I forgot to update last week so now Ritoria is ahead of Wattpad by a chapter.
The King Could Cook
Kai grilled the chicken with a bit of salt and black pepper seasoning. He'd already boiled the pasta el dante and had strained it. The rest was up to Marius.
As Kai stepped away from the stove, Marius moved to take his place with a medium-sized steel pot. He dropped a generous amount of butter in the pan, followed by some chopped garlic and mushrooms.
Kai watched him work the stove like a real life chef, the chords in his arm popping as he stirred with a wooden spoon. His eyes trailed up Marius's arm to his shoulder and then to his face. Marius appeared to be deep in concentration with what he was doing, his eyebrows drawn together.
Or was pretending to be, just like Kai was pretending to be fully engaged in the drink preparation process. After their discussion a few moments ago, who could blame them for wanting to cool off a bit?
His father killed Marius's father.
He did not see that coming. What a landmine Kai had stepped on.
But was it true?
Kai stole a fleeting glance at Marius again. He had looked truthful. Why would he lie about something like this? Well, Kai could think of a few reasons, but Marius was no fool; Kai would easily find out if he was lying. Something like a king murdering another king didn't go unnoticed. It had most definitely made rounds in the two nations.
So, most likely his father was an abandoning, backstabbing murderer.
Kai's chest felt heavy again. That was a lot to stomach over some pasta.
Soon, the kitchen filled with aromas that smelled like they'd come straight from Italy. Kai's mouth began to water.
"Not bad," he couldn't help but say, and he meant it. The pasta was coming together nicely from the looks of it.
After a moment, Marius said, "Thank you."
Their eyes connected for a brief moment that felt like it lasted more than that.
"Is the drink you're making ready?" Marius asked.
"Yes." Kai nodded. "Just waiting on you, chef."
A corner of Marius's mouth lifted. He was amused.
The tension between them had abated, thank God. At least for now. Kai would cease asking any questions that risked ruining his mood further.
He would simply enjoy a lovely dinner cooked by Marius with his mother.
Now that was a sentence he never thought he'd ever think or say.
Kai grabbed the plates and set the table.
His mother had shredded the lettuce into small bits and was nowhere near finishing the salad.
He cleaned up around her -some of it had fallen onto the ground- and made her sit on the other side of the table. Meanwhile, Marius was plating his pasta.
"Is Hakan coming?" His mother abruptly asked.
"No, mom." Before his abduction, not a day had gone by without him meeting Hakan and getting into some shenanigans, be it a swim or a night out in town. As the son of a successful carpet merchant, Hakan enjoyed the same carefree, freeloading lifestyle Kai did, and understood Kai better than most. The two had been inseparable since they first met in kindergarten.
"Who is Hakan?"
Kai raised his head to see Marius staring at him. Hard.
He was taken aback.
"Uh... a friend." Why the hell was Kai getting flustered at Marius's penetrating gaze?
Marius nodded stiffly.
What was that about?
He'd finished plating and came to the table with the pasta-filled plates, somehow juggling all the three plates in his arms. Gently, he laid them down around the table.
Kai thought he would demand to sit at the head of the table, but Marius surprised him by sitting on his left, opposite his mother's. He'd even given more pasta portions to Kai and his mother.
Kai sat at the head of the table.
Their legs bumped.Kai immediately withdrew his extended leg, opting to keep his feet tucked beneath the chair to avoid any more accidental bumps.
Well, this is awkward.
The small, glass four-seater table was too small for Marius. It felt like the table would shatter into shards if he so much as rested a muscled arm on it.
While his mother immediately started eating, Kai realized that Marius was waiting for him to eat, so he picked up his fork and rolled a big chunk of pasta around it. It tasted heavenly.
Kai's face immediately lit up. "This is great!" He hadn't had pasta in ages, and the taste nearly drove him to tears. Kai was no Michelin star chef, but he knew a good pasta when he tasted one.
The King could cook.
"This is excellent fettuccine, Marius." His mother complimented, equally delighted by her dinner. "It is light yet filling, and the amount of garlic is just right."
Marius looked undeniably pleased. He was undoubtedly no stranger to compliments, but his mother's comments seemed to please him especially.
He picked up his fork and joined them, and after two bites, he took a swig from the mojito Kai had made.
Marius's eyebrows lifted slightly. "This is... superb. Sour yet sweet at the same time, a tantalizing combination."
Kai couldn't help but beam at the compliment. He did make a mean mojito if he did say so himself.
"What is that floating thing that looks like recently-hatched tadpoles?"
Kai barely stopped himself from laughing out loud. Highly amused, he said, "That's passion fruit. It's a popular mojito flavor."
"Mojito." Marius repeated.
"So, Marius, what do you do for a living?"
Kai nearly choked on a piece of chicken.
He had been waiting for this. He knew that his mother, who even though was under a spell, would ask questions sooner or later. And now that they were all sitting at the dinner table, there was no escape.
Knowing Marius, he would tell his mother every bit of the truth because he had no reason to conceal his identity.
Their eyes clashed.
Don't say a thing. Kai said with his eyes, a little pleadingly.
His mother would have a heart attack if she found out, Kai just knew it. She'd been so terrified that something would happen to him that day when his dastardly power first awoke. Telling her that her worst fears had come true would definitely kill her.
Marius smiled, his eyes glistening with mischievousness.
Oh, no.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
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