Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight! novel Chapter 264

Chapter 264: ‘Is That Really What He Said?’

It didn’t take long for Florian to locate Delilah. All he had to do was ask a few passing maids about the head maid’s whereabouts, and they were all too eager to point him in the right direction—eyes widening slightly in surprise that a prince himself was the one asking.

Eventually, Florian found her in the heart of the palace’s lower wing—deep inside the kitchen, where the scent of herbs, spices, and fire-roasted meats mingled in the air. He paused at the threshold, taking in the sight before him.

It was the first time he’d ever stepped foot inside the royal kitchens.

’Woah.’ Florian blinked, momentarily stunned by the sheer energy that poured through the room.

The kitchen was alive with motion. Heat radiated from several brick ovens, and dozens of chefs weaved in and out of each other’s paths like dancers in a chaotic ballet. Copper pots clanged against countertops, spoons stirred steaming cauldrons, and voices echoed off the stone walls—shouting ingredients, measurements, commands.

’It looks like one of those cooking competitions I read about in stories. Except no one here is pretending to be calm.’

Through the steam and chaos, his eyes eventually found Delilah. She stood beside a broad-shouldered man in a white apron—no doubt the head chef, though Florian couldn’t for the life of him remember his name. They seemed deep in conversation, perhaps discussing dinner plans.

No one had noticed him yet. He stepped forward quietly, unsure if he should interrupt.

That changed the moment a young male chef spotted him—barely more than a boy, with flour smudged on his cheek and freckles dotting his face.

The young chef’s eyes widened in horror. "P-Prince Florian! What... what are you doing here?"

The room froze.

Every spoon stopped stirring. Every step halted mid-motion. Even the flames seemed to quiet as all eyes turned to the prince standing awkwardly near the doorway.

A beat passed, then the sound of bodies moving filled the space again—but not with work. One by one, the chefs bowed, even the head chef and Delilah included.

"Ah."

’Well, this is awkward.’ Florian thought as he raised a hand in a sheepish wave. "Please, uh... continue on with what you were doing—don’t let me stop anything..."

A sharp voice cut through the thick silence like a blade.

"Your Highness! What in Concordia are you doing here?!" Delilah’s voice rang out as she spun around, her eyes wide with both alarm and authority. She grabbed the hem of her skirt, lifting it slightly in a quick curtsy before striding toward him with brisk steps.

’Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen Delilah up close in... months? Maybe longer. She hasn’t aged a day. Still sharp as ever, too.’ He smiled softly at the head maid as she approached.

"Was I disrupting something?" Florian asked, keeping his tone light. "My apologies. I came here on His Majesty’s orders."

Delilah stopped a pace in front of him, her stern expression faltering into surprise.

"His Majesty?" she repeated, her brows furrowing. "What... order would require a member of the harem to come find me personally, rather than summoning me through a servant?"

Florian winced internally.

’Right. I completely forgot we could do that. Of course, we can summon them. I walked all the way here like some... errand boy.’ He forced a chuckle and scratched the back of his neck. "Ah... yeah. That slipped my mind."

He cleared his throat. "Anyway, he told me to ask you to bring me to, uh... Drizelous? I think I said that right?"

As soon as the name left his lips, the air in the room changed.

Gasps echoed faintly from the nearest chefs. Even Delilah, who had always been the embodiment of composure, seemed shaken. Her eyes widened in alarm, and for a moment, she looked as if Florian had just uttered something forbidden.

’Okay... now that’s definitely not a normal reaction.’ Florian thought, his gaze shifting around the kitchen. Several nearby chefs had paused their work again and were now whispering amongst themselves in hushed tones, stealing glances at him like he’d said something scandalous.

Delilah noticed it too. Her eyes flicked toward the growing tension, and then back to him.

"L-Let us speak outside the kitchen, Your Highness," she said, her voice lower now, almost a whisper. And—for the first time Florian could remember—her words trembled slightly.

Florian blinked in surprise, but nodded without protest.