CH-06
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Morning birds chirping and the sound of wheels rolling echoed through the peaceful forest.
I didn’t know why I was walking, but my stomach was burning.
‘Everyone looks happy.
Except me.
The birds chirping in the air seemed so unnerving.
I glanced back at Kashar as we walked down the street.
“You’re not here to kill Louis and Evan, are you?
It couldn’t be.
The point of contact between them still needed to be created.
“But just in case.
You never know about people.
We quickly arrived at the kitchen door. It was wide open.
Kashar, who had been quietly following behind me, spoke up.
“So, what did you hit me with?”
My eyes naturally fell on the wall of the kitchen door.
There was a display of unused teapots there.
“That…… thing.”
I gingerly pointed to the teapot.
Naturally, his gaze clung to my fingertips and then shifted to the teapot.
“The …… bowl?”
Yes. The teapot was a K-bowl, recognized by the world.
As I watched his expression change, I had a different thought.
“Just one more slap.
Then everything will be fine.
But there would be no miracle that would make him hit the teapot again.
“What do I do?
The children should have been fast asleep.
My heart was burning with impatience.
“If you’re trying to buy time, you’d better stop.”
With a warning not to get distracted.
“Woof, Eileen?”
It was then. A familiar voice drew my attention.
“Louis?! And Evan…….”
The kids, who I’d assumed were asleep, stood on the other side of the kitchen, their pajamas floating in the breeze.
Louis rubbed his eyes to shake off the drowsiness, then cocked his head at Kashar behind my back.
Evan, too, was pulling Louis’s body toward him, as if wary of strangers.
“This is so screwed up.
Three people who weren’t supposed to be together now.
“Who would have thought it would turn out like this?
As I was sighing, Louis came running up to me.
“Who’s your brother?”
His innocent-looking eyes blinked, and my heart clenched together.
“Quiet, prince!
I pleaded inwardly, but it didn’t reach Louis.
Kashar simply said nothing, as if the situation was ridiculous.
After a while, Lewis, who was rolling his head on his own, encountered each other with his palms clapped.
“Oh, I recognize you, big brother, you’re Eileen’s boyfriend!”
“……?”
It was a perfectly good guess.
Before I could say anything to deny it, Louis seemed to have finished his conclusion.
He slipped out from behind me and stood proudly in front of Kashar.
“Eileen is ours!”
It was a truly imposing position.
Kashar’s brow furrowed, one eyebrow raised.
His take-it-or-leave-it face looked like it was about to explode. My face paled in response.
“Mr. Lewis. Wait a minute, it’s not like that…….”
I smiled awkwardly and tried to stop him.
But this time, the kid seemed to have firmly misunderstood.
“Hmph, no way. Are you a villain who’s here to bully us? I’m not going to let you get away with it!”
“Mr. Lewis!”
Louis held up the teapot as a weapon.
Kashar’s eyes widened at the sight of the teapot, which had already been used before.
“This is going to get us into trouble.
No one would care about the deaths of outcast princes.
If Kashar wanted to, he could kill them all and cover it up.
Since it was already a foregone conclusion, I decided to put my hopes in pretending to be crazy.
“That’s right, lover!”
“What?”
Kashar, who hadn’t said a word the whole time, echoed.
He was stunned, but I had already decided to play the crazy one, so nothing was stopping me.
I threw my arms around Kashar and clung to him tightly.
“Darling, relax your expression. The princes misunderstand.”
“…….”
“Don’t come here like that. Shame on you.”
Ho ho ho. Fake laughter echoed through the kitchen.
Many of the jobs I’ve held have included guest or small roles.
I decided to put my shallow acting knowledge to good use.
“Are you Eileen’s boyfriend?”
“Yes. So, Mr. Lewis put that teapot down already.”
“Really? A real lover?”
“What do you mean?”
So please put that teapot down. Please.
Louis could see Kashar’s eyes shift every time Louis moved the teapot. Louis squinted to see if Kashar was scared.
I feel like dying.
It was time for another breathless confrontation.
“Louis. Give it to me.”
“No, I can’t, I have to protect Eileen!”
Evan, who had been watching from the back, snatched the teapot from Louis’ hands and pushed it away.
Lewis was instantly upset, but I was cheering inside.
“Nice, Evan!
I wanted to hug him and kiss his soft cheeks. He’d be horrified, of course.
At this point, I glanced over at Kashar again.
Maybe it was the freshness of the blow to the head, or maybe he was getting the picture.
Seeing him stand still while I pretended to be his lover gave me a glimmer of hope.
‘Maybe he’s surprisingly gentle,’ I thought.
Even though it may be portrayed harshly in the book, in reality, that might not be all there is…
Evan and Louis were still nice.
I nudged him toward the door with vague expectations.
“I’m done for the day, but maybe next time…….”
“You think you can just mess me up like this and send me back?”
He growled fiercely as if sensing my intentions.
“I didn’t say go……, I meant to come inside with me, I’m making breakfast!”
I led the way into the dining room as if I had just pushed him near the door.
“You have to live a little longer.
For now, I had to separate Kashar from the children.
As I pushed him away, I winked at the children.
“You’re up too early today, princes, go back to sleep!”
“No, I’m going to check on them!”
Louis shouted, catching up to me with a thunderous yell.
The child glared fiercely at Kashar.
“What the hell are you talking about?
I wondered if Evan would stop him this time.
But Evan was silent, following along beside Louis.
“Why aren’t you stopping me this time?
I shouted, but he couldn’t hear me.
We all went to the dining room together.
Sitting down with the twins and Kashar, it was a comedy of errors.
“Ha, ha, ha.”
The chorus of laughter echoed through the quiet dining room.
Sometimes, when a person is too ridiculous, they can become quiet.
This was the case with Kashar.
“Oh my God, what’s going on…… are you a customer?”
Emma, who had come outside after hearing the commotion, gave Kashar a bunny-eyed look.
“Emma, I have to get ready for breakfast, so I need you to take over.”
“Huh, yeah……!”
I whispered to Emma in a low voice before leaving the restaurant.
“Never leave the three of you alone with the princes and Kashmir. I’ll be there in a minute, but I want you to stay with me, in case anything happens…….”
“I can hear you, so keep your whispers down.”
My whisper caught the beastly man’s ear.
“Oh, not like that.”
I turned around, smiling awkwardly, and he smirked.
“You don’t kill a child in your right mind.”
“Well, of course not, how sweet of you!”
“Affectionate? I’ve never heard that dog talk before…….”
“Ai, even jokes are cha-am-!”
Kashar’s one eyebrow shot up as I made a slapping gesture in the air.
I quickly put my hands behind my back and he smirked. It was the smile of a very handsome killer.
“You’d better get ready fast, we’re in for a big morning.”
It was my day after all.
Emma stepped forward to take my stiffened place.
“Duke, I will serve you.”
Way to go, Emma!
“Then I’ll go make it!”
I hurried to the kitchen.
“Now what?
The kitchen was littered with ingredients.
I scrambled to get everything ready, but all I could do was laugh.
“Who knew they’d die before it was even black!
Kashar was waiting for an explanation for this situation, not my breakfast.
“That is to say.
If you don’t have an excuse, you’re as good as dead.
“But what am I going to say?
That was the end of my explanation.
‘A poor prince forgotten in an old palace, forgotten by the people, if that’s what it takes to win sympathy?
“There’s no life for me there.
A bed ending before the story has even begun.
What an ending.
‘If I die, what will happen to our princes!’
I clenched my fists.
“They can only grow upright if I live.
I was their protector, after all.
“Mommy is strong.
I raised my knife with that single-minded intent.
“I must prepare something so delicious that their eyes will light up.
People feel better when they eat something delicious.
“No matter how monstrous a man is, he’s still a man.
I sighed as I looked at the ingredients.
The one from last night’s dream.
“Buk-a-po.
The kids love Korean food, and I wanted a cold soup.
On the stove, a thick broth was simmering.
I stared at the pale yellow dried fish with confused eyes.
“Just try it.
My skill at making haejangguk was recognized by the owner of the Korean restaurant.
I raised my bat with that fact alone in mind.
“Yeah, right! It would’ve been nice if you’d just forgotten! Why are you peeking into other people’s houses a
Puck-! Puck-! Puck-! Puck-! Puck-! Puck-! Puck-! Puck-! Puck-!
I pounded the drumstick with my bat.
Of course, what I was doing was not violence, but a strictly culinary process.
“I can see why they beat pufferfish after a fight.
My body temperature rose from the brief physical labor.
I took the gently pressed pufferfish and started cooking.
‘I already brought the soy sauce and perilla oil, but I’ll have to mince the garlic.
I had accumulated quite a few spices in the kitchen from my frequent travels in my dreams.
“It’s not a difficult dish, so it won’t take long.
I sautéed the yellow beans, radishes, and minced garlic in perilla oil, and the kitchen filled with a delicious smell.
She poured in the broth, trimmed the bean sprouts she’d grown in the kit, and seasoned the dish.
“Done!”
Moments later, the tray was piled high with freshly cooked rice, bean curd soup, and other side dishes.
The smell of the steaming soup was quite appetizing.
‘To make it warmer…….’
I transferred Kashar’s portion to a teapot and boiled it separately.
I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
I swallowed dryly and took the tray to the dining room.
There, the princes and Kashar were chatting animatedly.
“Did everything go well?
I asked, relieved that they seemed to be in better spirits than I expected.
I turned to Emma, who was standing behind me, and asked with my eyes if everything was okay.
“Everything okay?
“A lot.
Pale-complexioned Emma shook her head slowly, her voice sounding innocent.
“By the way, by the way, what’s wrong with your hair?”
It was Louis.
I clamped my mouth shut as a scream threatened to escape, and I locked eyes with Kashar.
“Oh, this.”
He replied, slowly smoothing back his raven hair.
“Someone tried to knock me out and dump me.”
A lazy chuckle strangled my throat.
But Louis wasn’t done yet.
“Huck, did you get dumped by Eileen?”
Louis’s wide-eyed expression was so cute I wanted to cry.
“I was …… dumped.”
He couldn’t believe it when he suddenly got a girlfriend, and on top of that, she even made him breakfast.
“If that’s a dump, I guess it’s a dump.”
I wasn’t dumped, I was slapped.
Kashar’s eyes seemed to say so as he looked at me.
“My, tell me when I did that, darling.”
“You said you tried to dump me.”
“Oh, then you were about to get dumped!”
Louis clapped his hands in understanding.
I felt like I was going to lose my mind halfway through the flow.
