Chapter 14
‘No wonder he’s hungry.’
The food storage in the western shelter was untouched—probably because Xien had been sleeping all along.
We managed by chewing on jerky, but Xien hadn’t eaten for two days.
Smiling, I cut the steak into bite-sized pieces and stuck one on a fork.
Carrying it over to the bed, I offered the glistening meat.
“Please try this, Tower Master. It’s really good.”
See? If you stick with me, you’ll always get to eat tasty things.
That was what I was thinking as I watched him. I expected him to just accept it, but instead, he only blinked slowly.
“…Water.”
“…Water?”
“I’m thirsty.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t even had water properly all this time?”
Xien gave a small nod.
‘Goodness.’
I set the fork in the sink, pulled a bottle of water from the backpack on the table, and handed it to him.
When I even unscrewed the cap for him, he accepted it with both hands and drank.
His smooth neckline was exposed without defense. Gulp, gulp—the sound of swallowing was vivid, and the movement of his Adam’s apple strangely noticeable.
‘This man really does have delicate features.’
A peculiar beauty—both handsome and pretty.
I stared blankly until his eyes suddenly met mine.
Those narrow, violet pupils locked onto me.
“……”
After quenching his thirst, Xien wiped his jaw with the back of his hand and passed the bottle back.
“Thank you.”
I took it, heading back toward the kitchen.
‘Better give him a proper meal before trying to win him over. Otherwise he’ll starve before we even get to the west.’
“Wait just a moment, I’ll set it up quickly.”
I ladled out soup for him, sautéed onions and mushrooms instead of asparagus, plated them with the meat, and poured sauce over.
When I set two dishes and utensils on the table, it was a complete meal.
“Here, eat first.”
“……”
Apparently feeling like eating now, Xien smoothed his tousled hair and sat down at the table. He only gazed blankly at the food.
“What’s wrong?”
“……”
Instead of answering, he looked up at me with indifferent eyes.
“Feed me.”
What? Did I hear that right?
“Feed you?”
At my question, he only stared silently, as if unwilling to repeat himself.
It was clear he had no intention of lifting a finger until I did it.
‘What, am I supposed to babysit you too?’
I almost smacked him but held back. This was the Tower Master—said to be able to burn down a kingdom.
So I cut the steak into small pieces, dipped one in sauce, and brought it to his lips.
“Here, eat.”
He obediently accepted it, blinking his pretty eyes as he chewed. He looked almost cute.
While he chewed, I stirred the soup and glanced out the window.
‘The Crown Prince and Jaeger should be back soon.’
When I’d started cooking, I sent the Crown Prince to look for Jaeger, who hadn’t returned.
He’d resisted going, so I bribed him by saying I’d prepare something delicious. His expression had turned oddly complicated.
When I asked “Why?”, he tilted his head and muttered, You really act like a wife… I nearly smacked his back for that nonsense.
“…I’m hungry.”
His gentle voice pulled me from my thoughts. Having finished chewing neatly, Xien gazed at me again.
It felt like his eyes could read exactly who I’d been thinking about, so I hurriedly scooped some soup.
“Here, say ah—”
Just as I was about to feed him, a foot suddenly kicked his chair from behind.
Crash!
“Tower Master!”
Xien toppled like a paper doll.
“Your Highness, what are you—”
I thought it was the Crown Prince and scowled—only to see an unexpected face.
“What do you think you’re doing.”
The one who had kicked Xien’s chair was Jaeger.
His sudden action stunned me.
“What do you mean? We were eating.”
Jaeger fixed me with a cold stare.
“Does he not have hands? Why indulge him?”
“……”
I was too dumbfounded to answer.
‘What’s wrong with him now?’
Meanwhile, Xien groaned and got back up.
‘Oh dear, my fragile little princess.’
Thankfully, he hadn’t bitten his tongue.
I helped him up, brushing him off.
Xien straightened, dusted his clothes, and shot Jaeger a frosty glare. His lips pressed tight, expression aloof, but it only made him look prettier, not threatening.
Jaeger looked at him flatly and muttered,
“Don’t just accept food so meekly. What if it were poisoned?”
Excuse me?
“And Lady Arios, don’t encourage his childishness either.”
Clicking his tongue, Jaeger turned his head away, clearly unwilling to speak further.
‘Ha… so in the end, he was worried it might be poisoned?’
Sighing, I picked up the spoon I’d left on the table.
Then, for show, I raised the plate and began eating the soup myself.
One spoon, two spoons—until I got irritated at playing the poison-tester.
Clink.
I emptied the bowl and slammed it down, glaring at Jaeger.
Oh, right—the steak too. I cut off a big piece and chewed noisily.
After swallowing, I snapped,
“Tastes perfectly fine. But if Your Grace still doubts it, don’t eat any.”
Jaeger frowned.
“Why? That bothers you?”
“Did you actually think I’d eat something when I don’t know what’s in it? I won’t touch it.”
Of course you wouldn’t.
Ignoring him, I swept back into the kitchen. Xien righted his chair and sat again at the table.
He stared gloomily at the empty bowl, then looked at me with drooping shoulders.
“My soup…”
Oh. Feeling sheepish, I pulled out another bowl.
“Wait a little, Tower Master. I’ll get you more.”
“…So considerate. One would think we’d known each other for years.”
At that moment, the Crown Prince entered, shutting the cabin door behind him. He frowned at the sight of Xien sitting so calmly, then approached me.
I shrugged indifferently as I stirred the pot.
“I even showed kindness escorting someone to the cabin, and he answered with a blade.”
“……”
Well? Guilty, aren’t you?
I gave him a pointed look. His face hardened in forced anger.
“And who was that ungrateful scoundrel, I wonder?”
You, obviously.
Xien, watching him like he was pathetic, sighed and propped his chin on the table.
“With such violent men around, the lady must have suffered.”
“Haha.”
I laughed awkwardly, ladling soup into a deep dish, but thought to myself—
‘Honestly, you’re the one making things hardest right now.’
After preparing the meal, I fetched a vase from the cupboard.
Placing the wild chrysanthemums I’d picked earlier in it, I set it at the center of the table. Now it looked like a proper dinner setting.
For men like the Crown Prince, the Duke, and the Tower Master, who were used to luxury, this might seem plain.
I sat in the middle—Crown Prince on my right, Xien on my left.
Of course, I hadn’t set a place for Jaeger. After what he’d said, I wasn’t generous enough to.
He just took an apple from the pantry and stood by the window, back turned.
“Alright, dig in.”
I gestured to Xien and the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince smirked faintly, raised his spoon, and tasted the soup.
Lifting a brow in surprise, he looked at me.
“I didn’t expect this from you.”
“I’m not bad at it,” I said lightly, shrugging, and began eating too.
Soon the early dinner was filled only with the sound of breathing and clinking cutlery.
I watched Xien enjoying his food, then cut a portion of my steak for him and smiled.
“Tower Master, are you really not coming with us?”
“……”
Cheeks stuffed with meat like a hamster, Xien stared at me.
He carelessly nodded, then went back to cutting steak.
“…But if you come, I’ll cook you lots of delicious food.”
Of course, though Xien himself was a great cook, nothing compared to being served.
He shook his head firmly, still chewing with his fork in his mouth.
‘…So food won’t win him over, huh.’
My appetite dropped. I set down my cutlery and gulped down water.
Clack.
The moment I set the glass down, all three pairs of eyes fixed on me.
