Crow led them to the kitchen at the back of the shop, a place completely different from the front yard. The floor was spotless, a large table, two wooden sofas, and several high stools were arranged neatly. Despite the old appearance of these furnishings, they exuded a timeless and sturdy quality. The kitchen utensils and stove seemed to be in constant use, giving off a homely atmosphere.
‘It feels like someone is in isolationn or on the run,’ this was the impression the house gave to Ellyad
Snowlight pulled Ellyad and Lena to sit at the large table, with herself sitting in the middle between them. Thrett sat on the other side of Ellyad, making the table appear cramped. Crow, on his own, prepared and cooked by the stove, demonstrating skilled and swift movements. It seemed that Crow took care of everything, from being a bodyguard to a servant and even a housekeeper.
“With so many guests, I’ll help too,” Snowlight got off the high stool and walked to the stove.
“No, I can handle this kind of work,” Crow said while smoothly pouring tea from the teapot into cups and placing them on the table.
“But we have three guests, which is two and a half times more than usual, so I want to help too,” Snowlight insisted.
Snowlight, unwilling to give up, leaned toward the counter. Crow sighed softly, swiftly turned around, and horizontally lifted Snowlight before placing her back on the high stool. He paid no attention to the three guests and the six eyes watching the entire scene.
“This isn’t something a young lady should do,” Crow stated.
“Mmm,” Snowlight pouted with dissatisfaction, staring at Crow, who remained expressionless.
Ellyad thought Snowlight had a point. With the sudden increase in guests, having only one person responsible for the meals was hard to watch. Therefore, he took the initiative and walked to the stove, saying, “Let me help.”
“Thank you,” Crow said. He didn’t seem to care whether someone other than Snowlight was helping.
“Having guests help, oh my,” Snowlight apologized to the three of them. Lena, in an affectionate manner, played with the two shiny pigtails of Snowlight, saying it was fine. However, her gaze occasionally drifted towards Crow
With nothing to do, Thrett contemplated Snowlight, occasionally sipping tea to find that the taste was quite good. Sensing Thrett’s gaze, Snowlight turned around, stared straight at him, and suddenly spoke, “You’re really handsome, you know?”
“Poof” The tomato on the cutting board was sliced in half with a single stroke, and only the unfortunate tomato seemed to feel the black waves emanating from Crow.
“Is that so?” Thrett wasn’t particularly concerned about his own appearance. However, from his birth until now, he had only heard praise for his looks and hadn’t encountered any negative criticism. He casually picked up the tea and took another sip.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Really, really, even the way you sip tea looks as beautiful as a painting.”
“Yt.”
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“Do you want me to do it?” Ellyad turned his head and happened to see Crow, who was in charge of beating the eggs, crushing the entire egg, thinking he just wasn’t good at cracking the shell.
Feeling extremely embarrassed about his own loss of composure, Crow unwillingly shook his head in refusal. Under normal circumstances, he would never make such a foolish mistake.
Perhaps wanting to console the visibly regretful Crow, Ellyad turned his head with a slight smile and comforted him, saying, “I find such slip-ups quite endearing.”
“Crack, crack!” Suddenly, the sound of porcelain breaking could be heard. Lena glanced to the side and saw that the tea cup in the Demon King’s hand had several cracks. In reality, the cup had already shattered, but it maintained its original appearance because the cup and the tea inside were instantly frozen into a solid block of ice due to Thrett’s subzero temperature.
‘This person is actually quite concerned about his image,’ Lena thought, covering her mouth to conceal the laughter that was threatening to burst out.
“…Hurry up and finish cooking, or the world will be destroyed.” Lena expressed in an almost inaudible voice, her sentence filled with suppressed laughter.
“What did you just say?” Snowlight turned her head and asked.
“I didn’t say anything,” Lena immediately denied, but she couldn’t help noticing the Demon King pretending to sip from the frozen tea cup again.
‘Only strange people would claim they can taste it!’ Lena really wanted to jump up and loudly criticize, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the consequences would be unimaginable.
Fortunately, not long after, dishes were served one after another, and the aroma of the food filled the air. Each dish was a common, homely meal. After Crow washed his hands at the sink, he walked over and sat next to Snowlight. The moment he sat down, the eyes of two individuals met simultaneously. Black against black, electric waves against cold air silently clashed at the dining table.
The only one who noticed was the elf spirit, holding back laughter almost to the point of internal injury.
The five of them gathered around the table, preparing to start their meal. However, Snowlight stood up first and spoke with clear and solemn words, “I introduced myself earlier. I’m Snowlight Whittington and this is my attendant, Crow. Now it’s your turn to introduce yourselves.”
Snowlight directed the question to Ellyad, who provided a brief self-introduction and then spoke on behalf of Lena and Thrett. He knew that Snowlight wanted to convey the significance of inviting them, and behind that significance, there was undoubtedly a profound shadow.
Whether it was Crow or Snowlight, both exuded contradictions. Living in such a humble house yet dressed in expensive attire, a personal bodyguard but being able to wield a Damascus sword.
“So, I’ll be straightforward. I am the royal heir pursued by the government. Please help me leave this country.”
Thrett still held the cup of tea in his hands, his gaze focused entirely on the teacup. The sharpness in his eyes reflected on the frozen brown surface of the tea. Without lifting his head, he coldly retorted, “On what grounds?”
Snowlight immediately responded, “You, as travelers just passing through, might not be aware that a combination like yours—’a fleeing royal with ashen hair and a black-haired guardian’—is highly sensitive in this country. It’s the nationwide target of a wanted poster. I assume you won’t stay long in this country, but unfortunately, since you set foot here, leaving has become difficult. So, standing on the shared goal of wanting to leave the Iron Gray Nation, I hope we can cooperate and help each other.”
“Then allow me to rudely decline, Your Highness. Please, live and die on your own here for the rest of your life.” Thrett crafted a polite and courteous smile, sarcastically answering, and his words were directed towards Crow.
This action immediately angered Crow. He drew his sword, assuming an attacking posture, and threatened, “Regardless, please agree. Otherwise, as the attendant to Her Royal Highness, I will never allow you the chance to spread the news.” The moment this statement was uttered, Thrett lifted his head, sneering, and Snowlight immediately reached out to stop Crow.
With Thrett’s personality, if the other party really attacked, he would instantly defeat them. Protecting Ellyad was his top priority. Sensing that Thrett seemed to have no good feelings towards , Ellyad quickly stood up, spreading his hands in front of Thrett to prevent the situation from getting out of control.
“I’ll help you,” even if Thrett opposed, as long as Snowlight made a request to Ellyad, he would absolutely assist her. Ellyad’s character was like that. Though usually silent and with a gloomy face, he was filled with delicate emotions and boundless sense of justice.
A long time ago, someone had hoped for this, hoping that he could become a competent hero, not disappointing the blessings of the goddess.
Thrett didn’t voice any opposition. Instead, he smirked, knowing that Ellyad would say so. He placed the tea cup that was thawing on the table. As soon as the cup left his hand, it collapsed with a sound, and tea spilled all over the table.
“You broke the cup?” Lena intentionally exclaimed, not waiting to hear how Thrett planned to explain.
“Is your hand okay?” Ellyad’s first concern was for Thrett’s hand.
“It’s fine,” Thrett lifted his head, smiling at Crow, who had lowered his attack stance. “I was startled by this person just now and accidentally crushed it.”
‘Bullshit! This demon king is completely full of shit! Who’s coming to expose this guy’s lies!’ Lena shouted in her mind, but unfortunately, no one heard her.
“So, what should we do?” Returning to the previous topic, Ellyad judged that since they were being pursued, they couldn’t waste any more time. Hiding in the same place made them vulnerable to discovery, even if this place was very secluded.
“My plan is to have you pretend to be my family, deceive the guards at the city gate. Because if it’s just me, I’ll easily be questioned. This hair color is too conspicuous in the Iron Gray Kingdom. If there’s a family member, I think the probability of suspicion will be much lower.”
“Well…” Ellyad couldn’t help but question. He felt that Snowlight’s idea seemed too idealistic, to put it bluntly, naive. Eliminating the root should be the rebel organization’s response to the fleeing royals. Therefore, anyone with light brown hair would likely not be let off easily. When Ellyad entered this country, he wasn’t suspected because he entered from outside. However, leaving the country after entering would carry the suspicion of being a “fleeing royal.”
“All we need now is the right timing. Crow will be responsible for closely monitoring the guards’ shifts and the movements within the city. The patience of that traitorous minister has been wearing thin lately. The guards in the city are also on high alert. Any small disturbance could cause a huge uproar. However, when that happens, we’ll have the ‘timing’ we need,” Snowlight said with confidence. After all, she was the landlord here and was more familiar with this labyrinthine country than Ellyad. Even if they were eventually pursued, when the time came, breaking through with Thrett and Crow should help them easily shake off the pursuers and escape from this country.
Ellyad’s familiarity with this country was far less than Snowlight’s. He couldn’t come up with any other solutions at the moment, and there was no time for Ellyad to conduct further investigations. The longer they delayed, the higher the risk for the four of them. They would have to adapt to any situation that arose.
“Thank you for being willing to help us. I knew I didn’t make a mistake in trusting you.”
“So, can we start the meal now?” Lena was getting a bit bored, and Thrett felt the same.
Snowlight elegantly smiled and made a welcoming gesture. She then ran from her seat to Ellyad’s side. “So, from now on, we’re family, and let’s set the relationship as ‘siblings.’ I’ve always wanted a brother with the same hair color.” After saying this, she hugged Ellyad’s arm like a spoiled little girl rather than a wanted fugitive princess.
“…”
“…”
The two in black exchanged a glance and simultaneously clicked their tongues.
‘These two really are the same,’ Lena thought.
This group dynamic looks fun
I can’t help but find their similarities so funny! 😭