I Cooked My Way Into the Court

Lin Huan is forced to live inside a famous name that never protected her in the first place. She has the dead commander’s seal box, a fake calm voice, and hands that still smell like broth when the court expects blood and iron. Everyone keeps telling her she does not look enough like the founder’s grandchild, and she hates how true that feels. Then Prince Zhao starts coming for her food, not her rank, and the way he looks at her makes every careful lie harder to keep. She can win battles with a ladle, but the prince is the first person who notices she is tired of pretending.