Tsk. We women should commit suicide." 

"PERSEPHONE MARINO, do you want me to remind you what's so special about me?"Santiago growled. 

Persephone laughed evilly and took a step forward. Showing him her smelly hands, she ran towards," Oh, Villain, why don't you show me?"

"Do not come near me, You smelly woman." Santiago ran away from her. Lord knows how much he hates these fruits. And now he was running for his life from this evil woman. 

People were staring at them but did they care?

Hell, no!

"No, no, no. I want you to remind me again what's so special about you?" Persephone wasn't going to stop. She would avenge all the sufferings inflicted on her. 

"Olfactory Cortex in my brain must be cursing you," Santiago said, huffing 

Before Persephone could find Villain, he disappeared as soon as he turned left. But who was she? She was Persephone Marino, and she would find him again and make him smell what this dead fish smelled like…

She checked almost every room to look for him on this side of the wing but she didn't find him anywhere. As she entered the last room on the row, she felt a shiver down her back as she heard someone closing the door behind her. Since the sunlight coming from the door was the only source of light inside the room. The room turned pitch black as the door was closed. She felt someone covering her mouth with a handkerchief. 

The last thing she saw was the silhouette of two people trying her up. 

____

"She is unconscious. How will we take her out of the palace? " The first man asked. 

"We came here in disguise of workers, didn't we? Where is the carpet they told us to take out? " The second man inquired. "Wrap the carpet around her body. She is tiny. We will manage."

"Quickly man! She smelled worse than shit ' 

____

Outside, Santiago was busy on an important call. When he was done with the call, he saw Milli coming out of the storage room where kitchen commodities were held. 

"You did good," Santiago told her. "Make sure she didn't cause any trouble for herself or others. And keep looking out for her." 

Millie nodded. 

"Where is she?"Santiago questioned her when he didn't find his evil Red. 

"Umm...she was looking for you…"

"Okay, I will be leaving. If you have any problems related to her, call me immediately." 

When Santiago was heading to the main wing of the Palace, he saw two workers carrying a huge carpet towards the exit. 

"Where are you heading?"Santiago asked them. 

The workers froze but they managed to calm themselves down. Santiago knew that this was the effect he had on everyone. Everyone was afraid of him. So, their reaction was nothing new. 

"There, "One of them replied while pointing at the load carrier vehicle standing far from them. "We are replacing the old things on orders of our manager." 

"Carry on," Santiago said and walked away but he stopped for a moment before he smelled something similar to dead fish. 

'It must be red who has put this dirty smell on me.'