Chapter 402: Lunch After Waking Up
Sizzle—
Armand placed the fresh cuts of meat he had prepared onto the hot iron plate, the sizzling sound filling the air. Following the recipes in his memory, he skillfully sprinkled in some seasonings, then pressed the meat down with his spatula again and again until it turned to the color he wanted.
Evelia’s storage mark only held killing tools, but the reborn Armand was different.
Aside from basic weapons and armor, he carried more everyday items and some outdoor cooking gear.
He had expected that this period of time would include a tough fight, so he had made thorough preparations beforehand to ensure he wouldn’t go hungry. Rachel used to complain that it was a waste of her precious storage-space invention to store “that kind of stuff”, but reality proved these things really were useful.
Like now, Armand was using them to make lunch for the still-sleeping Evelia.
The smell alone made Rachel, who had been arguing with Armand earlier, feel glad that he had brought these things.
In a way, he was quite the dependable homebody man.
Not only had he prepared cooking tools, but he had also cleaned Evelia up beforehand, wiping the dirt off her face while she slept soundly, leaving her looking like a little “pink-haired cat.”
Perhaps the clinking and clattering of the cooking had been noisy, because Evelia slowly opened her eyes.
“Mmm…”
She gave a soft hum as she poked her way out of the sleeping bag. Messy hair covered half her face, and she spent quite a while pushing aside the strands tangled like a maze before finally taking a breath and clearing her view.
“Mom, you’re awake?”
The first voice she heard was Rachel’s. Still half-asleep, Evelia nodded in response.
“Ah… mm…”
She must have been having a nice dream, because her eyes stayed lazily half-closed, her mind still wrapped in the comfort she remembered from being in Armand’s estate.
But when she blinked and took in the sight of the sky and bare tree branches above her, she suddenly realized she had fallen asleep in the forest yesterday, and it had been a long time since she had actually been back to Armand’s estate.
Mr. Armand’s estate… it should still be under lockdown.
I must’ve fallen asleep in the forest yesterday… but how long did I sleep?
“But… what’s this…?”
The warmth she felt was completely different from the usual harshness of sleeping outdoors.
Early spring was far from warm, even during the day, camping in the wild was not comfortable. Evelia had enough experience to know what it was like to be frozen stiff outside. Yet surprisingly, she actually felt quite warm.
“A sleeping bag?”
She finally noticed she was inside one.
She knew these well, but as someone who usually lived on the edge with a blade in hand, she had almost never used them. Comfort was the deadliest weapon for people like her… and she was now sinking into it, all because of the sense of safety Armand brought her.
“Mom, are you still cold?”
Rachel poked her little head out and looked at Evelia, who was trying to get out of the sleeping bag. Then she picked up the heavy coat that had been covering Evelia and draped it over her shoulders.
“It’s still chilly, Mom. The weather hasn’t warmed up yet.”
As an alchemist, Rachel knew that Evelia’s alchemically enhanced body wouldn’t catch cold so easily, but she still cared for her mental comfort, wanting to make sure that Evelia, who had finally reunited with Armand, could feel warm and grounded.
This girl who acted like both a daughter and a mother… really was wearing herself out taking care of the two of them.
“Mm… thank you.”
Evelia gave a soft thanks, glancing at Rachel’s cheerful smile but stopping short of saying more.
She wanted to show her gratitude, but a simple “thank you” felt too plain. She wasn’t like other people, who could always say the right things to make someone happy.
After hesitating for a long moment, Evelia chose instead to lift her hand and gently place it on Rachel’s head.
Imitating how Armand had once comforted and encouraged her, she softly patted Rachel’s head.
“It’s very warm. Thank you.”
She wanted to make her gratitude sound a bit fuller, but in the end, those were the only words she could think of.
“……”
The gesture made Rachel pause for a moment. Instinctively, she glanced over at Armand, unsure how to react. But when her eyes met his amused gaze, she let out a small, helpless laugh, mixed with joy and warmth.
“Mm.”
She gladly accepted the thanks and even rubbed her head against Evelia’s palm.
…It really was a strange feeling.
As Evelia patted Rachel’s head, she felt something she couldn’t quite explain.
She had petted cats and dogs before, but only as part of her work, since soothing them was one of the steps in preparing food. But patting Rachel’s head today gave her a completely different feeling.
Was it… some kind of intimate sense of satisfaction? Evelia wasn’t sure.
Her fingers gently smoothed Rachel’s hair, almost as if she was afraid to hurt her, her touch light and careful.
And… maybe even a little enjoyable?
“You two seem to be getting along so well, I might get jealous.”
Armand, busy flipping grilled meat, looked over at the sight of Evelia patting Rachel like she had discovered some kind of treasure. With a smile, he walked over carrying a plate and fork, waving them in front of Evelia as if “competing for attention,” trying to pull her focus back to him.
“Ah… Mr. Armand…”
Hearing his voice brought Evelia back to herself. She noticed her hand was still on Rachel’s head, then glanced at Armand’s “pitiful” expression. Maybe remembering his earlier joke about “please don’t abandon me,” her heart tightened. She quickly pulled her hand away from Rachel and instead placed it on Armand’s head, gently ruffling his hair while hurriedly explaining.
“Mr. Armand… you’ll always be number one in my heart. I will never abandon you.”
She kept patting his head, and somehow it felt different from patting Rachel’s. Seeing Armand quietly let her mess up his hair made Evelia’s heart beat a little faster for reasons she couldn’t explain.
“Eh~? What about me, Mom? Don’t you want me anymore?”
Seeing Evelia’s reaction, Rachel seemed to have learned a few tricks herself, even daring to tease Evelia now, a far cry from the trembling girl who once shivered at the sight of her.
Of course, that was because Evelia had grown more gentle with them. It wasn’t that she had lost her edge. She had simply accepted them as family, and her gaze toward them had softened a lot, losing the intimidation it once held.
“Mm?”
Looking at Rachel’s pitiful act, Evelia stayed silent for a moment before answering:
“For Rachel… you can only be second place.”
She seemed to give the question serious thought before delivering this equally serious answer. Evelia even raised two fingers to show Rachel a “2”, or perhaps it could also be read as a “victory sign” showing that Armand had won.
“Wah…”
Although Evelia’s answer was so firm and straightforward, which Rachel hadn’t expected, her expression looked as if she’d been a little “hurt” by it.
But thinking about it, it was only natural. In Evelia’s heart, the number one spot could only belong to Armand. You could say she had just been hit by a “super romance blast” from the two of them.
That was, of course, a good thing.
It clearly showed that the Second Prince’s shadow in Evelia’s heart was fading more and more, and that dark mark was nearly gone, driven out by Armand’s light.
The fear, anxiety, and sense of inferiority she once carried were slowly melting away with Armand’s presence. The person she could now depend on, truly rely on, was no longer the prince who manipulated her, but the man who genuinely loved her, Armand.
She had gained emotions, and she had gained her own love.
— This boy… no wonder I approved of him as my “son-in-law.”
Rachel thought this, nodding slightly in pride at her own judgment.
If Rachel had been a few decades younger, maybe she too would have fallen head over heels for someone like Armand. In a way, his personality was the kind that could win over many people.
But now, the only path she wanted to walk was the one with “alchemy.” She would always strive to be an excellent alchemist.
“Alright, thank you for liking me.”
Armand smiled and planted a kiss on Evelia’s cheek, and then, a bit greedily, gave her a gentle bite, leaving several faint teeth marks on her shoulder.
“Mmm…”
Evelia touched her face. Even though he had bitten her, it didn’t hurt, it just felt a little ticklish.
“Here, Eve.”
He placed a plate into her hands and, very thoughtfully, took out a whole box of tomato sauce he had kept in his storage without ever throwing away.
“You must be hungry. Let’s eat while we talk, don’t let lunch get cold.”
“Ah… mm…”
It had been so long since Evelia had seen her beloved tomato sauce, so when she saw Armand take it out, her eyes instantly lit up. That change in her expression made Armand wonder if what she’d just said, “You’re number one in my heart”, was really true.
He couldn’t help but think, if he and the tomato sauce fell into the water together, Evelia would probably fish out the tomato sauce first and then ask him, ‘You can’t swim?’
“Haha…”
Thinking this, Armand could already picture Evelia’s dead-serious face saying it, and he laughed.
“What is it, Mr. Armand?”
Evelia glanced at him while she was busy drowning her grilled meat in tomato sauce, but clearly, her mind was still on the sauce in her hand.
“It’s nothing.”
Armand smiled, shook his head, then reached out and wiped a bit of tomato sauce from her face with his thumb, putting it into his mouth to taste.
“I just think you’re really cute, that’s all.”