Chapter 36.2

Roughly 40 minutes later.

‘What on earth is he making?’

Arina found it increasingly difficult to maintain her composure.

The delicious aroma, something she had never encountered before, filled the building from earlier on.

Arina resisted the urge to run upstairs and see what was being cooked, as she hadn’t been specifically invited up yet.

‘It’s been quite a while since I last tasted Arad’s cooking.’

Since eating his stew deep within the Abyss of the Demonic Realm, she hadn’t had the opportunity to enjoy his cooking.

Of course, she dined daily on exquisite meals prepared by the palace chef using Arad salt, but something always felt missing.

That didn’t mean she could just summon Arad and ask him to cook for her.

After all, Arad was a noble, outranking even a count, and had far more important matters to attend to than cooking.

“All done! Come on up!”

It was then that Arad’s voice called from the second floor.

“Yes!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Arina practically bounded up the stairs.

“Wow…”

On the table before her was a golden dish, its warm and inviting aroma filling the air.

“This smell… it’s absolutely divine.”

The appearance was stunning, but it was the scent that made her head spin.

“Go ahead and eat. I bet this is your first time having it.”

“That’s true. It looks like a chicken dish…”

Arina’s eyes sparkled as she observed the dish before her. It wasn’t something she had ever seen, even at Haven’s finest restaurants.

The golden, crispy-coated chicken was paired with a radish-based dish.

“You’re right. Here, have some beer with it.”

To top it off, Arad placed a beer in front of her.

“What is this dish called?”

“It’s called chicken.”

“Chicken…?”

Was this one of those dishes from the Golden Age?

As she stared dreamily at the chicken, Arina realized there were no forks or knives in sight.

“Dig in.”

Arad grabbed a chicken drumstick with his hand and bit into it. It appeared to be a dish eaten with one’s hands.

‘Eating indoors with this kind of rugged vibe…’

Feeling oddly amused, she grabbed a drumstick and took a bite.

“!!”

The savory, slightly salty, and mildly spicy flavor overwhelmed her senses.

And the texture! The exterior was astonishingly crispy, while the interior was tender and juicy to the point of tears.

Her palate, which she thought had been refined after Arad salt, was now elevated to an entirely new level.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

Before she knew it, one hand held chicken, the other beer, as she ate without pause.

‘That old lady was right; I’m so glad I went undercover. Absolutely the best decision!’

She resolved to report to Arad Company daily, no matter what.

***

Meanwhile, outside Arad’s building.

“What the heck is that smell?”

“I’m starving…”

“Arad Jin must be cooking. It’s insane, really.”

The three high-ranking knights, Eote, Carrot, and Sir Rosie—newly reassigned from enforcers to Frost Knights—hid nearby, enduring their torment.

“I swear, I’ll have to visit Arad Jin privately later.”

“I heard even Balzac seems to miss Arad Jin’s cooking.”

“Let’s go with him! We must!”

Their stomachs growled, and drool refused to stop.

But as knights, professionals among professionals, they maintained their composure.

***

“Gold and Silver just came out of the building.”

“They must’ve finished eating.”

“Lucky them…”

Despite the torturous aroma, they continued their mission with silent hand signals.

Gold and Silver were code names for the two individuals they were secretly guarding.

Gold referred to Arad Jin, the newly risen Northern noble.

Silver was the VIP who had been added to the list just yesterday.

“Carrying a massive sack of soil with ease… Isn’t Silver supposed to know magic?”

“Quite strong, too. Well, even an illegitimate child has noble blood.”

“Looking closely, doesn’t Silver resemble the former Grand Duke? There’s something about the air around them… kind of like Arina, too.”

“And the former Grand Duke, he must’ve been something else. When did he… sow such seeds?”

“The greatest accomplishment of the former Grand Duke has to be having two children—the first in Renslet’s history!”

“Could this finally break the long-standing jinx of scarce heirs and short lives in the Grand Duchy?”

A special escort target was added suddenly, bearing a resemblance to the Northern Grand Duke.

A woman of childbearing age allowed near Arad, with the Grand Duchess and Isabel’s approval.

Human minds tend to arrive at similar conclusions.

It seemed that others, besides Arad, had their own wild guesses about Mary’s identity.

The only ones oblivious to these suspicions were the masterminds Isabelle and Arina themselves.

Completely unaware that the Frost Knights were watching, Arina and Arad carried their completed items outside and conversed.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave now, sir. Also, that dish called chicken—it was truly amazing.”

“Glad you enjoyed it. You’ll be having it more often.”

“Really?!”

“Sure, it’s not a particularly hard dish to make.”

“Heh…”

“Now wipe your mouth. But wow, you devoured five chickens in one sitting…”

“Ahem! I do eat quite a lot.”

“Clearly. I’ll prepare more food in the future.”

“Hahaha, thank you so much!”

Even from a distance, the Frost Knights could sense how much closer the two had grown overnight.

‘So it was a charm strategy, after all?’

‘Wasn’t Arad Jin close with the Grand Duchess? Is this even okay?’

‘Shh! The Grand Duchess and Isabelle must have their reasons. That’s probably why they assigned Lady Mary here.’

Human thoughts, as always, seemed to align in similar ways.

There was no need to resort to mental manipulation spells on these knights.

TL Note: Rate us on NOVEL UPDATES