“……!”
Lionel’s face instantly flushed red. His golden eyes widened, and tears pooling at the corners of his eyes rolled down his cheeks.
“Kuk, kek! Kuhueok!”
With just one spoonful of gukbap, he continuously burst out coughing as his back heaved. Finally, the hand that slammed down the spoon was close to despair.
“Kup, what… what did you put in this! Kek, keuhup!”
“Uh…. Special seasoning sauce?”
“You’re… trying to assassinate me!”
Continuously pouring out coughs, there was no dignity left whatsoever. The prickly Crown Prince I’d seen in the book had disappeared, and what was in front of me now was someone weak to spicy food floundering in spiciness.
“Kek, kyak! Keuhup!”
The sight of him hunched over gasping for breath was almost at the level of a street cat hacking up a hairball.
“I’m sorry. Is it very spicy?”
At my words, Lionel raised the corners of his eyes and glared at me. Whew, how fierce. His height was slightly shorter than mine so he was like a wildcat cub, but as expected the imperial blood doesn’t go anywhere—his expression was unmistakably a young tiger. No, a dragon hatchling? Anyway, I did feel sorry, so I hurriedly offered him a cup of water.
“Drink this water quickly.”
Lionel snatched the water cup and gulped it down, then stuck out his tongue to cool it while taking something out from his pocket. Inside the gleaming silver wrapper was something that looked like a pill candy. The moment he peeled off the wrapper, an intense mint scent wafted over strongly. ……Mint? No way?
“You shouldn’t eat that!”
But before I could stop him, it had already gone straight into Lionel’s mouth. And then.
“Huk!”
Lionel’s shoulders trembled, and this time tears actually streamed down. The characteristically cool refreshing sensation of mint had collided with the capsaicin remaining on his tongue. Hot and cold rushed in simultaneously, so his brain became confused and the pain would have doubled. Lionel now grabbed the table and asked as if sobbing.
“Why… is it, even spicier… now……?!”
“Probably… because the hot and cold are sending signals at the same time, your brain got confused…?”
“Heueok…! Don’t talk… hup, nonsense…. Haah, how dare a lowly commoner… presume to, haah, teach me, eup!”
A haughty imperial who says everything he wants to say to the end while not even being able to swallow a single drop of saliva properly. I finally sighed and wiped the corners of his mouth with my sleeve.
Lionel, who had been drooling candy and saliva, ended up grabbing my sleeve and drooling all over it. It seemed he was experiencing the spiciness of life for the first time in his life.
Anyway, when you raise them preciously in a greenhouse, this is exactly what happens. Usually in an imperial palace, power struggles or assassination attempts are basic, but I haven’t heard of him having other siblings.
……Well, it is kind of funny to call someone greenhouse-raised just because they can’t handle spicy food.
Anyway, I’m not going to get executed for this, right? The moment I looked at him worriedly, Lionel slapped my wrist away with a smack and abruptly stood up from his seat.
“Uh, where are you going?”
At my call, cold golden eyes pierced through me.
“Is there any reason I should pay for such food?”
“What……!”
Right now, is he going to leave without even paying?
I felt wronged. My heart sank and anger rose. But actually, he wasn’t wrong. He only had one spoonful and just poured out coughs, so he didn’t really eat properly. And it’s my fault for mixing in the seasoning sauce. I should have served it on the side.
However, the bitterness was unavoidable.
“If you’re blonde, you should spend gold coins generously too… Does just having shiny hair mean everything?”
And I muttered quietly, “Shyubal….” Of course, it’s rude to curse to someone’s face, but it was a privilege of a transmigrator possible because it was a word people in this world couldn’t understand. But the moment I uttered those words, Lionel’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“You, did you know I’m the Crown Prince of Chevalier?”
“What?!”
What bullshit is that?! Don’t tell me he heard the curse I spat out as his empire’s name? My god, to think such a Chevalier-like situation exists! Unlike me who was flustered, Lionel nodded and declared.
“I see. That’s why you served such food to assassinate me.”
“No, I said no! And can’t you see everyone else is eating this deliciously?”
He turned his gaze to where my hand pointed and saw the other customers sweating profusely, their lips dyed red, eating the reddened gukbap.
“……Then, what was that earlier?”
I blinked calmly, pretending to be composed, and countered.
“Just…… well, a metaphor, shall we say.”
“…….”
Instantly, Lionel’s swollen lips twitched. His golden eyes wavered and his face flushed red—despite coming with his robe pulled down to hide his identity, he ended up exposing his own status himself. Lionel moved his lips trying to say something, but no proper sound came from his throat.
Just then, ding-a-ling-
A clear and distinct bell sound rang throughout the shop, and the air inside the inn settled coldly.
At the familiar silence, I reflexively raised my head, and at the doorway was, as expected, Theorde Valen Hart, our inn’s first sucker—I mean, customer.
“…….”
All the customers around lowered their heads and became quiet.
Lionel also instantly stiffened and pulled his robe down deeper. Theorde, who always sat in his designated seat, glanced at Lionel before sitting down. And when he slightly bowed his head, Lionel also just moved his chin.
I hurriedly ran into the kitchen and got a ttukbaegi. I put on the garnish and was about to add the seasoning sauce when I suddenly hesitated.
……Won’t he end up like Lionel?
After worrying, I carefully brought it out in a separate small dish, and Theorde’s blue eyes looked straight at me. It was a gaze as if asking what this was.
“Ah, this is newly made homemade seasoning sauce. The spicy flavor is excellent, but it’s quite spicy. Be careful…!”
Before I could even finish speaking, Theorde quietly nodded. And then he poured all the seasoning sauce into the gukbap.
“Huk!”
I gave you quite a lot on purpose so you could adjust it yourself?!
In an instant, the broth turned bright red.
I was shocked and opened my eyes wide, and next to me, Lionel also looked at Theorde with a dumbfounded face.
Blue eyes stared at the broth that had turned hotly red. Then he slowly picked up his spoon.
Without realizing it, I swallowed and, without making even a single breath, only followed his movements. The hot broth finally touched Theorde’s open mouth, and his Adam’s apple moved slowly.
And his blue eyes opened wide.
“……!”
Is it… spicy?
I quickly brought a cup of water. However, Theorde didn’t move at all. Without shedding a single drop of sweat, he was eating the gukbap continuously.
They kept calling him the cold-blooded knight, but is he really made of ice down to his blood? He didn’t even just eat the broth. He mixed in the rice, cleaned out the entire ttukbaegi, and even crunched through the kkakdugi. Lionel, who was watching that sight, swallowed his saliva audibly. I glanced at him sideways and then carefully pushed over the white gukbap I’d prepared without seasoning, saying,
“This one isn’t spicy, so try it.”
Lionel’s golden eyes narrowed suspiciously for a moment. However, he finally picked up his spoon and swallowed a spoonful.
“……!”
Seeing his golden eyes widen greatly, I grinned.
Behold, the power of MSG!
Lionel’s fingers trembled for a moment, then he muttered lowly.
“…There’s a taste in this world I haven’t experienced?”
Well, it’s an artificial seasoning created by modern science. But I couldn’t say that and just smiled vaguely. Lionel’s lips were subtly stiff, but his spoon didn’t stop. Soon, half of the ttukbaegi had disappeared. And the moment Theorde swallowed his last spoonful, I offered him water and carefully asked.
“Was it to your liking?”
Theorde took the water I offered and looked at me for a moment. Those blue eyes rippled unfathomably deep. Then he slowly nodded.
“…Yes.”
Along with the short answer, the corners of his mouth slowly, very slowly, rose.
“……Huk!”
“Ugh, it’s dazzling.”
The last voice someone let out was not an exaggeration.
Theorde Valen Hart. His smile was a weapon. A spear piercing the heart, a hymn shaking the soul. In an instant, everything before my eyes whitened like a blank page and it was breathtaking. And then, thud. What landed on the table was a whopping 5 Silver.
“……!”
Heavier than the weight of the silver coins was his one sentence.
“I ate well today too.”
Watching him slowly rise from his seat, my chest began to churn. My heart pounded noisily, and I couldn’t endure without clutching it with my hand.
Aah, Theorde. Was he really human? Wasn’t he an angel? Or a saint wearing the guise of a Knight Commander? Like a lie, it seemed as if impossible wings unfolded behind his back. An illusion of pure white feathers scattering in the wind filled my vision.
I choked up, tears welling up, and bit my lip hard.
Yes. I can no longer deny it. I have already become a believer who worships him.
“I found it…… my love.”
The whisper leaked out through my throat, and I barely held back my body that almost knelt at his departing back, praying only with my eyes.
Just then, there was another person who stood up, cutting through my gaze.
It was Lionel. His golden hair flowed down between his robe and sparkled. As he immediately prepared to leave, the tears that had welled up until just moments ago instantly disappeared. I forced my voice to steady and asked.
“Customer, about the payment……?”
At those words, Lionel snorted, and his golden eyes narrowed coldly.
