It Started With A Kick (Magi: Ren Koumei/OC)

10 | First Dinner

Koumei was tending to the unending pile of paperwork on his desk when his youngest brother stormed into his office again.

It had been three days since Hyorin collapsed after dining with Hakuei and met Kouha. He heard from Chu'un that his brother had been visiting her since then to taste the delicious food that the princess cooked herself.

"Listen, Mei-nii. Today's meal was great as well!" exclaimed Kouha as he slumped on a couch located on the other side of the room. He spoke fine details of the sumptuous dish that Koumei could almost taste it himself.

His stomach grumbled. He had not eaten since yesterday, after all.

Koumei inwardly sighed. He and Kouha had both tried to maim the foreign princess at one point—the latter was even more daring or so he had heard—so how come it was the brother getting the delicious food, while the husband received nothing but an overkill suplex? 

"I'm an idiot," he muttered beneath his breath. How could he compare himself and dare say be jealous of his twelve year old brother?

Kouha eyed Koumei worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He gave him a small, tired smile. "Hearing your stories just made me a bit hungry."

The younger prince perked up and an excited smile appeared on his face. "You should see Hyo-nee then!"

Ah.

Koumei was suddenly reminded of the other reason he never got to eat her delicious meals. Of course, because he was avoiding the cook herself!

Should he finally meet her again? It did seem that his wife was fairing well in her relationships with his siblings. Perhaps, her anger had already subsided?

With a small decisive nod, Koumei decided to give it a try. He called for an attendant. "Tell Chu'un that I will have supper with my wife."

• • •

It was already late in the evening when Koumei managed to finish his work and return to their shared residence.

"Pardon me for being late, Lady Hyorin. I've been busy."

Hyorin simply gave the prince a blank stare as he entered the room. "Oh. I thought you died somewhere on your way here. Shame."

Koumei was stunned to silence. He finally understood the difference between him and his younger siblings, and the reason she despised him so much.

He was the reason behind the fall of her kingdom. It was him and his newly-acquired Djinn that ultimately ended the war in Kou's favor.

Koumei silently reprimanded himself. It was so obvious, how could it slip from his mind? He immediately regretted returning to the residence and was about to excuse himself when Hyorin spoke.

"Take a seat. I'll serve the food."

She hated him, but still heeded to his request to prepare him a meal? Koumei was confused. Nevertheless, he decided to stay.

He obediently sat and watched Hyorin, along with a few chambermaids, line the dishes on the table. Upon seeing and catching a scent of the food, he almost immediately drooled. Most of them were Oriental dishes that he was familiar with, but there were also a few foreign cuisines that he had never seen before. What an amazing variety!

Hyorin wordlessly took a seat beside the prince and personally served him food. At her actions, Koumei noticeably stiffened. He was expecting her to seat as far as possible from him and leave the rest to the servants.

Why was she acting sweet all of a sudden? Was she plotting something?

An idea crossed his mind. "This better not be poisoned," he warned, "I am clearly aware of your distaste towards me."

Hyorin made an offended look. "Excuse me? If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it the moment you stepped inside this room!"

Koumei gave no reply and continued to watch her skeptically. His gaze then wandered to the chambermaids and he noticed the elated expression on their faces. What, did they look like a happy couple to them or something?

"Hey." Hyorin poked his right cheek with a chopstick. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Koumei gulped and reached for a juicy piece of duck meat. He then carefully took a bite and was more than ready to spit out the food, albeit undignified, if he sensed that something was off. However, what greeted his tongue was something that he did not expect and never experienced—a taste of heaven.

"This is... delicious!" he exclaimed with eyes widened. Koumei had never tasted such a delicious dish in his life. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that his wife was better than the imperial chefs!

Hyorin sneered like an idiot. Apparently, her plan was to make her miserable husband acknowledge her cooking. In a way, it would feel like she won, even though they weren't battling or anything.

"Really?" she prodded. Koumei turned to her and nodded earnestly. His usual tired eyes were now glimmering with profound joy. It was such a rare sight!

Hyorin felt her heart skip a beat and a small blush crept on her cheeks. She had never seen someone like her cooking that much before!

Unbeknownst to her, Koumei was famished and had not eaten since yesterday. While her meals were indeed delicious, as the saying goes, hunger is the best spice.

Hyorin barely touched her food as she watched her husband eat. She even explained to him each dish, and that some of the recipes originated from distant countries such as Heliohapt and Reim.

After another set of serving, Koumei was finally done. He softly clapped his hands in gratitude and breathed out a sigh of bliss. Hyorin then stood from her seat and leaned towards him. "Um, I can cook for you again!"

Koumei was surprised at her declaration. Were they finally becoming a good husband and wife?

"Really? Thank y—"

"Only if you beg," she added with a contrasting heartwarming smile.

Koumei stared at her blankly. He was honestly amazed at her unyielding feelings of hatred towards him.

He paused to think of a proper response. After having a taste of her meals, Koumei was sure that he could no longer eat anything else. Everything would simply fall short to the delectability of her cooking. It was that addicting!

However, there was no way the Second Imperial Prince of Kou would beg for a meal. He was not a glutton!

He was a tactician. And, surely, there were other ways to urge his wife to cook for him everyday, right?

Koumei gave a small smile in return. "I'm alright, Lady Hyorin. I mean, it's not even that good."

From the side of the room, the chambermaids eyed the prince with disbelief. The grains of rice that were scattered on the sides of his lips made him look less convincing. The man was obviously lying.

However, Hyorin was too distracted with the insult to notice his pretense. Her face flushed red due to embarrassment.

"What? You looked like you were enjoying yourself just now!"

"Indeed, it was delicious, but I'm sure I can find something better."

It was a lie. Koumei was certain that nothing could top the dishes that she made.

"Still, thank you for the meal, Lady Hyorin." He gave her a short bow, before heading to the exit and closing the door in her face.

Hyorin's fists trembled in anger. She took a deep breath and screamed loud enough to be heard from the corridor. "Ren Koumei! Just you wait, I'll serve you the best food everyday until you die from too much happiness!"

Needless to say, his plan worked perfectly.

• • • • • •

Author's Note:

The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Or a knife on his chest. Fortunately, our Hyorin can do both.