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Chapter 28
The farther I went down the stairs, the louder the sounds became.
And it wasn’t just the sound of chopping.
There was the bubbling sound of liquid boiling, the plop of something being dropped into it, the clatter of dishes…
Different sounds, yet one thing was certain.
They were all the sounds of cooking.
Hurrying past the living room and into the kitchen, I suddenly froze.
Tied neatly up, his black hair shone under the light. Over his solid, lean frame hung a pale-yellow apron.
…Akes.
Everything I saw and experienced last night hadn’t been a dream.
Akes, tasting the stew with practiced ease, sensed me and turned around.
“Ah, Einra.”
His ruby-red eyes curved as he smiled at me.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Uh, y-yeah…”
I nodded awkwardly, unable to meet his gaze.
Akes, in my kitchen, cooking while wearing an apron…
Not once had I ever dared to imagine such a sight.
“Just wait a little, Einra. It’ll be ready soon.”
“O-okay…”
I answered, shifting my eyes everywhere except toward him.
The instant our eyes had met just now, all the memories of his breath and warmth against me in bed last night rushed back. It was impossible to look him in the face.
W-wait… Does that mean… we actually fell asleep together?
The thought suddenly struck me.
I froze stiff in place.
I—slept in the same bed with a fully grown man!
Even when I was Lee Hee-soo, I never experienced something like this!
I nearly clutched my hair and screamed, but barely managed to restrain myself.
As I fidgeted by the kitchen entrance, Akes, oblivious to my turmoil, seemed to remember something.
“Ah. If you don’t mind, could you come and taste this for me?”
“Taste?”
“Yes. It suits my palate, but I’m not sure about yours.”
He said it with a smiling glance.
Given that As’s stew had suited me perfectly before, chances were this stew would be delicious too. Still, there was no need to refuse his request.
I agreed and shuffled closer to him.
Thinking I was close enough, I stopped walking—only for Akes to tilt his head.
“Einra, I can’t reach you from there.”
“Ah… r-right?”
Scratching my cheek in embarrassment, I stepped closer.
“Mm, a little more.”
“How about now?”
“Closer.”
“…Now?”
“Still far. Just a bit more.”
Step by step, I edged toward him.
With every step nearer, my heart thumped harder, as though it might burst.
By the time I thought it truly might explode, a soft chuckle came from right above me.
“That’s close enough.”
I exhaled in relief.
Any nearer, and I really might have died of a heart attack.
“Thanks for coming.”
His voice, warm with amusement, carried as he scooped a spoonful of stew and held it out to me.
When I reached to take the spoon myself, Akes lifted it slightly and shook his head.
“Ah~ open up, Einra.”
“…Huh?”
Without thinking, I mimicked him. “Ah…”
Looking pleased, he slipped the spoon between my lips.
“Well done.”
He gently patted my head.
While he turned back to finish cooking, I sat there dumbfounded, covering my flushed face with both hands.
This feels just like… we’re a married couple…
When he said it was nearly done, he wasn’t lying—fortunately, breakfast was ready soon after.
The meal was a light stew with meat, paired with slices of ciabatta.
I sat hesitantly across from Akes, unable to look at him, mechanically dipping bread into stew over and over.
I don’t know how long I kept that up when suddenly, a glass of water slid in front of me.
Startled, I quickly looked up.
Akes was watching me, smiling gently.
“If you only eat bread like that, you might upset your stomach. Have some water.”
“Mhm, th-thank y—”
The words tumbled out muffled. Only then did I realize my mouth was stuffed with bread.
My face went crimson.
Hurriedly, I grabbed the cup and gulped the water down.
Once I became conscious of Akes, even my movements felt clumsy, like some awkward puppet.
I’m four years older than him, and yet here I am acting like a child in front of him after five years apart…
What must he think of me?
The thought dug at me until I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
Desperate, I changed the subject.
“Um, Akes. You… were in a child’s form before. What was that about?”
At my question, his spoon halted mid-air.
Setting it down, he replied,
“I was cursed with a regression spell. It made me ten years old again.”
“A spell? By who?”
Who dared cast a spell on a war hero?
My eyes widened. Akes answered in a low tone.
“Grand Duke Baharman. He tried to kill me.”
He went on to briefly explain how he was cursed and what had happened before.
At the victory celebration banquet, Baharman had sent assassins to abduct him while he was alone.
According to palace law, weapons were prohibited within the imperial grounds for the emperor’s safety, and both aura and magic use were restricted.
On top of that, Akes had drunk alcohol that day—something he wasn’t good with. Against two trained knight orders, he stood no chance alone.
Instead of killing him outright, the Grand Duke cast a curse to regress his body.
Then, after mercilessly beating him, he abandoned him in some filthy back alley.
Hoping the regressed Akes would die a dog’s death on the streets—mocking that such an end suited the emperor’s hound.
But Akes had reached a realm where he could wield aura with his sword through five years of war.
Thus, his mind resisted the curse, preventing his spirit from regressing with his body.
That’s why he could use the teleportation artifact, I recalled.
That was how he’d managed to find me.
“Then… the assassins from yesterday—they were also sent by Baharman?”
“Most likely. He’s the only one who would know where I am.”
I clenched my teeth.
“Grand Duke Baharman… that pathetic little wretch…”
He was one of the villains in the original story The Tyrant Emperor.
As the current emperor’s uncle, he was not content with his ducal rank and dreamt of seizing the throne.
A foolish, insignificant villain.
In the original, his role was little more than a nuisance to the protagonist, Harnen, before the main villains appeared.
It was by eliminating Baharman that Harnen gained Emperor Elberk’s trust.
Since he was such a trivial figure, I hadn’t even considered him a threat. Yet he dared lay a hand on Akes!
My anger flared so hot my mind went blank.
For once, not even the awkward memories of last night came to mind.
As I fumed, Akes’s eyes drifted to my neck.
His gaze darkened.
After a pause, he spoke quietly.
“…Einra, were you frightened yesterday?”
“Hm?”
“The assassin… he had my face.”
“Ah…”
Unconsciously, my hand reached up to my neck.
Pressing lightly, a dull ache throbbed there.
I would have healed it with magic, but the suppression spell on my spirit still lingered.
Slowly lowering my hand, I gave him a small smile.
“It’s fine. It wasn’t really you.”
“…”
“The real you saved me.”
To be honest, I even felt… a little happy.
Like receiving an unexpected gift from someone I never thought to rely on.
I meant it sincerely, but Akes stayed silent.
For a moment, guilt flickered across his face.
Quickly, I changed the subject.
“Oh, right! You’re back in your real form now. How did that happen?”
Maybe I’d been too obvious in trying to divert him.
Because a faint smile crossed his lips.
