Chapter 96 – What Do You Want to Eat the Most?

“Why do you use your precious break time not for you, but for me?”  

The distance from the garden where she was to the Eastern Palace’s conference hall was quite far.  

Dragging his weary body here after all the meetings, Seilia’s voice grew colder and more curt as her words neared their end.  

The soft sensation of his lips pressing against her forehead was undeniably pleasant, but… Seilia firmly steeled herself against the feelings she almost let slip this time.  

No way.  

When she glared at him with fierce eyes, Leo let out a flustered laugh, as if to say, “This isn’t the reaction I expected.”  

“Seeing you is a far greater rest for me than simply sitting idly in a chair in my room.” 

Leo’s voice carried a hint of melancholy as he lowered his gaze.  

His lips, always devoid of smiles in front of his ministers and nobles to emphasize his cold demeanor, were tightly shut. His green eyes, like a forest, wavered, unsure and shaken.  

Looking at him, like a puppy that had come to find its owner, how could she scold him further?  

Seilia turned her head sharply to the side, scrunching up her face as she barely resisted the urge to smother him with kisses.  

Soon, as if nothing had happened, she composed herself with a clean expression, removed the woolen blanket covering her lap, and stood up.  

“Why are you getting up, Seilia?”  

Grabbing Leo’s hand, who spoke in a puzzled tone, Seilia began walking slowly along the forest path beside the garden.  

“I thought you might be bored. How about a little walk? Or are your legs tired? Should we just sit back down?”  

Realizing she might not have considered his condition, Seilia loosened her grip on Leo’s hand and turned back toward the garden.  

“No, let’s walk.”  

Not wanting to let go of the warmth and soft touch of Seilia’s hand leaving his palm, Leo held her hand again.  

The path through the forest, a large stretch within the vast Imperial Palace, led to the Eastern Palace if followed to the end.  

Seilia’s intent was to walk Leo back while also taking a stroll.  

As they walked along the path, their footsteps crunching softly, they had so much to say.  

From trivial matters to today’s meeting, the book she had read in the garden, the embarrassing memories of yesterday, the slightly heavy topic of Luian, and the future ahead—there seemed to be hundreds or even thousands of things to discuss.  

As they neared the Eastern Palace, Leo openly showed his reluctance to part ways with Seilia.  

The Emperor, who knew better than anyone that they had arrived at the Eastern Palace, pretended as if he were seeing the place for the first time, suggesting absurdly that they take another lap around.  

“Leo.”  

“…Understood, Madame.”  

When Seilia pointed out Neir, who had somehow found them and was staring in their direction, out of breath, Leo nodded silently without further protest.  

“Come here, I’ll give you a hug.”  

Seilia burrowed into Leo’s arms, embracing him tightly.  

‘Such a nice scent.’  

As she savored his fragrance to her heart’s content, Leo inevitably sought out her lips.  

Startled by the sudden intrusion of his tongue, Seilia pulled away in shock. 

Did he not realize we were right in front of Neir?  

Her sharp, cat-like glare made Leo chuckle softly before turning and walking away.  

Watching his retreating figure, Seilia suddenly found it odd when he turned back around.  

With his broad shoulders squared like the Pacific Ocean, he strode toward her in large steps.  

“Ah, right. Madame Marse conveyed something to me.”  

Hmm? Marse?  

Seilia had never once asked Marse to relay a message to Leo.  

Instead of replying, she urged him to continue with a curious glance.  

“She told me that you’ve been skipping meals often and, even when you do eat, you don’t eat well. She insisted I make sure you get a check-up.”  

Seilia deeply regretted ignoring Marse’s words yesterday.  

Lately, Marse’s constant concern had become almost routine, and Seilia had blatantly dismissed her worries. Now, it seemed, Marse had gone straight to Leo.  

‘This complicates things…’  

Unlike Marse, whom she couldn’t treat carelessly due to her status, Leo was her husband.  

Though he wasn’t overbearing, he could become quite forceful when it came to final decisions.  

“Her words must have been misunderstood. I eat plenty, you know.”  

The words spilled out, even though her conscience didn’t allow her to believe them.  

“For someone who eats plenty, you’re too thin. Look at your wrist.”  

Leo, with a pained expression, took her thin wrist in his hand and fiddled with it.  

It was hard for him not to feel upset.  

Though others might praise her slender figure and natural grace, Leo had never been satisfied with it. He had always ensured her meals were rich in protein, yet over the past few weeks, she had been skipping meals, growing even thinner.  

Though she remained as beautiful as ever, Leo couldn’t just sit back and watch anymore.  

“What do you want to eat, Madame?”  

Leo gently cupped Seilia’s face in his hand as he asked softly.  

“Why do you ask?”  

Seilia, momentarily closing her eyes at the touch brushing against her cheek, opened them again and asked.  

Leo gave an answer no one could have anticipated.  

“I’ll make it for you myself.”  

Seilia didn’t immediately grasp his words.  

Blinking her lovely lashes like the fluttering wings of a butterfly, she soon burst into laughter.  

“What? You’re going to cook?”  

The thought of Leo cooking for her was so amusing that she laughed until her stomach ached.  

As she gradually stopped laughing, noticing Leo’s unamused expression, her smile faded.  

“…You’re not joking?”  

When she asked if he was joking, Leo, who had been standing with his arms crossed and a cold expression, raised one eyebrow.  

Wasn’t she the one joking now?  

“Do I look like someone who would say such a thing as a joke?”  

He was far too serious.  

“You don’t even know how to cook.”  

Seilia pointed out the biggest issue.  

Leo, who had been treated like royalty far more than other noble children since birth, had likely never cooked a meal himself.  

Moreover, it wasn’t in his nature to do so.  

The image of the robust Leo wearing an apron and cooking was too amusing to imagine.  

Suppressing a laugh and forcing her face to remain composed, Seilia tried to hold back her facial muscles.  

“I may not have cooked before, but I’ll get better with practice. I always have.”  

Leo dismissed her concerns with confidence.  

Having learned to manage state affairs quickly by following his father, the Emperor, without prior instruction, he felt that cooking couldn’t possibly be that difficult.  

“If it tastes bad, I won’t take another bite. Not even one.”  

Her words, filled with the hope that he would give up now, caused Leo’s calm expression to falter slightly.  

Where had all his confidence gone?  

But that faltering expression quickly transformed into one filled with determination.  

“I’ll make it so delicious that you’ll want more.”  

Leo stepped closer.  

Though Seilia momentarily hesitated at his intensity, she wasn’t one to back down.  

“Fine. Tonight, then.”  

Seilia stepped even closer, closing the gap between them.  

The two, standing so close that their faces could collide if someone gave them a nudge, glared at each other fiercely.  

Watching them from behind, Neir, who had been anxiously waiting for Leo, looked at them with an exasperated expression.  

“Are they in love, or are they dueling…?”  

They were a couple that was impossible to understand.

***

“Why on earth did you say something like that…?”  

As a competent secretary, Neir had swiftly prepared a kitchen for Leo, who had returned after finishing the state meeting at lightning speed.  

The large, antique-style kitchen was filled with all kinds of ingredients and cooking tools that Leo had never seen before.  

Standing beside Leo, who nodded in satisfaction, Neir continued to grumble.  

In the Imperial Palace, which boasted the finest chefs in the entire Empire, why on earth was His Majesty insisting on cooking himself? It was incomprehensible.  

It wasn’t as if he had ever known how to cook or even liked cooking.  

When Neir sighed deeply once again, Leo made a gesture filled with the intent to strangle him. Catching the hint, Neir quickly stepped back, sensing the need to avoid provoking his master further.  

He had no intention of jeopardizing his promising future over today’s absurd situation.  

Clearing his throat, Neir decided to start from the basics.  

“Your Majesty, have you decided what you’re going to make?”  

“Of course.”  

Leo gestured with his chin toward the cookbooks he had placed on the nearby table.  

Neir fixed his curious gaze on the books and began flipping through them.  

However, the moment he saw the title, his face immediately scrunched up.  

“…Your Majesty. You should have brought a beginner’s cookbook, not a gourmet one.”  

The recipe for the dish Leo was planning to make was so complex that even professional chefs would struggle with it. It was the kind of dish that the most renowned restaurant in the Belton Empire would only serve as a special event once a month.  

“I’ve decided on that one.”  

“That’s because it’s a dish you cannot make, Your Majesty.”