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Chapter 12
“Since I’m already here, I might as well eat before I go.”
Ivenne casually yanked open the second drawer of the Magic Tower Master’s desk. Inside were tightly packed potion-like medicines that clearly screamed “expensive at a glance.” She grabbed the most expensive-looking one and downed it in a single gulp.
“Oh? I feel a bit healthier?”
Maybe it was just her imagination, but she genuinely felt better. Ivenne cheerfully shouted, “Destroying the evidence! The perfect crime!” and slipped the empty bottle into her pocket. Then, humming happily, she left the office.
As she headed toward her home where Hayden was, her steps were light.
‘I’m hungry. That expensive potion only made my appetite worse. I should finish this quickly and eat. Lemon pound cake for dessert…’
Dinner with snacks from the ducal household included. Ivenne swallowed unconsciously.
‘When I messed up those documents, I thought the Commander or the Tower Master would scold me…’
But not a single person had. It really couldn’t get any luckier than this. A delicious dinner. A task that ended more easily than expected. If she just reported the imperial checkpoint corruption to the Commander—
‘Perfect. I’ll sleep like a log tonight.’
Current time: 6:20 PM.
‘If I go now and the Commander checks the contract… it’ll be around 6:30.’
She frowned. No matter how she thought about it, reporting the imperial checkpoint’s misconduct at this timing felt… off.
‘Talking to someone when they’re hungry just makes them annoyed.’
Exactly. That was right. Ivenne, who always took eating seriously, nodded. Even pleasant news was useless on an empty stomach—let alone unpleasant news.
After thinking for a moment, she reached a simple conclusion.
‘I’ll just invite him to dinner first.’
Feed him something, then bring it up later. Satisfied with this plan, she reached for the kitchen side door—then hesitated.
‘What if he refuses?’
Come to think of it, there was no real reason for him to eat dinner with her. They weren’t particularly close. And at his own place, food described as “heavenly” would appear instantly with just a word. There was no reason to eat here.
‘No, this won’t do. I have to talk to him today. If I don’t, I won’t be able to sleep from frustration.’
Knowing herself too well, Ivenne stood there gripping the doorknob in deep thought. If she couldn’t even mention the “imperial checkpoint,” there was a nonzero chance she’d get so angry she’d end up hiring an assassination guild with the money she had been saving. Even she thought that was excessive.
‘…I’ll just try to invite him properly!’
Having failed to come up with a better plan, she settled on that and opened the door.
Inside, Hayden was standing in front of the wide glass wall of the living room, looking at the open scenery outside. Hearing her, he turned around.
“You came earlier than expected.”
“I rushed so I wouldn’t keep you waiting. Here’s the contract.”
As Ivenne handed it over, Hayden sat on the sofa, pulled out a fountain pen from inside his coat, and calmly reviewed the document. Ivenne took off her cloak, draped it over the sofa, and sat opposite him, organizing what she wanted to say in her mind.
“Commander. I’m really sorry I failed to protect the documents earlier, and I’m truly grateful you came all the way to the Magic Tower to handle it personally. Since it’s dinner time, may I treat you as thanks? It’s not as good as the ducal household, but please consider it sincerity and eat with me. I also… have something I’d like to talk about. Just a little.”
‘Good. I’ll say it like that.’
Satisfied with her prepared script, she repeated it in her mind.
“It’s fine.”
Ivenne snapped back to reality at his voice. She watched him sign the contract.
‘Okay. Just like I rehearsed. Naturally. As naturally as possible.’
Waiting for the right moment, she met his deep blue eyes as he handed back the contract—and without thinking, she blurted out:
“Would you like to stay for dinner?”
All her carefully prepared words never even made it out. Her mouth had betrayed her and delivered only the conclusion.
‘I’m crazy, seriously!’
She panicked internally, then immediately spiraled into self-reproach.
‘It’s over. It’s ruined! Even if I said everything properly, he might’ve still refused… but asking out of nowhere like that? There’s no way the Commander would agree!’
Before he could frown and refuse, she decided to quickly pretend she had misspoken.
“And the imperial checkpoint people—sorry about that…”
Before she could continue, Hayden replied:
“Alright.”
“Of course you wouldn’t—huh?”
“I’ll stay.”
“You’re… staying?”
“Didn’t you ask me to eat here? I’m hungry anyway.”
Ivenne blinked in disbelief. She never imagined he would accept so easily. She quickly gathered the contract and put it into a secure envelope.
“Then please wait a moment. I’ll prepare something quickly.”
Clutching the envelope carefully, she hurried to the kitchen, washed her hands, and tied on a beige linen apron. Hayden approached her with a slightly surprised expression.
“You cook yourself?”
“Uh… yes.”
‘Does he not trust me?’
Well, cooking wasn’t exactly something noble ladies typically did. At most, they made cookies with assistance.
‘I was also a proper lady who knew nothing about cooking three years ago.’
But life in the tower left no room for external staff. Eating out got boring. And going out every time she was hungry was inconvenient.
So she had no choice but to learn.
‘At first it was inedible… but now it’s fine.’
She had learned from the tower’s cook. On her first day, she had looked at a dirty potato and asked, “Why is there a rock here?” The cook had cried, claiming her future was hopeless. But on the 214th day of training, that same cook had cried tears of relief—and now Ivenne could cook most things on her own.
“The servants are gone?”
“The Magic Tower doesn’t allow outside personnel.”
“So you cook everything yourself? It might be better to eat outside.”
“I got bored of that. And I can’t keep going out whenever I’m hungry.”
“I see.”
Hayden nodded, accepting her explanation.
“Then, as the owner and cook of this house, I need to prepare dinner. Could you please sit over there and relax, my guest?”
But he just stood there.
“Hmm?”
At her pleading tone, he hesitated, then reluctantly returned to the sofa.
Ivenne began preparing ingredients from the cold storage and placed them on the island counter—
“I’ll help.”
“Commander, I told you to rest.”
“It’s fine.”
“Are you sure? Don’t glare at me later.”
“That won’t happen.”
“Then please pick romaine, chicory, edible flowers, lettuce, and cherry tomatoes.”
She added casually, “They’re in the backyard garden,” and shoved a wooden bowl into his arms.
“…Say that again?”
She repeated slowly. He stared at the bowl, bewildered, then walked out the kitchen door with a strangely determined expression, muttering the items like a spell.
While cooking, Ivenne glanced outside.
‘Did he not finish? Why is he still out there?’
She had already simmered basil sauce on one burner and sautéed pasta on another. As she finished searing steak, she thought:
‘Should I go check on him after this?’
At that moment, Hayden returned carrying a wooden bowl filled with plants.
Ivenne turned off the heat and walked over. The moment she saw inside the bowl, laughter almost burst out—but she held it in with difficulty.
“Pffft…”
Hayden, maintaining a serious expression, said:
“It was dark outside. Hard to see. I usually do better.”
The vegetables were clearly picked with hesitation and confusion. And yet he insisted he could do better.
To Ivenne, the much larger and older Commander somehow looked…
‘…cute.’
She quickly dismissed the thought.
“Still, you did a great job. Thanks to you, we’ll have a fresh salad.”
Hayden nodded and turned back toward the table.
‘He looks kind of… happy?’
Even his steps seemed lighter.
Ivenne tilted her head.
‘No way. Must be my imagination.’
She checked the harvested vegetables again and resumed cooking.
