A Meal with Adelia (1)
Orlando was taking his usual stroll around the barracks grounds with his retainers. There was only one reason he wandered these grounds every day: the faint hope that he might encounter Adelia by chance. He wanted to exchange even a word or two with her daily and slowly build a connection. For a man who prided himself on his colorful history with women, Adelia struck him as a refreshing shock. She was an impregnable fortress who refused to fall for his dazzling looks. Anticipating the moment her heart would finally lower its defenses, he once again hovered around the area she frequented.
As the lord’s son, time was one thing he had in abundance. He was chatting and joking with the retainers trailing behind him when he finally spotted Adelia stepping out of a building in full uniform.
“Oh, what a coincidence. Adel…!”
He raised his hand with a bright smile, ready to greet her, but then noticed a man standing beside her in the distance. Orlando halted, tilting his head in confusion. One of his retainers sensed something amiss and stepped closer.
“Is something wrong, young master?”
“Hmm… Do you happen to know the man standing next to Lady Adelia? I’ve never seen him before.”
The retainer shaded his eyes and peered at the distant pair before shaking his head.
“I’m afraid not. This is the first time I’ve laid eyes on him as well.”
“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Lady Adelia with a man at her side…”
While Orlando muttered to himself, a nobleman’s coach pulled up in front of the Lion Heart Unit building, swiftly took the pair aboard, and vanished beyond the guard post.
“Run to the guard post and find out who that man was.”
“Please wait a moment. I’ll return shortly with the information.”
The retainer dashed off, made inquiries, and hurried back.
“They say he is the leader of a mercenary company.”
“A mercenary leader? Which company?”
“They did not know the exact name, but the Lion Heart side had simply informed the guards that he was the mercenary leader Kang Hyun-woo.”
“Kang Hyun-woo? What an unusual name.”
He mulled it over before asking, “In your opinion, why would Lady Adelia go out with a mercenary leader? Especially at lunchtime on such a fine, sunny day?”
What the eye desires, the mind believes. Because Orlando was interested in Adelia, he couldn’t help but worry the pair shared more than a professional relationship.
The retainer smiled as though it were nothing of consequence.
“Perhaps it concerns the bandit subjugation? From what I hear, the Lion Heart Unit has suffered heavy losses. More than twenty men died during their attempt to capture Marcus, and they lost another six in the Dark Forest. They started with barely a hundred soldiers; now they’re scraping by with seventy. They must be desperate for outside help to replenish their ranks. I suspect they are consulting with the mercenary company.”
“Oho, a most lucid explanation!”
Orlando snapped his fingers with a radiant smile.
“Of course, of course. There’s no way Lady Adelia would keep a man close. It was merely work after all.”
His steps grew noticeably lighter now that his mind was at ease.
Adelia took me to an elegant, old-fashioned restaurant not far from the military district. It was famous for its cochinillo asado—roast suckling pig. The quiet interior was filled with noble ladies glittering with jewels and aristocrats engaged in pleasant conversation over their meals.
In my comparatively shabby clothes, I drew curious glances the moment I stepped inside. I accepted their stares calmly, and Adelia, seemingly indifferent, led me to a table by the window.
“Oh, Lady Adelia. What a pleasure to see you here.”
“A pleasure, Sir Adelia.”
“I’m here with my wife. Please enjoy your time, Lady Adelia.”
Because she was something of a local celebrity, many people rose from their tables mid-meal to greet her. While she exchanged pleasantries with one awkward smile after another—her discomfort obvious to anyone watching—I took the opportunity to admire the restaurant’s interior.
Whether on Earth or in this world, I had never set foot in such an expensive-looking, exotic, and beautiful establishment. Everything fascinated me. On the wall hung a painting of a plump chef dressed in kitchen whites, beaming as he held a massive carving knife in one hand and a roast suckling pig in the other. The inscription beneath the frame perfectly captured the chef’s pride.
Chef Mikelan’s Cochinillo Asado!
The Kingdom’s Supreme Flavor!
There are those who have never tasted it, but none who have tasted it only once!
Adelia was too busy greeting the steady stream of nobles to speak with me, so we received our cochinillo asado in silence. A man who looked exactly like the chef in the painting emerged from the kitchen carrying the perfectly roasted pig. Gripping the hind leg with one hand, he sliced the meat with quick, confident strokes of his knife to prove its tenderness, then arranged the pieces beautifully on our plates.
Once the food arrived, the nobles politely withdrew, finally granting us time alone. The chef set a plate containing six generous chunks of meat before each of us, murmured, “Please enjoy your time,” and returned to the kitchen.
“Whoa.”
I stabbed the meat with my fork; it sank straight through, the texture was so tender. One bite and I discovered the flesh was unbelievably soft.
“Mmm. The aroma is wonderful, and the mouthfeel is superb. So juicy, too.”
“Is it good?”
“Yeah. It’s really delicious. I’ve never had pork this good before.”
When I kept exclaiming in admiration, Adelia seemed satisfied by my ecstatic expression. Only then did she pick up her knife and fork with a pleased look. She sliced the sauce-drenched meat with elegant arrogance and declared, as if showing off,
“I eat food like this every day. I’m sick of it.”
“I’m jealous.”
“Of course you are. Someone of your lowly station could never afford such expensive cuisine. At best you would buy cheap, expired pork. Still, if you wish, I am willing to bring you here again tomorrow. On the condition that you obey me properly from now on, of course.”
Look at her. Using good food to train me like a dog.
I let her boastful words go in one ear and out the other, slicing more meat and bringing it to my mouth. Dipping it generously in the sauce deepened the flavor even further, layering sweetness with rich complexity.
“The wine, my lady.”
A neatly dressed sommelier approached, offered Adelia a taste first, and, after she nodded approval, respectfully filled both our glasses with white wine. I knew nothing about wine, but after a light clink of glasses and one sip, I found it far more delicious than expected. A pleasant warmth spread through me. I kept raising the glass to my lips. It was dangerously good. I wanted to get properly drunk on it.
It had been a long time since a meal felt this enjoyable. To think that the same man who once gnawed on rat jerky was now dining on fine food in a place like this. At this rate… I might actually fall for Adelia’s schemes. I was in danger of being trained without even realizing it.
The restaurant’s soft lighting only made the already beautiful Adelia look even more stunning. Her lips seemed redder, her skin whiter. Her golden hair created an almost mystical aura, and her emerald eyes possessed a magnetic pull I had never experienced, as if trying to drag me in.
Realizing the person sitting across from me was a true beauty made my heart suddenly race. The feeling of being drawn into her was so strong that I secretly pinched my thigh. Get a hold of yourself.
At the same time, I pictured Dana, whose beauty could rival Adelia’s. As long as Dana remained firmly in my mind, I would never be enchanted by Adelia. That thought helped me regain my composure. I decided I had better stop drinking the wine if I didn’t want to get drunk.
“Why are you eating with me?”
“Is it strange? There’s nothing strange about it. It’s lunchtime, so we’re simply eating together. You happened to be visiting our unit at lunchtime, and it would have been rude to send a guest away without offering a meal. I was merely observing proper etiquette.”
It sounded reasonably convincing.
“Thanks. I’ll treat you to something good later.”
“I decline. It’s obvious what sort of food you would serve, so I have no appetite for it.”
Being rejected outright was one thing, but to be dismissed so completely… Did she think I was going to treat her to pig slop?