Only an hour had passed yet Chu'un already wanted to go home.
Was it due to his introverted nature? Sure, but the main cause remained to be his new master—who, in a way he had never foreseen, started to wreak havoc in Rakushou.
Ren Hyorin ignored the stores that young ladies usually ventured into and instead entered all restaurants that her eyes laid sight on. Chu'un understood that she was a foodie — if her godly meals were anything to go by — and assumed that she simply wanted to try unfamiliar dishes. However, that was until she left five consecutive chefs in tears for giving their signature dishes a measly, quote unquote, 3 stars.
Out of 5, if she was merciful. Out of 10, if she was not.
Soon, news spread across the capital that a seasoned food critic was conducting inspections on all of Rakushou's restaurants. Thus, it came as no surprise to Chu'un that upon arriving at the next store, a waitress rushed to greet them.
"W-Welcome! Table for 2 with orders of our best-selling dish, right?"
Hyorin, despite being the perpetrator, remained in the dark. "Yes! How did you—?"
Unfortunately, the female employee had already left for the kitchen before she could finish her question. Confused, the princess looked to her chaperone for answers.
Chu'un leaned in to whisper, "This might sound crazy, but it seems that the citizens mistook milady as a food critic of some sort."
There was an audible silence until Hyorin burst out laughing. "What, really? How did that happen?!"
You just verbally murdered the best chefs of Rakushou, that's how! He had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from retorting.
Few minutes later, they were escorted to a table on the balcony by the manager. It honestly amazed Chu'un how they managed to get the best seat despite not revealing their identities. Seeing how unnamed individuals obtained privilege to something usually reserved to nobles, and through such an unconventional method at that, made him realize that the world works in more ways than one. And, surprisingly, his new master was an expert at that.
"Are you tired, Chu'un?" asked Hyorin, taking him out of his reverie. "Should we go home after this?"
While he was indeed tired, tagging along seemed more interesting. In a way, he started to understand why the usually-aloof Second Prince was so taken by the foreign princess.
"I'm alright, milady. Let's continue this trip."
The manager soon returned to the room. With a wary look, he watched Hyorin nervously. "How do you like your stay so far, madam?"
"Hm," Hyorin had a small, pleased smile on her face. "This place has a nice view. I can see the entire city from here. I like it!"
"T-That's good to hear!"
"But the view doesn't really change the flavor of food so it doesn't matter."
Chu'un didn't need to look at the manager to see his face turning pale. After a loud gulp, the man ran off most likely to warn the kitchen staff.
He sighed. "Milady, you're just teasing them at this point, aren't you?"
"No. I'm serious about what I said." Hyorin crossed her arms as if to further prove a point. "Food tastes the same regardless of the place, whether you're with someone or when you're alone."
Chu'un was surprised at her unexpected remark. It felt somewhat... cold. Or was he overthinking it?
"Milady, I hope you don't mind me asking," he started hesitantly and only continued after receiving a nod of approval. "Why does a princess such as yourself know how to cook?"
Hyorin flinched at his question. Noticing her discomfort, Chu'un rushed to apologize when the princess laughed quietly.
"Ah, that... It's because no one would cook for me when I was a child so I had to learn and do it myself."
Chu'un was taken aback at her answer. Before he could ask anything more, the manager entered the room with a serving cart and placed all of the food on their table.
It was nothing short of a feast. Chu'un had already been there before, and he could attest that the meals served were the best that the restaurant could ever offer. Ooh, he was already starting to drool!
On the other hand, Hyorin didn't even seem to care. Her full attention was somewhere else, outside the balcony.
To Chu'un's surprise, she suddenly jumped out of the balcony and ran towards a narrow street. He immediately rushed out of the room, leaving the poor manager in a shocked state as he mumbled something along the lines of, "She hated the food that much?"
After exiting the restaurant, Chu'un ran into the guards who had been sent by Koumei, and pointed towards the direction where Hyorin went.
No way. Did she just escape? His mind was running a mile an hour. It happened out of the blue, he couldn't believe it!
After turning at another corner, Chu'un finally found Hyorin, who had a group of unconscious men around her feet. She obviously had the living daylights beat out of them.
Surprisingly, in her arms was a child. An all-too-familiar red-haired girl that should not have been outside the palace grounds.
"Princess Kougyoku?!"
* * *
Author's Note:
Hello! Happy new year!
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It Started With A Kick (Magi: Ren Koumei/OC)
Fanfiction"The first time we met, he tried to kill me." "The second time we met, she kicked me in the balls." "The third time we met was in front of the whole nation, clad in ceremonial garments, with a promise of undying love for each other." Alibaba Saluj...
