Hmm…

All I can taste is the charcoal.

I chewed on the steak, tougher than tendons, until my jaw was exhausted, eventually giving up and swallowing it like a rice cake.

“It’s delicious.”

“You can’t lie even when I see you every time.”

“No, really… it’s delicious.”

When eating for the second time, I applied a generous amount of sauce before putting it in my mouth. Upon doing so, Idris sighed deeply, running his hand through his face.

“Viggo, don’t just stand there. I’m sure it’ll be fine like this…”

“Did you learn from Viggo?”

“He claimed to teach me the recipe. But he deceived me.”

“It’s not Viggo’s fault…”

“Not Viggo?”

“Idris has poor cooking skills.”

Seemingly shocked, Idris’s mouth slightly opened.

“Only in cooking! So from now on, let’s stick to eating only the food that Viggo makes.”

“But I wanted to personally make something delicious for you.”

Idris puckered his fingertips.

Huh, what’s this? Cute. Can such a big man be considered cute?

“It’s okay. Idris gave me something more delicious.”

“Me?”

I squinted my eyes. Idris seemed oblivious to the intention behind my words and raised his eyebrows. I raised the corners of my mouth to look as sly as possible.

“Well, Idris’s sexy lips?”

Hahaha, I burst into laughter after saying that.

It seemed a bit perverted, just now.

But Idris just stared at me.

“Was it not fun? I’m sorry.”

Feeling awkward, I picked up the third piece of meat. Eating is the best when things get awkward.

But before I could eat, Idris took the fork from my hand.

“Why? Why?”

“I’ll make a new meal for you, so wait in the room.”

“But I really want to eat this! And it’s delicious!”

Idris hugged me without saying a word.

“Then, even after hearing that, did you think I would quietly eat?”

“What are you talking about…!”

Without answering, Idris glared at me with his eyes twinkling and placed me on the counter.

I didn’t intend to say it that way!

Well, actually, it does fit a bit?

“Do you remember when we made acorn pudding last time?”

At Idris’s sudden question, I shook my head.

I was sitting on the counter in the kitchen before, and Idris was looking at me just like now.

At that time, I used every effort to control my fluctuating emotions.

At that moment, as if he read my mind, Idris’s lips lightly touched my cheek. He then lifted his head and kissed my ear again. The sound tickled my ears, making me shiver. The subsequent whispering tantalized my skin.

“Back then, I wanted to do this.”

“Idris too? Me too!”

Whether I seemed too overwhelmed, Idris burst into laughter.

Idris looked into my eyes again.

“How did you want to do it?”

His usually playful eyes were now provocative, stimulating my suspicions. The thoughts of the food I was just enjoying disappeared without a trace.

“Well, like this.”

I pulled Idris’s neck towards me.

There was still so much to do, but the time spent with Idris after a long while was incredibly sweet.

There was even a good excuse for this: a curse.

Yes! We need this time to further lift Idris’s curse. We never know when a battle might happen.

I enjoyed his embrace, rationalizing it like that. It seemed like Idris also missed spending time with me, as he relentlessly pulled me closer with a vigor that seemed to wear away my body.

During such a sweet moment, someone knocked on the door. We both looked at the door with serious faces. It was just delightful a moment ago, as if we were in heaven. It was time to return to reality, feeling like we’d been splashed with cold water.

Idris wrapped a fuzzy blanket around me, got up from the bed, swung his nimble arms to put on his clothes, and opened the door.

Between Idris’s arms, Zero’s face appeared. It had only been a few days since he arrived as a reinforcement with the antidote.

When I shook hands with him, Zero nodded respectfully.

“I apologize for disturbing your rest.”

“What’s going on?”

“People have come looking for Lord Idris.”

Zero continued to explain, but I couldn’t hear well where I was. Even reading Idris’s expression wasn’t easy.

Could it be bad news again? My heart pounded with anxiety.

When the conversation seemed to end, Idris turned and came back to me. He lightly kissed my forehead.

“I’ll be back in a moment. I need a bit more sleep. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Is it something serious? Something bad?”

Idris flicked my eyebrows. The worried eyebrows that had risen came back to their place.

“No, you’ll have to see for yourself if it’s serious, but it’s not bad news.”

Well, that’s a relief.

I nodded and got up from the bed. Then, I helped tidy up Idris’s appearance. I handed him a neatly folded navy vest and adjusted the collar of his shirt to prevent it from wrinkling. As I did so, Idris stared at me intently.

Even though we were so close, his persistent gaze made my heart tickle anew, feeling strangely fascinating.

As expected… is it because he’s handsome?

“When you look at me with those sparkling eyes… I can’t let you go, Idris. I won’t be able to take a step away.”