Ivy Shen's question made Caleb Miles, who was crying with his head down, jolt so hard he nearly launched himself into orbit. He sprang up and spun around at lightning speed—nearly bowling over Charlie Qiao, who was standing behind him. (If this were a cartoon, there’d be a puff of dust and a Qiao-shaped hole in the air.)
"Your Highness, you—" Charlie Qiao barely got a word out before Caleb Miles barreled into her, sending her flying sideways. (RIP, dignity.)
"You... you..." Suddenly, Caleb Miles rushed over to Ivy Shen, grabbed her hand, and stammered "you, you, you" for ages—like his brain had blue-screened. (Somebody reboot the Crown Prince, please!)
Ivy Shen was stunned too. Wait—hold up, isn’t this Caleb Miles? Why is he here? (Plot twist unlocked!)
"Who... who are you? Who exactly are you?" Caleb Miles gripped Ivy’s hand tighter and tighter, but all he could see in his head was a blurry silhouette—face? What face? His brain was running on Windows 95.
Ivy Shen was honestly spooked. Why is Caleb acting so weird—he doesn’t even recognize her! Did the Crown Prince just catch a case of full-on amnesia?! (Is there a patch for this bug?)
Suddenly, Ivy remembered—he’s Silver Consort’s nephew, and that day Caleb kept helping her fight Silver Consort tooth and nail. Silver Consort must’ve clocked his feelings and gone full evil aunt: ‘Here, eat this mystery pill!’
"Ow, ow, ow..." Caleb Miles suddenly squatted down, clutching his head and wailing like a banshee. He looked so miserable, it was almost Oscar-worthy.
Yup, Ivy was now 99.9% sure: Caleb Miles had full-blown amnesia. Otherwise, his head wouldn’t explode every time he forgot her face! (Somebody call tech support.)
"Who are you? Speak!" Charlie Qiao, seeing Caleb’s meltdown, screamed at Ivy Shen. Her shout summoned a whole squad of guards, swords out and eyes blazing—like they were ready to turn Ivy into stir-fry.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
"Your Highness, Your Highness, are you okay? Where does it hurt? Where are the imperial physicians?" Charlie Qiao was practically juggling her own panic, trying to prop up the wailing Caleb Miles while yelling for help like a drama queen.
"The Crown Prince?!" Ivy Shen’s frown hit max level. So his real identity was actually the Crown Prince of the Endless Indulgence Kingdom? (Achievement unlocked: Royal plot twist!)
"The Queen has arrived—!" The herald’s cry rang out, and everyone instantly dropped to their knees like dominoes at a cosplay convention.
Ivy Shen whipped around. In the distance, a massive entourage swarmed around a dazzlingly dressed woman striding toward them. Her gown was covered in giant peonies and emerald smoke gauze, golden-threaded sheer fabric, and her hair glittered with pearl and jade hairpins. Ivy knew Queen Yvonne Yun was over fifty, but honestly? She looked barely thirty—her face was so flawless, even modern celebrities would be jealous. (Somebody get her skincare routine!)
Ivy felt an instant vibe with this queen. Unlike those ice-cold drama empresses on TV, Queen Yvonne Yun looked grand but totally approachable. (10/10, would trust with gossip.)
"Caleb, Caleb..." Queen Yvonne Yun rushed to Caleb Miles’s side, anxiously supporting him. "Caleb, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?!" (Mom mode: activated.)
"Ow, ow, ow..." Caleb Miles clutched his head, stuck in a pain loop like a glitched NPC.
"Imperial physicians, hurry up—!" Hearing Caleb’s howls of pain, Queen Yvonne Yun shouted for the doctors like she was calling firemen to a cat stuck in a tree.
A bunch of imperial physicians tripped over each other in a panic to check Caleb Miles’s pulse, but as soon as one reached out, Caleb smacked his hand away. "Get lost!" (Doctor: instantly deleted.)
"Xuan'er, sweetie, let the imperial physicians take a look, okay?" Queen Yvonne Yun fussed, trying to soothe him as he dug in his heels again. (Parental patience: 99/100. Queen mode: activated!)
"Scram—get out of here!" Caleb Miles yelled, shoving the flustered Queen Yvonne Yun aside so hard she nearly spun. (Even Mom gets yeeted!)
"Your Majesty, watch out!" Charlie Qiao lunged to catch the queen, while Caleb Miles’s wild flailing left every courtier frozen like NPCs in a cutscene. (Palace-wide panic: unlocked!)
"Ahhhhhhh—" The figure in Caleb’s mind got sharper, but just when he tried to focus, poof—it vanished again. Who even was that? Why did his heart ache like a binge-watch cliffhanger? (Soap opera pain: max level.)
"What happened, Xuan'er? What's wrong with him?" Queen Yvonne Yun demanded, grilling Charlie Qiao like a reality show judge. (Interrogation spotlight ON.)
Charlie Qiao hit the deck with a dramatic kowtow. "Mercy, Your Majesty! I have no clue! The Crown Prince was just chilling on the roof with his kite, then boom—he saw someone below, dashed down, grabbed this young master, and suddenly got a headache!" (NPC panic: full throttle.)
Queen Yvonne Yun turned to eyeball the 'culprit'—and for a split second, she nearly dropped her royal jaw. That face! But she snapped back to regal mode in record time. (Beauty stat: 999/100.)
"How dare you not kneel before Her Majesty?" Charlie Qiao snapped. Nobody stands in front of Queen Yvonne Yun—except this guy, apparently. (Main character plot armor: confirmed!)
"Your Majesty, since the Crown Prince’s headache is because of this man, why not just kill him? That’d fix it!" one imperial physician blurted, going full cartoon villain. (Bro, take a chill pill!)
Caleb Miles sprang up, eyes blazing. "You dare! Who dares touch him, huh?" (Protect mode: ON. Threat level: maximum.)
"Spare me, Your Highness! Spare me!" The imperial physician who’d just gone full villain instantly collapsed, groveling like a drama queen. (Cowardice speedrun: world record.)
"Who are you?" Caleb Miles stared at Ivy Shen, confusion maxing out his face. (Brain loading... please wait.)
Ivy Shen’s theory: confirmed. Still, so many plot twists to unravel. But hey, if Caleb’s subconscious still clings to her, she can totally use that! She flashed a winning smile: "Aren’t you Young Master Lan?" (Time to exploit those feels!)
"Wait, you know my Xuan'er?" Queen Yvonne Yun hurried to Ivy Shen, eyes popping with curiosity. (Mom radar: activated!)
Ivy Shen nodded at turbo speed. "Yep! I’ve met Young Master Lan before—my shifu runs the Beijing Roast Duck House, and Young Master Lan is obsessed! He’s come by, like, a million times. That’s how I know him!" (Foodies: assemble!)
"Your shifu runs a roast duck shop?" Queen Yvonne Yun looked skeptical, one eyebrow climbing into meme territory. (Suspicion meter: rising!)
"Yep! Beijing Roast Duck, the real deal!"
"Beijing Roast Duck, yes, yes—I want Beijing Roast Duck!" Caleb Miles broke into a huge grin, mood flipping faster than a June thunderstorm. (Whiplash: unlocked!)
Ivy Shen pounced on the chance. "See? Young Master Lan remembers our signature dish!" (Food memories: OP buff activated.)
Queen Yvonne Yun finally cracked a smile. "And how should we address you, young master?" (Royal interview: commence!)
"Oh, no need for such formality. My surname is..." She rolled her eyes and grinned, "I’m Mr. Flavor!" (Introducing: Mr. Flavor, pun master extraordinaire.)
"Mr. Flavor?" Charlie Qiao repeated, jaw on the floor. (New name just dropped—everyone stunned!)
"Exactly! I’m Mr. Flavor—my duck’s got flavor, my dishes got flavor, even my personality’s got flavor!" (Shameless self-promo: legendary vendor vibes.)
"Then, Mr. Flavor, where’s your roast duck?" Queen Yvonne Yun asked, anxiety level: maxed—her Xuan’er hadn’t eaten for days and was practically vanishing. (Mother hen mode: engaged!)
Seeing the queen’s worry, Mr. Flavor (aka Ivy Shen) hustled them to her stall. She was just about to introduce her roast duck when Caleb Miles snatched it and started devouring, chanting, "Yum yum, Beijing Roast Duck!" (Food thief: caught in the act!)
"Xuan’er..." Watching him finally eat, Queen Yvonne Yun was so moved she burst into tears. (Tears of joy: unlocked!)
"Mr. Flavor, do you have any family? And what brings you to the Endless Indulgence Kingdom?" Queen Yvonne Yun watched Caleb Miles eating like he’d found the meaning of life, clearly plotting to keep her new chef forever. (Recruitment mode: ON.)
"Oh, I’ve got an older brother. We came here hunting for rare herbs—Endless Indulgence Kingdom has a ton! My brother’s leg is busted, so we’re looking for something ‘special’ to fix it. But then, roast duck contest? I just couldn’t help myself!" Mr. Flavor replied, grinning like a fox.
"Where’s your brother now?" Queen Yvonne Yun pressed, not missing a beat. (Chef acquisition: step two!)
"Oh, he’s outside waiting for me to finish the contest!" (Best brother award: incoming.)
"Mr. Flavor, how about this: you stay in the palace and cook for the Crown Prince, and your brother moves in too! We’ve got imperial physicians galore—they’ll fix his leg for sure. Plus, all the rare herbs in the Endless Indulgence Kingdom are stashed right here in the palace!" Queen Yvonne Yun said, already plotting her chef-hoarding strategy.
"Delicious, delicious! Everything you make is delicious—I want you to stay!" Caleb Miles beamed, still munching away. (Food is love, food is life.)
Ivy Shen could see Queen Yvonne Yun was dead set on keeping her as palace chef for her son. On second thought, it was super convenient—being close made it way easier to get that heart’s blood, and if Eli Crane stayed outside, she’d worry too! (Schemer mode: pro level.)
"Delicious, delicious!" Caleb Miles kept eating roast duck, singing its praises like a food streamer. (Duck MVP confirmed.)
Watching Caleb Miles go to town on roast duck, Ivy Shen actually felt a pang of guilt. He’d once gone toe-to-toe with Silver Consort for her, and now he was basically a five-year-old kid—cue the guilt trip. Plus, the guy was a walking mystery box. She had to crack the code!
If she could, Ivy Shen really wanted to help Caleb Miles get back to normal! (Heroine quest: accepted!)
"Alright, I’m in!" Mr. Flavor agreed, flashing a thumbs up. (Plot twist: chef joins the palace!)