Chapter 32: Almost Got Caught by Her!

“Good morning, Milady.”

Early the next morning, just as Eileen was waking up, she found herself staring into a pair of icy blue eyes beside her pillow.

That instantly brought her fully awake.

She could feel a soft, warm sensation under the covers—and just thinking about it a little was enough for her to realize that Layla had once again snuck into her bed without any clothes on.

“Layla, what are you doing? This isn’t the marquis’ estate! What if someone happens to come in and sees us in this tiny little tent?”

No sooner had she spoken than a head popped into the tent—Clarette.

“Milady, it’s time to—”

Halfway through her sentence, Clarette’s face turned beet red and she quickly backed out of the tent.

Her heart was pounding wildly. Wait, why were Miss Layla and the young lady sleeping together?! What did they do last night?

Suddenly, Clarette remembered something Layla had once told her:

“Maid etiquette? That doesn’t exist in the Raven household. Just think about becoming part of Milady’s harem!”

Wait… that wasn’t a joke?!

“About how I live in constant fear as a maid in a yuri young lady’s house, afraid she’ll turn me gay.”

No! I—I will never give in to you!

Even after walking out of the tent, Clarette couldn’t help sneaking a few more glances back, clearly still flustered.

As for Eileen, she had long grown used to Layla crawling into her bed like this. The initial shock had worn off, and now she simply got up and started changing clothes with a completely calm face.

She was in just her underwear as she got dressed. Come to think of it, she didn’t remember undressing this much before going to sleep last night…

From behind her came Layla’s voice. “Milady, are you worried about Lilisha?”

“N-Not really. I mean, it’s between her and her master—it has nothing to do with me.”

Even Layla could tell that was a lie. Her eyes shifted slyly—clearly she was already scheming something.

By the time Eileen stepped out of the tent, the members of Crimson Flame were already up and had a large pot on the fire. All the ingredients were neatly chopped, and they were beaming at her expectantly.

That’s right—within the original S-rank team, managing the food had always been Eileen’s job.

As the universally acknowledged “useless noble girl,” Eileen had practically maxed out every non-combat skill imaginable!

A few days ago, a blond rogue named Link had been in charge of meals, but after just a couple of bites, Eileen couldn’t take it anymore and decided to cook herself.

Ever since then, the entire A-rank team had gotten used to Eileen’s culinary style. Red Wolf had even asked multiple times if she’d consider joining their team permanently.

“If we can’t eat Eileen’s cooking anymore, how will we even survive?”

They were laying it on a little thick—but Eileen didn’t mind. She enjoyed the praise.

As for Layla—“Milady! Leave the cooking to me today!”

Eileen folded her arms and firmly shook her head.

Layla couldn’t cook at all. Eileen had seen her try before. The whole pot would either glow purple or emit a weird green light—the entire scene looked more like a witch brewing some kind of legendary poison than someone making food.

Eileen wasn’t particularly skilled in cooking—in her previous life, she was just an ordinary corporate worker.

Because she’d been single for a long time and didn’t want to keep ordering takeout, she had learned to cook for herself. But her skills were only average at best.

It was just that the food in this world was so primitive that Eileen’s cooking seemed like gourmet-level cuisine in comparison.

Once she hit the yellow sweet spot on the cooking progress bar, a pot of fragrant, steaming dishes was ready. Cooking really was that simple and straightforward.

“There won’t be time for a peaceful meal after this, so I made something extra special!” Eileen said, hands on her hips, proudly introducing the dishes she’d prepared.

“This is Sweet Flower Chicken, the golden one is Mora Meat, that’s Jade Assorted Pouches, and this one is Pearl Emerald Jade Soup…”

Mario, Link, and the others couldn’t help but give her a thumbs up. Only Master Garhai quietly filled a bowl and retreated to a corner to eat alone.

Eileen looked at his back and sighed, “Is that really necessary? He won’t even eat with everyone.”

Red Wolf didn’t think much of it. “Mages are always a bit weird.”

Weird?

Eileen thought of Helga and nodded in agreement.

The second person she found odd was Furoya. Every time before eating, she’d pull a face of disgust and would dump a ton of ketchup on her food. Was ketchup really that good?

Eileen had once asked Furoya if she could try some of that ketchup she adored so much, just to see what it tasted like. But Furoya had flatly refused.

“This is our family’s secret recipe. I won’t let you taste it!!”

To that, Eileen’s only comment was: stingy.

*****

After taking his plate and distancing himself from the others, Master Garhai finally sat down to eat. He removed the mask from his face, revealing an adorably delicate girl’s face.

Light purple hair spilled from the edge of her hood, and her equally lavender eyes shimmered with emotion.

She raised her plate and began devouring the food with unrestrained enthusiasm, completely lacking any ladylike restraint.

“So, so good! I don’t even know what I was eating those few days I was away from Eileen!”

The drumstick melted in her mouth—crispy, soft, and sweet—bringing a blissful expression to her face. Just then—

“Master Garhai, is that enough food? I brought you some more.”

Eileen’s voice suddenly came from behind her, startling Helga. She had gone to great lengths to disguise herself like a wrapped-up dumpling just to follow Eileen unnoticed and look for a chance to clear up their misunderstanding.

If Eileen discovered her now, she’d almost certainly kick her out!

Helga quickly switched back to her gruff old-man voice and said calmly, “Miss Eileen, just leave the plate there. I’ll eat it in a bit.”

Eileen responded with an “Oh,” and left a little disappointed.

She was actually quite curious about the appearance of this so-called ‘eccentric’ magic master.

The real reason she’d brought food over was to try and catch a glimpse of what he looked like—after all, it wasn’t exactly possible to eat while wearing a mask, right?

But unfortunately, the other party had been facing away from her while eating, so her curiosity went unsatisfied.

Would it be rude if she just walked over to watch him eat? She’d probably come off as intrusive and annoying…

Once she heard Eileen’s footsteps gradually fade into the distance, Helga finally let out a breath of relief. She set down the plate and glanced at the food Eileen had brought over—

“Honestly, this much is more than enough. I’m just a mage—I don’t have that big an appetite. And after reuniting with Eileen these past couple of days, the food’s been so good that I accidentally overate… I’m even starting to get a little pudgy around the belly. But still…”

“Whatever. I’ll eat a little more. It’s not like we’ll get much time to rest after this anyway.”

“But… that Endymion City… this so-called ‘Law Codex’ that can supposedly rewrite one’s natural talent—could that really be true? They say His Majesty the Holy King, who stands at the pinnacle of magic and is hailed as the ultimate Archmage, can achieve such godlike feats. Is that even possible?”

Helga had her doubts. And then there were those people from the ‘Crimson Flame’ group who had joined them at the last minute—they seemed a little off. Sure, they acted friendly, but it felt too friendly… almost unnaturally so.

Eileen didn’t seem to suspect anything, but Helga knew she had to stay on guard.

And then there was that Miss Furoya. Why did she always insist on carrying a parasol even in broad daylight?

Way too suspicious!