Shilo was eventually driven out. At first, Lintis had been very welcoming. After all, for someone with her lazy streak, having someone to share the workload was excellent.
But, oh, but!
This silly pig was deathly slow. By the time he dawdled around, she was nearly finished with the work herself. Eventually, she simply pulled a long face and shooed Mr. Shilo away.
Back on the sofa, Shilo could only scratch his head. He had thought that with his own culinary skills, he would be able to help the Lady Saintess in some way.
Instead, the Lady Saintess had rattled off a long list of terms like decorative cuts, starch thickening, blanching, and sautéing green onions, ginger, and garlic, which caused his brain to short-circuit instantly.
By the time he finally managed to understand most of her explanations, he had been kicked out. Left with no other choice, he could only wait for the Lady Saintess to finish the cooking alone.
Another twenty minutes or so passed before the Lady Saintess was finally done. As the dishes were brought to the table, Shilo’s expression was one of obvious shock.
There weren’t many dishes on the table. There was only a plate of stir-fried greens, hot and sour shredded potatoes, green pepper pork stir-fry, and tomato and egg soup.
It was humble, but the aroma of the hot food hit him straight to his head. He couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Unbeknownst to him, Lintis caught every bit of this, and a visible look of pride surfaced on her face. She untied her apron, put it away, and sat down across from Mr. Shilo, gesturing toward the food with her small palms facing up.
“Mr. Shilo, it is time to eat.”
At those words, Shilo picked up the chopsticks somewhat awkwardly. Although the use of chopsticks was uncommon in Isol City, he had used them a few times before.
Using the chopsticks, he picked up a bit of the shredded potato and tentatively put it in his mouth, chewing slightly.
Crispy… that was the first sensation.
Next was the sour fragrance — light, refreshing, and not overpowering — which made his head feel slightly clearer. Finally, the spicy heat of the dried chilies spread slowly through his mouth.
“It’s delicious!”
The words escaped him almost instinctively, his eyes filled with shock. But he immediately realized he had lost his composure; he wasn’t someone who usually let his emotions get out of control so easily.
Moreover… he was afraid the Lady Saintess would turn up her nose and get too full of herself.
But after waiting for a while, he didn’t hear a sound from her. All he could see were several afterimages flashing over the food, and the dishes below were rapidly disappearing.
He looked up and realized that at some point, the Lady Saintess had already started eating until her mouth was covered in oil. She was skillfully using her chopsticks to grab food, putting it into her bowl, and then shoveling it into her mouth.
It was crude and completely lacked a proper image. Normally, he would have probably teased her about it.
But now…
Looking at the Lady Saintess eating with such abandon and a face full of satisfaction, Shilo swallowed again.
‘Is it really that good?’
He tried eating her way, picking up some shredded potatoes and chili pork, putting them into his bowl with some rice, and then taking a large bite.
The flavors exploded in his mouth, and an indescribable feeling filled his heart. He couldn’t figure out how to describe his feelings, but after thinking it over, his body responded first.
‘Another bite!’
Lintis, who was busy stuffing her face, took a moment to glance at Shilo and gave a soft huff.
‘Did I need you to tell me it’s delicious? Do I not know for myself? Just shut up and eat!’
The two of them went back and forth with their chopsticks, quickly annihilating the meal. In a short while, the food on the table had been swept clean.
Having eaten their fill, the two of them slumped onto the sofa, staring at each other. Shilo eventually stood up on his own to clear the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them.
Lintis mixed some meat she had specifically set aside with the leftover rice and poured it into Xiaobai’s bowl as the dog watched expectantly. Watching Xiaobai bury its head and eat frantically, she nodded in satisfaction and slumped back onto the sofa, waiting for Mr. Shilo to finish the cleanup.
This meal was a bit too oily for breakfast, but for someone who hadn’t eaten stir-fry in a long time, it was just right. It was just that after eating so much, she felt a little sleepy…
Lintis let out a yawn and watched Shilo wash the dishes while lying on the sofa, her small head nodding off.
Meanwhile, Shilo felt a bit of shame for his previous behavior. First, he had eaten like a barbarian without any regard for his image, and then he had slumped lazily on the sofa with the Lady Saintess. Fortunately, he had come to his senses at the last moment.
Otherwise, he felt like he was being assimilated by this girl!
‘Sloth… is truly terrifying…’
While Shilo was feeling a lingering fear, he finished washing the dishes. When he returned to the living room, he found that the Lady Saintess had fallen asleep again…
‘Wait, isn’t it morning? Eating and then sleeping… could the Lady Saintess really have been a pig in a past life?’
Though he was silently complaining, Shilo slowly approached her. He half-knelt beside the sofa, looking at that sleeping face, and once again, a thought he shouldn’t have had surfaced.
‘Should a quick poke be okay?’
‘What are you thinking! That’s the Lady Saintess! Even if she wasn’t, how could a knight do something so rude!’
‘But it’s not the first time, right?’
‘……’
It was as if two little people had appeared in his mind, arguing incessantly. Both sides were right, but when he thought about how the Lady Saintess usually teased him, he felt like he was losing out if he didn’t give her a little lesson.
At that thought, Shilo gave in to his desire. Although it wasn’t his first time, his hand still trembled as he reached out to touch her cheek, giving it a gentle pinch.
The sensation was the same as always: smooth, soft, and elastic.
‘Hmm… one pull, just one pull and then I’ll let go.’
He pinched the tender cheek again, pulled slightly, and the tug revealed a glimpse of her pearly white teeth. Having completely satisfied his urge, Shilo let out a sigh of relief and prepared to let go.
Then he saw a pair of silver-gray eyes staring straight at him. His body froze instantly.
He silently released her, coughed, and awkwardly lowered his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her small mouth move.
“Mr. Shilo, does it feel good?”
This was a death trap of a question. Shilo’s brain worked at high speed. Normally, whether he said yes or no, it would be the wrong answer. But this was the Lady Saintess, so there was only one answer.
He looked up, meeting her gaze directly, and said in a serious tone that even he couldn’t believe:
“The texture is excellent!”
*Slap.*
Shilo now had a red handprint on his face, kneeling properly on the floor without moving. As for Lintis, she sat on the sofa with her arms crossed, her cheeks slightly flushed and puffed out in an adorable pout.
“Unbelievable!”
“Mr. Shilo! So you did secretly pinch me that night, didn’t you! And it was you who carried me back to my room before, right!”
Shilo’s eye twitched. ‘So you knew all along.’
“…Yes.”
“However, Lady Saintess, I really only pinched your face a few times. I didn’t do anything else. I only carried you back because I really couldn’t wake you up…” Shilo explained with a lack of confidence.
It wasn’t that he was lying, but such a reason sounded truly hard to believe.
“I understand that you are very angry. If you don’t believe me — “
“I believe you.”
Before he could finish, he was interrupted. Shilo, who was about to explain further, was stunned.
“…Lady Saintess, you believe me?”
As Shilo’s gaze fell upon her, Lintis felt her cheeks grow hot. Honestly, why did this man have to keep asking!
“You’re so annoying! I said I believe you. Stop questioning it over and over, okay?”
“But… why?”
Shilo didn’t understand. To be honest, even he felt his behavior had been a bit much. If he were in her shoes, he wouldn’t even believe himself. Why would the Lady Saintess believe him?
“Honestly!”
Lintis stood up irritably and glared down at Shilo. She felt it was quite inexplicable — she was the one who had been pranked, right? Why was he the one talking so much?
“Where do you get all these ‘whys’ from? I think your character is decent, Mr. Shilo, so I just chose to believe you. Is that not allowed?”
“Besides, it was just a few pinches on the cheek. I don’t really care about things like that. If you had asked me, I might have even let you try it.”
“Can’t you stop thinking everyone is so petty? I bet you just felt frustrated by me teasing you and thought you’d get some revenge with a prank.”
At this point, Lintis suddenly stopped. She had only been guessing randomly.
However, she noticed that after she said those words, Mr. Shilo’s eyes began to dart away. This caused her to narrow her eyes, her tone becoming somewhat dangerous.
“Mr. Shilo.”
“…I’m here.”
“You really were thinking that!”
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