Chapter 39: A Maid Who Knows How to Cook Always Gets Extra Credit
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: A Maid Who Knows How to Cook Always Gets Extra Credit
"Young Master, it’s time to eat."
At An’s call, Muen opened his eyes.
Her voice was so gentle that for a moment, Muen felt as if he had returned to the past—back to the days when he slept in that large, soft bed and was woken by her every morning.
Regrettably, that was a thing of the past.
Muen was currently confined in a cage. Beneath his bare backside was steel even colder than his heart.
"How long has it been?"
Muen looked up at An, a flash of exhaustion crossing his eyes.
"A whole night has passed," An replied, placing the food box in front of him with a light chuckle. "Did the Young Master find last night’s accommodations to his liking?"
"What do you think?!"
Muen tugged angrily at the shackles on his wrists, letting out a cold sneer. "If you took these shackles off, gave me a two-meter wide bed with a velvet duvet and pillows instead of making me sit naked on this freezing floor, then maybe—just maybe—there would come a day where I’d find it 'to my liking.'"
"Then I must ask the Young Master to forgive me, for I cannot grant that request. After all, if I accidentally let you slip away, I would be very, very sad."
"I’m just a useless, pampered young master you raised to be a failure! Is this kind of treatment really necessary? Even death row inmates don't have it this bad!"
"One can never be too cautious, after all."
An slowly took the breakfast out of the food box and smiled. "I saw that the Young Master looked a bit weary yesterday, so I specially brewed some Ten-Complete Tonic Soup for you."
"Ten-Complete Tonic?"
"Mhm. I read about it in a book. It’s a soup made from things like tiger whip, bull whip, goblin whip, troll whip, and Morolita Giant Bear whip. I heard it’s very beneficial for men."
"What on earth is a Morolita Giant Bear?" Muen’s expression shifted slightly.
"It’s a type of magical beast. I’ve heard that when a male Morolita Giant Bear is in heat and can’t find a mate, many new tree holes appear around its habitat overnight. That’s why they’re commonly known as Tree-Hole Giant Bears."
"Tree holes..."
Muen didn't even want to ask how those tree holes were formed.
He looked down as An used her slender, delicate hands to unscrew the container's lid, pouring a pungent, black liquid into a bowl.
For some reason, as the liquid flowed, he felt his poor heart trembling along with it.
"Are you sure this stuff is actually drinkable when mixed together?"
"Of course it is," An said. "You might not know this, Young Master, but I’ve been secretly adding these things to your food since you were ten. Of course, given your age back then, I didn't add much."
"What?" Muen’s face paled. "Ten years old?"
That meant he had been drinking this so-called Ten-Complete Tonic Soup for eight whole years!
"One must always plan ahead. Actually, what I wanted to add most was dragon whip, but dragons aren't exactly easy to catch. I’ll just have to find an opportunity to get some for you to taste in the future."
"Don't talk about catching dragons like it's some casual errand! I'm terrified here!"
"Why should you be afraid, Young Master? As long as you are obedient, I would never dream of hurting you."
An picked up the soup bowl and held the spoon to Muen’s lips. "Come, Young Master. Open wide. Ah—"
"I’m not drinking that!"
Muen shook his head, dodging the spoon.
God only knows what kind of side effects drinking too much of this crap would have! Maybe the original host was so stupid precisely because of this "Ten-Complete Tonic Soup."
"You won't drink it?"
The smile on An’s beautiful face suddenly froze.
She leaned down, her eyes meeting Muen’s at point-blank range. In those mesmerizing, beautiful eyes, Muen saw a deep darkness swirling, as if it were ready to surge out and swallow everything whole at any moment.
"Are you sure?"
Though her words carried no overt threat, Muen felt as if a gleaming cleaver was pressed against his heart. If he gave the wrong answer, she would surely run him through right then and there.
"No... I'll drink. I'll drink."
Muen gave a strained smile and nodded, stretching his neck forward to swallow the soup from the spoon.
A real man knows when to yield. It was just a bit of Ten-Complete Tonic Soup; what was the big deal? He’d been drinking it for eight years anyway, what was one more time?
Hmm...
Actually, it tasted surprisingly good.
*
After feeding Muen the soup spoonful by spoonful, An suddenly stood up. Before Muen could even process what was happening, her maid uniform slid to the floor, revealing her porcelain-white body.
"Again?"
Muen’s eyes widened in indignant grief. "How long has it even been since the last time?"
An wasn't even wearing underwear. This was premeditated!
"I can't help it."
An licked her crimson lips and leaned down, crawling toward Muen inch by inch, her gaze provocative. "I need to leave my mark on the Young Master as quickly as possible—a mark that belongs only to me~"
"You wicked woman, stay away! Mmph..."
"Mmm... Young Master, your mouth says no, but your body is quite honest~"
"It... it is not."
"Is that so? Mmm... but you're moving on your own, Young Master..."
"Dammit..."
*
Two hours later.
*
Having finished her business, a thoroughly satisfied An dressed herself.
Muen stared blankly at the ceiling, his eyes hollow, looking like a maiden who had been violated by a villain and felt that all hope in life was lost.
Perhaps feeling that her actions were indeed a bit excessive, An crouched beside Muen, cradling her cheeks in her hands with a hint of apology.
"It seems I’ve been a bit too hard on the Young Master."
"..."
Muen shot her a glare but said nothing.
"Seeing you like this, my conscience is truly troubled."
Muen rolled his eyes again.
Conscience? You’ve done every wicked thing imaginable to me, and you still claim to have a conscience?
"In that case, how about I grant the Young Master one small request?"
Muen’s eyes lit up. "I want my freedom—"
"That won't do." An placed a finger against Muen’s lips. "I said a small request."
"Then take off these shackles."
"No."
"I want clothes."
"No."
"I want a bed."
"No."
"This won't do, that won't do!" Muen wailed. "Just how 'small' does this request have to be?!"
"Let me think." An pondered for a moment. "About the level of deciding what we have for lunch."
"...That is indeed small." Muen sighed. "But I suppose it’s better than nothing."
"So, has the Young Master decided?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"And what is it?"
"Come to think of it, autumn is almost here, isn't it?" Muen didn't answer immediately, instead playing for suspense. "At this time in previous years, I would usually be boating on Lake Bepol, admiring the exquisite scenery while tasting the fresh autumn fish caught right from the water."
"The Young Master wants to eat fish from Lake Bepol?"
"Ah, autumn fish are at their fattest. If steamed and paired with red wine from the Locke Winery, it would be such a delight."
"But Lake Bepol is so far away. If the fish were delivered here..."
"Ah, last year I was boating on the lake, so high-spirited and bold. And now, I am confined to this tiny cage. How tragic, how pitiful. What meaning is there to a life like this? I might as well just die."
"...Fine."
An’s eye twitched, but she maintained her smile. "I will get the fish. Please wait patiently, Young Master."
"Oh."
Muen instantly stopped his wailing and looked at An, raising an eyebrow. "Then I’ll be waiting, An."