Chapter 331: The Perfect Wife
’I wonder where Dim Dim went,’ Alex thought, glancing at the storage ring filled with stacks of talismans. ’Well, I’m sure he’ll be fine since he is inside the academy.’
Nessia was nearly finished with the third batch of talismans he had asked of her to imbue with rune magic. The young lady glared at him, making him shudder. It was as if she was telling Alex that if he didn’t compensate her well and give her a vacation after all that hard work, she would skin him alive.
He’d just returned to the clock tower after finishing his business at the Exchange Centre.
’Well, I guess she deserves a vacation,’ Alex thought. ’We can go to a hot spring resort after the Dungeon Expedition ends, or some other scenic places that the members will like.’
There were many amazing places in the Kingdom of Avalon, which made him wonder where they should go for a vacation.
By the time he got back to their club room, the sun had almost set.
Since everyone was busy preparing for the expedition, he had asked Princess Xenia if Mary could cook everyone dinner.
The Princess agreed. Vaan also assisted with the preparations.
Lavinia also volunteered to help.
According to Lotte, the young lady from the Clawford Tribe had suddenly developed an interest in cooking, which was why she decided to help in preparing their dinner.
Aside from Renard, all the club members were busy.
In private, Alex also shared his hunch with Princess Xenia regarding the Headmaster’s destination for the First Years.
After that, he asked the princess to make her preparations. He reminded her to be subtle so no one would learn about their secret.
By the time Alex returned, the round table was already covered with various dishes.
Nessia ate like she had not eaten for days. Even the always sleeping Latifa was seated at the table.
"Welcome, Sir Alex." Mary bowed respectfully. "Please eat while the food is still warm."
"Thank you, Mary," Alex replied and sat down in his usual seat before placing some dishes on his plate.
"Here, Alex. Try the sweet and sour pork," Vaan said as he personally put a few pieces of meat on Alex’s plate. "I’m the one who cooked it."
"... You didn’t put anything weird in it, right?" Alex eyed the normal-looking pieces of meat on his plate with some suspicion.
Vaan gave Lavinia and Latifa a side-long glance before smiling sweetly. "I placed a special ingredient in it."
"And that ingredient is?" Alex arched an eyebrow.
"Love."
"... You silly goose."
Alex sighed, knowing Vaan was just joking around again.
However, he suddenly sensed some kind of pressure behind him as Lavinia arrived and placed a small bowl of chicken soup beside him.
"Here you go. I made it, so I would appreciate it if you tell me if it’s good or not," Lavinia stated before glancing at Vaan, who only smiled back at her.
Just as Alex was about to take a taste, Latifa placed a small plate with two fried chicken drumsticks on him.
Alex blinked because he didn’t expect that Latifa would also give him food. "Did you cook this?"
"No," Latifa replied. "But Lotte did. Since that’s the case, this food is ’technically’ cooked by me as well."
Nessia smirked at Alex, who had unknowingly entered a battlefield.
Even Charles and Princess Xenia had faint smiles on their faces as they looked at Alex, who was wondering if he should try the chicken soup or the two drumsticks first.
In the end, he decided to go for the chicken soup.
"This chicken soup has a very rich flavor." Alex nodded in satisfaction. "Well done, Lavinia."
Lavinia felt happy. She had initially felt anxious, worried that Alex might not like her cooking. Fortunately, Lotte had patiently taught her what to do. As such, even though Lavinia was a beginner, her chicken broth was very tasty indeed.
Of course, Alex took a bite of the drumsticks next.
"Crispy on the outside and juicy inside. It’s good, Lotte," Alex praised Latifa’s second Alter.
But for some reason, it was Latifa who looked very proud, as if she was the one who had cooked the dish herself.
Finally, Alex ate Vaan’s sweet and sour pork.
After taking a single bite, the young man’s eyes widened in shock due to how delicious it was.
"This is..." Alex muttered. He took another bite, then another, almost forgetting the tension of the silent battlefield of gazes around the table. "Vaan, this is restaurant-level cooking. I didn’t know you had this kind of skill."
Vaan chuckled, clearly pleased. "Well, I do have to keep surprising you every now and then, don’t I?"
Lavinia narrowed her eyes but remained composed, sipping her soup.
Latifa, meanwhile, leaned back smugly as if her contribution had already been validated.
Nessia, who had been watching everything with a smirk, stabbed a small piece of roasted duck with her fork and took a bite. The interesting tea added a nice kick to the meal too.
She was really tired, but the food made up for all of her trouble.
At that moment, Chuck and Dim Dim appeared in the club room, both looking very satisfied as if they had done something very fulfilling.
"Finally, something good to eat," Chuck exclaimed as he sat down on his chair and added a few dishes to his plate.
Mary noticed that Chuck mostly took the food she had cooked.
"Wow, this roasted duck is great!" Chuck declared. "Here. Have a bite, Dim Dim."
Chuck took a piece and handfed the little bun, who had just removed its gangster sunglasses.
"Mmm!" Dim Dim chewed happily because the food was really delicious.
A small smile, barely visible, appeared on Mary’s face. Seeing Chuck and Dim Dim enjoy her cooking made her feel a sense of gratification that she didn’t expect to feel.
"The one who cooked this roasted duck will make the perfect wife," Chuck commented as he happily took another bite.
At Chuck’s remark, the maid lowered her head, a faint trace of red on her cheeks.
Princess Xenia, who noticed Mary’s flustered expression, covered her mouth with a fan-like gesture, hiding her knowing smile.
Lavinia, Nessia, and even Latifa glanced at Chuck before shifting their gaze to Mary, who busied herself with pouring a glass of water for Princess Xenia.
"Perfect wife, huh?" Nessia repeated with a teasing tone, resting her chin on her palm. "That’s quite the bold statement, Chuck."
"What? It’s true!" Chuck replied with complete sincerity, not noticing Mary’s reaction at all. "Food this good can conquer empires. Just imagine coming home after a long battle and being greeted by this roasted duck—instant happiness."
Dim Dim nodded in agreement. "Dim!"
Alex couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene, but he quickly noticed Mary fidgeting with her apron, as if trying to calm her racing heart.
To avoid attracting the spotlight to her, she busied herself with pouring tea for others.
The atmosphere around the table warmed even further. Laughter and the clatter of plates and utensils mixed together as everyone began eating in earnest.
For a moment, it was easy to forget the looming expedition and simply enjoy good food and company inside the Endless Horizon Club Room.