Empress of Another World

Twenty

As time passed, I thought perhaps my prayer had been answered.

The night deepened and there was no sign of the emperor.

At first, I was so nervous I was wide awake. However, when he didn’t show up, I dozed off. I began to relax and finally fell asleep.

Oh my god!

I wanted to scream in delight. I was so happy.

In front of me was a pot full of kimchi stew. I hadn’t had it in over a year!

Oh! The smell! The stew boasted of beautiful kimchi and fatty pork belly!

I picked up a spoonful of it and opened my mouth wide.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the spoon disappeared from my hand. When I looked up, the emperor was holding it. He stole it from me.

He ate it! He then looked down at the pot on the table. He slowly took the whole pot and smiled at me.

That bastard!

I couldn’t stand him!

He opened his mouth with a grin.

“…up.”

What? What did this thief say?

How could he steal my kimchi stew? I would never forgive him!

His mouth opened again. He was frowning.

“Wake up.”

“Hmm?”

His face was too close.

I finally woke up. I must have been dreaming, and, at some point, it blurred with reality.

Now that I was fully awake, I realized where I was.

I was on top of the emperor.

***

I apologized quietly. My head was bowed, and my hands were on my knees respectfully.

“I’m sorry…”

The emperor and my husband, Lucretius, was sitting across from me on the bed.

He grinned at me and asked, “So in your dream, I stole your [kimchi stew], and that is why you got angry?”

It was so embarrassing, but it was true. I nodded uncomfortably.

His pronunciation of my language was funny, but if I laughed at him now, the situation would get much worse.

He asked me curiously, “So the [kimchi stew] must be a very rare and precious delicacy in your world? You got so angry just because I ate it in your dream. You were about to hurt me over it.”

If I told him that I became furious over a common dish, and it was a VERY average dish in Korea, then I would never hear the end of it.

So I faked a big smile and lied like a pro.

“Of course! It was a very valuable dish. Most people got to eat it every few years if they were lucky!”

“Ohh…”

He seemed interested. I continued to sell my lie.

“[Kimchi] is made from very rare ingredients. When it is prepared, it is placed in a [traditional pot], which is a very expensive jar. This [traditional pot] is then buried for a few years underground for ideal fermentation. [Kimchi] is then cooked with pork and the most luxurious ingredients for three days straight. They say the smell of it can make a [monk] want to steal it!”